Hallowe'en 2008: Firefighter and the Fairy

Speaking of Hallowe'en, Kai actually was excited to be trick or treating. Perhaps he felt the dignity of his costumed profession required a more solemn demeanour.



I think we tallied 120 visitors or so. It's hard to keep track when you're on the phone with your satellite TV provider (resolving technical troubles/advocating for financial reimbursement for our trouble) while answering the door.

First Dump of Winter

It looks like the weather is dressing up like winter for Hallowe'en this year.

Pop Go the Wiggles

Kai's first big-ticket concert experience came tonight, courtesy of Australia's richest entertainers: The Wiggles.

They indulged the Canadian crowd with a rendition of Raffi's "Baby Beluga" and all the usual gimmicks and characters. If we played a drinking game, taking a shot every time Anthony drew attention to himself, we'd be too wasted to walk back to the car. Although his Patrick Swayze impersonation was quite clever, in a desperate kind of way.

Kai's favourite Wiggle of late, Sam, came within high-fiving distance of us. I didn't have the camera ready in time to snap a photo in his face.

As a keepsake of the night, the kids are bedecked in concert finery:

Kai's First Photo

Our budding young photographer's first photo:

"Ducks on the Avon"

The fluidity of the subjects anticipated progress set against the textured water presents a feeling of poignant reflection amid autumn gloom. The muted tones of dark birds on cool grey shades seem dreary and forlorn, but it offers a statement of solidarity and persistence in the face of emptiness. A powerful, moving piece – I look forward to great things from this artist.

You can see his sister's first work here.

Pigs and Play

I took the kids into Stratford to visit my aunt and uncle, we stopped at a park where they climbed to new heights.





Back on the farm, my dad presented them with a piglet which they approached with guarded curiosity:

Life on the Farm

Upon my return, I headed home to my parents' farm with the kids to give Shelley a break.

They soon gravitated towards the machinery:


Especially Kai:


A ride in the combine was special treat, notwithstanding all the noise from the open door:

Free Lunch

Completing the culinary reunion tour (having already feasted on Darbar and Brew Pub), I stopped at The Wok-In on my way out of town.

It was pretty busy for the lunch hour, I grabbed a seat at a table as someone finished up. I'd ordered my standard #4 with extra spring roll, and another one as take-out for Shelley. While I waited, someone joined me at the table.

We got to talking and of course, ended up talking about church and faith, etc. where he shared his profound respect for my vocation and marvelled at my (apparent) youth. In the end, he insisted on paying for my lunch (and Shelley's supper) because the Lord has been good to him and his business this year. Thanks Andy. And thank the Lord too, I suppose.

Return to Kingston

It's a trip back to the Limestone City for the Annual Conference at Queen's Theological College. For the first time in 3 years, there were no Korean ladies at Inverary Golf Course for my pre-conference round. I was, however, able to take advantage of their 2-for-1 Mondays, getting together with a classmate of mine.

A cruise downtown showed a few changes: the once-heralded (albeit dubiously) Lino's has changed hands once again – this time LegendZ Italian restaurant, bar and grill hopes to establish itself on Princess and Division. I was sad to see that Café Max had closed and relieved that the creepy doll store on Brock Street is no longer there.

Stopping by some familiar haunts yielded some previously-used CDs completing my New Pornographers collection, beginning my Buck 65 one and procuring a pound of the Sleepless Goat Café's "Dr. Joe" coffee beans. Such are the sounds, sights and flavours of Kingston in the fall.

Fall Photos 2008

Leaf helmets (and we don't mean fan wear for that Toronto team that hogs all the area sports attention - says the bitter basketball fan):


Pumpkin Rider:


Treehugger:

Canada Votes 2008. Not!

Upon our return from the hotel, Shelley and I exercised our franchise and voted in the federal election. Through VotePair.ca I had arranged to swap my vote with someone in London-Fanshawe. I'm still committed to the left-leaning socialistic side of the political spectrum; while my background in environmental biology might nudge me to the Green Party, the rest of their platform is not so inspiring.

Within our riding, the NDP had not put forth a strong showing or inclination in running a candidate (unnamed for the first few weeks of the campaign, apparently absent from local All-Candidates meeting - so was I, so who am I to judge?, and the campaign manager for another candidate in a neighbouring riding). So I was torn: if I voted NDP, it would be like the party was taking me for granted ... but did I want to strategically vote Liberal?

Moxywoman sent a link to VotePair and I saw this as a way that I could still support the NDP, vote Liberal if I had to (and not feel dirty about it) and feel as if my vote made a difference. So the upshot was that I was matched up with a voter in London-Fanshawe who re-elected the NDP incumbent and I voted Green (which I was prepared to do anyway, given that Stéphane Dion blew his chance at my vote with his comment about NDP coalitions with the Marijuana and Nudist parties).

In the green spirit (and of Ed Begley, Jr. on the Simpsons episode "Homer to the Max"), I rode my bike to the polling station to vote, powered by my own sense of self-satisfaction.

Thanksgiving Holiday 2008

Foregoing the standard apologies for being swamped and non-bloggy, here's the quick skip through October:

Thanksgiving Holiday
As a supplement to the double-barrelled turkey action (beginning with Christmas 2008, part 1 with Shelley's cousins followed the next day by family thanksgiving with my folks on the farm), we went to a hotel for an overnight holiday. Shelley had a 5-day weekend and we ventured to the Best Western Lamplighter Inn for some special occasion fun.


Kai did well in the pool until falling facefirst into the water. I caught him immediately, but he was done with aquatics after that. Reiko enjoyed herself immensely, so we may look into swimming lessons next summer. Continuing in a maritime theme, the kids tried some shrimp with supper at Red Lobster and enjoyed the experience.