More landscaping work

This weekend, my monkey and I put some finishing touches on our backyard landscaping. We installed some more stepping stones, so now there is a path all the way from the back of the house to the garage. We also redistributed some of the decorative rocks to cover some areas where there weren't enough rocks. We also put down some red cedar mulch around our shrubs, and now they look great. We're just about ready for our first summer barbeque with guests, which will probably happen around the end of July.

We also bought another propane tank in case our first one runs out of gas, which will probably happen soon since we used it all last summer and have started to use it this year. All we have to do now is send the invitations, buy the food and have fun. It looks like it will be a fun summer. Hopefully the weather will co-operate! And of course, Go Leafs Go, and take the Argos with you.

Up with "OFF"

The last week or so, I have been very active with walking and exercising outside (like the big landscaping job recently). Up until last Friday, I was bitten so many times by mosquitoes that I had more red bumps on my skin than skin itself. But I starting using "OFF" bug spray and it really works. I haven't been bitten once since then, and no bugs even come near me. Except of course for the dreaded Alberta "Tar Sand Beetle", a big ugly thing that is very quiet and bites when it lands on you. Luckily I haven't been bitten by any of those yet. At least I'm free from mosquitoes though. It's so nice to be able to go outside without worrying about being bitten to death. Well I'm looking forward to the Canada Day weekend, even though I have to work on Monday. In any case, Go Leafs Go, and take the Raptors with you.

So long Wellwood, good riddance Raycroft

One of the Leafs' promising young players, Kyle Wellwood, was just placed on waivers and picked up by the Vancouver Canucks. I'm kind of surprised that we let him go as he has a lot of potential. Then again, he has been struggling with a sports hernia injury for the last year, so maybe our General Manager, Cliff Fletcher, knows something Leaf fans don't. Also, I heard that Wellwood is lazy in the off-season and doesn't stay in shape. I just hope this decision doesn't come back to haunt us. We also got rid of "Space Cadet" Andrew Raycroft, the goalie that doesn't pay attention during games. No one has picked him up yet, and I don't think anyone will be dumb enough to. Great move by Cliff Fletcher, and hopefully we can pick up a couple free agents in July, hopefully a defenseman.

Until then, Go Leafs Go, and take the Blue Jays with you.

Landscaping is done

We spent most of this long weekend landscaping our backyard with beautiful landscaping stones called "washed rock". We had ordered ten tonnes of this rock, which was delivered just after 8:30 Friday morning (we had the day off). We were amazed at how big 10 tonnes looked on our street corner. It was a HUGE pile! We immediately started shovelling rock into a wheelbarrow, and carting it into the backyard to distribute over the dirt that was there. After the first three hours, it almost looked like the pile of rock was getting bigger.

It was painstaking work. It was so hot outside, and our muscles were aching We took breaks every couple hours, and worked twelve hours on Friday. We had expected to be finished, but at the end of the day, there was a huge pile left. I estimated that it would take us about three or four more hours on Saturday. The next day though, the pile seemed to keep growing! After four hours of work, the pile finally started to seem to shrink, but there was still a lot left at the end of the day. Finally, on Sunday, we began to make some real progress. After about 45 minutes, we could see the pile getting small. Excitedly, we continued working, and finally after another 30 minutes, we scooped up the final bit of rock and brought it into the backyard.

Our backs were hurting, our arms were hurting, our arms and legs were so tired, but it was all worth it. Our backyard looks great, and it's even raining today, which is washing away all the dust. I can't wait to host our first BBQ of the summer and all our guests can see how our landscaping looks. Until then, Go Leafs Go, and take the Argos with you.

Winning streak is over

Well, my Civ 4 winning streak became a 2 game losing streak. In the first game I played, I expanded too quickly and didn't have enough of a military presence. Just as I was getting some momentum, another country, not naming names (Japan) attacked me and destroyed one of my cities so I gave up and started a new game. I just gave up because it would have taken too long to build another city to the same level. In my second game, I was completely destroyed because two countries attacked at the same time, not to name names (Spain and JAPAN). I'm now playing another game, and doing very well. I think I'll be starting a new winning streak. And the best part is, I get a chance at revenge against a country that shall remain unnamed (JAPAN). I'll report back later. In the interim, Go Leafs Go, and take JAPAN with you.

Civ 4 - 2 wins in a row

I think I'm getting better at Civ 4, because I've won two games in a row. The first game took me over a week to complete in real time, and was a conquest victory (where you have to eliminate all your opponents). It was very hard but very rewarding. The second victory took only one day in real time, and was a cultural victory. This meant you had to achieve three cities with "legendary" culture. It was not as hard but required a lot more strategy rather than just crushing your opponents militarily. I'm starting another game today, a conquest game where I have to conquer all my opponents. So far I'm not doing so well, so my two game winning streak could be in jeopardy. I'll keep my fingers crossed. Damn this game is addictive.