A Collection of Daily Wisdom by Dennis Sylvester Hurd since September 2003.

My city began with a population explosion. In a single year, 1858, more than twenty thousand men came through this area, primarily from San Francisco, seeking Fraser River gold. The term Gold Rush was pretty accurate! The Hudson Bay Company was overwhelmed in trying to keep law and order. This concerned the British Government too. So, the Hudson Bay Company's charter to British Columbia was rescinded and the land became a British Colony.

Colonel Richard Moody and a corps of Royal Engineers were quickly sent to build a new capital. Colonel Moody chose a location on high ground next to the Fraser River, right before the river branches into the north and south arms. The city was founded to oversee the hordes of new immigrants and to prevent the area from becoming a territory of the United States. This area would be easily protected.



There was a dispute as to what to call the new capital. An appeal was sent to Queen Victoria and she named it after her favourite part of London. New Westminster is still known as the Royal City because of this. In 1866, it briefly kept its title when the British Colonies of Vancouver and Victoria were united. However, Victoria was made capital in 1868.

Labels: British Columbia, government, New Westminster

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Dammam, Saudi Arabia
December 9, 1988

Dear Dad,

I suppose I owe you a letter. I guess that little Christmas Newsletter would not count as a personal note. As I think I scribbled on the back, I shall be leaving Dammam soon. I am going to take up teaching for the Bahraini Defense Force in January. All this is coming about very quickly. (And I haven't signed their contract yet.)

But in a matter of several short weeks, I am flying to Bahrain (a twenty minute flight). This occurs on Wednesday December 28th after I get through with work. How's that for working up to the last minute? Actually, my official contract expired today. The navy uses the Hijra (Moslem) calendar which is 11 days shorter than our Gregorian one. But I gave my thirty day notice on December first, and offered to work the additional two weeks. That thousand dollars will buy a video deck, TV and assorted apartment furnishings. And the time frame worked out well, as it will give me a bit more than a week between jobs.

In Bahrain, I won't be living on military quarters. Instead, they give a monthly housing allowance. So, this will be only the second time in my life that I've hunted for my own dwelling. I am rather excited about the idea of getting out into the "real world" again. These military contracts in Saudi do not offer you the chance to make any of your own decisions. Transportation, food, housing and even spare-time activities are limited to the military's whims. But soon, I'll be forced into the cold reality of self determination.

The pay in Bahrain is about $400/month less than I am earning here. But money is not my most pressing concern now that I've paid every debt. I am more interested in professional advancement and job satisfaction, neither of which are possible at this Navy institute. You might not believe how screwed up things can be here. In the last year class sizes have doubled, and staff has halved. The supervisor is a super weirdo and mentally unbalanced. And my teaching duties have been mainly an attempt to keep tired cadets awake throughout the morning. It has its moments of fun, but it's a whole lot less enjoyable than a year ago.

Bahrain is considered the "Pearl of the Gulf" for a number of reasons. They have a much more open society there. Passport and immigration laws are not as strict and one can enter and leave as often as one wishes. Christian churches are prevalent and attended. There is no prohibition on things such a liquor, pork, or movie theaters. Women even drive cars, travel unveiled, and hold down jobs. I am looking forward to escaping from this crazy job situation to enter a place where life is less controlled.

I don't know my address yet, but I will send it along as soon as I do know it. In case of emergency, I suppose I could be contracted at the Bahrain offices of General Dynamics. You could dial overseas direct to: (966) 530-023 or (966) 530-024. Remember the day starts and finishes eight hours earlier than it does for you. And Thursday and Fridays are our weekends here.

I hope things are O.K. for you. Have you had the chance to play with the snow plow yet. Winter should be coming along nicely now and the wood stove might need stoking right now! If you find the need to write, my mail will be forwarded to Bahrain for several months, so don't use that as an excuse. Behave and stay well.

Your son,

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Labels: file archives, Saudi Arabia

In yesterday's entry I mentioned Bret. He's on the right in this well-worn photo of the famous trio that ran the Harbor Gameroom during summers from college. (See a previous blog entry.) This photo has been hanging around before. In fact, one very small and very old copy sits on my regular eResume Site's youth page. I recently scanned it again so that I could upload a copy to Flickr. It deserves to be re-digitized as the image will be 25 years old next spring.

By the way, this entry's title is a foggy reference to a beer-marketing campaign. It was probably aimed just at college males. There were hundreds of free posters with a buxom babe with several large, full mugs. I can't remember the company but I recall the posters being on many dormroom walls.

Labels: Bret, Joel, The Harbor Gameroom

I got a Christmas card from Bret yesterday. It did remind me to get one out to him. Bret is an old friend. In fact, we lived a bicycle ride away in my hometown of Sunapee, NH. We attended all grades in a class with around 30 others. So, it is rather strange that we're still nearly neighbours. Bret and family live in Seattle. It'd be a long bike ride, but it doesn't take much time to get there driving down I-5.

Bret reads this blog sometimes. He synchs up daily with AvantGo. In his card, he mentioned something about me teaching English to the world via this venue. I must admit that task is my chosen career but it's entirely accidental if it occurs in this forum.

Exactly why have I been writing so religiously here for so long? I write my eJournal and images for personal reasons. I like being able to add a few ideas to this catalogue of Dennis. It's really not for others although I'd not be tempted to keep it up without the theoretically possibility of sharing with others. I am absolutely sure I'm so fantastic that even the most mundane aspects of my life are worthy of world-wide attention.

Labels: Bret, Christmas, Seattle

On the weekend, we went to see the film, Rent (2005).

Having never gone to the stage version, we were not well-versed on the plot. The reviewers do say the movie grabs the 'essence' of the play and successfully adds street and outdoor scenes. Some of the music was familiar, of course.

I'm partial to film where people break into song and successfully replace movement and tons of dialog with music. Still, I was surprised how dated the movie seemed. After all it was less than a decade ago that it premiered on Broadway. Those '525,600 minutes' have only passed about 16 times since the play's inception.

Yet, I was oddly reminded of Jesus Christ Superstar (1973). The ideas and action seemed idealistic but from a slightly different epoch. It really was a different time, I guess. New York was different. The views on AIDS were different. Even, the hair styles were different.

Still, the best performances are supposedly to be timeless. I'll have to view Rent again after a suitable stretch of time.

Labels: movies, musical

I was searching tags on Flickr and discovered something I'd never thought of before. The dates of the majority of my collection are skewed towards summer. It is rather logical that most of my pictures would've been shot in June, July and August. After all, that might be the time of the more outings and trips. Also, those are the days when the sky can actually be seen.



I guess I've noticed this as it's was so dark recently. In fact when home, I have kept the apartment lights on even in the middle of the day. All these clouds result in far fewer outdoor-photo opportunities.

Labels: Flickr

These are results for the personality test found at the December 3rd entry. If you've not choosen a graphic, skip to that page to choose your favourite graphic. Then, you may return here to find the assessment.

(1) Introspective
Sensitive / Reflective
You come to grips more frequently and thoroughly with yourself and your environment than do most people. You detest superficiality; you'd rather be alone than have to suffer through small talk. But your relationships with your friends are highly intensive, which gives you the inner tranquility and harmony that you need in order to feel good. However it is no problem for you to be alone for extended periods of time, without becoming bored.

(2) Independent
Unconventional / Unfettered
You demand a free and unattached life for yourself that allows you to determine your own course. You have an artistic bend in your work or leisure activities. Your urge for freedom sometimes causes you to do exactly the opposite of what expected of you. Your lifestyle is highly individualistic. You would never blindly imitate what is "in"; on the contrary, you seek to live according to your own ideas and convictions, even if this means swimming against the tide.

(3) Dynamic
Active / Extroverted
You are quite willing to accept certain risks and to make a strong committment in exchange for interesting and varied work. Routine, in contrast, tends to have a paralyzing effect on you. What you like most is to be able to play an active role in events. In doing so, your initiative is highly pronounced.

(4) Down to Earth
Well-Balanced / Harmonious
You value a natural style and love that which is uncomplicated. People admire you because you have both feet planted firmly on the ground and they can depend on you. You give those who are close to you security and space. You are perceived as being warm and human. You reject everything that is garish and trite. You tend to be skeptical toward the whims of fashion trends. For you, clothing has to be practical and unobtrusively elegant.

(5) Professional
Pragmatic / Self-Assured
You take charge of your life, and place less faith in your luck and more in your own deeds. You solve problems in a practical, uncomplicated manner. You take a realistic view of the things in your daily life and tackle them without wavering. You are given a great deal of responsibility at work, because people know that you can be depended upon. Your pronounced strength of will projects your self-assurance to others. You are never fully satisfied until you have accomplished your ideas.

(6) Peaceful
Discreet / Non-Aggressive
You are easy-going yet discreet. You make friends effortlessly, yet enjoy your privacy and independence. You like to get away from it all and be alone from time to time to contemplate the meaning of life and enjoy yourself. You need space, so you escape to beautiful hideaways, but you are not a loner. You are at peace with yourself and the world, and you appreciate life and what this world has to offer.

(7) Carefree
Playful / Cheerful
You love a free and spontaneous life. And you attempt to enjoy it to the fullest, in accordance with the motto: "You only live once. You are very curious and open about everything new; you thrive on change. Nothing is worse than when you feel tied down. You experience your environment as being versatile and always good for a surprise.

(8) Romantic
Dreamy / Emotional
You are a very sensitive person. You refuse to view things only from a sober, rational standpoint. What your feelings tell you is just as important to you. In fact, you feel it is important to have dreams in life, too. You reject people who scorn romanticism and are guided only by rationality. You refuse to let anything confine the rich variety of your moods and emotions.


(9) Analytical
Trustworthy / Self-Assured
Your momentary sensitivity represents that which is of high quality and durable. Consequently, you like to surround yourself with little "gems," which you discover wherever they are overlooked by others. Thus, culture plays a special role in your life. You have found your own personal style, which is elegant and exclusive, free from the whims of fashion. Your ideal, upon which you base your life, is cultured pleasure. You value a certain level of culture on the part of the people with whom you associate.

Labels: sharing