Vacation Time

I haven't been blogging much recently because I've been really busy. I find I blog less and less during the summer months, because I'd rather be outside or doing something instead of being indoors. I don't have a laptop yet, so I can't blog while outdoors.

This weekend I went to NYC to help move my sister into a new place. I had one free night, so I went to the 5th Avenue Mac store and picked up a Macbook Pro and an Ipod Touch. So far so good, I like what I'm seeing so far, but I'll know better when I have install more programs (eg virtualization).

Right now I'm preparing for my Dad's retirement party at our home. There is so much to prepare since there will be 40 guests in our tiny little townhouse.

The night of the party I'm leaving for California for 9 days. I'm attending a wedding in San Jose, and then driving down the coast to LA (catching a taping of Deal or No Deal). Unfortunately, there is a big fire at Big Sur right now, and I hope it clears up next week and Highway 1 opens again.

California, here I come!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year! This year I'm a bit lonely since I'm spending it away from family. My sister is in NYC and my family is in Toronto, while I'm in Waterloo. I decided not to drive home partly because of the weather and because it's a weekday. I'm always tempted to take the day off of work, but I have never done so. Has anyone ever missed school or work because of Chinese New Year?

But the craziest news today is the Shaq-Marion trade. The Suns were my favourite team to watch, but now they won't nearly be as exciting. Marion was great on the fast break and now that Shaq is on the team, I don't see as many fast breaks happening. I guess he could be the one that initiates the fast break with the rebound, but marion was one that could either start (by rebounding or steal) and finish fast breaks. Shaq can only start them. Will Phoenix's half court offense be better? I don't think Shaq will draw many doubles anymore to help Phoenix. He will just get in the way of Nash/Amare's pick and roll. No team is going to cover Shaq when he's away from the basket. This means there might be an extra help defender when Nash does his pick and roll, limiting his choices.

On the defensive end, Marion was by far Phoenix's best man to man defender. Now they have to use Raja Bell in that role and increase his minutes. Shaq is suppose to help with the interior defense, but I have my doubts as to whether he can stay out of foul trouble. He also won't be able to play big minutes, so Amare will end up at C most of the time anyway.

And the biggest issue is Shaq's health. He is way overweight and has multiple injuries. By the time playoffs roll around, Shaq could be injured and then this trade will be for naught. Next year it'll be even worse. The year after Shaq will probably be retired.

Then the salary cap problem of bringing Shaq onboard. The Sun's owner doesn't want to pay the luxury tax, but by bringing Shaq on, he's on the hook for $20 million for two more years. Two more years after this one.

In conclusion, I'm sad they broke up this entertaining Suns team. :_(

Snow Day

Everyone at my work left at noon today on account of the bad weather. It's nice to get an unexpected break once a while. The drive back to Toronto was tough though. I haven't seen so many trucks in the fast lane in my life. It only took 1.5 hours, so it wasn't horrible.

The extra time off allowed me to catch up on the US election process. I don't follow it daily, but I follow it more than Canadian politics. Recently Guiliani stepped out of the race, which was a little surprising to me. I thought he would be a strong contender. Right now it looks like McCain will will win the Republican leadership and Obama with a slight lead over Hilary. Personally, if I could vote, I think I would vote for Obama. To look at it simply, I think he would make a good leader. Even though I don't think the Republicans have a chance, I think John "Hero" McCain would make a decent leader too. He supports more troops in Iraq, which I think is needed until things settle down. It's easy for me to say, since I'm not American. If Clinton wins it'll be interesting to see what kind of role Bill would take in the White House.

From a gaming point of view (yes, I realize there are more important issues), this article outlines the candidates views on gaming. Obama and McCain come out on top...coincidence? Obama also happens to support net neutrality and "openness". This really catches my attention, but whether he can actually pull it off is another matter.

I think it would be even more interesting to see a Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton democratic ticket. That could really be groundbreaking!

Smells like Spring

And by spring I really mean Shit.

If you've ever been in Waterloo during the summer months you'll know what I'm talking about. Apparently, the KW area has some of the worse air in Ontario, because we are in a slight depression where the air doesn't move. Add that to the fact the farmers all around like to spread shit on their fields right around this time (when students come in for the summer term).

But now, after about a week, I can't smell the shit anymore, and I don't know whether it's because I'm desensitized or the smell has gone away. Regardless, I'm happy that warmer weather is here. Anyone want to find a Dragonboat team to join? I already have my first softball practice this week!

Snow Day!

I didn't think that I would ever get another snow day after leaving school, but today was a snow day. They sent everyone home early (~3 PM). I think the weather is worse in Waterloo compared to Toronto (it is usually more extreme). It's suppose to change to freezing rain tonight, then rain, then back to snow.

The most annoying part is shovelling the snow on our driveway. We haven't really shovelled much previous to today, so there's a layer of ice on the bottom. We tried hacking at it a week ago, but it's really packed down, so it's hard to get at. But after that was done, I spent the rest of the day inside with my heater :)