I pity da fool!

I have no idea of the story behind what happened here (apparently in the Lacombe area). I think however it is clear to see that someone wanted to do some digging while at a high rate of speed! I (and you Dad) can be very thankful that all my farming mishaps have been extremely minor in comparison to this. WOW!

Dog Sitting Walter

Some friends of mine that are living here in Atlanta own the above dog, named Walter. They went on a two week summer vacation and left Walter to my care. They got him from a shelter, so they have no idea what kind of a dog he is, but I will tell you this, he is one crazy energetic dog. Over the two weeks that he spend with me, we bonded well and went on countless runs and walks. I have wanted a dog quite badly for the last several years, but have decided that right now is not a good time for me to have a dog, and dog sitting Walter reinforced that. Its not that I am not responsible enough for a dog, (Walter was properly fed and walked and given potty breaks), however my schedule and living situation would not be fair to a pet. I did notice that Walter forced me to live a very strict schedule, which is partly good and partly bad. Regardless, over the two week period I very much enjoyed caring for this super excitable and poorly trained animal!

Everyone Got Married

Over the past many months, I have had numerous friends and family get married. I just wanted to give proper recognition to each of the new 'families'.
Yan and Kim Senechal (childhood friend) were married on November 16, 2006 on the beach near Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
Matt and Sherise Parra (cousin) were married on January 2, 2007 in Vancouver, WA. My family and myself had the pleasure of being at this wonderful ceremony.
Chris and Kalin Ivany (college friends) were married on May 20, 2007 in Evergreen, CO. Again I was lucky enough to be able to make it to Denver for the weekend to attend this picturesque outdoor wedding.
Clinton and Raelene Lajeunesse (cousin) were married on May 20, 2007 in College Heights, AB.
Jeremiah and Sarah Boyd (college friend) were married on June 17, 2007 in Vernon, BC.
Aaron and Gabby Fedusenko (high school friend) were married on June 17, 2007 in Edmonton, AB.
Brandon and Melanie Koperski (college friend) were also married on June 17, 2007 in Edmonton, AB.
Brad and Holly Kay (cousin) were married on July 1, 2007 near Kelowna, BC.

So congratulations to all, and may your lives together be filled with loving bliss!

DISCLAIMER: These pictures have been used without the written or verbal consent of those responsible for suppling or taking the photographs.

Iron People

Two weeks ago today, my uncle Steve had the privilege of running in the 2007 Ford Ironman Coeur d'Alene triathlon. I can't imagine all the preparation that it would take, but I do know that he registered about a year in advance. For those unfamiliar with what all an Ironman consists of, it is the mother of all races. You start with a 2.4 mile swim, then transition to a 112 mile bike ride, and then finish the triathlon with a 26.2 mile run. The professional who won this years race did all of that in just under eight and a half hours. Uncle Steven Schultz crossed the finish line just before the cutoff, but crossed it none the less. Uncle Steve even had an article written about him in his hometown paper! From the Post Falls Press:

Post Falls resident still an Ironman in his family's eyes
By MARC STEWART
Staff writer
COEUR d'ALENE -- Steve Schultz won't get a fancy certificate or an official time from Ironman North America that says he's an Ironman.

But try telling his wife and children he's not made of iron -- they won't believe you.

The Post Falls resident was the second to last person to cross the finish line Sunday night. While he crossed the line just before the midnight cutoff, Schultz didn't qualify because he didn't complete both loops of the swim.

"I am amazed," his wife, Patti, said shortly after he crossed the finish line. "I am so proud of him."

As rock and roll blared and an enthusiastic crowd cheered, Schultz jogged across the finish line in a rainstorm with a perma-grin.

"It's good to be done," the 58-year-old Avista engineer said.

Rough waters on Lake Coeur d'Alene had forced Schultz out of the water after one loop around the course. He went on to finish the 112-mile bike ride and the 26.2-mile marathon. His time was 16 hours, 57 minutes, and 20 seconds.

"They gave us the option of continuing," he said. "It was very choppy."

Out of 2,262 competitors, Schultz was one of 57 who opted to skip some or all of the water segment.

"We don't want it too rough," said Andy Emberton, race director. "Obviously, adults have to make decisions based on their ability. We don't want people to walk away from the beach with nothing."

Several Ironman competitors grumbled Monday night that they've never heard of a change like that. Offering a duathlon is unusual but not unheard of, Emberton said.

"People applauded the decision when it was announced," he said.

Schultz said he wasn't sure if he would try again next year. He reveled in the moment and accepted hugs from his family.

"I couldn't have done it without my wife," Schultz said. "She's my inspiration."

I wanted to bring proper credit to this amazing accomplishment. Also, my cousin Heather's sister in law also ran the race for her first time and finished in under 14 hours, which seems phenomenal to me. So CONGRATULATIONS to these two iron people!

Uncle Steve got me to thinking about personal accomplishments and goals that we set for ourselves, and he has greatly inspired me. Although I may never make it to an Ironman, I do think I would like run a marathon at some point. Maybe I'll start with a 10k race, then work my way up. I am not much of a running fan, so my first obstacle will be to overcome that challenge. But like I said, those that have done it before me will give me hope.

American Pastime

First Thought:

This is a little overdue, but better later then never. A couple weeks ago the Boston Red Sox were in town the play the Atlanta Braves, and I was fortunate enough to attend one of the games. Unfortunately the Braves lost in a game that included a rain delay. Now this is not the first Braves game I have been too, but it was the first that actually got me to reflect on my history with the Braves. For some reason the Braves have always been my favorite baseball team. Maybe it is because in the early 90's when they where constantly good and I was starting to get into baseball. When they played the Blue Jays in the 1992 WS I cheered for the Braves while it seemed the rest of Canada was backing the Jays. Maybe is was because I thought the tomahawk chop was the coolest thing ever. Anyway, as I sat there enjoying the game, I thought about how fifteen years ago, watching the Braves on TV, I would have never imagined that I would be living in Atlanta, taking in Braves games in person. Isn't it interesting how our lives take shape and we have no idea what the future as in store for us?From a Braves game last fall

Second Thought:
Some of you loyal readers maybe remember about a year I posted about how the Oregon State baseball team had won the National Championship. Well, this year they became only the fifth team to repeat as the National Champions...which is awesome. At the beginning of the season no one excepted the team to do very well, they had lost the majority of their pitchers and all but 2 starting fielders to the pros or just graduation. They barely made it into the post season play, because of poor PAC-10 conference play, but once they started playing the post season they were on a mission, only losing 1 of their 12 games. There are a ton of other impressive statistics I could spout off about the team, but won't. If you so desire, you can read about it here and here.

Some Sunday Videos

I thought I would share these gems with you. I am not sure what to make of the first video. I don't know if it is actually a panda dog mix or just a panda colored dog, but I am thinking the latter. Either way, its a pretty cute little thing.



This next video is from an audition for Britain's Got Talent, where American Idols Simon Cowell is also apparently a judge. This girl is amazingly good and super cute to boot! If you tend to get emotional, please be warned.

A Great Computer Wallpaper Site

I try to check this site out on a semi-regular basis. It has great desktop images and has them in plenty of sizes to fit any screen resolution. The images are all user submitted, most photographs, but some are computer generated. Be sure to check it out for yourself if you want: InterfaceLIFT

This is the image I am currently using, but think I will soon switch to this one. Enjoy!

Looks Like a Good Floatin Day

On Sabbath afternoon a few friends and myself went floating down the Chattahoochee River. It was extremely relaxing and a great way to combat the heat. I was also lucky to ward off any likely sunburn (unlike Alicia) by thorough and persistent sunblock application. There were a couple random spots on my feet that were a little rosy, but really nothing to cause me discomfort (unlike Alicia). Apparently here in the south they call floating down the Chattahoochee, Shootin' the 'Hooch. Anyway, it was a enjoyable afternoon an event that will probably be repeated during the summer.

UPDATE: Oddly enough I happened to be watching the evening news today and they say that a fisherman saw an alligator in the Chattahoochee River this morning near the I-285 overpass (which we happened to cross under). Atlanta is apparently a little north of where alligators are normally found (thank goodness), but fisherman and recreationers should not be concerned (phew, I feel better now). They are probably down right friendly would be my guess, I might head out again in the next couple days just to make a new friend!

I Joined A Club

So in an effort to get involved, get to know some people, and have a good time, I browsed the Tech student organizations website for clubs that peaked my interest. After passing on such intriguing groups as The Amateur Radio Club, Magicians Club, and the Origami Club, I settled on the Georgia Tech Waterski Club. It is actually a pretty sweet deal. The club just purchased two brand new boats this year, one waterski boat and one wakeboarding boat. See the sweet towing machines pictured right. Right now they just have the one boat as they are still waiting for delivery of the ski boat. But anyway, for a small fee per semester, plus a share of the gas money, you can head out to the lake with a group of people and 'shred' it up.


On Sunday evening I joined 'Tex' and his girlfriend Samantha to enjoy the warm weather and do some wakeboarding. It was an absolute blast and I think I may see myself trying to go at least once a week all summer long. For those unfamiliar with wakeboarding, see the below graphic (not me, but some 'kid who can rip') That's the latest excitement in my life (that and the fact that I am a little bit sore today)!

I was just in Seattle

So as a reward for finishing a year of school, I treated myself to a mini vacation to visit cousin Lisa in Seattle. The weather was great and the company even better. It was a splendid blend of doing stuff and complete relaxation. Rather then share about the walking we did, or the art museum we went to, or the Mariners-Yankees baseball game we took in, I will describe one of the most heroic and brave acts I have ever seen.

First allow me to set the stage. A friend of Lisa's was having a birthday on Friday in Vancouver, BC, so because I have friends in Vancouver as well, we decided to jaunt up there for the night. It was an uneventfully pleasant trip highlighted by the mandatory Tim Horton's stop once back in the motherland. However, once we got deeper into the Vancouver suburbs (Ladner), traffic seemed to back up to a stand still (at the 17, 99 junction for those familiar with the area). This situation can be best described using my handy work in MSPaint, so please refer to the graphic for visual imagery of the layout.

As illustrated, there were 3 lanes of traffic, however the left hand lane was an express lane that ends and soon would become traffic going the opposite direction. Because of this, there is a lot of adequate signage miles back warning traffic that the lane closes. Like responsible drivers, upon this notification, everyone merged over in preparation, leaving the left hand lane open, but the other two backed up to a stand still. Well, everyone that is, expect idiots who saw this as a great opportunity to pass a mile of stopped traffic to wedge themselves in further up. After maybe a half dozen or more vehicles pulled this selfish jackassery, the driver of the Dodge pickup in front of us pulled out into the other lane to block it off, but continued to trudge along at the same speed as the rest of the traffic. It was pure genius. He was getting thumbs up and smiles from other people stuck in traffic upset with what had been happening. It was hilarious. People behind looking for a leg up had been foiled! Lisa and I laughed about it for probably the next 30 minutes until traffic was back to normal, and then some. This gentleman was courageous under fire, and his quick wit made him a hero among many. I have noticed multiple occasions for pulling such a move down here in Atlanta, but I think I prefer my truck without bullet holes.

Anyway, overall I had a great time, and it was just what I wanted. Thankfully Lisa took a picture, so I have something to show from my trip!

Another year of school DONE

Ok, so I have obviously been a very poor owner of this blog, having neglected it for almost a year.  However, there is no need to fret, I am back on top of it.  I intend to start posting again on a regular basis to keep you up to date on my life and other interesting happenings.  In addition, I will slowly try to fill you in on what I have been up to over the past year.

The latest news of significance is that last week I finished my first year of classes at Georgia Tech.  It was definitely a challenge and equally a huge relief to have it behind me.  I will still be in Atlanta over the summer (read: HOT) working on my thesis research, but the freedom from classes will be thoroughly enjoyed.

Finally, thanks to any of you have been faithfully checking back here, only to find in disappointment that I never update.  I assure you your persistence will payoff as I intend to keep you entertained and informed on a regular basis.

Stay Tuned...

Blogging is back!

D-Day

My master's thesis defense date (D-Day, get it?) is scheduled for August 3. That is a mere 2 weeks away. Those weeks have a very high potential of being very hectic, and by 'very high potential' I mean 'will absolutely'. But that's OK, it will be completely fantastic to be all done here and then spend the following two weeks moving across the country, going to a wedding, and getting settled at a new school to commence classes on August 21. Oh joy!

Recent Happenings

First and foremost, I would like to congratulate fellow schoolmates on a suburb job winning the College World Series (CWS) to become the National Baseball Champions!! There are a few things about this feat that I would like to draw your attention to, but first some quick background about the CWS for those not in the know. After 64 teams are selected by the NCAA based on regular season records, they meet in groups of four from which one team will advance. That is called regional play. After that, two regional winners will meet and play a best 2 of 3 series in the super regional to determine who will go to the College World Series. The field will by now be narrowed down to 8 teams. The CWS is played in Omaha, NE and the teams are split into two brackets. You play until you lose two games or reach the top of your bracket (see bracket), at which point only 2 teams will remain. These two final teams will play a best 2 of 3 game series for the National Championship. This year the two final teams were the Oregon State Beavers and the North Carolina Tar Heels. Alright, now that I have you thoroughly confused, allow me to continue.

- The Beavers became the first team to lose their first CWS game and the first game of the championship series, and still win it all. They won 6 elimination games (a record).
- The last team to win after losing their first game was the 1998 USC Trojans. It had only happened 9 times in CWS history.
- The Beavers are the first truly Northern-based school to win the series since Ohio State in 1966
- The Beavers had made it to the CWS two times prior to this year, but had not won a game until this year. Oregon State became the first team since Georgia in 1990 to win its first CWS game and a national title in the same season.
- This is the second NCAA National Championship OSU has gotten in any sport. Their first was in 1961 in Cross Country.
- Their record this year was a school best 50-16.
- Pitchers drafted in the first round of the 2006 MLB Draft finished with a 1-5 record in seven games against Oregon State in 2006.

Pretty interesting stuff. Needless to say, it seems that this is everything everyone is talking about around this small college town. Also an interesting side note, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (my future school), were one of the eight teams at the CWS.


Speaking of sports, I am now backing the Ukrainians in the World Cup. They play on Friday against Italy. I would back the Canadian team, but I don't think they play soccer. I would cheer for the USA, but they have already been eliminated in a fashion as disappointing as Canada's Olympic hockey performance. This leaves me cheering for the country that my great-grandparents immigrated from.


While on the topic of family, I would like to give a huge shout out to friends who have decided to soon double their current family of one. Congratulations on your engagements guys.
- Aaron Fedusenko will be marrying Gabby Young (I have yet to meet this girl)
- Sheldon Trenchuk will be marrying Rhonda McAfee (This one too)
- Chris Ivany will be marrying Kalin Mittleider (Not this one, we go way back)


Because we are discussing giving into temptation, I did something today that I haven't done in a long time. A friend that works in the same office as I do purchased a bag of Spitz sunflower seeds (yes, the ones made in Bow Island, AB) and did not like the dill pickle flavouring. I haven't chewed sunflower seeds for at least five years. I gave it up for fear that I would wear down my teeth to nothing. Well, I almost finished off his bag today in a couple hours and quickly realized once again how enjoyable it is. We'll see if I forget their influence over the next few days, or completely cave.


Finally, my office has become my new home, partly because I have been spending all sorts of time there working on getting everything finished up and partly because I have liquidated most of my household furniture. It is like I am bouncing around in an empty apartment. I only have a chair, lawn chair and small TV in my living room. I do still have my bed though, so good night's sleeps are still coming my way.

Well, take care people.

The Inconvenient Convenience

The technology in this day and age is astounding.  My grandfather, or even father for that matter, probably would have never guessed that you could order something from your home on the internet and a few days later have it delivered by courier to your door.  Its not that I don't like going to stories, but depending on where you reside, many things may not be accessible, and if they are, may be overpriced.  Well, last week I made an online purchase and eagerly anticipated its Wednesday arrival.  I was able to track is movement online all the way from Illinois.  So far so good, right, however, I am not typically sitting around my apartment waiting for the FedEx man.  Therefore, I get home at around 6:30 pm, to discover that the "First Attempt" was made at 6:10 to deliver my package, but because I was not present to sign for it, an other attempt will be made the next day between 3 and 7 pm.  Excellent, I have plans between those hours, they are called work and play.  I consider skipping out on basketball to come home early, but decide not to.  It was a good thing, because this day the "Second Attempt" was made at 5:00, so I would not have been home that early anyhow.  (I would have aimed to be there closer to the 6:00 time slot)  So now I need to be home for the "Final Attempt", otherwise it will be held at their depot for 5 days for pickup and then returned to sender.  Not knowing where the depot was, I called to inquire and discovered it is in Salem, OR, 40 miles away!  Oh, how easily the great convenience would become inconvenient if I would have to make an 80 mile trek simply to pick up a package that I was hoping to get at my doorstep.  Well, luckily for me, I was able to be around on Friday when Mr. FedEx made his special delivery.  Just thought it was a lot of hassle, and could have been worst, for what ideally is suppose to be so simple.

Spine Chilling

I hate to post two related topics back to back, but this is almost the most awesome thing I have seen ever! Game 3 of the Western Conference final was last night in Edmonton, the first home game of this series. The fans at Rexall Place went absolutely insane singing the national anthem.
WARNING: It will undoubtedly cause uncontrollable swelling of national pride.



The guy who is belting out 'O Canada' to the top of his lungs behind Ryan Smyth is Joey Moss, the team's dressing room attendant who has been with the team 21 years. Read about him HERE. It seems very fitting that he got some air time.

As a funny supplement, here are two humorous songs composed by Paul Brown, morning show host of the Edmonton radio station, 100.3 The Bear. SONGS: Mighty Ducky and Samurai Roli

Finally, I can't seem to round up either one of these baseball caps (HERE and HERE). If anyone happens to run across them and can send it to me before the Stanley Cups Finals I will be forever indebted to you. (I'm counting on the fact that the Edmonton Oilers will win 1 of the potential next 4 games) Later people.