Gatorade

I find Gatorade an interesting drink. When I'm out working there seems to be nothing better for getting some energy back and it just tastes good. In town however if I'm just thirsty on any ordinary day I think the stuff is disgusting. The sweet salty taste just is not appealing I may be able to get down a few gulps of the stuff. I guess when the body is in desperate need for the salt and sugar on a hot day somehow the mind is able to make the stuff taste almost divine. There isn't much better (in moderation, although water is some good stuff also).

Shift 1

For some reason I always forget how tired and worn out I get after the first few shifts of planting. Every day is basically wake up eat, drive, work, drive, shower, eat, 30 minutes of sports on TV followed by sleep. Repeated daily. A few pictures of my first shift at the coal mines we are working at. (A few more photos in my photo gallery.)

Day 1

Day one of planting went well.  Unfortunately as we were quading off the mines it was just starting to snow heavily so needless to say this morning there was a thick blanket of snow with more steadily falling.  So one day of planting one day off.  Hopefully it clears up so we can get back at it in the morning and keep planting for a full shift.

New Camera

As I was doing a bit of gear hunting around Calgary today I came across a great deal on a camera. The camera (a Canon S3 IS) is one I have been looking at for some time so I went ahead and purchased it. I have to say simply only having 6% tax here in Alberta itself automatically makes everything over 10% less to start with compared to the Island. I'm hoping the camera will work out for me. It would have been great to have last year while I was traveling.

The Season

A new season of planting starts for me on Thursday morning. I'm just hoping the snow has melted and the ground has thawed were we have to start. I am guessing there will still be some snow lingering since both Lake Louise and Sunshine are still fully opened and its basically May. I should go skiing for the day tomorrow, but doubt it's going to happen.

My Nephew

Since exams are now over I'm back home relaxing for a number of days before I head back out west for the summer. It's been great to spend some time with my nephew. (Left- Kyler with the North Face coat I got him in Nepal) (Right- Kyler and I trying to fall asleep on the couch-unsuccessfully)

Nature vs. Cell Phones

I was reading an article talking about the adverse reaction of cell phone radiation on bee colonies. It sounds like a bee will not return to its colony for some time if it senses cell phone radiation. This in turn can destroy the colony if enough workers don't return within a day. If this initial research is correct, we should develop a small device that produces cell phone radiation to destroy unwanted bee nests around the yard. Someone try it out by using your cell phone (I would but don't have one). Let me know if it works. (To read the bee declining population due to cell phone radiation article click)

Exams

Today was the last day of classes for the term here at UNB. It feels good to get another term behind me after having a couple semesters off traveling. Quickly thinking back to traveling one year ago today I was hiking around Torres Del Paine, Chile. I would love to be back there right now vs the hours of studying I have been doing and still need to do over the next number of days. I have to say sitting here in a little cubicle in the library for countless hours on end can get monotonous at the best of times. There is a quote I like to remember at times like this "Sometimes I do what I want, other times I do what I have to" (from Gladiator). (Photo of me at the almost mystical Towers of Paine one year ago)

My Maps

Google Maps has recently added another great new feature called "My Maps". This setup allows user to enter information onto Google maps such as trip routes, photos or movies of particular places and so on. I quickly plotted the rout I roughly (very roughly) followed while traveling Asia. Also I quickly made one for my route while traveling Latin America. I made these in a couple minutes so don't zoom in and expect the lines to converge on actual places. When I get some time I may put markers on actual spots with attached photos. Until that time try out "My Maps" from Google maps for yourself.

Soy Milk

I don't know if it is something I will stick with for very long, but I recently (about a month ago) switched to Soy Milk. I always remember Soy Milk tasting awful as a kid. However as I was traveling I believe a good amount (if not all) the milk, especially in Asia, I bought was soy milk despite not knowing it at the time (I couldn't read the labels). It's not like I am now totally against normal cow milk for human consumption. I will still use it without any difficulties, however it would not be my first choice. One big advantage of Soy Milk that I enjoy is that it takes much longer to go bad. No more need for that first bite of cereal in the morning to be precautionary due to the possibility of lumpy, sour milk (which happened a couple times before I switched over this term).