I'm on vacation for the next two weeks. Although I'm not really vacating the premises this year.
The biggest plans I have include a trip to Wonderland and a trip to my parents. Almost as fun as the trip to the dentist on my last time off in June.
I may get out hiking sometime between now and then, but we'll see how the weather turns out.
Out.
23.7.09
16.7.09
walk on by
This summer I had a goal: to get more exercise (and maybe lose a few pounds along the way). Over the past year, I've gone to the Kitchener YMCA with a few friends who have memberships and tried to join them in their exercise routine for an hour or so. The operative word is "tried". I feel awkward every time I walk into a gym and there are lots of other people around. I have no clue how to use 99% of the machines at the gym, and overall I feel clumsy and just overall unknowledgable in the ways of "working out." But still, I keep contemplating getting a membership.
I haven't yet, and I don't think I will, although they do have a pretty good pool, much longer than the one at the last apartment I lived in.
But anyway, back to the original topic at hand. I can't run for more than a hundred feet or so at a time without losing my breath, and my bike is locked to a tree with flat tires in the back yard, and has been there since I moved in May. The only logical choice is walking.
So I've done a lot of that. Since May, I've hiked about 80 km of Bruce main trail and side trails, walked to work at least 75% of the time (1.2 km each way), and have spent many evenings walking anywhere from 2-7 km loops around KW. It's a nice way to get out, get some fresh air, and get the exercise I need.
As for getting exercise, I think I'm winning the game. As for weight loss, not so sure... I had two bowls of ice cream with strawberries last night... it was good.
That's about it. The trip to the Pinery this weekend that I was hoping to take has been canned due to lack of interest. Any ideas on what I should do instead?
I haven't yet, and I don't think I will, although they do have a pretty good pool, much longer than the one at the last apartment I lived in.
But anyway, back to the original topic at hand. I can't run for more than a hundred feet or so at a time without losing my breath, and my bike is locked to a tree with flat tires in the back yard, and has been there since I moved in May. The only logical choice is walking.
So I've done a lot of that. Since May, I've hiked about 80 km of Bruce main trail and side trails, walked to work at least 75% of the time (1.2 km each way), and have spent many evenings walking anywhere from 2-7 km loops around KW. It's a nice way to get out, get some fresh air, and get the exercise I need.
As for getting exercise, I think I'm winning the game. As for weight loss, not so sure... I had two bowls of ice cream with strawberries last night... it was good.
That's about it. The trip to the Pinery this weekend that I was hoping to take has been canned due to lack of interest. Any ideas on what I should do instead?
14.7.09
freedom!!
After Sunday night, I've been reflecting on Galatians 5 a lot and all that's held within. I've found the Message paraphrase to be particularly revealing during this time, so here's the passage I've been focusing on:
(It's a longer read, but it's worth it. Sorry in advance.)
Gal 5:13-26
(It's a longer read, but it's worth it. Sorry in advance.)
Gal 5:13-26
It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don't use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that's how freedom grows. For everything we know about God's Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That's an act of true freedom. If you bite and ravage each other, watch out—in no time at all you will be annihilating each other, and where will your precious freedom be then?
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives. That means we will not compare ourselves with each other as if one of us were better and another worse. We have far more interesting things to do with our lives. Each of us is an original.
13.7.09
free to threaten?
Last night I went to a worship night put on by the church I've been going to that was entitled "Free to Love", based off of Galatians 5 and the freedom that we have in Christ. About 30 minutes after it started, a guy walked in the side and sat down. He looked a bit unkempt, so I just assumed he was someone from the community who decided to join us for a while. He clapped after every song, and was stomping his feet every now and then and talking to people somewhat loudly. I wasn't turned off by this at all.
The part where it started getting weird was where, in the middle of a song, he got up, walked to the front row, and shook hands with the two people that were there and continued to clap after each song and stomp his feet. Odd, but still acceptable. Someone then got up to speak, shared what was on their heart, when at the end he started asking for more music, and the speaker responded "It's time to talk now, there will be more music later" or something along those lines. Another guy then got up to share, but before starting, he introduced himself to the guy and then started talking.
In the middle of his talk, he made a statement about Christ giving us freedom through his grace and love. The guy didn't like this. He said "Speak slower." So the guy said that last statement again slower. This somehow set something off in the guy's head, and he started questioning it. Loudly. "What the f*** are you talking about ?" and "You're an f***ing retard" And "That's f***ed." It wasn't acceptable anymore. Someone got up and asked the guy to listen. "We're listening now. It's rude to interrupt. If you want to be here, you can, but you have to listen when other people are talking" He kept going on. And then "I want to f***ing punch this guy." At this point, everyone there was sitting in a stunned silence, not knowing what to do. I was considering running across the street to the police station, fearing that the guy might start tackling everyone who was there. After a brief time with the first person trying to calm him down, the pastor came up and started talking to him, and gently escorted him out, all the while the guy continued to speak expletives and we could still hear him going on after he was outside.
The service continued on, and I appreciated it, and got lots of things to think about from it. But the presence of this event made me realize that there was something counter to what we were doing going on in the background. And it's been a while since I've seen something like that. Christ is still active in the world today. Yep.
The part where it started getting weird was where, in the middle of a song, he got up, walked to the front row, and shook hands with the two people that were there and continued to clap after each song and stomp his feet. Odd, but still acceptable. Someone then got up to speak, shared what was on their heart, when at the end he started asking for more music, and the speaker responded "It's time to talk now, there will be more music later" or something along those lines. Another guy then got up to share, but before starting, he introduced himself to the guy and then started talking.
In the middle of his talk, he made a statement about Christ giving us freedom through his grace and love. The guy didn't like this. He said "Speak slower." So the guy said that last statement again slower. This somehow set something off in the guy's head, and he started questioning it. Loudly. "What the f*** are you talking about ?" and "You're an f***ing retard" And "That's f***ed." It wasn't acceptable anymore. Someone got up and asked the guy to listen. "We're listening now. It's rude to interrupt. If you want to be here, you can, but you have to listen when other people are talking" He kept going on. And then "I want to f***ing punch this guy." At this point, everyone there was sitting in a stunned silence, not knowing what to do. I was considering running across the street to the police station, fearing that the guy might start tackling everyone who was there. After a brief time with the first person trying to calm him down, the pastor came up and started talking to him, and gently escorted him out, all the while the guy continued to speak expletives and we could still hear him going on after he was outside.
The service continued on, and I appreciated it, and got lots of things to think about from it. But the presence of this event made me realize that there was something counter to what we were doing going on in the background. And it's been a while since I've seen something like that. Christ is still active in the world today. Yep.
11.7.09
boring day
Today is the first Saturday in 4 weeks that I've had nothing on my calendar, and the last one for another 3 weeks. So what did I do? Not much. I was bored. I went for a walk and visited those who share my last name a few blocks away, and that's about it. I vacuumed my floor too.
Sigh. I need to do something productive, like read all the books on my bookshelf again, or get a hobby, or make a puzzle. Any suggestions?
Sigh. I need to do something productive, like read all the books on my bookshelf again, or get a hobby, or make a puzzle. Any suggestions?
7.7.09
wha...?
This morning I got a weird phone call.
Me: Hello?
Her: Hi. Did I wake you up?
Me: Who is this?
Her: Penny.
Me: Who?
Her: Penny.
Me: Who?
Her: I met you a while ago on the chat line.
Me: What?
Her: I met you a while ago on the chat line.
Me: I'm sorry, you have the wrong number.
Me: *click.*
Me: Hello?
Her: Hi. Did I wake you up?
Me: Who is this?
Her: Penny.
Me: Who?
Her: Penny.
Me: Who?
Her: I met you a while ago on the chat line.
Me: What?
Her: I met you a while ago on the chat line.
Me: I'm sorry, you have the wrong number.
Me: *click.*
4.7.09
have a nice trip
Today, a friend and I decided to go hiking on the Bruce Trail (I'm not that obsessed with hiking, I'm just bored a lot recently) north of Georgetown. We parked on 10th line north of 27th side road, and hiked toward Niagara. On our trip, we took three side trails to make a sort-of loop of 20.5 km. We passed through Silver Creek Conservation Area and Scotsdale Farm, two areas that are really nice to walk through, although sometimes the trail was a bit challenging. The trail guide called it a "moderately difficult trail".
So, if you'd like to follow along on the attached map, we started at km 39.0, hiked south for 1.5 km, and then turned right onto the 1.6km long Roberts Side Trail which was typical trail and included a boardwalk over a pond. At the end of the side trail, we rejoined the main trail from km 36.3 until km 35.3 where we turned right onto the 3.9km Bennett Heritage Trail, which took us along the edge of some meadows and through Scotsdale Farm, a working public farm. After reaching the main trail again at 29.9, we turned left, back toward the car and stopped just before km 31.4 to have lunch on a bridge across a stream. The mosquitoes tried to attack, but didn't win as much as they could.
After lunch, we continued along the trail to km 33.3, and turned right onto the 3.6 km Great Esker Side Trail (esker: A long, narrow ridge of coarse gravel deposited by a stream flowing in or under a decaying glacial ice sheet. - answers.com). This is where I had my nice trip. The trail for some reason was annoying me. Perhaps I was tired, or thirsty, or hungry, or sick of the meadows, or just wanting to be done, but I let my guard down and while trying to get over a fallen tree, I tripped and went down, landing on my hands and knees. My pants were clean afterwards, but it told me it was time to stop for a break.
After regaining my composure, we continued back to the main trail at 33.6, turned right, and pretty much followed it right to the car at 39.0 with minimal stops along the way. We passed a group that was heading toward Terra Cotta Conservation Area to camp, and various other groups of people and pets.
It was a good hike, and I think I'd do it again in the opposite direction some day.
Because I like maps, here's what we did.
So, if you'd like to follow along on the attached map, we started at km 39.0, hiked south for 1.5 km, and then turned right onto the 1.6km long Roberts Side Trail which was typical trail and included a boardwalk over a pond. At the end of the side trail, we rejoined the main trail from km 36.3 until km 35.3 where we turned right onto the 3.9km Bennett Heritage Trail, which took us along the edge of some meadows and through Scotsdale Farm, a working public farm. After reaching the main trail again at 29.9, we turned left, back toward the car and stopped just before km 31.4 to have lunch on a bridge across a stream. The mosquitoes tried to attack, but didn't win as much as they could.
After lunch, we continued along the trail to km 33.3, and turned right onto the 3.6 km Great Esker Side Trail (esker: A long, narrow ridge of coarse gravel deposited by a stream flowing in or under a decaying glacial ice sheet. - answers.com). This is where I had my nice trip. The trail for some reason was annoying me. Perhaps I was tired, or thirsty, or hungry, or sick of the meadows, or just wanting to be done, but I let my guard down and while trying to get over a fallen tree, I tripped and went down, landing on my hands and knees. My pants were clean afterwards, but it told me it was time to stop for a break.
After regaining my composure, we continued back to the main trail at 33.6, turned right, and pretty much followed it right to the car at 39.0 with minimal stops along the way. We passed a group that was heading toward Terra Cotta Conservation Area to camp, and various other groups of people and pets.
It was a good hike, and I think I'd do it again in the opposite direction some day.
Because I like maps, here's what we did.
3.7.09
price check on aisle... everything?
Last night, I ended up going to Ikea to pick up the table that I had planned on getting. So, I went to the self-serve warehouse and picked up the table, and on the way out, I noticed the chairs that I was interested in too, so I picked up two of them with plans to get two more somewhere down the road.
At the checkout, I scanned them in and realized that the price was different than what I thought. They rang in as $25 instead of the $20 that was advertised online and on the large banner in front of the rack in the warehouse. So after 10 minutes of back and forth with the sales-clerk, they finally rang them in for me at $20. Then I scanned in the table, but instead of $39.99 that I was expecting to see, it rang in as $59.99. So a run back to the warehouse, and the price tag was $59.99, however I swore I saw it earlier that week online at $39.99. So, with me thinking that I had the wrong table, they voided the table, and I bought the chairs so I wouldn't have to go through that pain again if I ended up finding the table later.
I went back through the store to look for the Table in the display area, and it was labelled as $59, so I was very confused. Rather than give in and pay what I thought was the wrong price, I went to an information kiosk and asked if they could check it out online for me. The Interweb told them it was $39.99, so I got to go through the fun of price over-rides again.
I'm not cheap, I just know that if you do your research, you won't get ripped off. As I was walking through the store with one of the clerks, he told me that this has been happening a lot recently.
In other news, today was a very interesting day. I ended up assisting some of the student workers for most of the day in assembling racks and shelves, and weeding rock-beds. It was fun, but it wasn't what I expected to be doing. And then, about 10 minutes before I planned on leaving, one of the students came to me and said "Tim, I think there's a flood happening in one of the buildings." So, after finding the right key, I went in to realize that a pipe had burst in the kitchen, and the water was leaking through the floor into the shop and heating ducts, and then out from under the door. We couldn't get the water shut off, so we called one of the Facilities guys in who happened to be 20 minutes away (and he was the closest), and got it figured out, and then I was there for another hour cleaning up afterwards.
So I got my shower in for the day.
sigh. I just started laughing near the end.
At the checkout, I scanned them in and realized that the price was different than what I thought. They rang in as $25 instead of the $20 that was advertised online and on the large banner in front of the rack in the warehouse. So after 10 minutes of back and forth with the sales-clerk, they finally rang them in for me at $20. Then I scanned in the table, but instead of $39.99 that I was expecting to see, it rang in as $59.99. So a run back to the warehouse, and the price tag was $59.99, however I swore I saw it earlier that week online at $39.99. So, with me thinking that I had the wrong table, they voided the table, and I bought the chairs so I wouldn't have to go through that pain again if I ended up finding the table later.
I went back through the store to look for the Table in the display area, and it was labelled as $59, so I was very confused. Rather than give in and pay what I thought was the wrong price, I went to an information kiosk and asked if they could check it out online for me. The Interweb told them it was $39.99, so I got to go through the fun of price over-rides again.
I'm not cheap, I just know that if you do your research, you won't get ripped off. As I was walking through the store with one of the clerks, he told me that this has been happening a lot recently.
In other news, today was a very interesting day. I ended up assisting some of the student workers for most of the day in assembling racks and shelves, and weeding rock-beds. It was fun, but it wasn't what I expected to be doing. And then, about 10 minutes before I planned on leaving, one of the students came to me and said "Tim, I think there's a flood happening in one of the buildings." So, after finding the right key, I went in to realize that a pipe had burst in the kitchen, and the water was leaking through the floor into the shop and heating ducts, and then out from under the door. We couldn't get the water shut off, so we called one of the Facilities guys in who happened to be 20 minutes away (and he was the closest), and got it figured out, and then I was there for another hour cleaning up afterwards.
So I got my shower in for the day.
sigh. I just started laughing near the end.
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