Strombo-couver

Last night we were part of a live studio audience for The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos (let’s just say “Strombo” and leave it at that, shall we?).

About 500 people were there; needless to say it was a popular event. It’s been a long time since we attended a similar taping. About 10 years ago Shauna and I got tickets to see Double Exposure being filmed. I was a big fan of their radio comedy, but I have to say I didn’t find the show quite as funny after its transition to TV.

That was my last studio audience experience, but Shauna took in a live taping of The Colbert Report during the Winter Olympics. They had a couple of crystal clear days, complete with snow capped peaks and City towers in the background, as their temporary stage was set up next to Science World.

Last night we actually got a bit of a break in the rainy weather as we waited in line to see The Hour. It was an absolute downpour as I rode Skytrain downtown. Then, just as the Science World station approached, the train stopped just before the platform. An announcement said a tree had fallen into the track area near Brentwood, and all trains would be held longer at each station until it could be cleared.

At that point the rain was driving sideways, and I was thinking we’d be drenched by the time we entered the CBC studio, despite umbrellas. Just after we lined up however, and after I photographed a green-roofed coffee shop on the new CBC plaza, the rain died down a bit.

George was very much a part of the whole taping. He walked on set (to applause) as the stage manager was explaining the Emergency Exit procedure. He jovially took questions from the audience until the show began. As it turns out the show was an absolutely live feed to the East coast. Strombo admitted to us he’d have to watch his language. No chance for editing anything out.

Lots of banter with the audience ensued during commercial breaks, and quite a lengthy Q&A session at the end of the show. Some of the anecdotes were funny (Sarah Palin), some touching (June Callwood), some poking fun at Vancouver’s fondness for the outdoors, and some insider info on Strombo’s passion (and his manager’s dislike) for motorcycles.

Just before the show’s sign-off we were treated to a bonus feature. Lately, at the end of some shows, George has been featuring a guest musical performance. Last night it was a young woman from Vancouver named Billy The Kid. I’ve seen her somewhere before, probably on Shaw’s Urban Rush. With guitar and harmonica accompaniment she performed 3 songs, one of which was part of the show, while the other two will be accessible via Strombo’s website. The best word I can think of to describe her voice is captivating. Her tone reminded me a bit of Cheryl Crow. Check out the videos; I think you’ll be impressed.

This season will cap 6 years of The Hour for George, and judging by the reception he received in Vancouver, he'll continue to have a large bi-coastal fan base for some time yet.

A long ride

I completed a long ride this past Saturday in preparation for my participation in the 2010 Ride To Conquer Cancer next month. I rode 42 km, which capped off a 120 km week.

Not bad, but I’m going to be riding 120 km per day on the Ride, so I thought I’d better step it up. Last week I figured I had about 5 weeks left for training, so I planned a Saturday ride that traveled along Burnaby Lake, east of the office where I work.

Burnaby’s bike network has been steadily improving ever since I started working here 3 years ago. I normally combine bike commuting with Skytrain, especially in the morning. It’s a downhill cruise from my house to the train, thus eliminating the need for a shower when I get to work. The homeward trek is the real workout.

Last year the final pieces of Burnaby’s dedicated bike route were completed (from my office to home, at least). Up to that point portions of my trip had to be shared with vehicular traffic on busy thoroughfares like Lougheed Highway. The shoulders are wide, but it’s still a bit precarious having to cross off-ramps. I have a mirror on my bike, and I frequently shoulder check (shameless plug for motorcycle training!), but it’s still a better option to avoid cars as much as possible. It makes for a much more stress-free experience.

Despite printing a map of my proposed Saturday morning route, I got lost anyway. Apparently the scale was too small. Upon review it turns out I should have gone under an overpass at the East end of Burnaby Lake rather than over it. Instead of the gentle inclines I was expecting to encounter on my loop from East Van to Burnaby and New Westminster, I found myself confronted by a massive hill at the base of Cariboo Road. After having to walk my bike part way up, I was soon on my way again following a Westward heading. Eventually I crossed Kingsway (New West) and zig-zagged my way over to Jim Pattison Suzuki to pick up exhaust gaskets I had pre-ordered for my GS850.

Check out some of the artwork that’s springing up along the bike route.

BTW, yesterday I fulfilled my fundraising goal of $2500 to qualify to participate in the 2010 Ride To Conquer Cancer.

Sonic boom

Thirty years ago today Mount St. Helens kicked some serious ash. Do you remember where you were that day?


Believe it or not, I remember exactly where I was. May 18, 1980 was my Confirmation from Zion Lutheran Church in Cloverdale, BC. For those unfamiliar with that term, confirmation is the culmination of 2 years of weekly classes in the teachings of Martin Luther. After the Confirmation ceremony students are eligible to partake in their first Lutheran Communion.

As a family, we were all up early that Sunday morning getting ready for church. It was a really hot Spring morning and all the windows in the house were open. Two windows faced South, my bedroom and the bathroom. White Rock, where I lived, is a coastal community on Semiahmoo Bay, at the most Southwesterly tip of BC (excluding Vancouver Island, of course).

The breezes off the Bay no doubt helped carry the enormous sound wave of the volcano’s eruption North. I’ve heard since that the explosion wasn’t deafening at the source, but it was sure audible in my home town. It would be interesting to study the acoustical principals responsible for sending the sound of a cannon explosion across an entire State.

That’s the comparison I made at the time. It sounded like a cannon had fired from the shore of the Bay. My Dad, Mom and I all heard it; we were completely perplexed. It wasn’t until we got to church that we learned what had caused the sound. Our Pastor was very good at weaving everyday occurrences into his sermons.

It’s interesting that the ‘unpronounceable’ Icelandic volcano has been so much in the news lately. I remember seeing moonscape scenes close to Mount St. Helens broadcast on the news from towns in Oregon and Washington. Ash even drifted as far North as Edmonton. Here, however, we escaped the ash. The high level air currents were gracious to us.

About 15 years ago I visited the crater during a motorcycle trip. Fifteen years after the eruption it was still awe-inspiring to witness the scope of devastation. Small ground cover plants and scrub trees were abundant, but very little else. Park guides told us that wildlife was beginning to return. And this was 15 years later!

Recently we’ve been planning a summer trip, and since we just bought a new Mazda 3, we thought we’d do a road trip to Portland. Since we were going to be driving right past anyway, I suggested we should take a detour to see Mount St. Helens; my wife has never been there.

It’s hard to believe it's the 30th anniversary of the “Big One”. I think of Mount St. Helens every May 18th.

Bloedel Conservatory

We took my Mom to Queen Elizabeth Park on Mother’s Day.

The headline a few months ago of the supposed imminent closure of the Conservatory gave me the idea. I got suckered in by the City’s official press release to the “Great Unwashed.” If the City shuts the cash valve, the Conservatory will close. A pure panic play if I ever heard one. I’m more than a bit p.o.’d that I fell for it.

Some days, when my guard is down, my naiveté shifts into high gear. Of course the Conservatory isn’t going to close. But it is true the City doesn’t want to fund its operation any longer. If you think about it, it’s actually a very clever plan.

First, generate public outrage concerning closing a treasured, if not currently popular, public facility. Second, plead innocence by telling citizenry that if they don’t want their property taxes to rise, obviously (drastic) budget cuts are warranted. Finally, as a master stroke, “give in” by saying the City will accept proposals from private entities to take over day-to-day expenses, thus “Saving the day”.

Politics is fascinating to follow. I learned so much from Chris Haddock’s Da Vinci’s City Hall. It’s no wonder (government-subsidized) CBC cancelled it; too many secret strategies revealed. Shield the public from viewing the delicate innards of the political machine, lest a spanner get tossed in the works.

Come to think of it, the real master stroke is how much publicity this whole episode has garnered the Conservatory. I haven’t researched the numbers, but it wouldn’t surprise me at all if attendance numbers are way up.

As for Mother’s Day, considering the fine weather and in defiance of the hype as outlined above, in the end we decided to bring our dog, Tannah with us and take in the outdoor gardens of QE Park, as opposed to entering the Conservatory. I have faith that it’s going to be around a while yet.

Sun Run 2010K

Today was the SunRun here in Vancouver. My time for the 10K distance was 59:36. Although the weather was beautiful for the run, I'm a bit put off that my elapsed time was 4-1/2 minutes slower than last year. My knees started giving me grief (both of them this time) at around the 6 or 7 km mark.

I shouldn't be too hard on myself I guess because, to be honest, I missed two long training runs with my jogging group; one because I was recovering from a nasty cold, and the other because Shauna and I went to Seattle for a weekend. Gotta have some fun, right?

Considering my regular training runs with our spaniel, Tannah, have routinely been 5.75 km, I'll likely ace the 5K event I'm planning to enter on June 6th.

But my main focus now will be on training rides for my Ride To Conquer Cancer coming up soon on June 19th and 20th.

The Deposit Blues

When was the last time you had one of those days? I had one yesterday, although I have to admit up front that one rather major good thing happened; we sold our Honda Civic for twice what the Mazda dealer offered as a trade-in. That item is firmly established in the “Good” column.



However…

The events surrounding that transaction are a tangled mess including everything from mechanical “didn’t see that coming” to over-the-top pet behavior.

The afternoon began innocently enough. I had arranged to meet a potential buyer of our Civic in front of our house at 5 pm. He phoned me at about 10 to 5 to say he was already there. I met him at the front gate and explained I’d be right back; I had to let our dog out. It turns out he’s terrified of dogs, all dogs, due to some incident from his past. That’s OK, I can certainly respect that. I let Tannah run around our fenced front yard while I showed the car.

I popped the hood and the prospective buyer checked the oil level on the dipstick. It was low. I went to the garage to get more oil. Again, I left Tannah in the front yard. I could tell she was all excited from being in the house all day; she probably thought we were going for a walk. I was checking the dipstick again when; there was Tannah, right at my feet! She had silently and effortlessly jumped onto a large rock beside the fence, then leapt right over it.

Once she was safely leashed to a fence board I returned my focus to the car. Removing my license plates was not something I was expecting to give me any trouble. However…

The ten year old plastic bolts, those holding the license plate in place, had become just as seized as metal bolts often can. Who knew? This resulted in numerous trips to the basement for tools. Finally I just brought the whole tool box. Then the drill. Then the auxiliary battery for the drill. Then my other toolbox with a different complement of tools. Then a container of small bolts and screws from which to choose new bolts to secure the buyer’s number plate. Then another container of nuts and bolts.

Finally, the purchaser drove the Honda away. The next task on my list was to retire the old license plates and terminate the vehicle insurance. That went smoothly enough. Then, deposit the money from the sale in the bank.

I don’t know if it was my clumsiness or not, but somehow the motion of placing the envelope containing $900 into the automated teller deposit slot confused the machine. I waited longer than I normally would before I glanced again at the deposit slot door. There was the envelope, fully inside the slot, but not being pulled further into the ATM innards. I quickly reached for the envelope to pull it back out just as the deposit door snapped shut.

Then the message, “There has been an error with your transaction. Please retrieve your card.” No printed receipt forthcoming.

This was the sinking realization that it was indeed one of those days. What does one do when a machine takes your $900, there are no witnesses, the machine then tells you there was an error in the deposit process, and there is no printed record of the transaction?

I must admit, I panicked for a second. Almost immediately I noticed the 1-800 Help number sticker affixed to the ATM; it was my last chance. I punched the digits into my cell phone and waited. It was probably less than 10 minutes before I heard a real person, Courtenay, on the other end and I explained the whole debacle to her.

It would appear all is not lost. Naturally the bank has to investigate the event, and a verdict won’t be officially released for probably 5 to 10 business days. In the meantime the deposit amount will be noted as a “deposit under review” on my online account statement.

And finally, to top it all off, I was late taking Tannah to her dog obedience training class. We caught the last half.

Oh yeah, and the Canucks lost game 2 of their series against Chicago.

The Stretchie

Every dog has its endearing traits. Shelby GT used to rear up and charge into me when I’d crouch down to put on my shoes, especially when I was about to take her for a walk, or upon arrival home from work when I was removing my shoes. It was almost like she was giving me a hug.

With Tannah, it’s stretching. She does this one stretch that I’ve never seen a dog do before. She stretches her front legs out in front of her as far as they will go, and then does the same thing with her back legs. It’s definitely a two stage affair. When she’s laid out end to end she must be about 4 feet long.

Ever since the first time I saw her do it I’ve wanted to get that photograph.

But my camera has an annoying shutter lag, especially indoors. In 3 months of trying I’ve learned that I have to have the camera in my hand and turned on when I’m expecting that she might do her “stretchie”, as we call it.

I’ve learned to time it so that I’ve already pressed the button as Tannah is uncoiling so that by the time her hind legs reach full extension and her little toes are curled skyward, the shutter releases.

I finally captured that shot for the first time on Thursday. It’s a bit blurry, as it was an indoor non-flash shot, but I’m sure it won’t be the last time I photograph it. Summer is coming and I’m certain she’ll stretch out on the deck where the light is better, thus the shutter will release faster creating a clearer photo.

This is definitely one of the most satisfying photos I‘ve taken recently.