My how the times have changed... continued

As most of you know, I love Apple products. Not only the magnificently designed hardware but the software as well, especially the Apps. One App that I particularly like is Shazam. If I hear a song I like on the radio, in a store, or someplace else, I can press the Shazam App and, almost instantly, discover its name and artist. Then if I want to buy it for my collection, a couple of more touches with the finger and it is mine.

My how times have changed...

I became interested in music around age 12 or 13. Music in those days was either available as a vinyl LP or in cassette tapes.

You could purchase blank cassette tapes and create your own "playlist" so to speak. You could even record music from the radio to a cassette tape if you had a microphone, which I did.

Recording and editing from the radio was a fine art. There were commercials, DJ "blabber" and other obstacles that had to be navigated so that you were left with nothing but pure music, with very little background noise (I had to pray that my younger siblings or the dog would not interrupt me and ruin a good recording). I also had to calculate the length of songs so that they would fit perfectly on one side of a cassette tape. A 60 min tape, was 30 min a side, which was about 10 songs. Unless of course one of the songs was "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin.

I remember one New Year's day, when the family was gathered at my grandparents place for dinner,  the radio was playing the top 100 songs from the previous year. As the countdown got close to the top, I had to excuse myself from dinner to go and record the #1 song. I waited until the DJ had finished his introduction and then started the recording just as the song began. I then had to wait until the song was almost over to stop the recording, before the DJ came back on. It was an art, and with practice, I became quite skilled. The number one song that year...Tie a yellow ribbon by Tony Orlando and Dawn.

My equipment later progress to where I had a a turntable for LP's and a cassette player for tapes so that I could record directly from the LP to the tape without the risk of background noise.

My Pioneer turntable, Teac Cassette player and Pioneer SX 650 Tuner/Amp... I was rocking.

Although, I think my iphone fits in my pocket a lot easier.

Bose instead of boots?

There is a principle taught in introductory economic classes called "poor man's boots." Basically it talks about a poor man who buys inexpensive boots, because he thinks they are all he can afford. But they don't last very long and he has to purchase another pair, and soon yet another and so on. In the end he spends more money buying a series of poor quality, but less expensive boots rather than the rich man who buys one pair of more expensive, but better quality boots, which last much longer.

Well...I feel that way about my Bose products.

I was first introduced to Bose products when I bought my Pathfinder 10 years ago. It came with a 6-disc CD Bose stereo system. The sound was amazing and I was hooked.

After that initial exposure, I started researching Bose products. I became intrigued with the Bose Wave music system. In 2007 we were in Edmonton for a Basketball tournament for Katie and I discovered that WEM had a Bose store (the only one in western Canada at that time). I was like a kid in Disneyland and walked out with my own Bose wave music system. This changed the way we listened to music around the house. I bought the iPod connector and later a bluetooth connector which allows music to be streamed from directly from an iPod/iPhone or iTunes on the computer.

From there it was all downhill...I now have:

 Bose headphones,

Bose earbuds,

Bose companion speakers for the iMac,

a Bose SoundDock for the exercise room,

and of course, when it came to purchase a new car, the fact that the G37X came with a Bose stereo/speaker system, was the clincher.

While these products have not been inexpensive, I'm convinced they will last a long, long time and I think Dylan would be proud.

Let's see...maybe a Bose speaker system for the renovated family room?

This season's hot renovation idea

As most of you are aware, I have travelled quite a bit in the past year. I have gotten to know the inside of some airports really well, Calgary (YYC) and Vancouver (YVR) in particular. Seems like I cannot go anywhere unless I am travelling through either of those two airports.

With all this time in airports I have started to notice a trend in airport renovations. Airports are always renovated to keep their facilities up to date. (Wouldn't you if someone else was paying for it - i.e. unsuspecting fee tacked on to every travellers ticket price.) Well...this year I think the trend is bathroom renovations.

A concourse A washroom receiving "improvements" at YYC

Vancouver's international terminal washroom getting "updated"

Like I said, I have travelled enough that I have experienced the before, during and after versions of some of the facilities. Some of them have turned out really well (Federal law prohibits pictures from being taken inside washrooms or I would post them). 

Hmmm, my master bedroom bathroom needs updating. Maybe after I've finished the basement...

Logan

Lorri and I travelled to Portland last weekend to visit with Logan and his family. The weather was warm and sunny, the chinese food was amazing and holding my grandson for the first time was priceless. We were also able to participate as his father gave him a name and a blessing on Easter Sunday. Below are some pictures of the visit.

Grow Logan grow!

Kara

I have had the opportunity this weekend to visit little Kara and her parents. It has been fun. Here are some pictures.

Too bad I have to go home.

my love affair with chili

Mackenzie Hall

My love affair with chili began when I was an undergraduate student at the University of Alberta. I lived in residence my first two years and, as part of the meal plan, we were given phoney money called "script" (it looked kinda like Canadian Tire Money).

We could use this money in the main cafeteria in the residence or we could use it in any approved cafeteria on campus. This was handy because you really didn't want to trek back to the residence during the day just to have lunch, especially when it was -30C.

Most of my lectures in my first year were located on campus in either the Central Academic Building (CAB) or one of the adjoining buildings (Physics, Chemistry and Biology). CAB had a large cafeteria, probably the largest on campus, and that's where I ate my lunch most days.

Central Academic Building

The CAB cafeteria made an awesome chili. It was warm, tasty, came with a bun and hit the spot on a cold winter day (which was most days in Edmonton). It was also inexpensive, so fit the budget just right. It got to the point that I would have chili almost everyday. I did this for the better part of two years and afterwards I was hooked.

Since then, if I am in a cafeteria/restaurant for lunch, and it has chili as a menu option, I chose the chili.

When the kids were younger I use to make dinner every Sunday as a way of giving Lorri a break. Since I am not what you would call a culinary expert, I had to make something simple. Over time I perfected what I called "Dad's Famous Chili." I played with different spices until I got the recipe just right. I even used my recipe in a ward chili cook-off and won!

The chili love affair continues. As most of you know, my office is located in a building that has a Grandma Lee's Restaurant.

I have come to love their chill as a staple for lunch. I eat there so often that the staff start preparing my chili lunch as soon as they see me walking in. How predictable is that. Every once in a while I purposely order an egg salad sandwich, just to throw them off.

I guess my love of chill is hard to conceal, because for Christmas Sara gave me gift certificates to Grandma Lee's.

the year of travel

I got an email form Air Canada last week indicating that I had qualified for their "Prestige level" status for 2012 based on my travel for 2011. Apparently I had flown over 25 flight segments with Air Canada in 2011. I started to think about it and I guess I have traveled quite a bit.

There was 2 trips to Montreal, 

2 trips to Calgary, 

3 trips to Portland,

(to see my favourite grandson)

(one trip to Portland included a side trip to Victoria), 

and 1 trip to Vancouver. 

Add to those a West Jet trip to Ottawa 

 

another West jet trip to Hawaii 

and an Allegiant Air trip to Las Vegas 

and I guess I really have flown a lot this year! 

Hopefully my "prestige level" will provide me with some perks, like use of the Maple Leaf Lounge. Waiting for a flight in the Maple Leaf Lounge is like driving an Infiniti, once you've done it, you're ruined, you can never go back. 

hmm, maybe its time to fly again!

VEGAS II

When we were checking into our hotel (The Venetian) last week in Las Vegas the clerk at the counter said we were booked into one of the resorts "smallest" rooms and would we like to up-grade for an extra $40.00 a night. We said no, figuring we could "slum" it in a regular room. Besides the savings ($200.00 over the 5 nights) would help finance some of our entertainment plans.

I thought I would share some pictures of this "small room" so that I could garner some sympathy for having to slum it for 5 days.

king size bed

sunken living room

full sectional sofa

separate work station with printer/fax

three T.V.'s

4 piece marble bath

We tried our best to cope...all the while wondering what the upgrade would have been like.