Sun Run 2018

Yesterday was another successful Sun Run with 41,645 of my close personal friends; my 14th.

BC Place, post-run.

My elapsed time was OK too. Although I guess it's never as fast as one wants it to be. Mine was 60:43 this year. However, my running App was pumping me info throughout the whole route telling me I was mostly achieving a sub-60 minute event. I can't quite square the math that tells me I achieved a 5:56 pace while delivering an elapsed time of more than an hour. Also, the mention of an average pace in the 11th km of a 10 km event should be telling me that you get what you pay for with a free App.

Oh well, I can't really complain because truthfully I haven't been training for speed lately. And it's not really supposed to be about the numbers, unless less you're training for the Olympics.

Phillip's son Ian joined us too which was nice.

Winnipeg Five-Oh

It only took 31 seconds into the 1st period to put the Winnipeg Jets on the road to the second round of the play-offs with a 5-0 win tonight. That kind of jump was reminiscent of the Canucks' last home game of the regular season which was the hometown send-off for the retirement of the Sedins. That first goal was 30-something seconds in as well. As of this writing the Nashville/ Avalanche match-up remains scoreless after the 2nd period. The Preds could win their series tonight too, which would pit them against the Jets in the next round (I think). In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a bit of a bandwagon jumper. I'm following more closely as the Jets progress.

Let's hope this play-off run will give more than a 7th game Canucks-style run in the Stanley Cup Final playoff, circa 2011. Admittedly that was a fantastic ride, but I don't think one can be blamed for wanting an actual Cup win for one's chosen team. After all, even Don Cherry has predicted the Jets to take the top prize this year.

And plus...there's not much of a market for commemorative t-shirts for the team that made it to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup play-off final.

Marketing is everything.

I saw this Darth Vader helmet on the TV coverage of the Whiteout street party tonight. Very creative and inventive, although I pity the fool that chose to wear it for the whole 3 hour game.

The camera also caught a couple decked out in wedding finery; I wonder if they actually got married tonight in the street party, alongside 15,000 of their closest personal friends?

A Real Whiteout

It wasn’t without a dash of irony that a real whiteout befell Winnipeg on their designated travel day to Minnesota on Saturday in the form of a Spring blizzard. They got as far as Duluth before being forced to land due to unsafe weather conditions in Minnesota, whereupon it was decided that a return to the ‘Peg was the best plan of action.

A second attempt on Sunday morning proved successful however. Given the inclement weather I was surprised to see what looked to me to be a full stadium to cheer the home team. There were even quite a number of diehard Jets fans in attendance that made their presence known for Winnipeg’s two goals. According to longer term weather forecasts I read today, the worst may not yet be over. More snow is predicted. It’s quite an incredible sight to see the size of the storm via satellite image. It stretches from the tip of Florida to the Great Lakes!

Don Cherry has already made his bold prediction (matching the boldness of his attire) that he has confidence that the Jets will make it to the Cup's final round, if not take the big prize altogether.

Could a simple prediction ever really live up to the boldness of that jacket?

Vaisakhi Vancouver 2018

For some reason, in all the years we've lived in Vancouver, we've never attended Vaisakhi before. Today we changed that. We walked down Fraser to 49th and took in the sights, the sounds and the food. It was a very enjoyable experience.

Tannah came along too. She is strategically positioned below our plates for
potential sidewalk snacks.

914 Blues

At my age I do know better than to peruse car ads, especially the air-cooled Volkswagen ones, but it’s been a lifelong addiction (cars, that is), and sometimes one just can’t help oneself. 

There it was; a grey 1974 Porsche 914 posted for sale online.

The 914 has always mildly appealed to me. I don’t exactly know why. After all it is the weak ugly duckling of the Porsche clan; some even refer to it as the VW 914, because it kind of is; it’s powered by a VW 1.7 litre Type 4 engine, the same one they used in the van and the 411 Variant. I mean, what kind of warped think-tank would come up with such an unworthy Porsche/VW hybrid? And I don’t mean “hybrid” in the cool modern sense.

Winding back my memory gears waaaayyyyyy back to high school, I think I recall why there is a soft spot in my heart for the 914. And it’s not just because it’s always been the most affordable “Porsche”. It seems I can’t quite make myself call the 4-banger version a real Porsche either. The 914-6 is of course. But nowadays you’d have to be a billionaire to afford one. And of course my all-time favourite car of any manufacturer remains the iconic 911. But there again; billionaire, blah, blah, blah…

In high school I was enrolled in auto shop for my senior couple of years; actually about 2-1/2 years as the general shop class in grade 10 was an intro to all the trades: woodwork, metalwork, mechanics and even drafting (it’s almost embarrassing to admit that it was manual drafting, with pencils, T-squares and straight edges. The school got its first AutoCad computer when I was in grade 12, but it was a test model that only the teacher was permitted to use at that point). Mr. Rutledge was the teacher of the metalwork class, and I remember him telling us that they’d just bought a used 914 for his son. I was so jealous. But then again, that’s probably not too uncommon a feeling for a 16 year old itching to get his driver’s license.

That brings me to yesterday's find. But here’s the cool part; it’s a project car including all the mechanical trimmings to upgrade it to a 914-6, which means it would be powered by the iconic horizontally opposed air-cooled 6 cylinder engine, the same one that all the 911s have (the early air-cooled ones anyway). From the photos it looks pretty solid and non-rusty, even the battery tray!  And the interior upholstery components have been removed. But in my humble opinion, it’s the coolest type of project; a big engine in a small car. Although it must be remembered that this one would only be considered a "tribute" car once completed, not a true 914-6 that rolled off the assembly line, and thus valued accordingly.

A few years ago I came across another really cool 914, but not quite as cool as this ‘74. It was an engine swap recipient too, but one I can’t quite get behind. This car had a Chevy small block V8 installed. From the photos it looked like an impressively clean installation, but again it’s just one of those feelings, but it just didn’t feel right. It’s strange that I feel this way about a Porsche/Chevy hybrid because I’ve always admired the streetrod craze of installing small or big block North American engines in NA cars from the 30s and 40s. But it's still a NA engine powering a NA car. I think that's the crux of it. Engine replacement is fine; the 914's engine just needs to stay European..

Anyway, back to the present. I would love to take on this 914, but it would take a lot of money for one thing (although not nearly as much as buying an original 914-6); the purchase price seems not unreasonable at first glance, but it’s in US funds (there’s the exchange rate to consider). Plus the car’s in California in non-running condition, which presumes a long three state trailer ride to the border (probably employing a car delivery service) whereupon duties and taxes (the full scope of which has not yet been fully investigated) would be applied. I bet it would be 30 grand in Cdn funds just to get this thing home.

One plus is that I do have a single car garage in which to put the car, but I know my dear wife does not want her Prius relegated to street parking status. I think I still have most of the tools I’d need to complete the car, but the real catch is the time required. In all honesty I have zero time to spend on such a project. And I know I’d be impatient enough to want to drive this car before I retire. Silly I know, but that’s just me.

So, mostly in deference to maintenance of marital harmony, I’m going to have to let this one pass and be satisfied with simply having the opportunity to write and daydream about it.

Come to think of it, you can’t squeeze a dog kennel into a 914 anyway, so who am I kidding? I don’t want this car if it can’t comfortably accommodate two adults and our dog, LOL.

This Porsche 914 seems to presently reside with some highbrow company:
looks like an elevated 356 body in front flanked by the unmistakable rear
window profile of a 911. 

Like I said, really clean and non-rusty. The front truck is quite often the
equivalent of Swiss cheese, especially at 44 years old.

The rear cargo area is definitely not designed for a dog's travel kennel.

Hopefully the triple barrel Webers are included with this project.

I trust all the upholstery bits are included.

Laine, Line B, Line C...

Winnipeg is firing on all cylinders so far. Tonight they had Laine, Line B, Line C and Line D.

And how about that Whiteout? What a blast that would be. After all, it's only -3 C tonight in Winnipeg. Like I should talk; I watched the game lying on the couch with the fireplace on (natural gas, doncha know; it's not like I'm actually going to cut my own firewood, LOL) with a warm Spaniel softly snoring on my chest. I'm sure the mass of the street crowd creates its own heat.

Game 2 jubilation on Donald Street.

Is this a Hipster playoff beard?

This reminds me the Canucks' Green Men of a few seasons ago, but of course
re-imagined in a Whiteout theme.

Towel power, Winnipeg-style.

On the TV coverage tonight I saw someone in the crowd with this
version of the Jets logo, of course in honour of the Broncos. This is
probably an extra inspiration this playoff season for Winnipeg.

Tannah's playoff pose.

Lobby Hockey

Our office participated in the Humboldt Jersey Day campaign today. However, I don't have a jersey, but I do have a Jets long-sleeve T-shirt-style shirt that I thought I'd wear, especially poignant now that none other than Don Cherry has announced he thinks the Jets have a decent chance of at least making the Stanley Cup final, if not taking home the Cup itself!

But...since my dear wife hails from Winnipeg, and of course her school also hosted a Jersey Day, her charms won her the coveted shirt for the day. Fortunately I had one more in the drawer, a Canucks shirt, also long-sleeved. At least the long sleeves is more jersey-like.

Quite a formidable team, doncha think?

OWL

The company I work for recently implemented a program that allows for employees to donate some hours to charitable causes they support. Last Friday three of us volunteered at OWL, the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Ladner. We spent the workday clearing underbrush that had already been cut for us. The toughest part of the task was the brambles. They can be pretty vicious; right through the gloves sometimes! Ouch!

We 3/4 filled this dumpster with mainly brambles.

But of course it was all worth it. There were plenty of eagles, falcons, hawks and owls receiving care.

An owl receiving care at OWL.

Rain Run

We managed a return trip to the 5 km marker between downpours in the Mount Seymour demonstration forest. And I really do mean downpours. I was awakened at about 7 a.m. by the sound of the rain overflowing our roof gutters and cascading down upon the front walkway sidewalk. I was already composing my email to my co-runners that I would not be attending this morning. "There's rain, and then there's RAIN..." However, as I let Tannah out to the backyard at 7:15 the heavy rain had largely abated.

Note the fogged lenses. LOL.

Then later, sipping hot coffee in a North Van cafe, the heavens opened again after a flash of lighting and thunderous applause from the clouds.

My overall pace wasn't quite up to my goal of around 6 to 6:15 per km, but this is a social group after all. The point is not to leave people in the dust. However, the group as a whole did get a bit of an adrenaline rush to speed up at about the 8 km post. A loud crack of what must have been a substantial tree bough spurred us forward rather rapidly with visions of bears in our heads. This was the stretch where we saw a bear last year at around this season. I started to gradually speed up from there which resulted in a 4:33 pace per km for about the last kilometer. I think that's my fastest ever.

Sedin-chronicity

What a game that was! I don't normally write hockey game reviews. Admittedly I'm not the world's biggest fan, but I do try to watch the important games. And the twins' last home game before retirement was a barn-burner!

It was one where if it had been written as fiction, the editor would have tossed it back for a re-write. Too perfect. That'd NEVER happen in real life. However, we did watch it happen in real life, and both Sedins did score goals!

Although the first non-goal had relevance too. Henrik rang one off the post (the first shot of the game!) about 30 seconds into the game (or was it 33 seconds?). That seemed to set the tone. I should have composed this post the night of the game when it was really fresh in my head. The numbers synergy in this game was crazy. I think it was the tying goal when #22 got his 22nd season point assisted by his brother #33, 33 seconds into the 2nd period.

The game winner was equally impressive. Henrik (#33) passed to Daniel (#22) to score at 2:33 into OT. The soon-to-be retirees, the combined source of the evening's celebration, won the game!

Ya just can't make this stuff up. 

Driverless Tech - No

My April Fool’s Day was apparently lost in transit; it occurred yesterday. And it was unmistakably and unapologetically directed at me. In retrospect it was actually a beautiful prank that I somehow managed to pull off against myself. 

It all started innocently enough. It was lunchtime, I was between appointments, and I found myself in somewhat unfamiliar territory on the Surrey/ Delta border. As I drove up and down Scott Road mentally rejecting fast food joints as I passed, Superstore finally drew me in. All I really wanted was a salad, and maybe a deal on a few post-Easter Crème Eggs. Who can pass those up (especially at a discount)? The slight curve in the mall entrance redirected my car the requisite 90 degrees off Scott Road and I slowly drove straight in from there, carefully crossing two or three largely empty parking aisles before exiting the car and walking more or less straight to the front entrance stairs. Upon selection and payment of my lunch items I left the store. Everything was totally normal to this point.

One walk up the drive aisle seemingly transported me into a parallel dimension, one in which my car did not exist. Most likely everyone’s lost their car in a parking lot at least once in their life. My reaction upon registering that my car was gone I returned to the store by intentionally strolling down the further away aisle in which I knew I hadn’t parked, to ensure I’d looked “everywhere”. Strangely enough, at this stage I still wasn’t overly panicked. However, I can’t say that “Gone in 60 Seconds” didn’t flash across the insides of my eyelids in bright neon letters for a micro-second.

To top things off, that was the moment it started to rain.

Two more needless circuits of the parking aisles surrounding the zone in question indicated without much doubt that my car was indeed residing elsewhere. I can’t say I’ve never had a car stolen; I have, but it’s been about 15 years now of continuous auto possession.

I learned today that one can’t really predict one’s train of thoughts in such a state of anxiety. Did I simply forget (in the extreme) where I parked? There was after all a below-store covered parking area. Why wouldn’t I have parked undercover knowing rainfall was imminent this afternoon? Did I leave my phone in the car? No, it’s in my jacket pocket (whew!). Why didn’t I at least wear a jacket with a hood today? What about my afternoon appointment? I’m going to have to cancel now. How long is it going to take me to get home on the bus? And what will I do when I get home anyway? My laptop is in the car. So is my camera with all of this morning’s site data. I guess this means I have to phone the police and report that my car is missing. Probably stolen; it certainly wasn’t towed away due to illegal parking. Do I even remember my licence plate number? I’ve had so many different ones over the years.

But the overwhelming thought of all was that I’d forgotten to visit the restroom prior to leaving the store. Also a good excuse for a time-out in order to think. A phone call to file a police report probably would not be a short process. Better to be prepared.

Outside once again, standing on asphalt I still could not accept I’d been the victim of auto theft. And again, strangely enough, I wasn’t super-panicked, but mild unease was beginning to creep in. I think perhaps deep in my core I knew I must have done, or not done, something to cause the disappearance. But seriously, how long could I postpone he dreaded phone call to the police? Fortunately I had no tight deadlines this afternoon. That’s probably why, in the end, I did remain calm and persisted in my investigation.

I decided to retrace the route my car had taken upon exiting Scott Road. I walked up another car-park aisle to view the vehicular entrance off Scott Road, located beside a gas bar. What I noticed first was a large pick-up truck slowly manoeuvring around a small car awkwardly placed midway between parking stalls and the gas pumps. A black car; a black Mazda 3; a black Mazda 3 retro-fitted with MazdaSpeed3 rims.

My Mazda!

I wish I could have seen the look on my face! A bigger April Fool’s gag I really could not imagine. Again, one can’t really predict one’s train of thoughts in such a state of anxiety. If my car had indeed been stolen why would it be abandoned only a few hundred meters away? Was it damaged? Was the perpetrator still here? Was he trying to get gas? Was he trying to steal gas? Should I approach my vehicle? Should I call for reinforcements?

There was a tiny service booth for the gas attendant, so before approaching my car I decided to ask him if he’d seen anything suspicious. Did he see anyone move my car to that location? No, he hadn’t noticed my car at all until just now as I asked my questions. I thanked him for his information and checked my pocket to ensure I still had the key. A quick general perusal indicated no one was in my car. It was in a low spot of pavement, meaning it wouldn’t potentially move far upon application of my first test; a gentle push. It rolled a few inches. The door was locked. The hand brake was not engaged.

Yes, that’s correct; not engaged.

I don’t think I have ever been so glad and told so few people about something as outlandishly irresponsible as forgetting to set a parking brake on a car. I ALWAYS set the parking brake on cars fitted with a manually-shifted transmission. It’s only on automatics that I often rely on “P” for park on flat surfaces without the added safety of the E-brake.

Once again, one can’t really predict one’s train of thoughts in such a state of anxiety. Can you imagine what it must have looked like to see an unpiloted Mazda 3 slowly rolling backwards down the gentle incline of the parking lot, retracing its entry path? Did it encounter traffic entering Superstore’s lot as it driverlessly reversed? Did drivers honk as my ghost car invaded their territory? The gas bar attendant reportedly saw and heard nothing to distract him from his duty, so it appears that as unimaginable as it sounds, my car unofficially transitioned into a driverless car for at least a few moments. Even more unimaginable is that no damage was done either to my car, other cars or to private property (especially the gas pumps!). And of course, no injuries were incurred!

I quickly unlocked my car door and made a quick exit, metaphorically with my tail between my legs.

Easter

Apparently the Easter Bunny hopped right past our house this morning while we were out. Tannah, however, was not able to pick up the scent.

Who knew the Easter Bunny's paw prints leave a chalky residue on concrete?

Our street is only days away from its annual white canopy.

A curbside Magnolia tree.

The chocolate armada arrived early this year. Unfortunately that means it's
a long stretch until the next long weekend.