CaptainOrange

Made a change to the blog today that will affect those of you who comment. I've enabled G+ commenting, which (as you may have guessed) means that Google+ now handles the comments. It has several benefits: you will automatically get notifications when your comments are commented on -- no pesky check boxes or "subscribe" options. If you share a post via G+ your share will appear on the blog (probably won't affect anyone here) you control who can or can't see your comments--including me--(assuming that concerns you). If you are familiar with G+ Circles  you will be aware that you can easily specify who can see your comments. It's interesting that an entire conversation could happen on a post that the blog author wouldn't see. So make sure you post "public" or at least to a circle that I'm in :) you can edit or delete your comments like most Google data, it can be downloaded via Google Takeout . Good info for this on Data Liberation . Th...

Vin, James and I went to P.A. last Wednesday. It ties in with Vin's Project '88, but I thought it would be nice to tag along (and drive, as it turns out) and take some pictures to go with the many memories I have there. 8th Street Duplexes After getting into town, we headed down to where it all began for me. This is where I lived from age of 1-4.75 years. Government subsidized housing  that has been since torn down and then rebuilt. In the original structures, we would have lived somewhere near the middle of this photo. Didn't know it at the time, but Google maps tells me this house was only 1.5km from Dave Aschim's house, if you were willing to cut through Cooke Municipal Golf Course. I never actually met Dave until I moved to Saskatoon to attend the U of S. Just before my younger brother James was born, we moved about 5 blocks to the NE. 836 5th St East I've made a little Google map with a couple of my memories from the neighbourhood when I was a ki...

I had a great sit in session at Tim Horton's on 8th and Cumberland on March 17th. I sat, read and wrote for well over 2 hrs. on my own and then for another 2 hrs. with Vin and James.  In attendance: Mike, James, Vin Regrets: Dave Absent: Geof I hope all Questers managed to find the renewal that we all crave. I was suffering from serious lethargy, due to cold. I still managed to have a fine evening and stay up until 1:30am. We mostly reminisced and drank coffee (I broke a very long dry spell by winning a free coffee -- despite the stated 1:6 odds). I am still hopeful that we can get together for a more formal gathering if/when Dave makes it to Saskatoon. What follows is a peek into my brain while reflecting on the celebration that is Quest New Year. My thoughts aren't well edited. I've mostly included them as part of my need to archive my thinking. ******** I don’t know what the Quest Era is. Traditionally, we have kept track of Quest bi...

Pre-Dawn March 17th The Bad Beginning: I was worried about QNY this time 'round. Not getting together with people until April 2 is an unprecedented delay and I typically NEED the pick-me-up that our quest conference usually provides me. This year it was especially true, what with my popped rib-head, a cracked rib, alienating my parents and all. The evening had some disappointing elements for me, but on the whole, was very satisfying. It started out with a great walk to our chosen meeting place. For the first time the girls came with me and we were all giddy with anticipation. We took our time, stopped at a couple of parks, and talked about what Questing meant to the three of us. Anwyn took an approach similar to mine. She said that anything you did could be a Quest, it was how you did it that mattered. Shepherd Book might have said that "how you get there is the worthier part." Leora thought that Questing was pushing boundaries. She thought that to do it you might ...

The kids are getting old and dexterous enough that this year we thought we would invest in some eggquipment. Anwyn and I wound up at The Ukranian Museum of Canada on Saturday. Being the day before Easter, I was worried that supplies for egg decorating would be limited, but there was no danger of shortage. Trust them to know Saskatoon's Psanka needs. Here is a slide-show of all the eggs that kids and novice adults alike produced. Warning!! If you are some sort of psanka purist, go no further. You have been warned. And here is a video showing all sides of Vin's SNL homage egg.

Dad's 7D Dad loves his cars. I enjoy the spectacle, the in-your-face paint jobs, big car nostalgia, whatever. He invited everyone out to the Draggins spring car show at Prairieland Park. I think everybody had a good time. The adults tried not to drool on all the chrome. I took pictures and tried not to drool on Dad's new camera, and the children collected plenty of suckers, pre-Easter chocolates, pamphlets, hand sanitizer, yo-yos--the kind of junk kids seem to love collecting. Handwing gets roughed up by The Boss Oh, and James had a little altercation while trying to make off with one of the cars... At the bottom of this post is a link to the rest of the pictures . Most of them are not cars--they're family near  cars ;) I swear there would have been more/any shots of Matt if he didn't constantly throw his hand up AND scowl anytime a camera was pointed his way. Quick reflexes. Though, he did submit to one shot. Satisfied customers If you actually want  t...

An early celebration was had last night. The core group of Questers was in attendance. As a first order of business we discussed last years quest books. A general favorite was "How to Talk About Books You Haven't Read," which, humourously, Dave hadn't. You could look up the less than favourable Guardian review, or you could take my word for it and have a good read (and a good laugh). From there we moved on to this years reading list which, I'm sad to say, I did not contribute to. It will be a light reading year (for must reads)... 2 Picks (Filthy Lucre/Heath/Starcat, Notes on Democracy/Mencken/rainswept) I will also attempt to read Dave's attempted pick (which is in 6 volumes and he hasn't quite finnished yet) entitled The Nature of Order - Christopher Alexander Follow this link for my pictures from the evening... QE19 I have set a few goals for the coming year: First I plan to beat the 24-year-old me. I'll explain that one another time. ...

I've done it again! Everyone has really been clamouring for details and it has become rather bothersome. I have taken the liberty of compiling an FAQ. I suggest you have a look at it. Q-What are we talking about? A-Saskatoon City Quest. A once-every-so-often physical challenge of titanic proportions. Q-And that is...? A-Essentially, it is a hike. I jog some, walk some. Visit when I have company and despair when alone. I take pictures when I can be bothered to carry a camera. The journey started out being roughly 55km (circa 1994) and now stands at 70km in 2008. Q-Why would you do that? A-Pleased to meet you. My name is Mike... Mike Diakuw Q-Can you give me that distance in miles? A-No. Q-Your time is slower this year, isn't it? A-You could say that. Q-Care to comment further? A-Not really. Why don't you try it and let me know where to shave off some time. Q-Did you hurt yourself again? A-Hurt myself? What would make you say that? Q-I'll be asking ...

I told you I was somewhat miserable this week. One of the reasons being that I had accepted a mission last QNY and as of 9pm on the 16th, I had not completed it. I was certain that I didn't have the time or resources to manage the job. Another failed project to add to the list. Not really what I was hoping for. I think I'm growing a beard to compensate for my failures as a person. Fortunately I have a Quest cheering section all for my very own. Wen talked me through some ideas and, eventually, I became convinced that there was still time to do something. The something that I am talking about was the box/chest that I was elected to manufacture last year in the hopes of storing a "Quest Fund" of sorts. My revised plan was to spend all day on the 17th purchasing materials and constructing this receptacle. Word must have been leaked to my enemies, because a virus with an agenda (perhaps doing the bidding of old "Rust") infected Leora as she slept soundly two day...

Here is a video which expresses my thoughts on the matter. Day Vin Happy