I’m so Glad

April 7, 2011 | Johan | concert, live, music, nanaimo, royal wood | 1 comment »

We are on our way
It might be a hard way
But as long as I’m with you
Yes we are on our way
And it may be in harm’s way
But as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say then love
I’m so glad I met you

We may feel like folding
But as long as love is holding
The hands of me and you
The waves can be raging
For together we’ll be aging
And as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say then love
I’m so glad I met you

So winds may be blowing
For surely we’ll be knowing
That as long as I’m with you

At the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say
Yes at the end of a long, long day
There is not much more to say then love
I’m so glad I met you…

Bringing us the Boom Boom Boom

March 26, 2011 | Johan | 70's, repair, speakers, success, woofers | comment »

Crosby the blog dog

March 21, 2011 | Johan | crosby, dog, happy, whiskers urban ranch | 1 comment »

From the Whiskers Urban Ranch blog:

“The happy dude you are feasting your eyes on here is Crosby.

The fact that I was able to get a shot of him without a toy in his mouth is an absolute anomaly! Crosby would run up to me expectantly, mouth full of toy and getting his whole body wag on in anticipation of the humdinger of a throw he was SURE I was about to dole out at any second.

However, I was a complete disappointment to him and I didn’t throw his toy because 1) I throw like a girl and, 2) I figured if I threw it I would get caught up in the game and NEVER reach my goal of photographing all the gorgeous pups at the Ranch. Crosby was not swayed however and held out hope during my entire visit that I would get a clue and throw his toy already.

Don’t you worry, Crosby.There will be flinging of toys to be had, young chap. Oh yes, there will be flinging to be had.”

Tofino weekend with Atlantis Kayaks

March 13, 2011 | Johan | atlantis kayaks, kayaking, lodge, surf, tofino, west coast | comment »

If…

February 21, 2011 | Johan | if, inspiration, poem, rudyard kipling | comment »

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or, being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with wornout tools;

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on”;

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings – nor lose the common touch;
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run –
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man my son!

Counting the Go Days

February 18, 2011 | Johan | forecast, Georgia Straight, kayaking, Project30, weather | comment »

Crossing the Georgia Straight… by kayak… in March… can only be done with a stable weather window. We’ve only counted 2 “Go Days” in the last two weeks! But I KNOW that the window will be there when the time comes. I have no doubt Aeolus, God of the Winds, will look favorably upon our expedition.

Go to Aiolos, king of the Sky-born Winds, and to him too convey my wishes, which are that he should order all the winds of heaven to cease. The sea must not be ruffled by a breeze. All I ask for is a soft air from the west . . .

Apollonius Rhodius, Argonautica 4. 762 ff (trans. Rieu) (Greek epic C3rd B.C.) :

Three strikes you’re out…

February 17, 2011 | Johan | audio, customer service, rant, screw you | comment »

It’s always a great sales tactic to make your customer feel dumb and technically insufficient. Go the snobby expert route and state your total superiority when it comes to all audio matters. Well, Mr. Sound Hound, I have been thoroughly underwhelmed by your last two half-ditch efforts at tuning up our turntable and amp, so why would this subwoofer revamp be any different?

So I just ordered the parts online, for a fraction of the costs you quote me, and I’ll fix it myself… and I’ll get it right… the first time around. I’m not some total nitwit who can’t glue a speaker cone back together…

And O Yeah, one more thing. When I do buy the audio setup of my dreams… think Harman Kardon components and Bose 901 speakers… it won’t be anywhere near your store. HA!

Speaker refoam instructions

Technics SL-B2 turntable manual