Owner: i am ahaem URL:http://angela-hemming.blogspot.com Join Date: Thu, 07 Jun 2007 16:10:22 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: documentarian, dancer, traveler. Life in Victoria B.C. Canada. Site statistics:Click here
yay, he's back! 2007-06-24 01:50:00 I'm heading out to the airport to pick him up now.happy, happy....
the view from my window: rainy summer solstice 2007-06-22 01:42:00 A few people climbed up Moss Rock for sunset on the longest day of the year. Unfortunately it was overcast and raining, due to this year's crappy weather which doesn't show any signs of improving now that it's "summer." Believe it or not, these folks were actually howling like wolves when I took the photo. Perhaps it was a forlorn cry for the sun to pleeeeeeeease come back?
Swing team performance - June 3/06 2006-06-06 13:50:00 Here's a video of my first performance with Red Hot Swing at the Royal Theatre. The song is called "Shout and Feel It." Rajeev and I (the couple in the middle) had just finished learning the routine a few days before, so we were pretty nervous about remembering everything and doing the aerials properly. Normally we're supposed to start on stage, but the music started before we had a chance to get out there, which is why we run on. I'm so happy with how this turned out!
welcome to spring in Victoria BC 2007-05-18 11:25:00 I have just finished creating an ambient video that truly captures the essence of spring in this city. It's called "Watching the Grass Grow." Yes, that's right. It's an hour of long video shots filmed at ground level, making you feel like you are literally watching the grass (and flowers) grow. I filmed it at Beacon Hill Park, Ross Bay Cemetary and the University of Victoria.The DVD is for sale on my Ambient Videos blog if you'd like a copy. I've also written about it here.For your viewing pleasure, here's a short preview. Enjoy!
the view from my window: ritzy yacht 2007-05-16 10:52:00 Looks like it's that time again. You know summer has arrived in Victoria when the rich and famous start parking their yachts in the harbour. This one cruised by my place yesterday. It's a small one, by ritzy yacht standards. I mean, there isn't even a helicopter on board...
the benefits of working part-time 2007-05-12 11:34:00 I thought I would post this cool image by Teesha Moore because I was inspired by the quote. As I'm now working
part-time at the production company and part-time on my own creative projects, these words really struck a chord:"If a man has important work, and enough leisure and income to enable him to do it properly, he is in possession of as much happiness as is good for any of the children of Adam."For me the key words are "leisure" and "income." When you're working full-time, you have income but not enough leisure. When you're unemployed, you have too much leisure and not enough income. It's all about balance. You need to decide when your income is "enough" for you to create leisure to pursue your passion "properly."Truth be told, I hate working. Always have. This article "10 Reasons You Should Never Get A Job" says it better than I could. I would love to be self-employed full-time and be master of my own schedule, but the hurdle is financial: where is the income going to come IN
the view from my window: kayak rescue 2007-05-10 11:21:00 The other evening I witnessed a rescue operation in the sea in front of my place. What attracted me to the window was the sound of sirens -- lots of them. Twenty minutes earlier, I had seen a police car race down to Clover Point, which is not unusual since it's a common party place in the evenings. But now there were about four police cars and two ambulances heading down there. It could only mean one thing: someone was in the water.I got out my binoculars and scanned the ocean. It was really rough out there -- white caps, big waves and high winds. Sure enough, I saw two coast guard zodiacs fighting with the waves. One of them was pulling aboard a yellow single kayak
, and the other was racing back to shore with two men wrapped in blankets. They were well enough to walk to the ambulance, so it didn't look like they were too hypothermic. But if they'd been in the water for 20 minutes, they're lucky to be alive. The water around here is extremely cold year-round.The biggest hassle the
my modeling career (take 3) 2007-05-09 12:34:00 If you live in Victoria B.C., get a copy of Douglas magazine this week. My photo is on page 42, in an article about Wild Play. It's a teeny weeny picture. Here's the full size one: What I'm doing in this photo is going through an aerial obstacle course called TreeGO. It takes 3 hours and costs only $39. It's so fun! I'm looking forward to going back to WildPlay this summer and doing a bungy jump this time. Looks like my shoulder will be able to handle it. Yippee!
yet another reason to move to the south pacific 2007-05-08 11:33:00 Coconut oil powers island's cars By Phil Mercer BBC News, SydneyPeople on the island of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea have found their own solution to high energy prices - the humble coconut. They are developing mini-refineries that produce a coconut oil that can replace diesel. From police officers to priests, the locals are powering up their vehicles and generators with coco-fuel.Inquiries for the coconut power have come in from overseas, including Iran and Europe. For years, the people of Bougainville have been dependent on expensive fuel imported onto the island. Shortages have often caused many businesses in this part of Papua New Guinea to grind to a halt. High energy costs have not helped either.Increasingly, locals are turning to a cheaper and far more sustainable alternative to diesel. Coconut oil is being produced at a growing number of backyard refineries.Matthias Horn, a German migrant and an engineer, operates one such refinery. "They sometimes refer to me as the Mad G
spider alert 2007-05-04 14:00:00 Oh, this is too funny. Especially if you're Canadian and you remember those Hinterland short films from way back ...
a sea of pink and purple 2007-05-04 12:09:00 I've been out shooting flowers lately for a video I'm working on. I wanted to capture all the gorgeous spring colours before they fade. Here are a couple of nice shots from Beacon Hill Park and the Ross Bay cemetary.
spring cleaning 2007-05-03 11:58:00 Rajeev surprised me the other day by taking our kitchen junk drawer and emptying the contents on the living room floor. Spring cleaning ensued. It was a bit like an archeological dig. Some items had been there a bit too long -- like a couple of gels I used to use for running (back in the stone age) that expired in 2003. You know how you tend to hang onto things if you think you're going to use them someday? I have a jar of elastics that I began saving in 1994. It's full now, but you never know when you're going to need an elastic, right? Well, that's my attitude. The Raj had other plans. He made a little pile of things that TO HIM were clearly "more than junk" and didn't belong in our newly organized junk drawer. Hmmmmf. At least I got to keep the elastics.
enviro-shopping 2007-05-02 18:44:00 Voila! Here's my long-awaited new tote bag design, which will be available at my on-line shop for the month of May at the low, low price of $14.99 (plus shipping, yadda yadda).Remember to have tote bags with you whenever you shop. It reduces the amount of evil plastic in the world (and your home).Thanks to John Davis for the idea!
the view from my window: TC 10k 2007-05-01 13:14:00 On Sunday we crawled out of bed at 8 a.m. to watch the runners go by in the Times Colonist 10k race. Unlike the marathon, which also goes right past our house and ties up the street until the afternoon, the 10k race lasts only a couple of hours. If you don't get up early enough, you miss it.I did this race a few times myself, back in the last century. That first 10k race was a big milestone for a beginner runner. I remember chatting to my running buddies during the race, suggesting that if we can run a 10k, what's to stop us from taking on a marathon someday? I had heard that there were marathons in cool places like Maui ... and wouldn't it be fun to travel for races? Colleen and Brenda agreed. We persuaded the rest of our running/dim sum gang to join us. From that first race in 1997, we trained for half marathons in Seattle -- which we completed, got the medals, and the pain, and the addiction. Once you set and attain goals, it's a natural thing to wonder "what's next?" and for r
heart attacks in women: symptoms 2007-04-24 17:24:00 A friend forwarded this email today, and I thought I'd post it to reach as many people as possible. The symptoms
of heart attack vary widely between women and men. It's important that we all learn how to recognize these symptoms. Hollywood does a good job of educating us on male symptoms, but that's only half the world's population.---Did you know that women rarely have the same dramatic symptoms that men have when experiencing heart attack...you know, the sudden stabbing pain in the chest, the cold sweat, grabbing the chest & dropping to the floor that we see in the movies. Here is the story of one woman's experience with a heart attack.I had a completely unexpected heart attack at about 10:30 pm with NO prior exertion, NO prior emotional trauma that one would suspect might've brought it on. I was sitting all snugly & warm on a cold evening, with my purring cat in my lap, reading an interesting story my friend had sent me, and actually thinking,"A-A-h, this is the life, all Read more:attacks
East Sooke Park 2007-04-22 19:56:00 This weekend Lisa, Daniela and I decided to ditch the dudes and have a Chick Day. We had lunch at the 17 mile pub, followed by a walk in East Sooke Park.We had a great 3-hour walk through beautiful rainforest along the coast.While the view is very similar to what I see from my living room window, it's nice to be able to access wild-ish forest so close to an urban centre. It's definitely one of the benefits of living in this part of the world. As for the trees, only the strong ones are still standing. You could see the damage from this winter's fierce wind storms everywhere.
insert wedding bands here 2007-07-01 15:08:00 We're engaged!Rajeev got back from India and popped the question before he even unpacked. No ring, no grand proposal, just the real deal. It was quite unexpected, and so was my reaction. I was so happy and surprised that I burst out laughing. He looked at me, confused, eyes widening, and said "I'm serious." I realized that he was waiting for a response, so I blurted out "Absolutely. Yes!" before dissolving into another fit of giggles. He knew where it was coming from. Happiness was bubbling out of me in giggles and I couldn't make it stop.It's been such a happy week, telling our family and friends the big news. Our life together seems to be one celebration after another, and I think that's an auspicious beginning.It is a very profound thing to find someone you know you will spend the rest of your life with, and even greater when that person comes from the other side of the world. Think of the logistics and life circumstances that led us each to the same salsa class in October 2005 Read more:insert
, wedding
a few thoughts on Edmonton 2007-07-06 15:19:00 For a town whose main attraction is the world's largest shopping mall, I was amazed to see that people walking around downtown Edmonton
had a pretty sloppy fashion sense. Two days here was plenty, and no I didn't go to that mall. In my opinion the whole place looks much nicer from the air, especially when leaving it.Rajeev had to be in Edmonton for work last week, so I tagged along for the ride. The main reason was that Rajeev wanted to introduce me to some old family friends who are the closest thing to family he has in Canada. We had a nice evening with them, but poor Rajeev was still severely jet-lagged, having just returned from India two days before. Here we are on the terrace of the bar at the Fairmont hotel, which was the nicest place to eat I could find in the center of the city. Note the celebratory "we're engaged!" martoonies. At this point we hadn't told many people our news, and it was nice to keep it just between ourselves for a few days. Read more:thoughts
, few thoughts
the view from my window: heat wave 2007-07-11 10:32:00 Hot weather has finally reached us after the longest, dreariest fall-winter-spring in memory. Temperatures are in the late 30s C with no wind, which is practically unheard of on this island in the Pacific. I happen to love hot weather, so you won't hear me complaining. This is the kind of weather I live for.Here's a shot of my living room taken at about 8 am yesterday. That's the calm Juan de Fuca Strait with the Olympic mountains in the distance. I'm facing southeast, towards Seattle. Can you spot the cat sleeping in her condo?The cats are constantly flopping themselves down lately, pooped from the heat. It's quite adorable.
Botanical Beach Bumming 2007-07-20 15:00:00 Here are some pics from our recent camping trip. Here's our campsite at French Beach
. Putting all the tarps up guaranteed that it didn't rain ... much.Sputnik the barbeque.Sputnik in action.Rajeev made me this cool fire poker.Early on Saturday morning we drove out to Botanical
Beach. Low tide was at about 7 am, and low tide's the best time to see Botanical. When we got there it was quite foggy. We could hear whales blowing offshore, but couldn't see them through the fog.When the tide is out, the beach is dotted with small pools filled with sea life.We spent the whole morning beachcombing and finding interesting critters in the pools.We had the best guide in the world: Dr. John Davis, ocean expert extraordinaire.Fortunately the fog lifted in time for lunch on this gorgeous little beach called Botany Bay. Much nicer than the one in Australia, scenery wise.
our new oasis 2007-07-26 19:00:00 We just bought a house!This is a shot of our new back patio area, complete with stream, pond, bamboo, and hundreds of other details that I can't wait to explore. Not to mention the 3 fireplaces, huge jacuzzi, and (cue the sound of angels singing hallelujah) dishwasher.It's been a wonderful, exciting, stressful week as it all came together much faster than anticipated. We have to thank Patrick Schorle, the world's greatest realtor, for finding us a house that had everything on our wish list. In fact, it was only the 5th house that he took us to! We imagined months of shopping around, but it turns out that it wasn't necessary. When you see the right thing, there's no point in looking further.As first-time home buyers it was a steep learning curve this week as we navigated the maze of brokers, realtors, banks, rules, inspectors, etc. but we have somehow managed to survive intact. We move at the end of August.yippee! Read more:oasis
the view from my window: fog 2007-07-26 13:42:00 From sweltering heat to winter weather in one week. This has been the view from my window for the past several days. Bizarre.
shamelessly asking for money, honey 2007-08-15 12:58:00 What a busy summer it has been. I'm exhausted. We got engaged, bought our first house, and went on a holiday to the Kootenays all in the space of 5 weeks. Our apartment is a sea of boxes as we prepare for the big move this weekend. Then of course there will be the unpacking, dealing with freaked-out cats, and adjusting to life with a huge mortgage.Speaking of which, even though our wedding is a year away, we're not quite sure how we're going to afford a honey
moon anymore. Our dream is to go to Spain, but we might not even make it off the island the way things are going. That's why I've decided to add this little widget to my blog, shamelessly panhandling in internet-land:Raise money with ChipInThis way, anyone can "chip in" to our honeymoon fund. All amounts are welcome, no matter how small. I figure it's worth a try ... Read more:asking
the view from my window: not 2007-08-16 17:59:00 As we prepare to move, the pile of boxes is taking over. I can't even see the view anymore.
cocktail chockies 2007-09-21 20:05:00 Colleen & John went to Las Vegas and brought us back loads of good loot, as usual, including this box of chocolates in "cocktail
" flavours. Unfortunately they looked better than they tasted. As is usually the case with American chocolates, they're too sweet. But they sure look cool!
just don't look at the greasy food 2007-09-19 20:30:00 Here's another pic from our Kootenay trip. After taking a dip in the highly over-rated Ainsworth Hot Springs, we had dinner in the highly over-rated restaurant next door. The nearest GOOD restaurants being way back in Nelson (pick any restaurant in that town, you'll have great food), we were too hungry to drive all the way back on empty stomachs. At least this place had a nice view, even if my food was swimming in oil.
why I hate telemarketers 2007-09-18 17:22:00 Is it just me, or are telemarketers a special breed of irritant second only to dental hygienists?I can't stand them. I know they are human beings who are just earning a living, but why must they do so by bothering me? When did Bothering People become a viable career option?Telemarketers have been pestering the world for decades, and I say we need to fight back. Those 1-800 numbers calling during dinnertime are a dead give-away. I don't even answer them anymore. You know it's one of THEM calling when the first sound you hear after answering the phone is silence, followed by a click, then ambient noise of a room full of telemarketers talking, then "hello?" Some long distance calls, especially if they're coming from the other side of the world, begin with a click and delay too, but the way I can tell them apart from the telemarketers is the background hum of computers and people talking on headsets. What's even worse is when they don't realize that there IS a delay, and are enjoying
I didn't realize they had such strong teeth 2007-09-17 19:22:00 This summer we spent about a week in the Kootenays, and one day we drove up to the Kokanee Glacier park for a stroll. Most people who head up to this park are serious hikers, prepared for a long hike up to the glacier and perhaps several days camping in the mountains. We did not belong to this group. We didn't have time for a huge hike, but we heard there was a small lake at the trailhead which we could hike around in about an hour, and that seemed good enough.While I knew it was grizzly country, I wasn't prepared to encounter any other dangerous animals. And truth be told, I wasn't prepared for grizzlies either, as my bear bell was somewhere at home in Victoria. Which I was acutely aware of when we spotted fresh bear poop in the middle of the trail.Upon arrival in the parking lot, you are greeted by this sign. Yikes. Can porcupines really chew up your car??Sure enough, many cars in the lot took this warning seriously, and surrounded their cars with fortifications. Read more:teeth
Recommend Site To A Friend
