cycling adventures

Janice and I love exploring on our bikes. Yesterday we enjoyed a ride through Gatineau on the other side of The Ottawa River. Along the way, we stopped for a bite on a little island park.

There is nothing like the feeling of freedom, zipping around, exploring the world on bikes. you see, hear and smell things; the sunshine and fresh air make you feel alive, and get to know the world around us.

Janice often takes her bike to work, instead of the car. Most of the city is accessible to us by bike ... it is a healthy, eco-friendly way to get around. Janice and I actually had our first date cycling around Birds Hill Park two summers ago.

Ottawa is very bike friendly, with a multitude of bike lanes and paths to explore ... along the canals and rivers, through the parks and neighbourhoods. We look forward to exploring many more wonderful rides.

the journey vs. the destination

Janice and I just returned from Toronto, where we went to see Coldplay at Rogers Center. I have been a fan of this band for a long time, and was looking forward to hearing them live. Toronto is only half a day away, and I purchased the tickets three months ago.

Travelling between here and Toronto, we have a few options; we can take the fast route via the highways (like the 401), or we can travel the countryside on smaller highways that take us through
smaller towns ... the latter choice taking a bit longer.

The concert itself was a bit disappointing ... the acoustics from where we sat were horrible, and we didn't even stay until the end of the show. Coldplay put on a great show, but I suspect that Rogers Center is just not a great venue for music.

It was still a nice little two day getaway, with a decent hotel room, a cool trip on the subway, quaint little towns and picturesque villages. The weather was good, and we enjoyed the excursion overall.

I try to look at the bigger picture, and not focus so much on one bad thing wherever possible. I am lucky to be with Janice, and enjoy travelling with her, seeing the world together, experiencing fun and frolic here, there and everywhere. Not everything everywhere all the time can be perfect ... but dwelling on disappointment only makes things worse.

a visit to Montreal - just for laughs

I haven't spent too much time in Montreal, but what time I have spent there has been great. It is a very creative, gritty, down to earth, eclectic, metropolitan, interesting city. It is alive with colour, sound, sidewalk cafes and a refreshing open minded atmosphere.

Janice and I spent an evening there earlier this week at The Just For laughs Festival. We attended a Gala (5 or 6 comedians at a theatre, taped for broadcast at a later time), saw street performances, had pizza and beer on St-Denis Street ... it was wonderful.

The festival really is a great way to get a taste of the city. It shows it's creativity and artistic side in a way that only Montreal can. Slightly bizarre at times ... circus like and wild; loud, amusing and witty.

We will be returning again for more on the weekend, and look forward to going again next year as well.

Blues Festival

For the last two weeks, Ottawa's Cisco Blues fest has been on at Lebreton Flats. With more than five stages to choose from, the variety of musical acts gives you many choices. It should really be called Music Fest and not Blues Fest - as the bulk of the big names are not blues acts.

I volunteered this year at the festival for 3 shifts at the Wired tent, providing beverages for festival goers. This was a good opportunity to get my feet wet in this huge event, so that next year my experience might prepare me for a better volunteer position.

Volunteering allowed me to see a few acts as well ... Our Lady Peace, Jeff Beck, The Zombies, Alan Parsons Project and more ... not a bad little perk for volunteering. I also got to know a little more of the city, and made a few new friends.

Next year, I hope to be part of the Transportation team ...

beach volleyball

Today I am playing at the HOPE Volleyball SummerFest ... Ottawa's largest beach volleyball event. It's another one of those win-win things that I love so much. I get to play beach volleyball, get some exercise and fresh air, meet some new people and raise money for charity at the same time.

The weather forecast for today calls for showers and thundershowers, so I am a little dissapointed with mother nature. I can't control the weather, so I will try and focus on being grateful that I won't have to worry about a sunburn today :P There is no point in focusing on poor weather ... all that does is help embed in your mind the negative feelings and disappointment, making it worse.

I will be playing with a few people today that I have not met. Many of my team mates today haven't played for years. Since we are playing in the recreational division (and not the competitive) I hope no one is expecting too much of us today ... let's just get through the day without any injuries and try to have fun ...