21 Dec 09 Santa Claus fixed Star Wars Darth Vader watch for Tristan – with help from dad ;)
Well, I just managed to completely fix Tristan’s beloved Star Wars watch. A few months ago, he had forgotten to take it off his arm when enjoying the whirlpool bathtub at my mom’s place in the country… he was almost inconsolable upset and in tears when he realised that the watch was seemingly kaput for good by the water.
The FAB / Starpoint SW-WH-303 Star Wars watch is only US $5.99 on Amazon.com, but it was far more about his sadness at having broken the gift watch that his mother had bought for him – in addition, Zachary also has one.
Anyhow, so I had kept the watch aside for several months… and this weekend suggested to him that he put it on the Christmas tree in the hopes that Santa would perhaps repair it…
So, Santa being as busy as he/she is with all her deliverables these days, I figured I would give it a shot… took the case apart and reset it and magically all functions are working! It’ll be wrapped up and put back on the tree 
…
Tags: Christmas, Star Wars watch, Tristan
23 Nov 09 Forklift disaster video : I thought I made little mistakes
When I was in my late teens, I got a job (from a temporary HR staffing firm) to work in a large warehouse of a major Canadian retailer. Anyhow, I had to operate a forklift for the first time in my life and of course “winged” my way through it. I wound up making some very minor damage to merchandise on one pallet (skid) on the top level of a 4 tier industrial shelving unit…
A few years after that (and before my career in IT finally gelled, ahem) … I took a forklift safety and training course and got my certification card. Obviously, I no longer operate forklifts on a regular basis (the keyboard is a safer place for me)…
This fellow (and his employer) wasn’t as lucky as me:
Tags: forklift accident, training, video, work
24 Sep 09 Future trip with Zachary & Tristan : Kuroshio Sea Tank at Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Well, yet another place where I hope to one day visit myself and introduce Zachary and Tristan to the wonders of our world.
Credit to Jon Rawlinson for this superb production on his Canon 5DMKII camera. It’s nothing about the camera but more about the talent of capturing the awesome scene. The song by Barcelona is perfect too.
It’s the Kuroshio Sea Tank at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium in Okinawa, Japan.
Pretty magical place to be with the people you love, no?
Tags: animals, Kids, Kuroshio Sea, Love, Travel
14 Sep 09 A rough Sunday morning : smashed Chevy Venture windshield
OK, a bit of a breather over lunch after a hectic morning; 2 of my colleagues are out of the office while they take 5 days of training on Windows Server 2008.
I just realized that I haven’t published anything here since the mid-Spring several months ago! Don’t worry, I’ll be soon retroactively sharing some stories of my adventures and fun over the extended leave I enjoyed with the family over the summer.
So it was a brisk Sunday morning yesterday just before 8:00am as I drove on a local road near my home when suddenly a bit of a whooshing sound… I had about 0.25s to view the hood on my Chevy Venture rising up… and then a resounding smashing sound as it hit the windshield hard. The Chevy Venture hood has the front grill integrated into it and as such includes a near 90° angle. That hood angle is what caused most of the damage to the windshield which, despite being severely cracked, did not completely shatter. I was able to solidly close and latch the hood afterward, which surprised me a bit; I’m guessing it was improperly latched during a recent service visit or perhaps by me when I check the oil and other engine components.
As always, it could have been much worse, since I was driving on a secondary road at only about 65-75 km/h; I’m quite convinced the damage (and potential collision risk) would have been much worse if I were on a faster and busier highway.
I realized afterward that I had lost the chrome grill inlay and I returned with the boys (they weren’t with me at the time it happened) and Tristan was most proud to spot the shiny chrome grill just barely peeking out of the grass on the side of the road.
That was actually a good thing since just the replacement grill on eBay goes for between USD $70-105 and that’s not including shipping. Extra large bowl of ice cream for Tristan (and Zach, who checked his side of the road)… 
Ah, it could have been worse… but still, about $450-600 all included to have the windshield (and possible molding) replaced. So, it’s riding my great Trek 6500zx bike for a couple of days depending on the repair delay…
Tags: Cars, Chevy Venture, Tristan, Zachary
29 Apr 09 2 for 1 Coupon for Harvey’s Angus Burger in Canada – until April 30th !
Click image to view and print full size
OK, it’s lunch time so I thought it appropriate to share a most tastey promotion that Harvey’s is having for their delicious Angus Burger series of hamburgers. Until tomorrow, April 30, you can get a second Angus burger for free when you buy one.
Note that while the photo on the coupon shows an Angus Mushroom Melt, the fine print clearly states that it is valid for any Angus Burger – at participating restaurants.
I used this coupon at the Harvey’s located in Boucherville last week and 2 Angus Burgers with bacon & cheese as well as a large diet Coke came out to about $9 including taxes. Sweet deal if you like real grilled burgers dressed the way you like!
Tags: Bargains, coupons, Deals, Harvey's Angus Burger, restaurants
