My Boxing Day special
I’ve had some interesting Boxing Days in my past, but perhaps today will rank as one of the strangest. This morning, we woke up when The Monkey — who has become very adept at waking up before Mommy and Daddy — came …
2009th
2009s
Entries
83 items
Twas a couple of nights before Christmas
Not a lot of posts in a while, I know. We’ve been pretty busy since returning to Canada barely two weeks ago. We arrived late on the 8th, having spent 19 hours in transit from Costa Rica. It was dark, extremely cold, and …
You can never go home again
When I was a kid, I heard the phrase “you can never go home again”, but never understood it. I mean, I went home every day after school, so what was wrong with that? It wasn’t until I went to university that …
The trip home
Well, Monkey, we’re home now. I know it doesn’t seem like it to you, because you’ve lived in three different homes since you were born. But this house, the one in Calgary (where we’re currently adjusting to serious …
Adios, Costa Rica
Eighteen months ago, I set foot in Costa Rica. Not as a tourist (despite what my visa said), but to make a new life abroad. My family (Alex, Monkey, and Asia the Cat) would join me a month later. One big, happy family, …
T-minus one week and counting
One week from … well, right now, our plane leaves Juan Santamaria Airport, bound for Houston. If all our cards fall into place (which, so far, they are — I just hope they keep falling!), we’ll leave in good order. …
Taking a pet from Costa Rica
It figures, just when we thought we’d started to have everything figured out, we hit another snag. (There’s always another snag.) This time, it’s with Asia, our cat. Our problem is not with Canada — all they need is a …
Anyone want to buy a used car?
That ticking is getting louder, I tell ya. We’re officially out of the “long vacation” timeframe, and into the “standard” two week vacation timeframe. You know this one: enough time to fly to a …
Topics
My favourite trains (so far)
I rarely remember my dreams. I have to wake up in the middle of them to remember what they were about, and quite often I’m so tired that by the time I can get my mental faculties together to try and remember the dream, I …
To end, this shall
Today I watched the setting sun Golden fringed clouds Mustard streaks over the horizon I thought This, too, shall end I count in weeks Soon to be days Soon to be hours Then minutes The arms swirl forward …
Topics
3 weeks remaining in Costa Rica
Today marks 21 days until we leave Costa Rica. Three weeks. We officially enter a period of time that could be a “long vacation”. Sadly, a vacation is something we’re not going to be having. Instead, we have …
Topics
Overtime is not a solution
Every project is defined by a schedule. That schedule determines when certain tasks start and stop, when people enter and leave a project, and ultimately how much that project will cost (because, after all, time is …
Topics
Our last weekend away
Well, Monkey, we’re down to less than a month before we’re back home again. In fact, a month today you’ll (hopefully) be sound asleep in a bed in our home in Calgary. It’s hard to believe that this is actually ending. It …
Alberta communications companies suck
It’s about as official as it gets, now. We leave Costa Rica on 8 December. Which means that on the morning of 9 December, we’re going to be needing a few things. We’re trying to establish as much of that as we can …
Impossible is a four-letter word
‘Impossible’ is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible …
Topics
A trip to La Paz
Our time is dwindling in Costa Rica, Monkey. Our little experiment draws to a close in just over a month. That’s five weekends (not counting the one we just had — that would have made it six). Our Costa Rica …
Brother or sister?
Well, Monkey, today we’d hoped to find out whether or not your sibling-to-be will be a boy or a girl. At this point, we don’t know if you’ll have a little sister or a little brother. All we do know is that whatever the …
Some time in the Caribbean
Hey Monkey! Almost a year and a quarter ago, I brought you and Mommy so we could all be together here in Costa Rica. In that time, we’ve had the opportunity to do some travelling, but until this past week, we hadn’t ever …
I hate to leave you in the morning
The smile on your face outshines the sun as I walk into your room the sweet sound of “daddy” you tell me of your dreams in a language I don’t speak but the wonder is clear Changed and ready for the day to …
Topics
A good programmer is lazy, not stupid
I say this, in one form or another, to developers I manage. I’ve said it for years, and I’ll continue to say it until I’m proven horribly, horribly wrong. Which, until I leave this industry, is not likely to happen.My …
Day of the Ya Ya
Well, Monkey, today was your Ya Ya day. In case you don’t remember what “Ya Yas” are when you get around to reading this, this is your name for The Backyardigans. And a couple of weeks ago, Mommy noticed …
True story
As you know, I’m going to be moving back to Calgary in December. The exact timing for that is still being determined, but let’s just go with the broad stroke: we have a lot of stuff that needs to be done as part of …
Los Terribles 2
Well, Monkey, you’ve hit the period of your life that Mommy and I kind of hoped you’d side-step. Until recently, you showed every sign of being a Perfect Angel and not following lock-step with most other children. But …
How to win the next Canadian federal election
Dear Honourable Michael Ignatieff MP, I recently read a CBC article where you made public a video of Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper in less than a positive light. The article, including references to the video and a few …
WALL-E - What is Disney-Pixar not telling us?
I had an epiphany this morning as I waited for my carpool. I don’t know why it came to me, it just did. I can’t even remember how I got onto the thought. But as I stood there, I had the clear vision: There are no old …
Topics
O Canada, my home and native land
For anyone who’s been reading this blog for a while, you know two things: I currently live in Costa Rica. I’m Canadian. One of those things is about to change. Almost a year and 2/3 ago, I caught a rumour about Critical …
I'm legal!
I arrived in Costa Rica on 16 June 2008. I started the process to become a resident of Costa Rica over a month before that. All of our paperwork was handled to immigration lawyers. And we waited. And waited. And waited. …
Topics
Happy 2nd birthday, Monkey
Today, you turned 2, Monkey. It’s almost hard to believe that it’s been two years, and yet those two years seem to have disappeared in a blink. You’ve spent just over half of your life (to date) here in Costa Rica, and I …
Snot and coffee
Well, Monkey, the last week’s been quite the slog. Last Saturday, you started showing signs of being sick, having caught something from one of your schoolmates. It basically turned you into a bonafide snot factory. (One …
How to move your website
Okay, so you have a website. But somewhere along the line, you’ve realised you need to change your hosting vendor. It could be any number of a million reasons: Your company got really successful and your old vendor can’t …
Topics
How to host your own website (the simple version)
I’ve been around this internet thing for a long time, and I’ve set up probably far more than my share of websites (both for myself and my clients). After a while, setting up websites becomes largely a by-rote-memory …
Topics
You can't kill IE6
There’s been a massive upswelling of support for eliminating Internet Explorer 6 (IE6), the much-maligned former-heavyweight and former-saviour of the world that now lies as one of the worst pieces of web browsing …
Parenthood, round two?
Hey Monkey, today is an auspicious day. Today, with some luck, you’ve officially started being a Big Sister. Today, Mommy and I found out that we’re going to be parents again. Well, not that we aren’t already parents. …
Canadian citizenship questions are kinda funny
My friend Julia is getting ready to have her Canadian Citizenship test, as she’s tired of being merely a Permanent Resident, and now apparently wants to have more say in these taxes she’s been paying. To that end, she’s …
Topics
A (wet) birthday vacation
Well, Monkey, if your memory is any good, you should remember the last few days for the rest of your life. And not because you got to spend five uninterrupted days with your dad (remember, I just turned 37 … I’m …
...I'm not old
Happy birthday to me! 13,505 days and still counting! Whee!
Topics
Forty years from one step
Like almost everyone in my generation (who isn’t more than three years older than me) has lived in a world where humans have set foot on the moon. For us, this isn’t just an historical event — it’s a part of our culture. …
Topics
Diversions at Parque Diversiones
Well, Kiddo, today was a really fun day! Plans don’t always go according to plan, but there are those times when one plan ends up giving who new plans that are possibly even more fun than the original ones. I’d like to …
Stampede breakfast, Costa Rica style!
Right now on this very week, back in Calgary, AB, is the Calgary Stampede. It’s the largest outdoor show in the world (at least that’s the story). It usually means a massive influx of cowboy- and cowgirl-wannabes (among …
I wouldn't have done it that way
I’ve recently run into a common programming problem. While turning a development project over to another development agency, we heard that worst of comments: Why did you build it that way? It seems like a simple …
20 years of blogging (and Post
Well, okay, not so much “blogging” as journaling, but most of them are now online for everyone to ignore. Twenty years ago, I got to do something that (comparatively) very few westerners got to do, and will …
Topics
Odio pasar a un nuevo hogar
I hate moving. But you already know that. About two weeks ago, our first lease came due. This is when I had hoped to renegotiate our lease, as I felt the rent was about 33% higher than it really should have been. …
How to do offshore software development
North Americans are relentless at wanting things as cheap as possible. This drive is what has led many companies to look at using less expensive resources from other countries help bring down the costs of products and …
The "Power" of Word in Outlook
You may have come across a URL for a webpage that is (effectively) building a petition to Microsoft to correct HTML support in Outlook — and if you haven’t, just click on the link. The petition’s purpose is quite simple: …
Día del Padre en Costa Rica
Hey kiddo, Today was Father’s Day. Not just here in Costa Rica, but in many other places around the world. Today was a special day in many ways, notably in that you and I got to spend a lot of time together (sadly, …
A year in Costa Rica
This morning was cool and wet, something I can say with confidence to be a rarity here in the Central Valley region of Costa Rica. I can say this because today marks my first anniversary in Costa Rica. One year ago …
WordPress 2.8 acting weird?
I just finished a rather arduous upgrade from WordPress 2.7.1 to WordPress 2.8 (arduous only because I had to do a massive migration to get rid of a lot of old kruft in my previous WP install). But it’s acting really …
Topics
Failure is an option
One afternoon, a few years ago now, the head of my department uttered something completely heretical while we were in a fairly high-stressed meeting about some technical difficulties we were having on a project. It was …
Topics
Where to find great Indian in Costa Rica
Costa Rica is a long way from India. It’s also a long way from Vancouver and Calgary, which are the two places where I’ve come to really know and love Indian food. (It helps that both cities have large Indian …
Topics
How to handle a problem
Problems fill our daily lives. Sometimes they’re trivial (“where are my keys?”), sometimes they’re pretty significant (“how do I hide this dead body?”); sometimes you can solve them on your own …
Topics
A visit to the CIMA ER
This weekend past was not one of your healthier ones, Mi Pequeña Niña. On Saturday, we noticed your nose was running, and you were coughing again. We’ve almost come to expect this since you started going to school a few …
What I think of the new Star Trek movie
Last night, I saw J.J. Abrams’ re-envisioning of Star Trek. It didn’t suck. But I’m not about to stand up and laud the praise that so many others had. I’m not convinced it deserves it (or the #71 ranking in the IMDB’s …
The power of responsibility
With great power comes great responsibility. – Various sources I’m sure you’ve heard this quote before. It’s a good one, often used to reinforce the need for people to not slough off their priorities. Don’t get me …
Topics
A Day In My Life
Over the last (almost) year, I’ve had a number of people ask me what a regular day is like for me. It’s not an easy answer. First of all, there is no such thing as “regular” or “ordinary” in my …
The blinding effect of an ego
One of the most dangerous things for anyone to have is an unchecked ego. I say “dangerous” because egos lead to a significant number of problems between team members, and can even lead to teams being pitted …
Guanacaste Weekend
Hey Kiddo! You probably won’t remember any of this when you finally get around to reading this, so I’m going to slide you a few details of the weekend. 1 May in many parts of the world is known as “May Day”, …
The importance of delegation
Delegation is the act of assigning work to other people, generally people who report to you. It’s supposed to be a way to ensure that the right people are doing the right jobs, and that large pieces of work will …
Topics
Music industry's future - Creators and Performers
The music industry is falling apart. Not in the way your under-maintained 1991 economy car with rust spots is leaving a breadcrumb trail of broken parts, but in the way your high school clique drifted apart as everyone …
Which Beatles is better - British Invasion, or Studio?
The other day, as Mark was driving us to work, we were treated to Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da on Radio Dos as we were inching our way through the daily Lindora grind. I’ve heard this song at least 100 times (iTunes reports a mere …
Topics
Where Star Trek went wrong
Many years ago, I wrote an article for the University of Waterloo’s student newspaper, The Imprint, where I laid into Star Trek: Generations (page 24) as a not-so-great adaptation of a television show to a movie. To say …
Why didn't I get a promotion?
Aside from “I quit”, the worst thing a manager can hear from someone on their team is: “Why didn’t I get a promotion?” This is something I’ve run into a few times in my management career, and it’s …
Topics
The Failure of Offshoring
A couple of years ago, I engaged in my first offshore experience, when we hooked up with a small company out of Argentina to develop and deliver some additions to a website, including the addition of a simple CMS. It had …
Repetition breeds complacency
Last night, I was feeling a little reflective. (That sometimes happens after I’ve had a glass of wine. Or three.) It was dark, the lights out, and everyone else already in bed. I stood on my second-floor balcony …
Dear Murphy, Fuck off and die!
Yeah, Murphy, I’m talking to you. You’ve been dogging me now for 10 months, almost non-stop. You’ve always been there, hiding in the shadows, popping out every so often to cause a bit of havoc only to vanish again. …
9 years ... and counting
Today marks yet another notch on the belt of my career. Today, I’ve been at Critical Mass (or within the Critical Mass family, anyway) for nine years. It’s weird. Very weird. I’m actually having trouble comprehending …
I'm just a "passionate" guy
I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m sorry that I mad you cry, I didn’t want to hurt you, I’m just an “passionate” guy. – With apologies to John Lennon I won’t lie. Things haven’t been easy here in Costa Rica. …
A few of my favourite movies
I’ve had a lot of people ask me over the years what movies I have in my Top 10 (or Top 5 or Top 3) list. There’s a lot of good movies out there, and a number of them definitely get listed among my favourites. But make no …
Topics
Yes, I'm still alive
You’re probably looking at the datestamp of my previous entry and wondering: Where the heck has that loser Geoff disappeared to? Well, much to your chagrin (or reassurance, depending on your point of view), I’m still …
Topics
I missed the 2009 Oscars
Crap. I just realised that I missed this year’s Academy Awards. I’ve been so bloody busy I totally forgot when they were on. Damn. I love watching them, too. I suck.
Topics
On your first days of school
Hey kiddo! I know I haven’t written to you since your first birthday. That’s not good for me to do, but sadly your father has been a very busy person in the last few months. That’s not an excuse — there is no excuse for …
RTV passed (though it shouldn't have)
This morning, I made a return visit to the RTV to redo the test I failed last week. I woke up even earlier than last time (the “normal” evil traffic has returned to Lindora, and I didn’t want to be late), …
Topics
Toronto in March!
It’s been over seven months since we moved to Costa Rica, and being separated from family and friends at such a distance isn’t easy. So we’re going to swing back for a few days and have a wee visit with a few people. …
25 Coffees
For those of you keeping track — and I know there are those of you who do (you freaks!) — I’ve officially reached coffee #25. I’m drinking it as I write this, in order to combat a serious lack of sleep brought on by …
Topics
RTV failed
It goes to figure: Even though Costa Rica seems to lack things like good traffic control, traffic laws that people take seriously (though that’s beginning to change with some of the new laws that have been introduced …
Topics
Chinglish in Costa Rica
Mi Pequeña Niña has a surrogate grandmother, a lovely woman by the name of Vicki. And, no, I don’t know her last name. All I do know of Vicki is that she’s an international school teacher, had arrived from Syria a couple …
Visiting Villa Blanca
Alex’s birthday was yesterday (she just turned 29, in case you’re keeping track … ‘cuz we’re not), and as tradition holds, she got to choose where we went to celebrate. Well, at least it’s a tradition we’re going …
My 10 favourite cover songs
In the annals of music, there will always the be homage to the giants that came before, who created the sound, and inspired the ones yet to come. That usually lends to things like the ubiquitous cover track — a …
Topics
First crack at my own theme
After years of using other people’s themes — some very good and some that left a bad taste in my mouth — I decided it’s high time to get off my arse and build my own. Especially after seeing Schiller’s most recent …
Topics
A (literally) crappy weekend
Well, you already know that Mi Pequeña Niña had an incident earlier this week. Apparently she was not meant to be alone in sickness, and on Friday night, I got to join in the fun. That is, if you can call running to a …
Hell of a good scare
Well, we just had a doozy of a startle. Costa Rica just had an official 6.1 magnitude earthquake (originally estimated by the USGS as a 6.2), with an epicentre about 10km east of the Poas volcano. That’s less than 10 km …
Topics
Dealing with our first illness
Yesterday, Mi Pequeña Niña was sick. Not the sniffly, sneezy, coughy kind of sick (she has yet to get a cold [insert sound of me knocking on wood here]) — but the worse kind of sick. Things coming back up kind of sick. …
2008, A Year in Review
Hasta la vista, 2008! You were a tough year in the life, and while you certainly gave me a good run, I’m not unhappy to see you go. You’ve lead me further down the road of fatherhood, brought me back dear old friends, …
Topics
New Year's Eve in Costa Rica
We might not have spent Christmas in Costa Rica this year, but we sure as heck spent New Years here. Not that we went out for any sort of partying, I should say — things in Costa Rica are a little different than back in …