Lost and Found

We were in the US on the weekend to drop off and retrieve some friends who were going to Vegas for a wedding. That's the short version and you will thank me later for only going with that one.

While there, I dropped my camera in my friend's car. This was much better than losing it while shopping in Bellingham, to be sure. So I fretted for a night until Bill was able to confirm that he did in fact have my camera. I now have it, and a pair of what looks to be swanky shot glasses from Vegas. One can never have too many shots...I mean too many shot glasses, right?

In other more tragic news, I recently lost a couple of friends to World of Warcraft. They started playing this week and so far things are all smiles and happiness but we all know how it goes. Within a couple weeks they will be 'tired' at work. Soon their chat avatars will be representations of their WOW character. It gets painful when they request being called by their character name outside of the game. Okay okay, I jest. Kevin, Michelle, have your fun, you know I'd play too if I wasn't worried about becoming exactly like the person just described.

Just another working Saturday

Ah, the conveniences of technology. This morning when I got up, I wanted to know what kind of day I had in store for me, weather-wise. So I turned on my ipod and checked the weather. Nice! Today will be a comfortable 7 degrees. Still need a jacket and gloves, but still not a bad day at all.

Then for the fun part. I like to compare weather against where I know my family is, or where I am going to be soon. So I check Cancun, since I'll be pretty close to there in a short while. Today, it's 26 degrees with light clouds. That's what I like to see, hopefully I'll have a solid week of that.

Next up, I take a look at Moncton, NB since that is where my brother is. OH NO! it's already MINUS 13 degrees, snowing and forecasted to get even colder, to about -20 degrees centigrade. That's so cold that Louise can't go for walks anymore, that even a puff of wind will make your flesh freeze with the wind chill. That's downright miserable weather and knowing my brother is in it almost makes me giddy a little bit. It's one of those 'ha ha, wish you were here!' kind of moments. Conversely, I get grumpy when it's cold and rainy here and he's bathed in sunshine so I guess it's fair.

Extreme Software Testing

extreme software testing
Originally uploaded by iTripped

Here we have Phil demonstrating Safe Testing Technique number one: Full Protective Gear testing. It may be a little slow to type but he makes up for that by looking so FAST. He lasted only long enough to take the pictures actually.
My team of testers is soon to be down a man as Phil recently gave his notice and will be moving on next week. Phil, it has been fun to work with you. I don't blame you for running off to play at a video game company. But it is sad to see you go just the same.

Burrard Street Bridge

Burrard Bridge
Originally uploaded by iTripped

Notice a theme yet? Yes, this is another dog-walk photo. I find they only seem to turn out well when the weather is what I would call 'typical'. The cloud cover helps to reflect back some ambient light from the city. This brightens an otherwise impossibly dark photo. At least, impossibly dark for me and my camera. I've tried.

Other than that, I found myself in the office again this weekend so I will probably be grumpy on Monday morning just for good measure. Let's see how many people actually notice.

One of these days I might actually write something deep or meaningful in here. It just won't be today.

Coal Harbour at Night

100_0405
Originally uploaded by iTripped

I brought my camera with me when I was walking the dog last night and I am glad that I did. As we were walking along the water I had the opportunity to take a few photos that I was pleased with. It was very calm with moderate cloud cover but no rain. The glow in the clouds is from the city - if I looked over Stanley Park, the sky was dark.

I don't have a tripod and my camera is of the compact variety so to get the stability I needed for this shot I set the camera down on the seawall. I only got a few such shots as Louise was more interested in actually 'walking' instead of 'waiting' for me to fuss with a camera.

Banks aren't evil, they just hire stupid people

So as it turns out, my banking troubles were not over afterall. I suppose I should be clear in that I am griping about the VISA division of my bank. The regular accounts I have just work like clockwork. It seems that when you call to activate a new card, the activation process is not straightforward. When an agent says everything is fine, what they really mean is that you will have to call in at least once more and your spouse is also going to have to call in to activate her card too, despite the agent assuring you that her card can be (and now is) authorized as well.

In the end I did cajole the bank into activating my card and ensured that the travel agent actually used the card to book the trip. Honestly, if I never book through the Flight Center again it will be too soon.