It's a funny thing, coming home after being away for so long. A word on the topic of old friends. I'm finding people who were friends of mine before i left, even some who i haven't had much to do with since high school- rightly or wrongly i'm dropping them a line and hoping to get back together for a drink or whatever. So far it's been really fun and positve. Obviously they've all moved on in some ways and who knows if we are even on the same page anymore. Who knows if we would be had i stayed- could we have grown apart? (This has suddenly taken a turn for the "Doogie Houser journal"). Anyhow met up with my old college buddy Ryan last night, and met his wife for the first time. We all got along famously, which is wonderful- I was a little nervous, not a lot! I'm looking forward to hanging with him again soon, and his missus. Let's see who else we can dig up..... :) Oh yeah.... that picture is my brother in law Tom by the coast of Monteray, California. I made him wait ages for a wave to come. Then he got soaked when one did! - Kev 

Unemployment Diary: Day whatever. Days can really fill up quickly if you aren't careful. You make your plans and get into one or two distractions and you find the day gets away from you. Anyhow, after few bites on the old resume, I've completely revamped it, particularly the cover letter. I'm seeing an old friend from college tonight who will invest in me some books and stuff so I can brush up on my well outdated skills, things like .NET and the like which people seem to be gagging for out there. Or i could just tend bar :) Here's me in Henry Cowell State park admiring a big old redwood- this one as tall as the statue of liberty, so sayeth the pamphlet. -Kev 

OK this guy with me in the picture is one of those uncles-whose-not-really-your-uncle-but-you-call-him-uncle-even-when-you-are-thirty kind of guy. This is "Uncle" Eugine Nash, who never missed a birthday of mine all my life. He used to work on the reconnisance planes during WWII, he speciallized in the wood frames you see he's resting his hand on. Anyhow he took me to the warplane museum just up the road in Mount Hope, and that's a lancaster you see on the right. If you've got to go somewhere like this, you want to take a guy like "Uncle" Nash! 

Happy Birthday Nicole!! Our good friend Nicole turned 30 yesterday. Her husband JT slipped us the keys and while they were at work we did a geurilla decorating of the place. The big picture you see in the background was done with a fantastic website called The Rasterbator (http://homokaasu.org/rasterbator/) where you can upload a photo and have it print out over many pages. That's about 20 sheets of computer paper all stuck together- it came out pretty good! There is a wicked gallery at this website, so check it out. It isn't long before you're wondering what art you can pull. 

www.sorryeverybody.com - A classic website of national apology. 

"My friends, there is a time to act, and a time to think, and this is NO time to think!" And with those stiring words, i must spring into action. Or play some more CounterStrike. One or the other. But it's time to get serious about this whole "Looking for work" thing. This whole "Shotgun" approach to bombarding recruiters with resumes doesn't seem to have the same effect as it did 4 years ago. I must endear my shining person to a few chosen ones. And i will. Right after another game of Counterstrike. The above photo was taken in SanFrancisco, by the pier. THese guys were GOOD. 

Point du'Hoc, Normandy 

The monument reads: HERE ON THE 6TH JUNE 1944 EUROPE WAS LIBERATED BY THE HEROISM OF THE ALLIED FORCES. 

A Canadian DD "Swimming" Tank, recovered from the ocean floor off the beaches of Normandy. 

Memorial at Juno Beach, Normandy, France. 

Hey It's November 11th. Rememberance Day for you Americans- today we remember the servicemen and women who gave their lives for our Country, particualary in the 1st and 2nd World War. I've always been fascinated by WW2, and a couple years ago I had the privilage of taking a camping trip out to Normandy with my brother Tom. So this guy you see in the picture above is a hero. His name is Mr. Paul and he's from Kingston Ontario. I met him at the Juno Beach centre, in Normandy. It was not his first trip; Mr. Paul stormed Juno beach with other brave Canadians on June 6, 1944. A true romantic, Mr. Paul was the first soldier to marry a french girl and brought her back to Canada. Here's to Mr. Paul and the thousands of other vets out there. Thank you. 

The advice of the day is- if you loose your mind and decide you want to ride a bike down the coast of the bay, over the bridge and come back on the ferry --- DON'T DO IT ON A TANDEM BIKE. Sanfranciso is not Saskathewan. There are enormous hills. These are not condusive to this hellspawn device. You will end up exhausted, and if you aren't careful, divorced. 

OK The election is over, i've calmed down a bit and gotten a LITTLE used to 4 more years, fine and dandy. See how fickle i am? how easily i forget? all those days of watching debates and learning all the issues, and it went to poopville, i was annoyed, but now i'm back to my old self. how nice. nice nice nice. 

The word of the day is : RUBBISH. Just when you thought your obnoxious neighbors were moving out, turns out they are going to be staying there for FOUR MORE YEARS. Great. Well, could be worse-- it could be my country. Well done down south for voting away your healthcare, your social services, your pension. Nice job alienating yourselves further from the rest of the world, making Koyoto useless, land mine treaties meaningless, the UN powerless. Did you vote the issues, or just best looking guy? Anyhow. How bout them BoSox? You guys are gonna love it when Hillary is your prez in 4 years! So will I. - Kev 

Oh boy, elections are so close I'm on pins & needles. Driving across the USA we got the full political spectrum of opinions- pretty much the expected cliche- middle of the country was very pro-Bush, California very pro-Kerry. Here we are on "the pier" in santa cruz. We are watching "The VP Debate" between Chaney and Edwards on a TV that's at a fishbar outside- that's also licensed. The guy on the right, bless him, was very personable and amusing, and he cheered every time Dick Chaney mumbled something silly, or looked silly, which in this debate he did quite a lot of. When he realised we were just as amused as he was, he bought us each a beer and we enjoyed the debate together- what a nice guy!! I had a great chat with him after the debate while charlotte spoke with a crazy homeless man who thought that Joe Strummer from the Clash was not dead but controlling the world through brain waves. When we ran into mr Brainwave later that week he was sure Charlotte was a british secret agent. But i digress. It was this encounter that reinforced something Micheal Moore once said- Americans are great. You meet an American, by him or herself, and you'll have a great time. It's when you get a whole bunch of them together into a country that they really start doing silly things. Anyhow, here's to you, anonymous beer buying man!!