On My Own
The start of this month marks independence for me. I don't know if it's something that should have happened much, much sooner or if the timing is just right.

The apartment is a two-bedroom unit right on Carling Avenue. The view is great, since the location is on a hill and the floor is 15 storeys above ground (twelfth floor, strange numbering). There is a lot of glass, which results in spectacular panoramic scenery, especially in the dining room, which is on a corner, and which has large windows on two sides of the building.

Details about moving the various stuff accumulated over the last 26 years of my life are proceeding slowly. At the moment, I have everything needed for living here. My current bed is the futon I've slept on for the last few years; it will eventually become the living room couch once my new bed arrives. The bed I ordered is a queen-sized unit, with leather covering all around. The crowning jewel is a Tempur-Pedic mattress. As soon as I tried one of those in the store, I was pretty much sold. I expect pleasant sleep on it.

This entry could go on for many more paragraphs, but suffice it to say that the freedom of having my own place is exciting. Now, to figure out that whole "cooking" thing... only time will tell how well I get on with life...

Raccoon
In this country, it is usually difficult to think of raccoons as anything but garbage-scavenging pests. On any given morning in the summer, someone's trash can will be sprawled all over their yard as one of these creatures wreaks havoc while rummaging for scraps of nourishment.

On the other hand, during the day, they are cute and playful creatures. One came to visit us today. He scrambled up the tree when we walked up to him. He came down when we offered him a half-eaten yogurt. A scavenger indeed, the container was licked clean and dry.

Xbox Fire
I came home last night to the smell of burning electronics. At first I feared it was my new TV, but luckily the real source of it was my brother's Xbox.

This morning I asked him about it:

• "So, it released the magic blue smoke?"
• "No, the normal black kind."
• "Black smoke from your Xbox is normal?"

Anyway, we took it apart. A capacitor had been rolling around in the case; it apparently caught fire and desoldered itself. Looking at the damage, there was definitely a full-fledged fire inside that thing. The damage on the underside of the optical drive says it all.

I guess Soul Caliber 2 is a pretty hot game.

Another Day in Taipei
Well, here I am on the San Francisco-Toronto leg of yet another trip to Taipei. I look to be just over Chicago at the moment. It's hard to say, because as usual, the Air Canada "Map" utility says "This feature is current unavailable." I don't see what the big deal is about providing GPS output in this day and age. Anyway, at the beginning of this trip, I half expected that these trips to Asia start becoming routine. I am pleased that they never quite are.

As luck would have it, my flight back was on a Saturday evening after an unexpected Friday holiday. That effectively meant two whole days of being a tourist; what a concept! There was also a little bit of revisiting San Francisco on the way there, what with a six hour layover. That kind of time just demands a BART trip to downtown, an 8km walk in and around Fisherman's Wharf, and a train trip back. I've never actually walked around San-Fran, so it was a new experience. It also made me appreciate sitting on the 12 hour flight that much more.

The time off in Taipei was spent visiting sights previously unvisited. There were also some new sights. Friday I indulged in a very upscale hotspring experience; I had no idea 45 degree water could feel that hot, nor that sulphur could be that soothing. Since the last time I slept in a bed, we made a trip to Yangmingshan Mountain to the North of Taipei. A really hot and humid day, a walk around very nice and shady mountain trails in the National Park was, simply, awesome before a long flight. I think that once one gets outside of the normal tourist areas, one also gets outside of the stereotypes associated with a given area; it really helps with appreciating the little things in cultures that one might otherwise be sheltered from in a large city.

Back in the city I got to go to Nova Computer Centre, a four-floor shopping mall all full of small- to medium-sized vendor stalls. It was like a flea market for your inner nerd. Great place to pick up gadgets.

A few hours back, near Denver, we hit major turbulence. At first it felt like the plane was going to flip. Many spilled drinks. Fun times. It was a good trip.

New TV
It's a done deal. I'm getting an apartment I'm quite pleased with starting May 1st. Seeing as that's a mere seven weeks away, the plan is to start buying the essentials now. The two "big-ticket" items on my list are a HDTV (GTA4 is coming out soon!) and a new bed.

While coming home from swimming in the middle of a major storm last night, I decided to start exploring the TVs. The store was bound to be empty, which would give me quick access to a lot of helpful employees.

The plan was to compare various brands and start aiming for a specific size and price range. Yes, that was the plan. In reality, as soon as I saw the 37" Sharp Aquos I now own, it was basically sold. It's a 37" 1080p LCD TV for the price of any other brands' 720. I further managed to talk the guy down to a great deal. It all happened much more quickly than I had envisioned.

After a whole day of use, it seems to be a solid unit. When I get to the apartment, I may decide to get a digital antenna and try to pick up some broadcast HDTV. Paying for cable really does not sound appealing at the moment.

Another New Lens!
Picked up another new lens today, a used Sigma 24-70mm, f2.8. While this lens is significantly cheaper than my Canon 17-85mm IS/USM, I think it was a good purchase. It provides an f2.8 aperture over the entire range of the zoom, it has a very wide and smooth manual focus ring, and its large diameter (82mm at the front) makes it easy to grip firmly for stabilization. On the downside, it is heavy (over 700g), and the focus servos are extremely loud. But really, this lens just begs to be manually focused all the time. Besides, my camera makes it a point to let me know when it's in focus.

In reading some reviews, I can see that reviewers mention the same points I raised, but the verdict is also that the optical qualities of this unit are great. Some say it's comparable to an equivalent Canon L-series lens. I'm a little skeptical about that, but I'm happy to read that the corners stay bright and sharp.

I first tried this lens at a bowling alley lit only by blacklight. I was very impressed by how much light it took in, with the range of tone and colour. As someone who avoids flash at all costs, I'm glad to own this lens now.

Family Van, 1993-2008
It saddens me, but after over fourteen years of good service, the family van, a 1993 Pontiac Transport, has finally taken its last drive.

Technically, the vehicle is still drivable, at least for short distances. During the last week of extreme cold, the head gasket gave way, and the engine started losing a lot of coolant. In recent years, little things like ball joints and relays have worn out, but the decision was made that any major engine trouble would not be worth the cost.

And yet, it seems like everything is still alright. I took the van out for one last spin, revving it strongly and enjoying the beautiful, powerful purr of the 6-cylinder 3800cc V90 engine. Amazingly, it still has the original muffler and even one of the factory wiper blades; there is no question in my mind that OEM parts are superior.

I get attached to things, so I'll miss this car. It took us everywhere. The photo is from Utah in 1999. Because the body is plastic, it looks every bit as shiny and perfect now as it did then. Maybe it's just cosmetics, but it really doesn't feel like it's time for this old friend to go.

They just don't build them like they used to...

In Taipei Again
This could also be called "How Not To Treat A Passenger If You Are Air Canada."

So, I'm in Taipei again, but the real story is about the trip over here. For the longest time, I considered myself lucky in not having a bad Air Canada story; well, things just changed.

First of all, none of my comments are directed at on-plane staff. I've never gotten anything but stellar service from the people on the front line.

The flight from Ottawa to Toronto was uneventful. It even took off right on time. Of course, that was after Air Canada downgraded the flight from a larger jet to a Bombardier Regional Jet. That effectively meant that I was downgraded from Business Class to whatever it is that Jazz has.

Toronto is where the real problems began. Toronto is where the problems always begin. This time, the problems began when the boarding started 25 minutes late. Then, the captain came on and mentioned we need de-icing, because they're getting snow in Toronto (how very unusual). Ten minutes of taxiing to the de-icing spot, and 20 minutes of de-icing later, we finally take the 10 minute trip to the end of the runway. Only we're stuck in traffic for 15 minutes, at which point the co-pilot comes out and looks at the wings, and states "we need to go back to de-icing." So, another 10 minute trip back, 15 minutes of de-icing, and 10 minutes back to the now-empty runway. We ended up leaving almost two hours late.

If that were the end of it, it would be just fine. We had a three hour window in LAX, after all. Somewhere over Colorado, the captain came on again, "If there is a doctor on the plane, your assistance is required..." Apparently someone was rather sick, so the decision was made to make an emergency landing in Las Vegas. Fine, it was an emergency. But not really. I heard the paramedic ask the guy while they were walking out, "How are you feeling?" to which the patient responded, "Oh, I'm fine." Then, the "patient" asked the head steward "What about my luggage?" Anyway, after this "emergency" it took another 35 minutes or so to get clearance to take of from LV to LAX, and another 15 mintues to get underway.

The trip from LV to LAX was uneventful, except for the sudden turbulance that actually managed to spill my cup. We got to LAX 3:10 minutes late. In fact, it was the exact time the connection was taxiing on the runway. We went to pick up our baggage as quickly as possible, only to wait 35 minutes as our priority-marked baggage was amongst the last dozen bags to come out on the carousel.

Meeting with the local LAX Air Canada staff is where the worst trouble started. They were kind enough to rebook our connection, but they couldn't understand that at 01:30 in an foreign city, we had nowhere to go, and really needed some guidance. They weren't going to compensate us for a hotel or otherwise recommend one. At that point, my traveling companion described the situation as "fucking bullshit," and they asked us to leave.

This is the point where EVA came to our rescue. This airline knows how to treat people right. Even though the airport was closed, they waited for everyone who had a problem, verified the rebooking, recommended a hotel and gave 50% off vouchers for distressed customers, and even walked us to the shuttle. It still meant 14 hours in LA, but I got the feeling that they did all they could, unlike Air Canada.

After a fantastic flight to Taipei, things went downhill again when we got to the hotel. Some missing link between two passengers and the number of rooms...

Strange Changeroom Experience
I don't normally write about things like this, but this one's rather unique. I was at the Carleton gym as I am several nights a week. In the sauna, some guys were saying they should probably get going because their girlfriends will have to wait for them (for once). They leave. A few minutes later, as I'm finishing up my shower, I hear a girl's voice through the door. The conversation goes something like this:

"Are you guys done yet?"
"Nah. We need a few more minutes. Come on in here."
"Are there any naked men around?"
"No, don't worry about it."

Of course there were naked men in the guys' locker room.

Then she came in. And she was just standing there talking with them in the men's changeroom, with guys changing all around her. No one seemed to care. Weird, eh?

Police Quest III
This past week I went to the Thrift Store across the street from work and came across a classic PC game title, Police Quest III: The Kindred, vintage 1991. For a few bucks, it was a pretty good deal. I never managed to finish this game before, because the copy I had would always crash at a certain point. Now, I could own a 100% legal version, complete with handbook, which like every Sierra game, contains a lot of useful information toward completing the quest.

Out came the 5¼" floppy drive. For some reason, modern motherboards can still use these. I was pleased that I could just "dd" each of the six diskettes without any problems whatsoever. Experience has shown that these hold data way better than the 3½" disks.

The game ran fine under DosBox. I only needed to address the Hints file once or twice. The game only took two evenings to complete. However, there were several annoying bugs in the game. The most annoying bug was that my wife did not recover from her coma, even though I think she should have. Oh well.

Hello 2008
So, 2007 is over. I managed to wrap up everything that needed wrapping up for that year, and I'm ready to take on 2008.

2007 really was a good year. I got to travel a lot, to California, Europe, and Taiwan. I learned a lot along my travels and between them. I think it gives me more of an appreciation for cultural elements I hadn't known anything about. That, in turn, filled a lot of gaps in my understanding of this world. Hopefully there will be more of the same in this coming year.

Last night, we took a family trip out to see the 17 minute firework show commemorating 150 years of Ottawa as the capital of Canada. I took along my tripod and got a bunch of colourful photos. But it also allowed me to finally get a few decent night shots of Parliament and how it looks all lit up.

New Year's was at Markus' during a very good 6-player game of Settlers of Catan.