Starter Fish

One of my Christmas gifts this past Christmas was an aquarium starter kit. I had been wanting one for a while, and knowing that Sprout likes to watch moving things, I thought it would be especially fun for him.

I set it up last Saturday, and had lots of fun doing that. Picking the rocks, and tank decor, filling it with water, setting up the filter and the heater were all the first step. After letting it acclimatize at least 24 hours, I headed out to PetSmart to get the rest of the pieces, and the fish.

After talking with one of the staffers at PetSmart, I picked out some orange SwordTails, and a Plecostomus. Once home I got them adjusted to the water, then set them free into the tank.

It is fun having an aquarium so far, but the Plecostumus died already. 🙁 I will replace him eventually, but not for another couple weeks. Not sure what kind of fish I will get next, but the 3 Swordtails definitely need some friends. I did see some black striped fish that were quite colourful. The PetSmart guy did mention to try and fill the different layers of the tank. Each fish has a preference for water depth it seems. The Swordtails are middle tank fish, yet they seem to be all over the place.

I did have a scare yesterday with the Swordtails though. When I got up I went down and was ready to feed the fish. They were all on the bottom not moving. I though they had all died. I turned on the light, and two of them started moving right away, but the male still didn’t move. Fearing he was dead I started to go get the net. That was when he started swimming like normal again. I guess they were still sleeping!

So far, Sprout likes watching the fish. Most nights when I turn on the light we sit in the chair and watch then swim for a few minutes. Bright colours are key though.

Friday Drawer

Gross realization for a Friday morning:

As you are putting on your jeans that you just got out of your dresser, you notice that they seem a little wet. Upon investigation you learn that the cat had peed in your drawer of pants, and all of them are a little wet. 🙁 That’s what a cat will do when she is accidentally locked out of her litter area.

Memorial Hip

I saw the Tragically Hip last night at Memorial Centre It was a great show. I had heard a while before the show that they were going to play a bunch of older songs, and they did not dissapoint. They played some of their new ones too, including a couple new ones I don’t think I had heard before.

I had a great time at the show, and enjoyed their stage presence. Gord Downie is a freak on stage. That is all I need to say about that.

They played a lot of my favorites yet I kept wanting more. Thankfully they ended their encore with Locked in the Trunk of a Car, the song I was wanting to hear for a while.

Standing there in the arena, 38 Years Old brought me back in time. I reminisced about University days and contemplated the sequence of twists and turns that brought me to this point in my life. I love that the power of music can take me to another point in my life.

At the end of the show I was glad I went. We had floor seats, and in memorial arena that meant we were pretty damn close to the stage. It was a fun night that left me a little tired for work today, but it was definitely worth it.

Photoblog Result

I started a new blog, a photoblog actually.

Something Erin pointed me at a while ago, and I have been thinking about on and off a little. When Jan 1 rolled around, I decided to take on Project 365 proposed by Photojojo. Photojojo itself is a cool site in that it proposes lots of neat and interesting things to do with your photography.

The premise behind Project 365 is that a photographer takes, and posts a picture a day. Originally I had thought about posting the pics here on muddylaces, but with the amount of traffic this project will entail, it will completely consume any other content I put up on muddylaces. The end result is an install of the latest Drupal release at photoblog.muddylaces.ca. This new blog will be dedicated to photography projects, and all other content I wish to publish will still get posted here.

Project 365 is definitely going to be a lot of work, but so far it is going well. A couple times so far I have taken the pics later at night than I would like, but that is OK. I plan to start taking a camera with me to work, and other places I go, and hopefully that will help me out. Lookout people!

Go check out photoblog.muddylaces.ca!

2006 Photography in Review

Goodbye 2006, hello 2007. It is time for my annual New Years photography in review. In retrospect I didn’t take as many pictures as previous years. Actually, I did take a lot of pictures, but there were more snapshots and less creative photography, mainly due to the birth of my son which took up a lot of my free time. I am aiming to get back into the creative groove for 2007.

Without further adieu, here are my top shots, month by month, from 2006.

January

I took this shot out at Sooke Potholes while shooting with the photoclub. This shot was accomplished by having a long exposure and while the aperture was open, zooming in quickly. It looks like there is one shot superimposed over another, but this was done entirely in the camera.

February

Another shot while out with the photoclub. This time at the Esquimalt Roundhouse. I really like the lines in this shot, and how they all converge.

March

Such a dramatic contrast. Taken after a freak hailstorm blanketed our area under a half inch of ice, the freshly risen tulip looks like it is struggling under the weight. Tulips and ice are an odd combination.

April

I took this in my dining room. This flower was part of a bouquet. To achieve the spooky petals appearing from the dark, I underexposed at least 2 stops.

May

I caught this sight at the Highland Games near our house. This gentleman looked so serious and proud. Contrast that with the smiles in the background.

June

I set out at night to take some images of the midway that was in town for Buccaneer days. I saw several photographers out that night, and it was quite a nice night for shooting. As you can tell from the shot, and from the EXIF data, this was a long exposure.

July

This is absolutely my most favorite shot of my son to date. The seriousness on his face cracks me up since I remember how much he was splashing just moments before. The water drops on his cheek are evidence of that fun.

August

The start of Ironman 2006. I had two friends who did this race, so the start was something special. This shot shows a lot of drama. The starting gun has gone off, and some competitors have started their race, yet other have to wait for the crowd before them to get out of the way. A frantic pace, with people standing around.

September

So well camoflauged, yet this critter stood out so well. I spotted this guy while out walking Yoshi at Island View Beach.

October

Another planned shot that I loved the result of. This was shot in a pumpkin patch while out with the photoclub. I love the shading, and how well defined the water droplets are. The black and white suits this image perfectly.

November

I tried to captrue a snowstorm in Victoria. I didn’t get too many shots of the snow, and this one was just as it started falling. This was shot through my front door.

December

I got this composition at Macaulay Point park. I was walking Yoshi and we made our way to the beach. It was a drab day with high overcast skies. I spotted this vibrant green patch of weed amongst the burnt logs and driftwood.

Sudoku Christmas

Christmas was really fun this year. With Sprout around Sox and I wanted to spend Christmas morning at our home, so that is what we did. Waking up at 6 am due to Sprout noises meant we got an early start to the day, but that was OK with us.

We opened a the gifts we had gotten Sprout’s and he eagerly played with them while we ate breakfast. When it was time for his nap, we jumped into the car and headed up to Nanaimo for Christmas with Gramma and Auntie C. More presents, and more yummy breakfast. Sprout got a wonderful Tigger plane that he played and played and played with. Actually, Sprout got quite a few wonderful gifts.

Boxing day was leisurely and relaxed. Yoshi got a walk on the beach, Sprout played with his toys, and Sox and I did Sudoku puzzles.

The morning of the 27th started off very stormy. Our original plan was to stay until after dinner and drive home while it was dark. We changed the plan due to the weather since I didn’t want to drive while it was stormy. We left around lunch time which worked well for Sprout, but by that time the storm has dissipated. Oops.

Back at home we recuperated for a couple days, then headed over to Vancouver for a couple more days to visit with Sox’s family. All her brothers and sister were in town, plus all their significant others, their children, and their dogs. It was quite a full house (7 adults, 4 children, 3 dogs, and 1 cat).

I came home on the 31st with Yoshi while Sox continued on to Powell River with her sister to see their dad. New Years Eve was pretty quiet for me, and I didn’t do anything except watch a bit (lot) of TV. At midnight I said Happy New Year to Yoshi then went to bed. I could hear fireworks outside, and of course this drove Yoshi scared and silly. A half hour later I kicked him out of the bedroom and he went to bed.

Today I woke up feeling sick, but then went for a bike ride. I got cleaned up after the ride and have basically lounged the rest of the day. Tomorrow I return to work, and Sox and Sprout return home some time (hence why I didn’t go with them).

I hope to get some pics of all this up some time soon.

Several people have asked me about Sprout’s first Christmas and how much fun it was. My answer is that his first Christmas was very fun. He seemed to love his new toys that he got, and played with all of them quite a bit. He also got lots of cute clothing. The flip side was that I very much enjoyed his first Christmas. It was fun to watch him play and get excited about his toys, and really was a hint of years to come. Stories of Santa coming to leave presents, reindeer on the roof, leaving cookies for Santa and treats for Rudolph, stuffed stockings, and excitement/anticipation for presents. I think that Christmas next year will be quite different from this year, and quite fun since he will be old enough to open his own presents (and maybe a few of mine too).

Bike Hops

I got out for a ride today. There is something about a New Years day ride that is always fun. It didn’t look like it was going to be good though. When I woke up I could feel a cold setting in (sore throat and slight sinus congestion). It was also pouring as I was loading the truck, and I have certainly turned into a fair weather rider. I can’t believe I just said that, but it is true.

Still, I threw my gear and my bike in, and headed out to the dump. I met up with Sean and Bosley, and we waited a bit for Darryll who never showed. We geared up and went out for a short ride, more for Bosley than for us. I haven’t ridden any bike since early November, and haven’t ridden a mountain bike in much longer than that. I was expecting to be slow but it didn’t turn out that way.

I was able to keep up to Sean fairly well, and had fun. Some of the DH sections I was able to do a couple bunny hops and get up some speed.

Surprisingly, I had fun. I got really wet, muddy, and a little cold, but it was fun. Perhaps I should get out a little more often. 🙂

Ferry Frogger

My Dog are people ever stupid. Getting on the ferry today was ridiculous. The ferry started loading and people were running back to their cars still! People had completely missed the announcement to return to their vehicles. Cars had to change lanes to get around the empty cars while those people were trying to play Frogger with children and elderly people to get back to their cars. Scary and stupid. In all there was at least 4 announcements telling people to return to their cars because the 11 am ferry was loading.

Now, I understand that the announcements are not that loud, but these people must be completely clueless since the market completely empties of people when a ferry is loading. That and a lot of previously parked traffic was driving away. I know I am generally aware if the time, especially when ferries are concerned.

Still, almost all the cars were loaded, and there were 2 remaining with no one in them. Great way to make a ferry late.

Blustery Christmas

Tis blustery outside right now, and I am warm and cozy inside. Sox, Sprout and I walked Yoshi this morning before the inclement weather set in, and now we can all relax a bit and wait for Santa to arrive.

A lot has happened since my last post. My group of friends had their annual Christmas Party and goofy gift exchange last weekend. That was a lot of fun. Pics are here. Christmas shopping is all complete, but not everything is wrapped yet. The house is all decorated (or at least as decorated as it will be due to a curious crawler in the house).

The list of things to do before Christmas is getting shorter, but I know we will get it all done.

Merry Christmas everyone, and Happy New Year.

Screening Pressure

It was a bloody night last night. I had my 31st donation. My next one is Jan 31. It really is easy to keep going once you get in a habit of it. Plus making an appointment, and having a reminder call is awesome too.

Again, no complications at all. The screening nurse commented on my excellent blood pressure. I think I have gotten back to the point where some of the people there recognize me. Not sure why that is cool, but there are few places I can go where they know me by name.