We finally made it out to the Vancouver aquarium in Stanley Park three weeks ago Sunday. We had a great time wandering around all of the exhibits. We even made the dolphin show, the otter feeding time, the frog feeding time, and the shark feeding time. And did I mention we saw a sloth actually moving!? Jason was particularly impressed by the feel of sea anemone tentacles in the touch tide-pool while my favorites were the sea otters, of course. Even saw a Hedgehog Amphipod. It was great way to spend a semi-rainy afternoon. We wandered into downtown on the way home and had crepes at that place we had passed a million times but never stopped at. Bananas and dark chocolate, mmmm. Here are a few videos from our visit.
First, Jason at the entryway
Watch out for Canadian eelpouts and giant sea anemones!
Jason is a walrus?
January 13, 2010
January 07, 2010
New Year Resolutions
Happy New Year from us! We have started off strong in 2010 with all of our favorite college football teams winning and the first work week of the year almost over. My New Year's resolutions are:
1. Get back on the diet. It is not really a diet in the sense of weight loss, but a diet in the sense of eating fresh fruit and veggies, homemade dinners, breads, and desserts, and less meat peppered with fewer yummy dinners-out. We're starting off by trying not to eat meat for the next 30 days. We are on day 4 and counting! Hedgehog Guy says the mystery meat on the sandwich at the luncheon today does not count. We really don't know what that was...
2. Exercise more. The bridge over the Fraser River is right there. Why can't I just go run over it? Motivation needed. So, that sounds like a reason to go shopping for a new "goal" outfit?
3. Plan a vacation. Preferably our vacation. A real one. Desperately needed. Some place that takes dogs.
4. Share more. Share more homebrew beer and recipes. Share more pictures and stories on the blog. Share more fun with family and friends. Our sharing starts with sharing Hedgehog Dog's ultra-cuteness with you.
Happy New Year!
1. Get back on the diet. It is not really a diet in the sense of weight loss, but a diet in the sense of eating fresh fruit and veggies, homemade dinners, breads, and desserts, and less meat peppered with fewer yummy dinners-out. We're starting off by trying not to eat meat for the next 30 days. We are on day 4 and counting! Hedgehog Guy says the mystery meat on the sandwich at the luncheon today does not count. We really don't know what that was...
2. Exercise more. The bridge over the Fraser River is right there. Why can't I just go run over it? Motivation needed. So, that sounds like a reason to go shopping for a new "goal" outfit?
3. Plan a vacation. Preferably our vacation. A real one. Desperately needed. Some place that takes dogs.
4. Share more. Share more homebrew beer and recipes. Share more pictures and stories on the blog. Share more fun with family and friends. Our sharing starts with sharing Hedgehog Dog's ultra-cuteness with you.
Happy New Year!
December 30, 2009
Christmas 2009
Jason and I overlooking Strait of Georgia at Lighthouse ParkMerry Christmas! My tardy blogging never fails....
My parents visited us this holiday, bringing along fudge, fun, and love. We miss you guys already. Here a few pictures from the past week.
Vancouver from outside the Granville Island Market where we bought Christmas dinner.
The triple present grab - Jason, me and Gus
Gus in his Christmas attire
Days later and we are all plumper!December 16, 2009
Naica - Cave of Wonders
So, the month since the last blog post has largely been filled (for me) with planning and preparing and then going on a trip to Naica, Mexico. The big draw of this area is the Penoles copper, lead, and zinc mine which happens to also be home to the Crystal Cave, popularized by a National Geographic documentary a few years ago. The extreme heat of the cavern (>45oC) from nearby volcanic magma intrusion combined with supersaturated mineral waters resulted in the formation of gigantic gypsum, or selenite, crystals in a cave about 1000ft underground. I mean big crystals, 10ft long, 2ft wide. When the cave was blasted into and then drained by miners, it became one of hottest and most spectacular places on Earth.
I went with our lab manager to find viruses in this environment - hot, humid, but water filled. And we did! I have to be honest - I found the entire experience of being part of film production and meeting new people much more satisfying than the research. It was just amazing, and I'll try to write more later in addition to catching up on Thanksgiving and fall news.
I went with our lab manager to find viruses in this environment - hot, humid, but water filled. And we did! I have to be honest - I found the entire experience of being part of film production and meeting new people much more satisfying than the research. It was just amazing, and I'll try to write more later in addition to catching up on Thanksgiving and fall news.
October 07, 2009
I never blog, but I do try to save the world
This last year has brought a lot of change. Including many things influenced by our new "West Coast Green Hippie" lifestyle. Here are 7 things that we have switched to over the past year that save money and the planet.
1. High efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in every socket. They are expensive to buy (thanks Mom and Dad), but I have yet to replace one in over 5 years, and I just replaced the last regular bulb in the house last week.
2. Lower thermostat. So no air conditioning = no energy use, no freon, no money spent! They also run these ads here "Blankets. Good for snuggling. Turn down your thermostat this winter." Yeah, we are doing it.
3. Re-usable bags. I am proud to say that I now only use re-usable cloth bags at the grocery store AND the mall! It took a lot of courage to take the bag to the mall and say "Can I just put that in here?" I especially love that I use my Xstrata Copper Mining bag for this. The irony of it kills me. Saves money on contraptions to store plastic bags in - no more bag hutch for us - and many stores charge extra for bags. And I mean no more plastic bags - ever - we use washable plastic containers for lunch, and my last (smallest size) roll of Saran Wrap lasted 13 months.
4. Bake bread. Yes, the bread machine is a gift from heaven. I figure we spend about $1.50 per loaf, which lasts for a week of lunches for two. So yummy, so lacking in preservatives, saves in lots of ways. One unexpected saving is that it makes the house smell fabulous - saves on candles!
5. Mass transit. Although we drive to work (carpool), we use the electric train and the bus almost all other times. Fun. Most days. We can't stand suburban sprawl anymore.
6. No more Coke. Yes, we gave up drinking sodas. It started out as not having them at lunch, and we don't even buy 2L bottles anymore. No more cans, no more cost, fewer inches around my waste... We also re-use the same water bottles for lunch everyday. This has made a huge reduction in our waste stream.
7. Recycle and compost. Aunt Dolly reminded me - we do recycle! We have to separate paper from everything else, but that is it. We also compost everything possible, including some things that probably shouldn't go in. But, oh well, the environment has to figure out a degradation pathway sometime for this stuff. This means we've down-sized our trash can, and we only have to take it out once a week. This might sound disturbing, but when you don't throw any food scraps in, it never smells.
1. High efficiency compact fluorescent light bulbs in every socket. They are expensive to buy (thanks Mom and Dad), but I have yet to replace one in over 5 years, and I just replaced the last regular bulb in the house last week.
2. Lower thermostat. So no air conditioning = no energy use, no freon, no money spent! They also run these ads here "Blankets. Good for snuggling. Turn down your thermostat this winter." Yeah, we are doing it.
3. Re-usable bags. I am proud to say that I now only use re-usable cloth bags at the grocery store AND the mall! It took a lot of courage to take the bag to the mall and say "Can I just put that in here?" I especially love that I use my Xstrata Copper Mining bag for this. The irony of it kills me. Saves money on contraptions to store plastic bags in - no more bag hutch for us - and many stores charge extra for bags. And I mean no more plastic bags - ever - we use washable plastic containers for lunch, and my last (smallest size) roll of Saran Wrap lasted 13 months.
4. Bake bread. Yes, the bread machine is a gift from heaven. I figure we spend about $1.50 per loaf, which lasts for a week of lunches for two. So yummy, so lacking in preservatives, saves in lots of ways. One unexpected saving is that it makes the house smell fabulous - saves on candles!
5. Mass transit. Although we drive to work (carpool), we use the electric train and the bus almost all other times. Fun. Most days. We can't stand suburban sprawl anymore.
6. No more Coke. Yes, we gave up drinking sodas. It started out as not having them at lunch, and we don't even buy 2L bottles anymore. No more cans, no more cost, fewer inches around my waste... We also re-use the same water bottles for lunch everyday. This has made a huge reduction in our waste stream.
7. Recycle and compost. Aunt Dolly reminded me - we do recycle! We have to separate paper from everything else, but that is it. We also compost everything possible, including some things that probably shouldn't go in. But, oh well, the environment has to figure out a degradation pathway sometime for this stuff. This means we've down-sized our trash can, and we only have to take it out once a week. This might sound disturbing, but when you don't throw any food scraps in, it never smells.
September 10, 2009
Hedgehog dog drama
Oh my gosh the dog! A constant source of amusement and anxiety. Hedgehog Dog is very skittish after hearing loud noises - something related to our scarring him by taking him to 4th of July fireworks just after adopting him. Something fell over on the deck upstairs Monday night while he was on the porch below and caused him to run off the deck, then scamper back inside. His eating dinner ended up like this (below) with him fearful after every mouthful.
A similar noise late last Wednesday night had him peering at a grape vine that grows near our back door. And lo and behold! there was a raccoon climbing the grape vine! It even made it up to the neighbor's deck! Hedgehog Dog and I waited inside for it to climb down, and when it did, it saw Hedgehog Dog through the glass door, puffed up, and hissed at us. Hedgehog Dog was utterly still for once, almost like a cat about to pounce. Then the 'coon ran away, and Hedgehog Dog was keen to go outside (for once). A few minutes later the bush rattled again, and a baby raccoon climbed out (ok, it was like a teenager, big, but not big enough). I was "eeking" and Hedgehog Dog was scrabbling and another raccoon climbed down! Three! Hedgehog Guy is trying not to be terrified that they will gang up and eat Hedgehog Dog.
A similar noise late last Wednesday night had him peering at a grape vine that grows near our back door. And lo and behold! there was a raccoon climbing the grape vine! It even made it up to the neighbor's deck! Hedgehog Dog and I waited inside for it to climb down, and when it did, it saw Hedgehog Dog through the glass door, puffed up, and hissed at us. Hedgehog Dog was utterly still for once, almost like a cat about to pounce. Then the 'coon ran away, and Hedgehog Dog was keen to go outside (for once). A few minutes later the bush rattled again, and a baby raccoon climbed out (ok, it was like a teenager, big, but not big enough). I was "eeking" and Hedgehog Dog was scrabbling and another raccoon climbed down! Three! Hedgehog Guy is trying not to be terrified that they will gang up and eat Hedgehog Dog.
August 30, 2009
Hedgehog goings on
Few posts for the last couple of weeks means we have been busy! Sort of.
Two Fridays ago Hedgehog Guy went sea kayaking with his lab group out at Deep Cove. He spent something like 6 hours on the water in a two-man kayak with his boss, which earns anyone a pat on the back. He had been dreading the last-minute planned trip, but ended up having a great time. The lunch of steak and wine certainly helped. He was most impressed with the hand-held bilge pump, which could be used as a water rocket to spray other boats, and the seals which looked like large lumps sleeping on the docks. That night he crashed after drinking a glass of really great Pinot Blanc (come visit and you can try it!) while watching Nausicaa.
That Saturday we took a trip to the dentist to have our cavities filled. Not exactly fun, but since this is Canada, it was free! Well, we do pay $50 a month for insurance, but still.
That evening, after our mouths had thawed out and we regained the use of our tongues, we played Wii with a couple friends. Hedgehog Guy, Jessica, and Dany make a great rockband. Note that I did not mention myself because my tone deafness makes me the worst singer on the planet, my inability to keep a beat makes me a terrible drummer, and my guitar skills haven't progressed beyond "Easy" mode.
Sunday we took the brand new Canada Line Skytrain downtown for some shopping. Hedgehog Guy got a hat, and I finally found some shoes for Megan's wedding. Yippee! I even got to layout in my bathing suit on the porch that afternoon and try to become one shade of off-white instead of two (again for the wedding, I have a terrible farmer's tan and watchband line).
This week was largely work oriented. My boss is out of town so I became the go-to question person. I mostly just nodded my head up, down, left, or right. It was fun. No major crises.
This weekend has involved leaving the house less. We finally got a new bedspread (really just a duvet cover for the old one) and picked up my latest cross-stitch from the framers. Last night we went to a friends birthday party and gorged on chocolate cake. Today I am thinking the dog park...
Two Fridays ago Hedgehog Guy went sea kayaking with his lab group out at Deep Cove. He spent something like 6 hours on the water in a two-man kayak with his boss, which earns anyone a pat on the back. He had been dreading the last-minute planned trip, but ended up having a great time. The lunch of steak and wine certainly helped. He was most impressed with the hand-held bilge pump, which could be used as a water rocket to spray other boats, and the seals which looked like large lumps sleeping on the docks. That night he crashed after drinking a glass of really great Pinot Blanc (come visit and you can try it!) while watching Nausicaa.
That Saturday we took a trip to the dentist to have our cavities filled. Not exactly fun, but since this is Canada, it was free! Well, we do pay $50 a month for insurance, but still.
That evening, after our mouths had thawed out and we regained the use of our tongues, we played Wii with a couple friends. Hedgehog Guy, Jessica, and Dany make a great rockband. Note that I did not mention myself because my tone deafness makes me the worst singer on the planet, my inability to keep a beat makes me a terrible drummer, and my guitar skills haven't progressed beyond "Easy" mode.
Sunday we took the brand new Canada Line Skytrain downtown for some shopping. Hedgehog Guy got a hat, and I finally found some shoes for Megan's wedding. Yippee! I even got to layout in my bathing suit on the porch that afternoon and try to become one shade of off-white instead of two (again for the wedding, I have a terrible farmer's tan and watchband line).
This week was largely work oriented. My boss is out of town so I became the go-to question person. I mostly just nodded my head up, down, left, or right. It was fun. No major crises.
This weekend has involved leaving the house less. We finally got a new bedspread (really just a duvet cover for the old one) and picked up my latest cross-stitch from the framers. Last night we went to a friends birthday party and gorged on chocolate cake. Today I am thinking the dog park...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)