All Day Outside - 2019

Some days are just better than others.  As Tom Petty says (and I just heard this morning, it was actually a quote from Johnny Cash to Tom that he used), "some days are diamonds, some days are rocks".

I really love my city here in Thunder Bay.  While I hear about people going on trips to Cancun, or cruises, or telling me how much better the focaccia is in Italy or the baguettes in Nice ... sigh.  There's so much beauty here to behold.

A good friend, and client, Kerry Berlinquette with Destination Thunder Bay provided a great opportunity to see those delights the other day.  On June 21st, the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, National Indigenous People's Day ... there's no real reason to be locked up indoors.

See, one of Kerry's 'fun herders', Jeremy, has made it a tradition of his to be out biking all day on the longest day of the year.  This year Kerry thought to see if it could be developed into some sort of activity and asked for volunteers to join them on #AllDayOutside.  I volunteered.  I think I missed the fact that all day, meant sun up to sun down.  Sun rises around 5:45am these days.

Oi...  Plus Jeremy had come up with about a 40km ride.  At first I thought it was scary, but over a full day, it should be okay... right?

I'll let the photos tell the story.  It was awesome.  Plus gave me some chance to buy some gadgets for my bike (new little pack, gloves, bottle holder, etc...)

My Google Maps says approximately 34km, but my Google Fit said about 56km.  Not sure which is more correct.

If the photo album doesn't embed properly (or if you want to see some of the panos properly), visit here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/MVUaXho1o4st2Gix5

42 - Whatever you want it to be

A take on my turning of age...

I remember leaving my teens
I remember turning 30
Turning 40 wasn't as big a deal. My hair is definitely getting lighter or shocks of grey.

But 42 ... that's something special.

Somehow, when I was young I was influenced / inspired by British humour. Python, Blackadder ... I would listen to radio shows at late night and (i remember recording them and I'm sure there are a couple where my dad coming in and telling me to turn off the radio and go to bed) from that they would also play The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. So I went and got all those books.

I dove in to the world of Douglas Adams. Amazing. Loved every last humours and science geeky bits. More than just 'sci fi'. It was awesome.

A moving moment in the books was that the computer, "Deep Thought" came up with the ultimate answer. 42.

Now, Adams, being asked why 42, he has said "just needed a number ... 42 will do".

But, a deeper theory says that Adams had a background in some computers, and in that day understanding of ASCII was very important - and in the ASCII table the 42nd character is *

In programming, the * is used as a 'wildcard'. Basically representing 'whatever it is that you want it to be'.

So, in essence, Deep Thought came up with the ultimate answer is 'whatever you want it to be'.

I like that. Did Adams unknowingly (i.e. was the Earth's computer matrix working with him unconsciously to use that), coincidentally come up with that, or is he just that fantastic.

I had originally stumbled across the ASCII first.  So I was a little let down when I found Douglas' own answer in an interview.  I still like to believe the first.

Anyways,... I'm 42.

Does that mean it's time for me to 'be whatever [I] want it to be'. We'll see.

Celebrating Dean turning 11

Okay, it's been FOREVER since I've posted on here (I know, I say that a lot don't I) ... but I'm trying to change things up.

So, Groundhog's day meant Dean was turning 11 this year and we had been thinking for some time what to do.  See, by this age the friend circle constricts and they're ageing out of doing things like 'parties'.  What to do?  Well, we asked him and he wanted a sleep over party (he had one last year).

But, we knew he liked going to Duluth for that Adventure Zone (kinda like Wacky's, but kicked up a notch with mini-putt and laser tag).  And he likes going to hotels for the pools and waffle makers breakfast.  So we had the idea to maybe take a few friends with him to the States.

In the end, we did both.