slugga style added for download
I have an active link to my K2 style files in the sidebar. The style is called “slugga”
Archive for May, 2006
New Mountain Bike
I picked up a new mountain bike on the weekend. I had finally heard back from my insurance company with regards to the garage theft, and everything was okayed to get a new bike.
Once again, I bought the bike from WestPoint Cycles.
BTW, if you are a bike owner, Federation Insurance is the way to go because they don’t have any special limits or restrictions on bikes. I think they are now called Economical Insurance.
Getting There
I made some good progress with the kayak last week. I put in fillets and taped all the seams on the underside of the deck. My friend Craig helped me ‘glass the inside of the hull, and I almost finished cleaning up the seams on the outside of the deck.
A few thoughts…
1. when ‘glassing the inside of a hull, maybe it’s best to put nice large radius fillets along all the seams. The fibreglass really doesn’t like lying down inside edges
2. black epoxy is a pain to work with
3. sanding through epoxy does not neccessarily create a halo effect. If you’re wondering why I mention this, please refer to #2 above…
This guy has guts
Stephen Colbert is one gutsy guy. At the recent White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner he delivered a bomb of a speech/performance. Within a few feet of President Bush, Colbert repeatly lampooned Bush, his administration, and the rest of the correspondents association. I won’t go into detail on it, there’s already a lot of information on the event. Here’s a viewpoint from CBC on the event. If you would like to watch the video, check it out here on Google video.
That took a lot of balls from Colbert.
What, me worry?
I’ve been trying to think about how I would write this entry for a few weeks now. I’ve since come to the realization that I’m not a writer, and the very fact that you are reading this means that you have also come to terms with my blabbering. So here it goes.
I heard an interview on CBC with David Suzuki, and one thing that really stuck with me was when he described how he opens some of his recent lectures/speaches. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but basically it was “What kind of planet are we leaving for my grandchildren?”. No kidding eh.
I am constantly amazed at the decisions people make in their every day lives when you consider that the majority of these people have children and/or grandchildren. Sure, maybe a 60 year old dude has it made in the shade. Maybe he’s got a good stash of cash, a cushy job or perhaps retired, a nice family, nice home, and isn’t too worried about the collapse of ocean fish stocks before he dies. Sounds grand, doesn’t it? But what about his kids and grandkids? Shouldn’t this guy be shitting his pants, wondering what kind of world his family will have to face? Okay, maybe shitting his pants is a bit extreme. How about “shouldn’t he make small changes in his everyday life, doing his best to minimize the negative impact his lifestyle choices may have on sustainable living?”.
This especially applies to political and industrial leaders, who perhaps have more power in making meaningful changes. It’s easy to understand the pressures (political, economical, monetary, popularity) that leaders face, and that’s why I think if people concentrated on their children’s future, the world would have improved sustainability.
Without getting too doomsday on you, here are some possible things that could occur in the coming years. Global warming (scientifically accepted as already occuring) could cause climate shifts such that crop failures take place. Ocean currents and salinity levels change because of the melting polar ice, which can cause dramatic weather changes along with its associated devastating effects. Overfishing may push fish stocks past sustainable levels so that fisheries collapse. Continuing dependance on oil drives the economy to the point that when oil reserves fail, the world is thrust into a fair amount of chaos. The list goes on and on…
I figure I’m already an extremely lucky person. I’ve lived 36 years with a lot of joy. 1/2 of this time was spent with my immediate family, and this time would be hard to beat by any other family. I now have a loving and caring partner who has given me the two greatest gifts imaginable. I can’t explain just how much I love my iPod and docking station. ha ha. I could die today and be a happy guy (I think… I’m not entirely too sure as to what happens when one up and dies). But here’s the rub: what will happen to my kids over the next 30 years and more? This questions truly haunts me. I know that all parents worry about their kids, but this is different. I do the normal “worry” stuff too, but this other stuff is over and above it all.
Basically I approach this dilemna two different ways. First, I truly try to give my kids as much love and joy as I can. Secondly, I try to do little things in my every day life to minimize my impact on the environment. This includes things like increasing the heating efficiency of our home, riding a bike to work, buying a scooter to use for commuting, not taking bags when I buy something at the store, only flushing the toilet once a week, etc. Just kidding, I flush at least twice a week.
