Scaling Down

The media response following the XL Foods in Brooks, AB shutdown over the last couple months has been a dominated by concerns to make food safer: more regulation, more measures to safeguard the quality of the meat. What is remarkable is the silence regarding the state of food production in Canada and the alarming trend … [Read more…]

Treats from Guatemala

When my school’s short term mission group returned from Tactic, Guatemala a couple weeks ago, they transported some gifts sent by very special friends. It’s amazing how taste and smell can transport one so intensely to distant memories. In our package, we got chirrepeco tea (grown locally), some horchata drink powder (Tang brand), Tortix lime … [Read more…]

Nerdvana 2012

Every year for the past six or seven years, my friend Jasen has organized a little board gaming retreat. We spent a couple nights in a hotel in Canmore surrounded by mountains only to sit facing the middle of a table playing board games for two and a half days. Well, I gazed at the … [Read more…]

Beer Tasting: New Year’s Eve

As a part of our Dragonfly Cohousing community development, we plan social events where members can interact outside of business meetings. Now that our group has grown to 60 people, the Social Team is planning more frequent smaller get togethers. Amber and hosted just such a gathering on New Year’s Eve: Beer Tasting. Every attendee … [Read more…]

Beer Tasting

I was able to host a beer tasting last Thursday night as a prize I offered for our Ubuntu fundraiser. The winners joined me and I invited another friend to help us drink the beer. I had to do a bit of research for the event as I know there is a particular order which … [Read more…]

Passports a Plenty

As I was gathering my things this morning from my desk I noticed three passports sitting together; none of them are legal. I’m not a spy or an international criminal, so why all the passports? Parks Canada currently offers a passport with the purchase of a year pass to the National and Historic Parks. You … [Read more…]

Radio Shoutout

I got mentioned on the radio this morning. The CBC Radio 1 morning show, The Calgary Eye Opener, put out a request for listeners to send them photos of them listening to the program so they could see what some of their listeners looked like as they listened. Amber took a shot of me eating … [Read more…]

One Day in Montreal

My first full day in Montreal since leaving the city behind on our last visit in 2006 was spent mostly on my own since Amber and April wanted to bring the kids to splash park and take it easy. I had ambitious plans. My time in the best city in North America was limited and … [Read more…]

Stone Age Tournament

This post is about 3 weeks late. On New Years Eve four men traveled all the way from Saskatchewan to challenge me and Amber to a Stone Age tournament. (The proceeded to Banff Nat’l Park for some winter fun afterwards). Blaise warmed the boys up with some Jr. Monopoly while I finished making curry. I … [Read more…]