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

I always thought the term, surfing the Internet, was slightly annoying. To me, it sounded like a techno-peasant who really didn't know much about the world wide web . . . talking about other people who did. (When I was half done with the sentence above, I decided to look up the phrase to see who coined it. Take a look at this video created by the San Francisco CBS affiliate. It was broadcast earlier this month, no less!)

Now, I've changed my mind. Thank you, Jean Armour Polly, for writing that back in 1992. It does better describe how I used to spend my browser time. It used to be a thrill to find new information. I witnessed websites develop company-by-company and organization-by-organization. It was once a treasure just to find a familiar, old name with a new web presence. I'm talking about a time when Yahoo was a list maintained by hand!

Now I fear, I generally skulk around the same old haunts and usually stay within the first dozen hits of a Google search. The surfing has become more of a laboured stroll through a now-familiar mall.



I did see advertisements for the new web portal for for Canadian government Internet resources. I visited www.ServiceCanada.ca and found myself doing a lot of exploring by clicking various links. Of course, the federal government has a copious amount of data on the Net. Organizing such a deluge of information and making it available from one location seems a worthy, although difficult, goal.

Labels: Canada, Google, government, Internet, Net apps, Q1_2007

I took a panorama shot from my balcony in August of 2005 and it's been on Flickr since that time. Although downtown New Westminster is undergoing a lot of changes, the view's not much different from where I sit.


Click this to see an enlarged version of this photo. Depending
on your screen size, you may need to do quite a bit of scrolling to
see the entire image.

Labels: balcony, Flickr, Fraser River, New Westminster, Q1_2007

Bolting together the chairs that go with the dining table got me in a rare mood this morning. I'm feeling all do-it-yourself-ish. Moreover, this was a day off and spring definitely felt like it was in the air.

I went to the Home Depot that's just across the river. I had forgotten how enjoyable just walking around the inside one could be. There are just so many isles with just so much stuff!

I spent a little extra time exploring the area where bathroom fixtures and supplies are. I saw new vanity counter tops and looked at the sinks. The el-cheapo particleboard one in the apartment needs to be replaced. Water got in under the rim of the sink and caused a bubble in the laminate. It doesn't need to be replaced this week or even this year, but knowing how they're designed is important. The most wonderful thing about modern construction techniques is standardization! It's very nice to find out that things will fit.

Labels: maintenance, Q1_2007

Fifteen years can seem like a lifetime. I recently found the following information on an archive CD. This was research when I was working for the Higher Colleges of Technology in Dubai, UAE. In March of 1992, I was interested in getting a computer bulletin board system running at our college. There was no Internet available there at the time. Eventually I set up and operated a 8-modem, Major BBS/WorldGroup system. I fear that most people reading this blog entry may not even be aware of early days of computer communication.

I wish to publish the information today as a tribute to former Gulf-country sysops (system operators) who struggled with old-skool modems, uncooperative telcos, and the temperamental BBS software of the day.

---

G.C.C. Bulletin Boards (March 1992)

Area/ Name/ Number/ Speed/ (Special Hours)

Bahrain

Al-Bahrain/ Al-Madani BBS/ (973) 250454 *6/ 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Flyers Wildcat! BBS/ (973) 336 721 / 3-12-24-96
Al-Bahrain/ Stray Cats BBS / (973) 277997 / 3-12-24-96


Saudi Arabia

Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 2197 *3/ 12-24
Abqaiq/ Abqaiq B.B.S./ (03) 572 3884 / 3-12-24
Abqaiq/ Air Ecosse/ (03) 572 1653 / 3-12-24
Qatif/ Ali Mutab B.B.S./ (03) 856 2720 / 3-12
Riyadh / B.E.S.T. B.B.S. / (01) 478 6703 / 3-12-24
Alkhobar / Bulldog B.B.S./ (03) 894 8974 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / D.P.C.S. Bytenet/ (03) 873 7852 / 3/12
Dhahran/ Darkstar B.B.S./ (03) 873 7851 / 3-12
Dhahran / Darkstar II / (03) 873 7853 / 3-12
Dhahran / Desert Boots B.B.S/ (03) 873 9241 / 3-12-24/ (17-00 to 07-00)
Jeddah/ Elyas R.B.B.S./ (02) 683 3120 *2/ 3-12
Al Khobar / Express B.B.S./ (03) 898 3980 / 3-12-24
Hofuf / Hofuf Air/ (03) 586 4382 3-12-24
Al Khobar/ Jeraisy B.B.S. / (03) 894 7394 *4/ 3-12-24
Dammam / PC-Soft (PC-NET)/ (03) 834 4413 / 3-12-24
Riyadh/ Riyadh PC Board / (01) 464 4079 *1/ 3-12-24
Jeddah / Taurus B.B.S./ (02) 667 2353 / 3-12-24
Dhahran / Viking B.B.S./ (03) 878 3887 / 3/12/24/ (21-00 to 08-00)
Yanbu / Wildcat #1 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (13-00 to 20-00 Sat-Thu)
Yanbu / Wildcat #2 B.B.S./ (04) 396 0285 / 3-12/ (22-00 to 11-00 Fri-Wed)


United Arab Emirates

Abu Dhabi/ Sphinx Wildcat! / (971) 2 5005202/ 3-12-24
Dubai / The First Wildcat BBS/ (971) 4 5005401/ 3-12-24
Dubai/ The Lonestar Wildcat/ (971) 4 5005403/ 3-12-24

---

Labels: Bahrain, BBS, Dubai, Q1_2007, Saudi Arabia

The flyer came in the local newspaper. I noticed the PriceSmart foods name and expected that the closest one was in Surrey. I remember stopping at one on the King George highway and struggling with the self-service check out. I think we had to walk in through a picket line to get in the front door. The union was peeved that the parent company called the Overwaitea Food Group switched the premisis from its former Save-On-Food brand and fired all the senior, highly-paid workers.

I did notice that the flyer showed the grand opening of a store not far from here. We seldom have the need to cross into Burnaby on Marine Way. The brochure said it was at Byrne Road but I could not picture anything in that area. It was just industrial and agricultural land as far as I could recall. So, I drove only a mile and a half beyond the Queensborough Bridge and sure enough, there it was! There is a whole business development with a Canadian Tire, London Drugs, Mark's Warehouse and the small shops that surround anchor stores like calves to a teat.

I suspect the shopping area is targeted to those on Burnaby's south slope that don't wish to tangle with the crowds at Metrotown. Retail keeps getting larger and larger. It also continues to get closer and closer.

Labels: food, Q1_2007

I'm officially on one of those glorious weeks between teaching the intensive PELD (Professional English Language Development) courses at the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

The theory might be a bit more appealing than the facts though. For one, I'm without a contract this week; consequently, I will get no paycheck for it. Moreover, I have spent the better part of the day, so far, doing the final grades for the class that just finished. So, I really have more in the order of four days to do as I please. Wait! I don't want this to sound like complaining. I'm actually very satisfied with the scenario.

I have found recent changes have also altered the end-of-term activities in a positive way. This is the first time in my ten years at BCIT where I haven't kept an Excel spreadsheet of grades. Not only is the grade-book automated so that students can gain access to their scores during the term, but the final grade admission is now totally web-based too. No longer do I have to run to the office to turn in marks to my Admin. Assistant in duplicate.



All final marks were calculated and carried over from the online grades component. I simply entered all additional data on the forms from home. All attendance data, and special reports were included via secure connection to the institute's site. After it all met my approval, I just clicked a button to send it for verification and acceptance.

Life gets better and better! I have achieved the same sense of freedom that used to come after handing over the photocopied set by hand. But this time, I didn't need to take the time to schlep to the Burnaby campus.

Labels: BCIT, Q1_2007, technology

Yesterday was a bit of a wash. Rain pelted down continuously for the entire day. Luckily the warmth of the Harrison Hot Springs comes from underground. So, the thermal heat kept the indoor and outdoor pools at just the right temperature. The place was packed. There were several weddings going on and, as this is the end of spring vacation at some schools, families were there in droves.

I was reminded of Las Vegas without the incessant noise from slots. I guess there'd not be a big fireplace in the lobby of Circus Circus though.

It was a relaxing slide back on Highway 1 today. We weren't the travelling the fastest on the eighty-mile return back to New Westminster, but then speed wasn't crucial. The idea of a break is to abandon rushing around. I already do pretty good on that front on most all days though.

Labels: Las Vegas, Q1_2007, weather

Last year, I said it should become a tradition.



We are going out to Harrison Hot Springs Resort for the night. Staying at a resort is generally not the type of lodging we frequent. More often than not, we stay in a Super 8 or privately-owned little motels. When visiting an urban area, we initially check to see if there's a YMCA hotel!

Fortunately, we were given a gift certificate to this place from friends. We were only able to stay a single night last time, so we are still making use of the original gift. It is such a fun way to get away though, I am convinced it will become an annual event even when we have to foot the bill.

Labels: Q1_2007, road trip

I'm nearly cross-eyed right now. I've been correcting assignments while my class is taking the final examination. I've also checked and marked the listening comprehension part of today's test. This means I've stared at a lot of paper this afternoon.

Now there's just 25 minutes of class left, so I finally have a chance to look around the room. I will probably not see many of these people again. That seems strange as they have been such a big part of my life for the past five weeks. These intensive courses really do cause a sort of instant bonding. Sixteen hours per week is a lot of time for a college-level course.



What I'm thinking of now has more to do with the combination of personalities in the room rather than the length of time we've had together. Each group takes on its own unique characteristics. The sum really is greater than the whole. As a student, one never really thinks about how much luck is involved in the selection of people who are classmates. I suppose it's basically the same phenomenon in the workplace or, for that matter, life in general.

Labels: BCIT, opinions, Q1_2007, students

We all grow older but far fewer of us actually grow up.

I thought of Cyndi Lauper merely as a girl wanting to have fun in the 1980's. I've recently changed my mind. I PVR'ed a concert off HDNet and have watched much of it. I have to give the lady a great deal of credit. She has quite a set of lungs and included an enormous variety of musical styles in an hour and a half. She is really an accomplished entertainer and still quirky enough to be endearing.

Now, she ranks right up there on a very small, personal list. It contains the names of people with whom I'd like to have a half hour conversation. Being on that list is saying a lot ... as I generally feel my own thoughts are tremendously more valuable than nearly everyone else's.

Labels: music, Q1_2007

This is the time of year when all the bulbs and buds are starting to wake up. Within a week or two cherry blossoms will be screaming in a chorus of pink. The sap-sucking trees will soon begin to cover their nakedness.

Yet it's not nature's show that demands my attention when coming into downtown New Westminster this spring. I am most aware of the plethora of high rise residential buildings reaching towards the sun.



We settled in New Westminster because of easy SkyTrain access. In 1996 downtown was in a bit of a shambles having given up its Golden Mile status forty or fifty years beforehand. When we moved here, drug dealers were more numerous than shoppers. We figured all the pieces were in place for renewal. A decade has now passed. There are easily, at least, four towers under construction with others on the drawing boards. During this year and next, I can easily assume the residential population of downtown New Westminster will double. That's excellent news for the vibrancy of my neighbourhood.

Labels: New Westminster, Q1_2007, transit

I haven't worked in the Middle East for nearly eleven years. After this amount of time, there are surprisingly few colleagues that I've kept up with. This entry, however, does relate to a person with whom I occasionally contact. Sally is in Dubai and on MS Messenger. Years can go by with little messaging then, suddenly, we will strike up a conversation. One such 'give and take' occurred a few months ago. Wait, it was even longer ago than that! Maybe this topic came up when we were discussing our research into wide-screen TVs last autumn.

Sally asked if we'd seen any episodes of Long Way Round. I hadn't heard of it at the time. I did see that it was available from our mail-based DVD rental company though. I put Disc 1 on the bottom of our ziplist. Eventually, its position moved up thirty or forty slots. It arrived last week.

Although only four episodes were on the first disc, and two of them dealt only with the planning, we got hooked and I moved up Disc 2 on the list so it'd arrive quickly. Here's the info as found at www.zip.ca:

Documentary, Travel & Adventure Documentaries - 2004
Two friends. One extraordinary journey around the world.

The adventure of a lifetime begins when two longtime pals, Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, The Island, Moulin Rouge) and Charley Boorman (Deliverance), set off on their motorcycles taking the "long way round" from London to New York: west along the rough terrain of Eurasia, across the Bering Straight, and covering 20,000 miles before completing their journey in New York City.

Long Way Round: The Entire Series includes ten 1-hour episodes, including a new episode that has never been broadcast on television.

Labels: Dubai, movies, Q1_2007, zip.ca

This is not so much an entry as a passing observation, today.

I live on the tenth floor in an apartment building. When getting into the elevator on my floor, I most always travel to either the lobby or P6 where my truck is parked. Inevitably, I get in the lift and select the wrong one. When I want to go to the lobby I often overshoot and end up having to press the button to return to the ground floor. Yet, when needing to get to the vehicle, I frequently press 'L' and must make an extra stop. The door take its own precious time to open completely and close for no one.

Pure chance alone should give me equal odds of getting it right but the statistics are against me. Rather than get myself straightened out, I have a question for the Otis people:

Why can't elevator buttons toggle on/off?

Labels: complaints, Q1_2007

My computer desk has a pull-out shelf for the keyboard; therefore, the scanner sits next to my knees as I type. For months on end, nothing is placed on its glass plate. Then suddenly, like yesterday, I went to the photo suitcase and pulled out a few old photos to scan. If I can keep up this habit more religiously, then eventually I'll make a dent in the decades of pictures in the closet.

Naturally, in my mind, I can remember living in the various places of my past. However, when I see an image actually taken at the time, I get a more complete recollection.

I feel very happy watching the likeness on old paper take on a brand new life. Better yet, I love the idea that I'm freeing it by uploading to Flickr. Whereas, the image was just sitting in a box in my closet one day, the next it becomes available worldwide!

Fly baby, fly. Go. Show up on a screen far, far away . . .


This was the view from the outside corridor of our apartment
in Juffair, Bahrain in the early 1990's. There was a large area
of date trees to the right of the photo. If you looked over the
dwellings of poor Iranians, you could see the beach. Click the
photo to see a larger version on Flickr.

Labels: Bahrain, Flickr, Q1_2007, scanned

It's fun to see which of my 3,100 plus pictures on Flickr are viewed most often. Surprisingly, half of the top twenty are old, scanned snapshots. They show Kuwait in the early 1980's so they are of historical interest to folks there.

The other most viewed photos in the top twenty include:

Shinji's Thanksgiving turkey (674 times)

several scenes from Sri Lanka

my city's downtown

an empty view of Wreck Beach

the closeup of a smiley rubber ball

a view beneath a section of SkyTrain

students in my BCIT classroom.

I can see why they might have crept up on the listing. However, the following one does seem a bit odd coming in at #17. It's just our old TV after being thrown in the pile at the recycling center. Why has this photo been viewed over 200 times?

Labels: Flickr, Q1_2007

I spent the afternoon in a department meeting at BCIT. It's good to get together to talk on teaching issues. Today, we had several speakers provide information on the Canadian Language Benchmarks. We can decide how we wish to use the information.

I don't want to say I'm jaded because of the negative connotations. In fact, it is gratifying having been involved in the same profession for so long. I started learning about teaching thirty years ago. A good instructor most always has good skills. I'm also sure there is a great deal of art in the process too. Although I've always earned my living teaching English to non-native speakers, the interactions that take place in a classroom still seem a bit magical to me.

Labels: BCIT, Q1_2007

Last night, I was searching through a CD filled with archived computer files for inspiration. I have a desire to sometimes dip into my past for these blog entries. If I'm attempting to have a documented existence I have a lot of catching up to do. Although I've been blogging for coming up on three and a half years, I had a great deal of life before that! In fact, the figure stands at a scary 44 years. So, a snippet or two from my monstrously-large past is added here from time to time.

I navigated to folders that once existed on the computer I had sent from Dubai. When we moved here, it was near top of the line with a 12 gigabyte hard disk. I think the processor was a P133. The sub-directories quietly exist on a +R compact disk now. I ended up spending more time than I anticipated looking through the ten or eleven year old files. The MS Excel spreadsheets were interesting as I used to track monthly expenses that way. The MS Word documents may have included the very cover letter that got me an interview at BCIT. There were old .jpg files although they were mostly poor-quality scans. Among the debris, I found many things I could've included in today's blog entry. Yet, I ended up copying the following tiny 18K file for inclusion.


The tiny 18K .mid file plays for 6:18 minutes.

This sort of showcases how much more we expect from a PC nowadays. I found a substantial collection of MIDI files. They are tiny files with instructions for a sound card's synthesiser and contain no actual sound themselves. It was fun to actually hear anything through the basic desktop speakers. Compare that with video programs I now routinely record from TV through a capture card. A half an hour of Little Mosque on the Prairie has a file size approximately 100 thousand times larger.

Labels: Dubai, file archives, Q1_2007, software

Many of my photos may not be worth a thousand words. Some don't merit more than a few dozen. Oh well. I do have to admit that it was so nice this morning I went out for a little walk around the block. I guess I can correct those assignments tomorrow morning! The sky was frightfully blue. Although the grass was a luxurious green, I took this photo of the side of a neighbourhood church.

Labels: Q1_2007, weather

I've been walking around the classroom so much my feet hurt. Today, by chance, I even have on jogging shoes. The students are writing. They need to make a simple set of instructions, and then make a process paragraph from it.

Although this sounds simple, it never proves to be. Just making the instructions with all the hints we learned takes time. It's sometimes hard to be simple. They've each chosen their own topics but concise, action-oriented imperative verbs are not always a part of everyday language. It's also tough picking verbs that can be changed to passive in the paragraph. Some work while others don't. For example:

Remove the lid of the pan. The lid of the pan is removed.

Wait for the water to boil. The water is waited for to boil.

I don't mind answering vocabulary questions. I'd prefer they ask for help than immediately grab their electronic dictionaries. Robert had to learn to lower the car before removing the jack. He is writing about changing a tire. Because she is telling how a dog is washed, Terase needed to know the difference betweeen a brush and a comb. Shao needed to know the past participle for withdraw as he will write the process paragraph about how money is taken from a bank machine.

I've taken a few minutes of break to type this. Class finishes at 5:00 and there's only twelve minutes remaining. I should get back to checking how they're doing.

Labels: BCIT, Q1_2007

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 4:48 PM

Another full week is coming up at work. My class has to finish two writing assignments. There's also a staff meeting on Friday. Then next week, we'll be busy too as my group is giving oral presentations and doing their final exams on the 23rd.

I suppose earning all this cash is worth it. I mean when I'm making more than I spend, I can quite often increase my savings. It's a double-edged sword however. I finished entering all those forms into the QuickTax software over the weekend. We get cash back from the federal government but that only means too much was being taken out on those weeks I worked. And wait a minute! Revenue Canada is still unable to process my returns, so their refund isn't going to show up in my account anytime soon.

Payroll deductions are surely a clever idea. Citizens might tend to revolt or at least scrutinize where the taxes go, if people were whacked with one yearly bill. I honestly believe there's value in the obligatory donations to my governments. I paid more in 2006 federal and provincial taxes than for all other combined expenses though.

Labels: government, money, Q1_2007

I didn't get up until quarter past eight today. Well, that's what the clocks said although it's due to the early arrival of Daylight Savings Time. Sunrise was 7:35 and sunset will be at 7:10. I like the idea of the additional light in the evenings. I fear that today is going to be too overcast to be able to really tell the difference though.

There's a memorable Expedia TV commercial flogging their winter get-away packages. A woman looks up from her computer and out of a downtown office window. It shows the time is only after 4:15 pm but the city lights are on because it's as dark as midnight. Tears start to well up in her eyes and a pout forms on her face. Of course, then she can hardly contain her glee when she notices the great deals on Expedia.

Rather than feeling sorry for her, I'd say the bitch should be given a warning for her personal web-surfing at work.


This is a sunset from my balcony last week. This will now occur
an hour later due to the early adoption of Daylight Savings Time.

Labels: balcony, Fraser River, New Westminster, Q1_2007

Perhaps it's the weather? Might it be a way to avoid Seasonal Affective Disorder? It does seem that we've fallen into the routine of a short getaway in the spring with a long vacation in the autumn. For example, we've already made plane and hotel reservations for an upcoming break.

We'll go to Los Angeles from May 5th to 12th. There are a fair number of inexpensive tickets from Vancouver. Most, however, stop somewhere first. Having to wait in Seattle, San Francisco, Denver, Las Vegas, or even Phoenix wouldn't be fun. Therefore, when I spotted the direct Air Canada flights on Expedia, I scooped them up. We hope the Ramada near Universal is a good hotel. At least, it's really close to the subway. We like the idea of bucking the obvious and will try to do LA without a car!


I'm standing in the warm Hawaiian waters. Was that spring
vacation really nine years ago? It seems like yesterday.

Labels: Hawaii, Q1_2007, scanned, travel planning

Occasionally we all do things for no good reason. And here's proof that you don't have to believe 'em when they say, "Change is good."

Labels: blogging, Q1_2007

I bought new windshield wipers a few weeks ago. As today's weather was typical for this time of year, I got a chance to use 'em. I like the sound of the new rubber against the glass.

I suppose getting pleasure from the inconsequential bits of life is important. I think I'll come up with a dozen other things that make me happy.

Sliding into newly washed bed sheets.

Having the hamster on my lap and petting it.

Solving a computer hardware or software problem.

Sitting around the living room with Jay.

Sneaking an occasional Whopper or Big Mac.

Watching a good HD prime time TV show.

Teaching a class that is exceptionally well organized.

Taking the time to go for a leisurely walk.

Planning for any vacation whether long or short.

Getting a good DVD in the mail from Zip Canada.

Noticing whenever gasoline drops below $1 / litre.

Sipping an evening glass (or two) of u-brew wine.

Labels: feelings, lists, Q1_2007, zip.ca

I'm getting a jump on tomorrow's entry by writing this on Tuesday evening. I'm at a front console in one of BCIT's many computer labs in good ol' NE1. There are two other computer labs being used by our department tonight.

This is a new experience for me. Although I have been involved in our program's placement exams for years, it has always been done on paper. Now, we are gathering information to see if www.accuplacer.com can give our department useful information on the proper classes in which to place students.

There was quite a bit of set up involved. First, we had to get here quite early to:

log on the BCIT network

open the browers and turn off the pop-up blocker

enter the Accuplacer site with ID and password

open to the correct test introduction, and finally,

plug in the headphones and adjust the volume level.

I must say the time is now going swimmingly. I'm able to check the screens when I walk to the back of the lab. It is easy to watch as the students complete each of these sections:

Reading Comprehension

Sentence Structures

One-hour multi-paragraph writing

Listening Comprehension Section.

I expect the computerized scoring of first two sections sections will tell us much more than the grammar part of our old paper exams. it may proved to be more accurate too. Trying to correct opscan sheets with a transparancy overlay can be a bit daunting after a really hard day. We will call up the writing and print to verify the actual content but even that will probably be easier than trying to figure out the handwriting.

Overall, doing the placement tests this way seems much more in tune with the goals of BCIT.

Labels: BCIT, computer lab, Q1_2007

I sometimes wonder how I get myself hooked on specific television programming.

Although there are several weeks of Grey's Anatomy on the hard disk of the PVR, I have already viewed the latest episode of Brothers and Sisters. I love the show because of it's soap-opera type sensibilities.



Part of my attraction, as well as for the interesting and well-written storyline, is the fact television looks so damned good in high definition. For example, it's nice to see the lines and marks on the actors' faces. I think Sally Fields looks as attractive as ever now that she's over 60. I can hardly think of anything worse than someone who keeps trying to appear as if they're twenty forever. Kudos for growing old gracefully!

Likewise, I've got to hand it to Dove soap for their newest advertising campaign. I'm so glad the bulk of baby boomers are already out there preparing the world for people my age!

Labels: Q1_2007, television

Shooter (2007)



Long before today, I've blogged about film production occurring in BC. In fact, New Westminster itself boasts a fair share of shooting locations. Not all are blockbuster presentations but a fair share of big-budget actors do roll through town on different projects. For example, I blogged an example of my city's Front Street with Will Smith in I, Robot from the DVD.

The photo above was captured from the trailer of the upcoming release of Shooter with Mark Wahlberg. The car is flying into the Fraser River from the parking area next to the Quay. The trailer also contained a brief segment of a car flying down Sixth Street. That segment was filmed about 500 meters from where I'm typing. A photo of the filming can be seen in my Flickr collection from last August.

Labels: Fraser River, New Westminster, Q1_2007, Quay

It was past time to write our World Vision sponsored kid today.

Dear Isuru,

Hello. We got some information for you. We know it takes a long time for mail to travel so we want to say two things: Happy Singhalese New Year, and Happy Birthday too!

It seems like a long time ago when we visited you. It was very nice to come to your home and meet you directly. The food was very nice too. We appreciated that day very much. We will remember it always.

The year of 2007 has been going well. Time seems to go very quickly now. In Canada it was been winter recently. The weather would seem very cold for you, but people here get used to it. We need to wear more clothes in the winter and keep a fire going in the home during this time of year. In the next few weeks things will warm up though. The flowers come and the trees will grow strong. How is the weather there? Is it dry or have you had rain?

You are spending your time going at school now. How is the fifth year class now? Do you have any subjects to study that you really like? How are your friends?

I am still teaching too but they are all adults. Most of them have come to Canada to live and need to learn more English. After they finish my classes they take more training at my school to learn how to do many different kinds of jobs. Many are between 19 and 30 years old. So, I guess one is never too old to learn new things.

Give our greetings to your grandmother and the people we saw in your village. We hope everybody is in good health. We also hope you are happy and continue be a good boy.

Your friends,

Labels: Q1_2007, World Vision

As I was driving home in the evening yesterday, I was struck by how two new high-rise apartment buildings are changing my neighbourhood's skyline. Within a single block two sites are under construction. The Point, a twenty storey residential tower with some ground-level commercial space is nearly ready for occupancy. Another huge project is directly behind the New Westminster Police Station (formerly the Federal Post Office) building. The rise of its multiple storeys has been very quick. These accompany many other new buildings presently under construction or in the planning stages. I enjoy seeing the continuing modification of the local environment. This summer we will have lived in this city for just eleven years but have seen vast change.

I can't help but contrast this with my quick drive through Sunapee, New Hampshire last month. Other than Mitch Latva's grand residence up on the hill in Georges Mills, not much looked different than thirty years ago.


Although 'The Point' in New Westminster is nearing completion,
a year and a half ago it was nothing but a very big hole in the ground.

Labels: New Hampshire, New Westminster, Q1_2007, Sunapee

Earlier, I spent the afternoon at a special instructors' meeting. We set out to evaluate the materials we are using in our courses. The group started out being quite satisfied with the modules which were produced in-house. Strangely, by the end of the four-hours we'd reversed ourselves and promised to look at professionally-produced text books for something that might fit our program. Many times, I find the decisions made during meetings surprising.

That said, I must say it's comforting to have been working with some of the same people from a very long time. In fact, in September, I'll have been teaching at BCIT for ten years. That realization is a bit shocking! I once defined my life in two or three year segments.

Labels: BCIT, Q1_2007

I have a free week between classes coming at the end of this month. So, we could have taken a vacation from the 24th to the 31st. Unfortunately, this fact sort of sneaked up on us. Jay didn't put in a vacation request and the schedules have been finalized for March.

So, I've already checked to see when the subsequent 5-week, intensive course will finish. It doesn't occur until the first week of May. Oh my, May! That surely seems like a long ways away. A mini-vacation of only a week cannot be too far or too expensive. Last year during the same week, we took a San Diego to Vancouver coastal cruise.



Maybe a week in Los Angeles would be interesting. We always enjoy exploring a new urban environment. Perhaps this type of city exploration matches many of our previous travel experiences. It's great flying into a city and using just transit to get around. After researching the metro and bus system, I bet we could do that. We can try to see if the city synonymous with freeways can be explored without a car.

Labels: Los Angeles, Q1_2007, travel planning

This is just the picture of a tower for power lines. It is one place where electricity crosses the Fraser River near New Westminster's Queensborough Bridge. It might seem an odd thing to take a picture of.

I wish no-cost photography had been the norm when I was a kid. I experimented with black and white film developing as a hobby but every click of the shutter cost money. Compare that with today's essentially free digital photos and you'll see why one reason why most of my photos are only a few years old.

Nowadays, I really don't think one can take too many pictures. I'd like to be able to see images from nearly every point in my life. For example there are a million things from the early 1970's I wish I could view. Although I remember running around Nielsen's field taking photos of objects like apple trees, the only pictures I have from that era are family snaps. Seeing the people is interesting; however, I'd like to have a look at neary anything from that period of time.

What did the kitchen radio look like?

How many steps were there from the lawn down to the back driveway?

How tall was the willow tree when I was in fifth grade?

I have no photographs of these things, so I doubt I'll ever know the answers.

Labels: digital camera, New Westminster, Q1_2007

Posted by: Dennis S Hurd / 3:16 PM

I don't really have anything to say today, but that's never stopped me before!

Writing a blog is weird as I'm driven to put something under each date. For three and a half years, I've continued to add something to these pages every day. Of course, sometimes there are many things I wish to share; at other times, there aren't.

If you search through archives here, you won't find:

political discussions

poetry entries

sexual exploits

current events

cat pictures

funny jokes

work complaints, or

links to other blogs.

Which sort of begs the question:

What in the hell have I been rambling on about for so long?

Why not type something in box below to see:

Labels: lists, Q1_2007

I have a love/hate relationship with work. I don't mean with my present job; I am talking about the whole concept of employment.

Working because one is being paid for a useful or enjoyable experience is fine. Unfortunately, I see many struggling to get to work everyday merely as a means to survive. That's sad.

It's also sad to see an individual so wrapped up in his little working world that he defines himself by the job. Work should be an experience not one's main experience.

Work can be good if it give one perspectives beyond one's personal life. Being able to concentrate on a different set of circumstances is probably good for one's character and development.

Return here often for future glimpses of ... The World According to Dennis.

Labels: feelings, Q1_2007

Tonight, I'm looking foward to seeing Oscars being handed out in high-definition. This year, we've not seen as many of the nominated films as in the recent past. I do find it interesting that a number of the films have already been released on DVD. Perhaps before the next Academy Awards, I expect the DVD version to be on sale when exiting the theatre.

On a related topic, I have one little thought. Damn the Blu-ray and HD DVD camps for not getting their act together and hammering out a universal format. Now the prices are going to be higher and the adoption to higher-density disks longer.

Labels: movies, Q1_2007

This week's page contains a number of photos from the previous week's trip to New Hampshire. I thought I'd round out Saturday with another. Here's a recap of a road trip on February 12th.

We travelled to Concord and then up I-89 to the New London exit. Next, we drove through George's Mills and into Sunapee. The town was cold as a strong wind was blowing. Soon, we followed Rt. 11 and then went on Rt. 103 past the house of my youth to the Mt. Sunapee ski area.

After, we drove through Newport and down Route 10 to the city of Keene. We took a scenic bypass visiting Stoddard NH, a town where my grandmother had a summer cottage. When we eventually walked around Keene State, it was still very cold and windy. (A big big dump of snow occurred on the following day.) I thought it was interesting to see how much my old college campus had changed. I got a BS in Education at KSC. Of course it have changed a lot as I first lived there in the fall of 1977. In the past thirty years, the state has obviously put a lot of money into the college system. Certainly no money has been sent by this alumni though!



After walking around the campus for a half hour, we left and ate a a Friendly's Restaurant. It was then a quick trip back Route 202/101. We didn't stop to see what was going on at the office of The Old Farmers' Almamac in Dublin.

Labels: grandmothers, New Hampshire, Q1_2007, Sunapee

If I were on anti-depressants or other medication, I'd chalk up my happiness to the drugs. I don't think fish or flaxseed oils have much in the way of mood-altering effects though.

For quite a few years, I've been very pleased with the stuff of life. I would rush to attribute these feelings to the positive situations in my life. I honestly can't think of things I'd have any differently even if given three wishes from the proverbial genie in a bottle. I look around the world and feel fortunate and very lucky.

In reality one's satisfaction probably isn't directly related to ones circumstances. Some people worry too much. Others feel blue. There are those with broken relationships and others who hate how they earn a living. Yet, regardless of the situation in which I discovered myself, I think I'd be pretty grounded. And I guess, that's just one more reason to be happy, isn't it?

Labels: feelings, Q1_2007

This picture was taken last week in Concord NH. I had to go online to look up the name of this building. Last week, we drove to the capital just to see its golden dome. I couldn't find anything under the New Hampshire Legislature, and the NH Capital Building offered no results. Somewhere online tonight, I discovered it is called the New Hampshire House of Representatives or simply the State House.

How had I forgotten all those NH history lessons from grade school? I don't think I'd ever really committed many facts about it to memory. For example, the Legislature moved into the building in 1819 which makes it the oldest one still in use in the US. I don't think anybody ever told me it cost $82,000 to build.

Yet, I did recall one fun fact. The building is witness to the third largest legislature in the English-speaking world. Only the US Congress and the British Parliament have more members.

Labels: New Hampshire, Q1_2007

If you do make the trip you might realize how much you've changed though. In fact, I thought I should jot out two important realizations that I learned about us from our recent trip to New Hampshire.

First, we're most suited to urban settings.

I don't know how this happened to a kid from Sunapee. Even when staying down in Manchester NH, with its mall, I kept noticing how rural things were. Cars are an absolute necessity in order to survive. Even in the big city, the bus system doesn't run on Sundays.

In addition, I don't like cold weather anymore.

The locals were saying it had been quite warm through the end of January. The temperature during our week there averaged about negative 15C. About 10 inches of snow fell in southern NH. I like access to occasional winter, but have definitely been spoiled by the years away from New England. I'd hate to live where the winters are real.

I grew up in Sunapee, NH but winter there wouldn't seem
to suit me now.

Labels: New Hampshire, Q1_2007

Hooray for Tuesday! The week has gotten off to a fine start. My new students are receptive and eager to study. I'd say this is generally the case. As these courses only last for five weeks, the positive momentum hardly has time to fade.

I decided to carry my notebook around with me at BCIT. Finally, wireless access has been improved over on this side of campus on Royal Oak. I put my computer on the front desk along with the piles of papers near my briefcase. It is handy. I carried the notebook down to the teachers' room and started this entry during break.

When coming back upstairs, I saw others running around with their computers. Several of my students even use them to take notes during class. I suddenly had the notion that my long-held dreams were coming true. Technology has come a long way but, honestly, educational adaptation takes too long. We can log on to a common course page wirelessly from any desk at BCIT. If we were to require notebook ownership, then I'd be able to put up most teaching materials in e-form rather than photocopying stacks of handouts. Except in COMM classes, I doubt there's a place where so many people write text with pencils or pens.

Well, in a way, this happens. We meet in NE1 Room 201 on Thursdays. It's the swanky new computer lab with flat-screen monitors that fold to provide group and individual workspace. Students log on at 1:00 and off at 5:00 although we also have regular instruction and testing. So, there's a little more 't' in my BCIT courses than there used to be.

Labels: BCIT, computer lab, Q1_2007, technology

I may switch to evening posts. I suppose it'd be better not to make any promises other than there'll always be something here before midnight. If the last few years are any indication, that's a promise I can keep.

Today, I had a new batch of students for a COMM 0004 course. Yet, I spent most of the morning installing things on my notebook. A few weeks ago I discovered that this Gateway 3522GW cannot handle Windows Vista due to an incompatible BIOS. I had the notebook with me in New Hampshire and realized I need it most for email and net access when travelling. So, I can continue to use Windows XP until I'm ready for a new device.

I had half installed Vista though. It left lots of junk on my hard disk. It also required quick action upon boot-up to force it to load XP rather than trying to complete the installation of the new operating system. I decided to format the hard drive and load up a copy of XP Pro that I had.

Starting from scratch takes a great deal of work. For example, the wireless connection didn't load from the Windows disc. I had to search at the Gateway site to find the file. Then of course it and others needed to be copied from my other computer via a writable CD. When I did get access to the Internet, there were more than 70 updates from Microsoft. Loading up the necessary MS Office programs took a while too. I also needed to get McAfee up and running. There a dozens of small tweaks still required!

All that rigmarole and my afternoon class is why I'm typing something here now (on the notebook by the way). What a long winded excuse, I guess.

Labels: Hardware, Q1_2007, Windows

Ah ... there's no bed like home's.

Flying back was nothing out of the ordinary. United managed to screw up bags in Chicago by changing gates at the last minute, and we spent an extra hour in the plane as a result of it. That meant we got into Vancouver after public transit had ended. We took an airport taxi to New Westminster to the tune of $40. We didn't get to the apartment until 1:15 am.

The weather at 10C seems warm. (Indeed it is 20C warmer than we experienced for a week.) Fish and hamster are fine. I had checked the fish regularly from here while in New Hampshire.

Lots of catch up on with the computer, food, housecleaning, and getting ready for a brand-new batch of students tomorrow.


The rental car we turned in at the aiport didn't look quite
as good as when we rented it due to running on New Hampshire
roads in the winter.

Labels: flying, New Hampshire, Q1_2007

We're up. We'll be visiting my dad, eating a big lunch, and getting on a United plane to Chicago at about 5:00. We should be back at YVR at about 11:00 tonight. I will add more information here on Sunday.

Labels: New Hampshire, Q1_2007

Maybe it's living out west where distances are far, or maybe it's just growing up, but everything in New England seems so close. Distances that I once thought were vast now don't seem so.

After breakfast this morning, we went one exit up 293 to I-93 south. We were in the center of Boston in 45 minutes. We exited right into the financial district. Parking underground Post Office Square was easy and allowed us to go up and walk around for a half hour. I don't think I've been as cold many times in my life. I guess it's because I didn't have a toque or gloves on. The wind was blowing off the harbor and down into the small streets. The sun was warming but generally the buildings hid it.



We were back a little after noon and stopped by a Subway restaurant.

We went up to the hospital later in the afternoon. Actually, we arrived as they were preparing meals. Dad talked a lot today but I'm not sure if he really understands the seriousness of his illness. He prides himself on his independence and it's going to be tough for him to fathom he's lost a lot of it.

Labels: New Hampshire, Q1_2007

I have a story from this morning that will probably move from being annoying to funny with the passing of enough time. We got going fairly quickly this morning. The sky was clear blue and the newly fallen snow was still pristine. Upon actually getting out of the hotel's front door we felt the nip. The wind was blowing at about 20 miles and hour with the temperature around 15F. It sure looked lovely though.

The snow on the car had to be scraped off. I opened the door and started the engine knowing that it'd be a while before things warmed up inside. We popped open the trunk to put a few things inside then slammed it shut. The snow and ice brushed off the car pretty quickly. Then, I tried to open the door and it had locked. This car automatically locks all the doors after a few minutes on the road. The car was running so it assumed we were on our way somewhere. We had only one key. It and the key chain were inside the running car. The heater was on full. The car was sealed shut.

I called the airport rental company as the airport is only a mile or so away. My car had Massachusetts tags and they had no other keys for it in Manchester. They suggested I call a tow truck company that opens locks. The tab would be my problem. I asked the front desk and got a phone number. I called and was told someone would be able swing by. During my second call, twenty minutes later, I was told it might take up to another hour. They were really busy digging and pulling cars out of ditches.

I went back out to the car. I happened to check how tightly closed the driver's side window was. I could push it down a half inch. So, I went to ask for a coat hanger and bend and turned. It was fairly easy to pull up the door locks in a few minutes. Why had we sat nearly an hour in the lobby? Surely, this whole incident will seem more humourous after a while.

For a few hours we drove around to see New England winter scenes. We ate at a buffet in Concord. In the afternoon, I dropped Jay off at the YMCA. He was able to use the facilities because of his Vancouver employee card. I visited with my dad in the afternoon. I was surprised to find him taking a nap when I arrived.

Labels: New Hampshire, Q1_2007

I think rugged New Hampshirites have become a bunch of wimps over the years I've been away. Today, there is a little storm brewing. It started snowing lightly around midnight this morning. Schools were called off. Many people didn't go to work today. The local TV channel is providing coverage on special edition programs. There's barely six inches on the ground! Maybe it's because they haven't seen a good nor'easter in a long while.

You do