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

This is where I'm sitting now.


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Google Maps is okay but I can, quite literally, spend hours playing in Google Earth. For example, I was contemplating retirement. Although I read in the newspapers how most boomers want to, or may need to, continue working past the traditional age of retirement, I'm sure I want to finish up at age 55. Or at least I want that option.

I've been thinking where it'd be nice to buy winter property. Recently in Phoenix, we were rubbing shoulders with Canadians trying to cash in on the real estate market troubles there. I am setting my sights a little further away. I'm more of a tropical than desert person. Maybe Mexico or even Sri Lanka would be possible.

Regardless, I can do more than think about these things with the software tools at my disposal. I can zoom right in on a neighbourhood in a flight of fancy.

Labels: feelings, Google Earth, Net apps, Q2_2008

I've subscribed for the weekly sales newsletter from my computer shop. I follow the falling prices this way even when I'm not looking to purchase anything.

I am following SD prices because of this month's purchase of a high-definition Panasonic camcorder. It's a model that only uses flash memory, so I picked up two 8GB SDHC cards to use with it. In the highest resolution about one hour of AVCHD video can be stored on one.

I did note quite a reasonable deal on the item to the right. The price is about $68 for 16GB. One of these would hold a full, two hours. Not having to swap off to a laptop computer would be useful on a long vacation. I'm in no rush though so I'll wait for the price to fall further or hold off until 32 GB chips are available.

Just to keep things in perspective, when I came back from working in the Middle East, in 1996, I shipped back a computer with a whopping 1.6GB hard drive. At the time the hard drives in many computers were still measured in megabytes. Today, the majority of mp3 players can hold more data than that PC!

Labels: camcorder, computers, flash memory, hard disk, Q2_2008, technology

I'd never wish the stress of a calamity on others. Still, a house fire or flood must be a sure way of getting rid of junk collected over the years. As a case in point, I finally got around to throwing away these old things that were hanging on the wall in the bedroom. Had it not been for painting the walls, they very well could've been hanging around, literally, for years more.



Here's the story on the front frame. In 1988, I worked for a year for the Royal Saudi Naval Forces in Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Instructors were given dorm-style rooms right on the military compound. The rooms were provided with basic furniture. Whenever an employee left, their old room was always left unlocked. During one such time, I found this RSNF-inventoried picture. It was calming to see the river scene while actually sitting on the edge of the desert. Additionally, it may have reminded me New Hampshire, I guess. I appropriated it.

After I left Dammam, it came with me and was placed on walls in Bahrain, the UAE, and both apartments in New Westminster. During one move, the glass broke. In the intervening years, the colours faded. So, after twenty years, I realize it's time to say goodbye to it. One of the other little pictures was salvaged from a dumpster when a hotel in Dubai was updating rooms. The third was a framed beach towel from long ago.

I don't mind parting with them; it's just I had to document their existence here first.

Labels: Q2_2008, Saudi Arabia, souvenirs

I am a little late getting something here. I bought this paint this afternoon. I have finished about 90% of the bedroom. Tomorrow, I can complete the tough areas around the sliding glass door and windows.

Although I chose flat base, it looks pretty bright on the wall. On Monday, I mentioned that my eyes are generally closed when in the bedroom; however, I hope I can shut them tonight for all the glare! Why didn't I pick blue instead?

Labels: maintenance, Q2_2008

It's now 5:47 pm. It just seems right to be sitting on the balcony with a whiskey on the rocks at my side and this notebook on my lap. I can glance at the river and at all the cars on their homeward commute on Columbia Street. I'm facing the SkyTrain bridge as a few Seaspan tugboats pull a barge up the Fraser. The breeze is cool but the sky's blue. The balcony is little used during so much of the year; I'm happy to see summer's coming.

Today, I didn't do much. It's taken a while for this to actually feel good. When I'm first on a break I have an impractical impulse to create to-do lists. For instance, I was all worked up about doing some things around the apartment yesterday. This morning, I did drive up to a 'dollar shop' and got a few brushes, extra rollers, and two paint pans. Perhaps tomorrow, I'll actually purchase a few gallons. Although there's a paint store about a block away, I'll probably drive to the Queensborough Walmart.

When uptown earlier, I went in the library. That's why today's Daily Picture Parade highlights the outside of the library. A lot can be shown in twenty seconds.

Labels: balcony, Columbia Street, errands, Fraser River, Q2_2008, relaxing

I think I found something to keep me busy this week. It's about time to do some inside painting. The living room drastically needs a fresh coat. We've been here ten years and have never done it. Actually the bedroom needs it even more but that can wait. After all, most of the time spent there is in the dark.

The last time we did much painting around the apartment was a while back. In fact, I had to go to an archive disc in order to scrounge up the following digital image. Jay was working on the kitchen walls and the table area. It was taken in June 2002 which was well before this blog had begun.

Labels: maintenance, Q2_2008

Transit in the Metro Vancouver area isn't cheap. Jay must buy a two-zone fare card in order to get to work. Starting last year, the Canadian federal government gives a tax break to those who purchase monthly passes though.

Also, on Sundays, two people can ride on one card. This is convenient for us on weekends. Today, for example, we wanted to get out in the sunshine. We also needed some specific ethnic groceries which can only be found on Fraser Street. So, rather than jumping in the truck and sucking up gas which now sells here for $1.37/litre, we jumped on the SkyTrain and a few bus routes.

Labels: Q2_2008, SkyTrain, transit, Vancouver