Time for some changes...

Well, as any of us are prone to do, I've become bored with my writing up to date. From now, I'll make a conscientious effort to make my posts more often, and more interesting.

As well as changes in the blog, I need to make changes in my real life, too. You see, the problem I've been having lately is that now that I'm back in Halifax, my mind is supposed to be focused 100% on my thesis. I mean, that was the reason I came back home, right? But, just like in Edmonton, I find my mind wandering too much. My normal way to overcome this is to go play a sport, go for a walk, hop on my bike. So, time to get my ass back in gear. Another thing I'm going to try is to head to the local library and/or coffee shops with my laptop, and work on it there.

Any of you more accomplished folks able to give me some insight? I'd love to hear it...

Home safely

Well, Jay and I pulled into Halifax Sunday afternoon at 2pm, safe and sound, if not a bit wet. I'm waiting on Jay to email me all of our pictures, but here's the short version:
Day 1 (Monday): Left Edmonton at 3pm, arrive in Brandon, MB at 4am. Had hoped to make it to Winnipeg, but we were too tired.
Day 2 (Tuesday): Left Brandon at 10am, arrive in Thunder Bay, ON at 11pm. We were hoping to make it to Sudbury or Sault Ste Marie, but the rain didn't cooperate.
Day 3 (Wednesday): Left Thunder Bay at 8am, arrive in Toronto at 11pm. We stayed with Eric and his parents, who were wonderful hosts.
Day 4 (Thursday): We spent the first half of the day on a trip to Niagara Falls, where we visited all 5 haunted houses, and the Fallsview Casino. We then went to Ottawa, arriving at about 11:30pm.
Day 5 (Friday): Jay and I spent the day in the downtown Ottawa area with my brother Andrew. We visited the Parliament (got to take in Question Period), and then Andrew and I took in an Ottawa Renegade game (they beat up on Hamilton).
Day 6 (Saturday): Left Ottawa at 10am, hoping to make it all the way to Halifax. The weather didn't cooperate (yet again), so we were forced to stop at Fredericton.
Day 7 (Sunday): We hit the road at 9:30, and managed to just meet Jay's dad in Halifax just as he was pulling up (2pm). Perfect timing!

Overall, the trip was great. The hero of the trip was the mp3 copy of the DaVinci Code that I got from Jim a few weeks ago. That kept us awake and lucid for 3 days straight. I highly recommend it for anyone making any long trips in the future (both that book, and books on tape in general).

We managed to not stop ONCE for fast food, eating only the fruit and snacks we had brought with us. Well, I cheated once, when I bought real poutine at a gas station in the middle of Quebec. Damn it was good!

As I said, pictures will be forthcoming, so hold onto your hat for some real mind-blowing stuff!

Roadtrip of a lifetime

Well, as some of you know (and all of you will in a moment), I am leaving Edmonton, and heading home to Halifax. The reason is something that I'm not terribly proud of: I've been writing my PhD thesis for the past 9 or so months, but I haven't finished it yet. With my lease up in September, Aaron and Myrlene were gracious enough to allow me to stay creeped up in their guest bedroom for the past month, but sadly that kick in the butt wasn't enough to force me to make more headway. So, I've decided to head back to Halifax for a change of scenery, and hopefully, a change of attitude.

This brings me to the "Roadtrip" in this post's title. Instead of selling, or shipping my car, I've decided to drive it back to Halifax. The distance is about 4900 kilometres, so it's quite a stretch. Luckily, I won't be doing it alone. Jason (of poker fame) will be coming along, as he would like to visit his father in Nova Scotia. This will help with cutting down on the driving demands, and be great for splitting the costs of the 4-star hotels we'll be staying at (I need my silk pillow cases). I'll be sure to document all the important stops we make along the way (including, but not limited to: the Terry Fox statue in Thunder Bay, Niagara Falls, and visiting my brother Andrew in Ottawa). Internet access will be sporadic at best, so don't expect too much from me while we're on our way, but hopefully I'll be able to update this blog and send out a few emails in choice locations. We are leaving Monday (Oct. 3rd), and expect to be in Halifax Saturday or Sunday, in time for turkey dinner.

King of the Cage

The King of the Cage (or Cag, depending on where you were sitting), made a stop in Edmonton last night. Aaron, Nick and I checked it out, and it was lots of fun. Unfortunately, 2 of the 16(!!) fights didn't happen (including one foxy boxing match) due to injuries, but the 14 others were lots of fun. It was taped and hosted by TSN folks, so it will be on TV some time in the future. Quinton Jackson was in attendance (not fighting) which was a thrill, because he is a fghter who has fought and won in Pride FC, Japan's version of the UFC. His signature move is picking up guys and slamming the #&@^@! out of them.
Overall, a great time, and eventhough we didn't get splattered in blood, it was well worth the rpice of admission.