A summer walk in Newport with my son: August 2006

Again, this summer we ventured to wonderful Newport for our vacation.

This picture brings the trip it all back to me. Spencer and I went for a walk in the evening (August 15th) in Newport. Sandra and Ryan stayed back at the room. Spencer and I talked about lots of things, but for some reason his topic of the evening was whether there were sharks and whales in the bay, since we were going boating the next day on the Newport Ferry. The night was comfortably warm. This picture captures the greater inner warmth that I felt as I spent this special hour with My Son. 

The Rebel Jesus

I heard a fabulous song today for the first time, thanks to my XM satellite Radio and an interview with Jackson Browne playing on The Loft (channel 50) this afternoon. It is a song he wrote since he was asked to contribute to a Christmas album. Rather than deconstruct the song, I only wanted to note that I found it moving and powerful. We too soon forget that Jesus came in many ways as a "rebel". I use the term with a small "r" since Jesus did not come to be the "Rebel", as if that defined His essence. But, the ideals of the kingdom when justaposed against the measuring stick of our world, clearly makes Jesus appear to us as a "rebel".

To Jesus, all of our weak and frail human efforts, though understandable within the content we live, must be submerged below the true meaning of life in order to live well. Jesus came and told us that those that seek power, will not find it. Those that seek peace, will not find it. Those that seek to be respected and treated as important, will not find it. It is in entirely seeking something else, that these things are awarded...but they cannot be sought, succesfully, on their own.

That makes Jesus, among many other more important things, a "rebel". We have to ask in what sense we believe today's visible chruch body carries on that tradition...and to what extent we have traded our world-changing "rebelious" worldview for some sort of compromised faith.

Something Big in the land of Little

We live our little lives each day, going to our little jobs in our little town.  We live in our little house and we think little thoughts.  What car shall we buy, where should we go for vacation, etc.  The littleness can seem so Big.

But there is Something Big in the land of little.  An idea that tells us that although we are Little People who think about Little Things and live our little lives, there is something more.

Something tells us that when our little lives end, and we are buried in our little graves....then Something Big begins.....

The Land of Little is not unimportant.  It is in living in this little land that we learn about and prepare for the Big...and learn that the little is not all there is.

The End (from a limousine at 10.30pm EST after a business trip to Las Vegas)

Canada - Election 2006

Well - we are down to less than 10 days now before we all vote. During the last two weeks polls have been released showing that the Conservatives seem to have a solid lead...and perhaps might even form a majority.

Prim Minister Martin looked desperate the other evening on the debates. He is increasingly looking like a man drowning in his own confusion. He seems to change his spots every month or so. From Child Care Paul to Health Care Paul to Gun Control Paul to Constitution Paul - and there seems to be no unifying thread and core to what he sees as a vision for Canada.

On that topic, I also decry the poor job the Conservatives are doing in painting a vision for the strategy for our country. The only focus is on tactics and whose are best. I tend to like a few more of the Conservative tactics and believe we need to "flush" the system and have some new people have a chance to lead.

A bridge now crossed
The bottom line for many Canadians, I suspect, is that they have crossed a bridge mentally recently in increasing numbers. During the 2004 election, Harper was an unknown quantity who was easily to paint as a "scary and unknown" leader. Given this feeling, not enough Canadians could get comfortable with him and his party to take advantage of the desire for change in Ottawa. This time is very different. Harper has not been stellar in his performance, but he has been "good enough" and it has been harder for the Liberals to pain him as not ready to lead.

Good enough is often enough. But I am saddened we cannot find greatness in a Canadian leader.

Memories of Florida 2005/6

Once again we spend time in Florida after Christmas. We left Dec 29 and came back to Brampton on January 6. Our itinerary was that we spend 2-3 days driving down (one night in Pittsburg, one night in Charlotte and then Hilton Head, SC from Dec 30). We then moved to Gainesville Florida for New Years Eve (after a great dinner at the Sunset Grille in St. Augustine) and spend Jan 1/2 evenings in the Sirata Beach Resort in St Pete’s Beach. We headed east to spend a night in St Augustine on Jan 3 and then to Charlotte for Jan 4 and Pittsburg for Jan 5.

Key memories

I think the best moments for me (many during this great trip) were: a) Beach soccer with Spencer on Jan 1. We arrived at the Sirata about 1pm and headed right to the beach. It was a cloudy, but nice afternoon and Spencer and I setup goal posts and played soccer in the sand for almost an hour. What a blast we had. I remember after this thinking that the entire drive was worth it just for that once, special hour together. Sandra and Ryan hung out by the ocean. b) Bike riding in Hilton Head,SC. We rented some bikes on Dec 31 just after lunch and spend a wonderful hour driving on the beach, around the local neighbourhoods, etc. The weather was perfect (72F or so with some sun) and we had a blast. c) On the afternoon at around 4pm on Jan 3 we arrived at the Hampton in at St Augustine Beach and the sun was starting to go down. The skies were a clear blue. The temperature was about 70F and we explored the beach for an hour. It was beautiful. d) The next morning we got up and headed right to the beach at around 8.30am. It was a clear and sunny day and expected to reach 74F or so. We walked for about a mile up and down the beach with the boys collecting seashells. It was fabulous - what a greta memory. Sandra even found a live purple and orange starfish that had been washed ashore. We debated keeping it or throwing it back - and did the latter.

It was a fabulous trip - and one I would be happy to do again !

Off to Florida Again

Another year is drawing to a close. Last year Sandra and I started a "tradition" of heading South just before New Years and spending the first few days of the year in Florida. Well, we are planning to head off again on Thursday, Dec 29 and plan to be back January 6. The itinerary is a bit flexible but includes 2 plus days down and staying in St Augustine for New Year's eve and then 3-4 days in Florida before heading North.

We do hope to get to Cape Canaveral and perhaps even Dinosaur World in Tampa. However, we are not stuck on a particular itinerary as much as a general and flexible one....with the main goal being to enjoy some family time in the nice weather.

Back to wiring my new XM Satellite radio into my Saab 9000....

Apple Computer's brilliance

I have to say I am watching Apple Computer execute and am impressed. What they are doing with their product design and creating new markets and new business models is simply brilliant. I have conclude that what Apple is good at doing is finding something at the tipping point and pushing it over the edge into mass acceptance. This involves them having to anticipate technology impacts, as well as sometimes simply repackaging something that already exists in another form and then monetizing it.

Take podcasting as an example. Podcasting could have been done practically for a number of years using the internet as a delivery backbone. Quite simply, it is audio recordings distributed over the internet. Can you imagine someone 2 years ago seeing a Silicon Valley VC and saying that he has this fantastic new business idea - allow people to distribute their own recordings on the internet! I can only imagine the reaction. Now, along comes Apple and creates an ecosystem that does the very same thing - take a a solid hardware device ( the ipod - the new "Walkman" ), add some software (iTunes) to distribute the files and a very simple idea leads to a new information distribution platform that could threaten some traditional media outlets over time. But at its core, this is not different from a technology perspective than what audible.com or Napster could have done years back. Distributing audio files is basic stuff indeed. Aha - but Apple saw that this "almost there" solution needed a push and a user-friendly platform. Name it "podcasting" and away you go with a new phenomenon. Apple literally surfed the wave that was already building off the technology shoreline.

Am I criticising Apple for repackaging old concepts or for not being original ? Quite the contrary. Apple and its team seem to have an uncanny sense of when something is ready for prime time and they know how to evole it, and then execute it to be warmly recieved by the end-users.

That, my friends, is one heck of talent. And I would bet it has far less to do with focus groups and market studies, and far more to do with wisdom and good instincts at the top. A "job" well done indeed.

Intelligent design and evolution

So the debate has begun in the US over the teaching of evolution versus the teaching of alternates like intelligent design ("ID") theory. The slippery slope theorists are worried that if ID is presented as at least a viable hypothesis, then perhaps there are others as well. Where would this leave our schools and teachers ?

My perspective is that "slippery slope" concerns aside, evolution is a theory that is taught as fact and if nothing else it will be helpful in the pursuit of truth to clarify that this theory is lacking and an alternate exists. I can recall my grade 9 science class where my teacher talked about how the basic building blocks of life were created in a test tube. The impression left was that we know where we came from and how we got here. To me, in restrospect and now better educated on the facts, evolution is a theory with many weaknesses.

Science, as it peels back the layers of our physical world, continues to uncover astonishing things about how the universe is governed. Regardless of one's position on how these came to be, science can never answer the question "why" in the ultimate. Religion and science are not in opposition to each other - but each speaks to different parts of the truth. Science can examine the physical world and propose how it works and why is works, but it can never answer the question about "why" or the question about the ultimate source of matter and order in the universe.

This debate will stir up emotions, but it should shed some needed light on this issue.

Thanksgiving

Today marks the celebration of Thanksgiving in Canada. It is always good to pause, and focus, on the things that we appreciate - not the things we feel we need. Our consumerist society plucks the hearstrings of desire every way we look-whether on TV, the internet, or magazines. We are told, again and again that we need the new car, the new house, the new clothes, the new self. I am glad for one day where we can formally say "hey-we have more than enough".

There is an author who has proposed that we need to practice "learned thankfulness". And in a culture of dis-thankfulness, I agree. Funny, the happiest people most of us know have learned to be happy in the simple ways, and to be thankful for the small things.

May that be me today.

I am truly blessed, and my heart overflows with thankfulness for my wife, Spencer, Ryan, my parents and family and friends.

Sunday lunch at Movenpick in Toronto
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A lazy holiday Monday enjoying ice cream
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A day in the life of Newport,RI

This picture captures the spirit of our recent holiday in Newport. We fell in love with the sea, the sounds, the sights of this charming little city just an hour or so south of Boston. We hope to be back again in 2006. Until then - this picture reminds me of just one of the many sights of this great place.

Soccer season ended

The season has come to an end. My first year as a coach, and I enjoyed it tremendously. I will miss these great kids and their enthusiasm and different personalities. I appreciated the chance to play some very small role in their young lives, perhaps just a passing marker on their journey in life that left a faint memory of joy and hope and encouragement.

It is humbling to see children and their enthusiasm, simplicity and yet the small strands of early insecurity and doubt and competitiveness that haunt us all. The strong players learn that they are strong and get the respect they hope for. The weaker players are seen as such and the pattern continues throughout their lifetime.

Fundamentally, every human being is a spark of life, a breath of God in this fallen rocky planet. To have interacted with and experienced them for a brief time has been a joy.

Here is a picture of the gang....may I carry their memories with me for life. Go get 'em boys - may you find what you need in this world and find the Truth that sets you free.

I am thankful for them all, and in a special way for Harman, the son of a gracious man who is in a wheelchair for reasons I do not know. When Harman scored his first goal during the last game of the regular season, I felt such joy for his father and it was somehow poetic for him to watch his young, fast, strong, and hopeful son run down the field and score. The son that he cannot kick the ball with, but must in his dreams. As a father I cry when I think about this.

And finally, it was fitting that Spencer scored his first and last goal of the season on this last tournament game (we won 4-0). I was so proud of him and burst with joy. Go Spencer go ! Whatever you do in life, I am here to cheer you on.

Randon thoughts on holidays and SAAB's

We are off to Newport, Rhode Island and Maine next week. I am looking forward to a week off with Sandra, Spencer and Ryan. We had a fabulous time a few weeks back on a short jaunt to Newport and are looking forward to a longer visit this time. The picture here is one from our last trip.

Cars- a necessary evil

We continue to weigh the decision to get a new car versus hanging onto our two old ones (1994 SAAB 900S turbo and 1997 SAAB 9000CSE). Recently we have test driven a few cars (Acura, Infiniti, BMW, etc). and are concluding that few (perhaps BMW) have the feel of the old SAAB’s. In fact, I test drove a 2002 SAAB 9-5 two days ago and was thoroughly disappointed with the car. The road feel and solidness was inadequate. Many drivers of old SAAB’s are saying that you need to move to Audi or BMW to get a similar feel as some of the older generation SAABs. Based on my test drives of the new series 3 and 5 from BMW I have to say I concur.

On the topic of new versus used cars, there comes a point where the cost to keep the older vehicles running forces one to give in and get something newer. I will say that we will probably have spent $6,000 in the last 12 months on the 2 cars – but then again, this is for the basics like mufflers, brakes and tires that will be good for 2-4 years. Doing the math I am still better off than paying $800-1,000 per month for two car payments.

I am concluding that we need to wait a few more months – probably until Spring 2006 and revisit the issue based on a range of factors.

The season is almost done

Well, my first season as soccer coach is virtually done. The last regular game just finished about an hour ago and we have one more game Saturday.

Coaching has taught me a few things. Firstly, that I am more competitive than I thought. Although this is a league where scores and standings are not tracked, the competitive spirit lies just beneath a thinly veiled guise of "we are all here to have fun".

The good news is that the children do not sense this, or at least not too much. I did notice though that even children want to know a) the score and b) have we won more game than we have lost. It is clear that all of us like to nbe on a winning team.

Spencer has developed well this year. He is a well rounded player able to play many positions, but I think defence is his best (or goal).

It is a nice clear August night. There will be very few nice summer evenings liek this left to enjoy. Sandra and I are sat on the porch...over and out.