Don't you hate it when you wake up in the morning and your computer is trashed? By trashed I mean nothing is working correctly. That even though you have been anal about your firewalls and virus protection, you still get a stuffed up machine.

Well anyway it appears I am going to be spending a good chunk of time rebuilding my machine from scratch. Should be sort of fun, in a time wasted sort of way.

It is simply annoying as I had the machine set up exactly how I wanted it.

If you go in for argument, take care of your temper. Your logic, if you have any, will take care of itself.

I forgot to make note of this last week so I will today!

Friday night Eric and I went on the Renton to Columbia Winery, Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. We were witness to one of those murder mysteries, which was corny but fun.

I had a wonderful stuffed chicken breast and Eric had a steak. We both followed it up with chocolate cake while ampling supplying ourselves with wine during the meal.

The train stopped at the winery and there was a brief tour and time to purchase wine or gifts at the store there.

It was a great night! I recommend the dinner train, but only do the murder mystery part if that is your sort of thing!

It was a great

If we are lucky, we can give in and rest without feeling guilty. We can stop doing and concentrate on being.

We had a great day today. Seven Miata's went in convoy to Leavenworth, a small bavarian town in the mountains an hour or two outside Seattle.

I was lucky enough to carry the Princess of Kingston (Caitlin?). She was resplendent in her formal dress, and for her age held herself well. It was a pleasure and fun to carry her around the 2 mile parade course.

Now when the Miata Club does a parade we do not simple drive the royalty around the course at snails pace! No we decorate the cars with flowers and fit the pop-up lights with 'eyes'. This delights the parade viewers. We also toot our horns and loop around (thanks to the Miata's tight turning circle). Mike Springer even drives most of the parade backwards!

After the parade we walked the town, had a great lunch at Gustav's, and then found the Australian Store (what it was doing ina Bavarian town is beyond me) where I stocked up on Mint Slices, Fantales and Golden Syrup. In the Aussie store I met a lady from Brisbane who reminded me of the fact that Brisbane just won their third consecutive premiership (Australian Rules Football). At least Collingwood didn't win!

Needless to say on the way home I ate a fantale, tonight I will have a mint slice with my coffee and tomorrow morning I am having pancakes with my golden syrup!

Love what you do and do what you love!

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

I only drink fortified wines during bad weather. Snowstorm, hurricane, tornado--I'm not particular, as long as it's bad. After all, any storm for a Port.

I investigated my dodgy speaker in my Miata. With any bass it would reverberate horribly, so I would turn the bass down completely. I opened the paneling and found that both my door speakers were totally shot. What can you expect for an older car? I figured I would just go out and get a new set eventually. However upon telling Eric of my problem he produced a pair of perfect speakers he had on hand, which he graciously helped me install in my Miata! Now I have great sound.

Go and buy a Miata. It will make Eric happy. Then sign up for the Puget Sound Miata Club, which will make Eric even happier!

This weekend I am doing my first parade in my own car. Leavenworth somewhere around here in Washington. It is a small Bavarian town and should be a great day. I shall report on it later!

I heard about this anti-Bush site on Leno. I thought it was an interesting use of a domain name! Go see what it is.

Well the trip down on day three was a crapper. It was foggy again so I was busy concentrating on the road, until a state trooper flashed his lights and pulled me over. After being slapped with a fine for speeding I took off again.

Upon arrival I found out that the guiding workshop I wanted to attend had been canceled. So I attended a Eating for Endurance and then the second part of the wind and waves class. Both were interesting and informative classes and I learnt a lot. However my mind was not on it as much thanks to my earlier mess with the law!

The drive home was interesting yet uneventful. Eric took Janice and I out for a monster burger at the Hi-U-Heni (or however you spell it).

I think I shall sleep in tomorrow! That always makes things seem better!

Day Two of the Symposium started with a fog bound drive up to Port Townsend in my Miata. A fun way to start the day!

A slightly longer day with four classroom sessions. The first I attended was entitled 'Sea Kayaking and Liability'. It was an interesting look at the legalities involved with paddling. whether it be with a group of friends, as a volunteer or as a paid instructor. I personally learnt some interesting things I will need to know if I go into guiding in any way, shape or form.

The next session was one I was really looking forward too, Wooden Kayak construction. Although the method explained was strip building instead of the easier stitch and glue that I will use, it was still a very interesting class. One day I may have a go at a strip kayak but for now I want to try my hand at the easier to build and cheaper kits. Besides the endless pieces of advice applicable to any form of construction, and the tips on picking a boat that suits your needs, Eric the instructor showed us how to apply fiberglass. This was something I was a bit unsure of undertaking but now I feel comfortable with being able to complete this task.

I ventured into Port Townsend for lunch. I had a wonderful Italian sub as I sat by the fountain. I also had a wander around the Farmers Market. I even took some sneaky shots of some jewelery for Janice to see. You see Janice wants to sell her jewelery at such a market. Call it industrial espionage if you will.

After I got back to Fort Worden, I decided to attend the first part of a two part seminar on how waves and wind effect you when kayaking. Although more applicable to the bigger seas found on the east coast, I learn a lot of useful techniques and information that will hopefully make me a safer kayaker.

I finished the day with a trip down to the beach to see a kayak sailing demonstration. It was interesting to see how this particular type of sail worked. I am sure I will eventually get one, but first I better build the kayak!

After a great day, it was nice to put the top down and cruise back to Eric's.

This is my first year in the northwest and therefore it is the first year I have had the opportunity to attend the symposium. This one happens to be the 20th annual one, and I have the t-shirt to prove it!

It is a 3 day sea kayaking extravaganza with classes, demonstrations, exhibitors and just about anything that has to do with sea kayaking. I will blog about each day, starting now with the first.

After registration I started the day by attending a class on tides and currents. We covered how to interrupt tide books and charts. I had already been taught this by Casey, who obviously is more of an expert on this subject than she professes too, as I was able to understand and knew everything that was covered. The only thing new to me was reading the charts that have the currents and tides marked on them. We finished the class by planning a trip in the San Juan's, Friday Harbor to Strawberry Island in a day. I thought it was a trick question as it is a long paddle for just one day! However we seemed to come up with an acceptable solution that had us carried by the currents. It ended up being a fun and informative class that strengthened my skills in the navigation area.

When the class ended I went and had a look at all of the indoor retailers. The magazines, equipment outfitters and the like. It looks like I will be subscribes

After a light lunch I had prepared earlier, I wandered down to the beach where all the boat exhibitors were. There were no classes or demonstrations running but there was a sea of people trying kayaks out. I never knew there were so many different types and designs. Tomorrow I will head back down to the Pygmy display and talk to the guys about the one I want to build. There was another wooden kayak company and they wanted to try and convince me to use their models. I will talk to him tomorrow and see what his selling points are, as his models were a lot more expensive.

After wandering the beach it was time to hit the classrooms again. I attended the Survival Skills class followed by a class that developed your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense'.

The first class was interesting and taught the K.I.S.S.W.E.T. concept. That stands for....hmmm let me think...
K =....
I=Injuries, do you have any?
S=Shelter, build one!
S=Fire cant remember why it was S though - maybe Signal - for help
W=Water, you die quick without it, but you can last up to 30 days without food!
E=Energy, look for food if you can
T- Theatre (or you can use P for Play), you should play to keep your mind active and to stop freaking out over the situation

In all this was a great class with many great anecdotal stories thrown in.

The second class was suppose to aid you in developing your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense' but in reality it was more of a 'use common sense and know your bounds' class. The speaker was encouraged to use more of his stories to share his experience as these were the most interesting part of the class. He had many more years experience than the rest of us!

In all it was a great day. I cannot wait for days tow and three.

From the Herald Sun Newspaper

THERE would be no flatulence tax on farm animals, Premier Steve Bracks ruled yesterday.

National Party leader Peter Ryan sought Mr Bracks' assurance after telling Parliament such a proposed tax in New Zealand had led to the formation of a group called Farmers Against Ridiculous Taxes.
"Will the Premier rule out ever introducing such a tax in Victoria?" Mr Ryan asked.

"A F.A.R.T tax will not be supported by our Government," Mr Bracks replied.

National Party Agriculture spokesman, Peter Walsh, later said the pledge would bring relief to worried farmers.

I was introduced to Guster when my ex-wife took me to a Barenaked Ladies concert at Universal Studios in California. Guster were the opening act and really set the feel for the night.

Ever since that performance I have been a fan. There latest release is called 'Keep it Together'and you may have even heard their single Amsterdam on the radio. The album is a collection of great songs that always lift my day as I drive along.

The guys have a great web site where you can sample and buy their music and merchandise. The latest album is enhanced and has some fun flash movies incorporated with the Amsterdam single.

Check them out at Guster.com

I cannot believe I am sitting here working away at my newsletter while watching a game of baseball. I am actually growing attached to the Mariners.

If you are a regular reader of my blog or newsletter you will know that I am a big fan of Instant Messaging (IM). As my friends, family and workmates all subscribe to different types of IM (ICQ, Yahoo, AOL, MSN) I use Trillian as my unified messenger. It sits open on my desktop whether I am here or not, and allows me to keep abreast of what everyone is up to.

I took the plunge a while ago and shelled out the US$25 for a Pro license. Let me tell you it was well worth it. It gives you access to a more robust and feature laden version of Trillian along with access to the Trillian online community. Here you can get plugins that make Trillian an even more comprehensive tool. I have added int he RSS, world time and quick launch modules.

I have just taken there new version 2.0 through its paces (I did try it at beta stage briefly as well), and it installs over 1.0 like a charm, keeping all of my previous settings. It also has improvements on its container management and connectivity with the various services.

To find out more or download Trillian Pro or Basic (free) go to:
http://www.trillian.cc/

Well it has been decided. I am just going to have to buy a part of Decatur Island. Expensive? Sort of. Gorgeous? Definitely. Peaceful? Always, with the exception of when it is foggy and the state ferries are blowing their horns.

We went to Decatur Island to check out some property we kayaked past a few weeks ago. The property has wonderful waterfront views, and will be ideal for a Bed and Breakfast. It will also avail us the beach landing we need for kayaking. Better yet is the fact that the island is small, sparsely populated, and off the state ferry route. The locals were friendly and helpful. However most importantly there are Internet connection possibilities. In fact a neighbor will be employee 500 from Amazon.

After spending most of the day on Decatur, we headed back to Anacortes for the state ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The idea was Decatur and San Juan Island Weekend to see Orca's although they were not about. However we saw the English and American camps from the Pig War, which decided the sovereignty of the San Juans. We had a couple of great meals on the island. Taking the SUV over there was a great move as it allowed us to see just about every part of the island.

The San Juans, such a an idealic place!

You are going to let the fear of poverty govern you life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.

Here is a simple way to loose weight.

When you feel full this is your bodies way of telling you it has all the food it needs to fuel you for the moment. Allow your body to process the food. If you keep eating all the food offered or available to you, your body will think it needs to 'store up' for later.

This technical should be applied particularly at family gatherings and potluck lunches and dinners where there is a plethora of great food on offer.

This has been your weight management guru speaking.

Ok so there were not any garden gnomes involved really but I am sure they were off in the woods watching and wondering what on earth was going on last weekend.

I was out and about helping my friend do some landscaping for their mother. There were stepping stones, pea gravel, vines, trellis and a lot of tools involved.

Now the vision the mother (I won't mention any names like Ann) has for this assortment of gardening items was somewhat different to how it had been explained to me originally. However I think the concept of hiding the shed with the trellis and vines and keeping the weeds down in the garden bed with the pea gravel and stepping stones will work well. Although what gets me is that the plants aren't sitting in the garden bed but rather are sitting outside the garden bed.

Anyway it was an interesting way to spend a Sunday.

I hope said mother gets a kick out of this blog entry.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence.

Works of imagination should be written in very plain language; the more purely imaginative they are the more necessary it is to be plain.

We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.

Some days you just were not meant to wake up. Well at least it would have been better to stay in bed!

I woke up this morning and rushed to put out the recycling as I could hear the truck on its way. However I fell down the stairs instead, which did not really hurt until I had a shower and the carpet burn became evident!

Then to add insult to injury I spun out in my Miata this morning after hitting a slick spot. No injury or harm done to the car or myself, however I would have preferred to do such a maneuver on a closed circuit rather than a busy road.

There have a been a couple of other crappy things happen but alas that is the past and the rest of the day looks great. I am off to see a Mariners game tonight. I was not a big baseball fan before I came here and I am still not that into it. However I like the atmosphere of a big game, it is quite the social event.

We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.

Hitch your wagon to a star.

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.

Well here is a journal like entry for the amazing kayaking weekend that I just got back from yesterday. It was a 4 day, 3 night paddle into the San Juan Islands. The weather was glorious!

DAY ONE - Anacortes to James Island

We drove down to Anacortes in the Miata, which was packed to the brim with supplies and camping equipment. A short stop at A&W for an early lunch and then we paid for the kayak at the shop before picking it up at the back marina. In hindsight taking a car that would have allowed us to take off from Rosario Strait would have made life a little easier. However I digress, we started our paddle at noon and crossed Geumes Channel to avoid ferries and other boat traffic. It is quite a challenge to paddle across a large body of water in a tiny kayak with large boats, larger ferries and speed boats causing all sorts of wake.
I only got more daunting when we crossing Bellingham Strait, however by the time we needed to cross Rosario Strait I was so tired and sore that we turned toward James Island and paddled our way across to the island.

James Island is a great little island that is a state park and has a Washington Water Trails site for paddlers, moorings for larger boats and a dock. There are three distinctly different camping areas that each have their own benefits. This night we were up high on the saddle.

Absolutely stuffed after a days paddling we dined on Angel-hair Pasta and Chicken in a creamy Alfredo and mushroom sauce. Just because you camp doesn't mean you cannot eat well! Oh and a nice bottle of white wine didn't hurt either!

DAY TWO - James Island to Spencer Spit

Thick fog greeted us on day two. It did not clear completely all day, but by noon we were able to leave bay. Before leaving though we had some wonderful egg muffins!

The plan was to ride the currents up to Doe Island. Currents and tides were something I had never encountered paddling in rivers, but around the islands here they make a lot of difference to your paddling experience!

We crossed Thatcher Pass in good time and broke early for a nice lunch on a deserted beach. We watched a sea otter playing in the kelp, while he kept an eye on us.

We headed up the coast of Blakley Island, then started heading up toward Doe Island however we realized we were both tired and changed our plans to head to Spencer Spit. So we turned down Pevine Pass and across the top of the island. Somewhere along the way we picked up a seal which tailed us for the rest of the trip. It was fun to see him bob up every now and then checking us out as we rounded the island.

We had to give way to a sea plane taxiing out to take off, which was an impressive site! Another impressive site were the waterfront homes we passed. Most had views to die for, while they obviously did not change the landscape or trees at all, which was great to see!

We eventually made it down to Spencer Spit, where absolutely every power and sail boat (I counted 47) had moored for Sunday night. Besides us however the Water Trails site was empty.

On the beach we dined on Gnocchi and then more Angel-hair (thanks to a draining incident!) and drowned our sorrows with a bottle of red wine!

DAY THREE - Spencer Spit to James Island

We started the day with another muffin or two and then walked over to Lopez Village to hit the bakery and coffee shop. After an hours walk we were disappointed to find out that the coffee shop had been sold and then gone out of business, however the bakery (an island institution) served us a great lunch!

We hit the other coffee shop that was not that amazing, tried to find a taxi, then started to walk back to the Spit. A lady in a station wagon picked us up and took us some of the way which helped us to no end as our legs were weary!

We then packed up and caught the current back to James Island. The seal joined us again. The paddle was nice. I tried to use my kite to pull us along but the wind was all over the place, so it did not work at all. We picked out some waterfront property that might be a nice buy. Then we hit the island, and chased Aaron the Heron around it, solitary and alone except for a couple of sailing boats moored at the dock.

We had a great stir-fry for dinner and watched the sun set over the back of the island, before heading off for bed.

DAY FOUR - James Island to Anacortes

We woke early and ate the rest of our food. We were happy to see that the water was flat and the wind was nonexistent.

We headed off and the paddle was easy until we hit Guemas Straight and the wind picked up. We battled against a current and a head wind but eventually made it back to the beach we headed off from four days earlier.

Sore and tired we cleaned the kayak, packed the Miata and headed back to A&W for a great lunch. Two hours later we were back in Seattle soaking in a hot tub.

This was a fantastic trip and the first of many. Next time we hope to have our own wooden boat constructed to use.

When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.

Don't you hate it when you wake up in the morning and your computer is trashed? By trashed I mean nothing is working correctly. That even though you have been anal about your firewalls and virus protection, you still get a stuffed up machine.

Well anyway it appears I am going to be spending a good chunk of time rebuilding my machine from scratch. Should be sort of fun, in a time wasted sort of way.

It is simply annoying as I had the machine set up exactly how I wanted it.

If you go in for argument, take care of your temper. Your logic, if you have any, will take care of itself.

I forgot to make note of this last week so I will today!

Friday night Eric and I went on the Renton to Columbia Winery, Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. We were witness to one of those murder mysteries, which was corny but fun.

I had a wonderful stuffed chicken breast and Eric had a steak. We both followed it up with chocolate cake while ampling supplying ourselves with wine during the meal.

The train stopped at the winery and there was a brief tour and time to purchase wine or gifts at the store there.

It was a great night! I recommend the dinner train, but only do the murder mystery part if that is your sort of thing!

It was a great

If we are lucky, we can give in and rest without feeling guilty. We can stop doing and concentrate on being.

We had a great day today. Seven Miata's went in convoy to Leavenworth, a small bavarian town in the mountains an hour or two outside Seattle.

I was lucky enough to carry the Princess of Kingston (Caitlin?). She was resplendent in her formal dress, and for her age held herself well. It was a pleasure and fun to carry her around the 2 mile parade course.

Now when the Miata Club does a parade we do not simple drive the royalty around the course at snails pace! No we decorate the cars with flowers and fit the pop-up lights with 'eyes'. This delights the parade viewers. We also toot our horns and loop around (thanks to the Miata's tight turning circle). Mike Springer even drives most of the parade backwards!

After the parade we walked the town, had a great lunch at Gustav's, and then found the Australian Store (what it was doing ina Bavarian town is beyond me) where I stocked up on Mint Slices, Fantales and Golden Syrup. In the Aussie store I met a lady from Brisbane who reminded me of the fact that Brisbane just won their third consecutive premiership (Australian Rules Football). At least Collingwood didn't win!

Needless to say on the way home I ate a fantale, tonight I will have a mint slice with my coffee and tomorrow morning I am having pancakes with my golden syrup!

Love what you do and do what you love!

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

I only drink fortified wines during bad weather. Snowstorm, hurricane, tornado--I'm not particular, as long as it's bad. After all, any storm for a Port.

I investigated my dodgy speaker in my Miata. With any bass it would reverberate horribly, so I would turn the bass down completely. I opened the paneling and found that both my door speakers were totally shot. What can you expect for an older car? I figured I would just go out and get a new set eventually. However upon telling Eric of my problem he produced a pair of perfect speakers he had on hand, which he graciously helped me install in my Miata! Now I have great sound.

Go and buy a Miata. It will make Eric happy. Then sign up for the Puget Sound Miata Club, which will make Eric even happier!

This weekend I am doing my first parade in my own car. Leavenworth somewhere around here in Washington. It is a small Bavarian town and should be a great day. I shall report on it later!

I heard about this anti-Bush site on Leno. I thought it was an interesting use of a domain name! Go see what it is.

Well the trip down on day three was a crapper. It was foggy again so I was busy concentrating on the road, until a state trooper flashed his lights and pulled me over. After being slapped with a fine for speeding I took off again.

Upon arrival I found out that the guiding workshop I wanted to attend had been canceled. So I attended a Eating for Endurance and then the second part of the wind and waves class. Both were interesting and informative classes and I learnt a lot. However my mind was not on it as much thanks to my earlier mess with the law!

The drive home was interesting yet uneventful. Eric took Janice and I out for a monster burger at the Hi-U-Heni (or however you spell it).

I think I shall sleep in tomorrow! That always makes things seem better!

Day Two of the Symposium started with a fog bound drive up to Port Townsend in my Miata. A fun way to start the day!

A slightly longer day with four classroom sessions. The first I attended was entitled 'Sea Kayaking and Liability'. It was an interesting look at the legalities involved with paddling. whether it be with a group of friends, as a volunteer or as a paid instructor. I personally learnt some interesting things I will need to know if I go into guiding in any way, shape or form.

The next session was one I was really looking forward too, Wooden Kayak construction. Although the method explained was strip building instead of the easier stitch and glue that I will use, it was still a very interesting class. One day I may have a go at a strip kayak but for now I want to try my hand at the easier to build and cheaper kits. Besides the endless pieces of advice applicable to any form of construction, and the tips on picking a boat that suits your needs, Eric the instructor showed us how to apply fiberglass. This was something I was a bit unsure of undertaking but now I feel comfortable with being able to complete this task.

I ventured into Port Townsend for lunch. I had a wonderful Italian sub as I sat by the fountain. I also had a wander around the Farmers Market. I even took some sneaky shots of some jewelery for Janice to see. You see Janice wants to sell her jewelery at such a market. Call it industrial espionage if you will.

After I got back to Fort Worden, I decided to attend the first part of a two part seminar on how waves and wind effect you when kayaking. Although more applicable to the bigger seas found on the east coast, I learn a lot of useful techniques and information that will hopefully make me a safer kayaker.

I finished the day with a trip down to the beach to see a kayak sailing demonstration. It was interesting to see how this particular type of sail worked. I am sure I will eventually get one, but first I better build the kayak!

After a great day, it was nice to put the top down and cruise back to Eric's.

This is my first year in the northwest and therefore it is the first year I have had the opportunity to attend the symposium. This one happens to be the 20th annual one, and I have the t-shirt to prove it!

It is a 3 day sea kayaking extravaganza with classes, demonstrations, exhibitors and just about anything that has to do with sea kayaking. I will blog about each day, starting now with the first.

After registration I started the day by attending a class on tides and currents. We covered how to interrupt tide books and charts. I had already been taught this by Casey, who obviously is more of an expert on this subject than she professes too, as I was able to understand and knew everything that was covered. The only thing new to me was reading the charts that have the currents and tides marked on them. We finished the class by planning a trip in the San Juan's, Friday Harbor to Strawberry Island in a day. I thought it was a trick question as it is a long paddle for just one day! However we seemed to come up with an acceptable solution that had us carried by the currents. It ended up being a fun and informative class that strengthened my skills in the navigation area.

When the class ended I went and had a look at all of the indoor retailers. The magazines, equipment outfitters and the like. It looks like I will be subscribes

After a light lunch I had prepared earlier, I wandered down to the beach where all the boat exhibitors were. There were no classes or demonstrations running but there was a sea of people trying kayaks out. I never knew there were so many different types and designs. Tomorrow I will head back down to the Pygmy display and talk to the guys about the one I want to build. There was another wooden kayak company and they wanted to try and convince me to use their models. I will talk to him tomorrow and see what his selling points are, as his models were a lot more expensive.

After wandering the beach it was time to hit the classrooms again. I attended the Survival Skills class followed by a class that developed your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense'.

The first class was interesting and taught the K.I.S.S.W.E.T. concept. That stands for....hmmm let me think...
K =....
I=Injuries, do you have any?
S=Shelter, build one!
S=Fire cant remember why it was S though - maybe Signal - for help
W=Water, you die quick without it, but you can last up to 30 days without food!
E=Energy, look for food if you can
T- Theatre (or you can use P for Play), you should play to keep your mind active and to stop freaking out over the situation

In all this was a great class with many great anecdotal stories thrown in.

The second class was suppose to aid you in developing your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense' but in reality it was more of a 'use common sense and know your bounds' class. The speaker was encouraged to use more of his stories to share his experience as these were the most interesting part of the class. He had many more years experience than the rest of us!

In all it was a great day. I cannot wait for days tow and three.

From the Herald Sun Newspaper

THERE would be no flatulence tax on farm animals, Premier Steve Bracks ruled yesterday.

National Party leader Peter Ryan sought Mr Bracks' assurance after telling Parliament such a proposed tax in New Zealand had led to the formation of a group called Farmers Against Ridiculous Taxes.
"Will the Premier rule out ever introducing such a tax in Victoria?" Mr Ryan asked.

"A F.A.R.T tax will not be supported by our Government," Mr Bracks replied.

National Party Agriculture spokesman, Peter Walsh, later said the pledge would bring relief to worried farmers.

I was introduced to Guster when my ex-wife took me to a Barenaked Ladies concert at Universal Studios in California. Guster were the opening act and really set the feel for the night.

Ever since that performance I have been a fan. There latest release is called 'Keep it Together'and you may have even heard their single Amsterdam on the radio. The album is a collection of great songs that always lift my day as I drive along.

The guys have a great web site where you can sample and buy their music and merchandise. The latest album is enhanced and has some fun flash movies incorporated with the Amsterdam single.

Check them out at Guster.com

I cannot believe I am sitting here working away at my newsletter while watching a game of baseball. I am actually growing attached to the Mariners.

If you are a regular reader of my blog or newsletter you will know that I am a big fan of Instant Messaging (IM). As my friends, family and workmates all subscribe to different types of IM (ICQ, Yahoo, AOL, MSN) I use Trillian as my unified messenger. It sits open on my desktop whether I am here or not, and allows me to keep abreast of what everyone is up to.

I took the plunge a while ago and shelled out the US$25 for a Pro license. Let me tell you it was well worth it. It gives you access to a more robust and feature laden version of Trillian along with access to the Trillian online community. Here you can get plugins that make Trillian an even more comprehensive tool. I have added int he RSS, world time and quick launch modules.

I have just taken there new version 2.0 through its paces (I did try it at beta stage briefly as well), and it installs over 1.0 like a charm, keeping all of my previous settings. It also has improvements on its container management and connectivity with the various services.

To find out more or download Trillian Pro or Basic (free) go to:
http://www.trillian.cc/

Well it has been decided. I am just going to have to buy a part of Decatur Island. Expensive? Sort of. Gorgeous? Definitely. Peaceful? Always, with the exception of when it is foggy and the state ferries are blowing their horns.

We went to Decatur Island to check out some property we kayaked past a few weeks ago. The property has wonderful waterfront views, and will be ideal for a Bed and Breakfast. It will also avail us the beach landing we need for kayaking. Better yet is the fact that the island is small, sparsely populated, and off the state ferry route. The locals were friendly and helpful. However most importantly there are Internet connection possibilities. In fact a neighbor will be employee 500 from Amazon.

After spending most of the day on Decatur, we headed back to Anacortes for the state ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The idea was Decatur and San Juan Island Weekend to see Orca's although they were not about. However we saw the English and American camps from the Pig War, which decided the sovereignty of the San Juans. We had a couple of great meals on the island. Taking the SUV over there was a great move as it allowed us to see just about every part of the island.

The San Juans, such a an idealic place!

You are going to let the fear of poverty govern you life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.

Here is a simple way to loose weight.

When you feel full this is your bodies way of telling you it has all the food it needs to fuel you for the moment. Allow your body to process the food. If you keep eating all the food offered or available to you, your body will think it needs to 'store up' for later.

This technical should be applied particularly at family gatherings and potluck lunches and dinners where there is a plethora of great food on offer.

This has been your weight management guru speaking.

Ok so there were not any garden gnomes involved really but I am sure they were off in the woods watching and wondering what on earth was going on last weekend.

I was out and about helping my friend do some landscaping for their mother. There were stepping stones, pea gravel, vines, trellis and a lot of tools involved.

Now the vision the mother (I won't mention any names like Ann) has for this assortment of gardening items was somewhat different to how it had been explained to me originally. However I think the concept of hiding the shed with the trellis and vines and keeping the weeds down in the garden bed with the pea gravel and stepping stones will work well. Although what gets me is that the plants aren't sitting in the garden bed but rather are sitting outside the garden bed.

Anyway it was an interesting way to spend a Sunday.

I hope said mother gets a kick out of this blog entry.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence.

Works of imagination should be written in very plain language; the more purely imaginative they are the more necessary it is to be plain.

We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.

Some days you just were not meant to wake up. Well at least it would have been better to stay in bed!

I woke up this morning and rushed to put out the recycling as I could hear the truck on its way. However I fell down the stairs instead, which did not really hurt until I had a shower and the carpet burn became evident!

Then to add insult to injury I spun out in my Miata this morning after hitting a slick spot. No injury or harm done to the car or myself, however I would have preferred to do such a maneuver on a closed circuit rather than a busy road.

There have a been a couple of other crappy things happen but alas that is the past and the rest of the day looks great. I am off to see a Mariners game tonight. I was not a big baseball fan before I came here and I am still not that into it. However I like the atmosphere of a big game, it is quite the social event.

We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.

Hitch your wagon to a star.

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.

Well here is a journal like entry for the amazing kayaking weekend that I just got back from yesterday. It was a 4 day, 3 night paddle into the San Juan Islands. The weather was glorious!

DAY ONE - Anacortes to James Island

We drove down to Anacortes in the Miata, which was packed to the brim with supplies and camping equipment. A short stop at A&W for an early lunch and then we paid for the kayak at the shop before picking it up at the back marina. In hindsight taking a car that would have allowed us to take off from Rosario Strait would have made life a little easier. However I digress, we started our paddle at noon and crossed Geumes Channel to avoid ferries and other boat traffic. It is quite a challenge to paddle across a large body of water in a tiny kayak with large boats, larger ferries and speed boats causing all sorts of wake.
I only got more daunting when we crossing Bellingham Strait, however by the time we needed to cross Rosario Strait I was so tired and sore that we turned toward James Island and paddled our way across to the island.

James Island is a great little island that is a state park and has a Washington Water Trails site for paddlers, moorings for larger boats and a dock. There are three distinctly different camping areas that each have their own benefits. This night we were up high on the saddle.

Absolutely stuffed after a days paddling we dined on Angel-hair Pasta and Chicken in a creamy Alfredo and mushroom sauce. Just because you camp doesn't mean you cannot eat well! Oh and a nice bottle of white wine didn't hurt either!

DAY TWO - James Island to Spencer Spit

Thick fog greeted us on day two. It did not clear completely all day, but by noon we were able to leave bay. Before leaving though we had some wonderful egg muffins!

The plan was to ride the currents up to Doe Island. Currents and tides were something I had never encountered paddling in rivers, but around the islands here they make a lot of difference to your paddling experience!

We crossed Thatcher Pass in good time and broke early for a nice lunch on a deserted beach. We watched a sea otter playing in the kelp, while he kept an eye on us.

We headed up the coast of Blakley Island, then started heading up toward Doe Island however we realized we were both tired and changed our plans to head to Spencer Spit. So we turned down Pevine Pass and across the top of the island. Somewhere along the way we picked up a seal which tailed us for the rest of the trip. It was fun to see him bob up every now and then checking us out as we rounded the island.

We had to give way to a sea plane taxiing out to take off, which was an impressive site! Another impressive site were the waterfront homes we passed. Most had views to die for, while they obviously did not change the landscape or trees at all, which was great to see!

We eventually made it down to Spencer Spit, where absolutely every power and sail boat (I counted 47) had moored for Sunday night. Besides us however the Water Trails site was empty.

On the beach we dined on Gnocchi and then more Angel-hair (thanks to a draining incident!) and drowned our sorrows with a bottle of red wine!

DAY THREE - Spencer Spit to James Island

We started the day with another muffin or two and then walked over to Lopez Village to hit the bakery and coffee shop. After an hours walk we were disappointed to find out that the coffee shop had been sold and then gone out of business, however the bakery (an island institution) served us a great lunch!

We hit the other coffee shop that was not that amazing, tried to find a taxi, then started to walk back to the Spit. A lady in a station wagon picked us up and took us some of the way which helped us to no end as our legs were weary!

We then packed up and caught the current back to James Island. The seal joined us again. The paddle was nice. I tried to use my kite to pull us along but the wind was all over the place, so it did not work at all. We picked out some waterfront property that might be a nice buy. Then we hit the island, and chased Aaron the Heron around it, solitary and alone except for a couple of sailing boats moored at the dock.

We had a great stir-fry for dinner and watched the sun set over the back of the island, before heading off for bed.

DAY FOUR - James Island to Anacortes

We woke early and ate the rest of our food. We were happy to see that the water was flat and the wind was nonexistent.

We headed off and the paddle was easy until we hit Guemas Straight and the wind picked up. We battled against a current and a head wind but eventually made it back to the beach we headed off from four days earlier.

Sore and tired we cleaned the kayak, packed the Miata and headed back to A&W for a great lunch. Two hours later we were back in Seattle soaking in a hot tub.

This was a fantastic trip and the first of many. Next time we hope to have our own wooden boat constructed to use.

When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.

Don't you hate it when you wake up in the morning and your computer is trashed? By trashed I mean nothing is working correctly. That even though you have been anal about your firewalls and virus protection, you still get a stuffed up machine.

Well anyway it appears I am going to be spending a good chunk of time rebuilding my machine from scratch. Should be sort of fun, in a time wasted sort of way.

It is simply annoying as I had the machine set up exactly how I wanted it.

If you go in for argument, take care of your temper. Your logic, if you have any, will take care of itself.

I forgot to make note of this last week so I will today!

Friday night Eric and I went on the Renton to Columbia Winery, Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. We were witness to one of those murder mysteries, which was corny but fun.

I had a wonderful stuffed chicken breast and Eric had a steak. We both followed it up with chocolate cake while ampling supplying ourselves with wine during the meal.

The train stopped at the winery and there was a brief tour and time to purchase wine or gifts at the store there.

It was a great night! I recommend the dinner train, but only do the murder mystery part if that is your sort of thing!

It was a great

If we are lucky, we can give in and rest without feeling guilty. We can stop doing and concentrate on being.

We had a great day today. Seven Miata's went in convoy to Leavenworth, a small bavarian town in the mountains an hour or two outside Seattle.

I was lucky enough to carry the Princess of Kingston (Caitlin?). She was resplendent in her formal dress, and for her age held herself well. It was a pleasure and fun to carry her around the 2 mile parade course.

Now when the Miata Club does a parade we do not simple drive the royalty around the course at snails pace! No we decorate the cars with flowers and fit the pop-up lights with 'eyes'. This delights the parade viewers. We also toot our horns and loop around (thanks to the Miata's tight turning circle). Mike Springer even drives most of the parade backwards!

After the parade we walked the town, had a great lunch at Gustav's, and then found the Australian Store (what it was doing ina Bavarian town is beyond me) where I stocked up on Mint Slices, Fantales and Golden Syrup. In the Aussie store I met a lady from Brisbane who reminded me of the fact that Brisbane just won their third consecutive premiership (Australian Rules Football). At least Collingwood didn't win!

Needless to say on the way home I ate a fantale, tonight I will have a mint slice with my coffee and tomorrow morning I am having pancakes with my golden syrup!

Love what you do and do what you love!

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

I only drink fortified wines during bad weather. Snowstorm, hurricane, tornado--I'm not particular, as long as it's bad. After all, any storm for a Port.

I investigated my dodgy speaker in my Miata. With any bass it would reverberate horribly, so I would turn the bass down completely. I opened the paneling and found that both my door speakers were totally shot. What can you expect for an older car? I figured I would just go out and get a new set eventually. However upon telling Eric of my problem he produced a pair of perfect speakers he had on hand, which he graciously helped me install in my Miata! Now I have great sound.

Go and buy a Miata. It will make Eric happy. Then sign up for the Puget Sound Miata Club, which will make Eric even happier!

This weekend I am doing my first parade in my own car. Leavenworth somewhere around here in Washington. It is a small Bavarian town and should be a great day. I shall report on it later!

I heard about this anti-Bush site on Leno. I thought it was an interesting use of a domain name! Go see what it is.

Well the trip down on day three was a crapper. It was foggy again so I was busy concentrating on the road, until a state trooper flashed his lights and pulled me over. After being slapped with a fine for speeding I took off again.

Upon arrival I found out that the guiding workshop I wanted to attend had been canceled. So I attended a Eating for Endurance and then the second part of the wind and waves class. Both were interesting and informative classes and I learnt a lot. However my mind was not on it as much thanks to my earlier mess with the law!

The drive home was interesting yet uneventful. Eric took Janice and I out for a monster burger at the Hi-U-Heni (or however you spell it).

I think I shall sleep in tomorrow! That always makes things seem better!

Day Two of the Symposium started with a fog bound drive up to Port Townsend in my Miata. A fun way to start the day!

A slightly longer day with four classroom sessions. The first I attended was entitled 'Sea Kayaking and Liability'. It was an interesting look at the legalities involved with paddling. whether it be with a group of friends, as a volunteer or as a paid instructor. I personally learnt some interesting things I will need to know if I go into guiding in any way, shape or form.

The next session was one I was really looking forward too, Wooden Kayak construction. Although the method explained was strip building instead of the easier stitch and glue that I will use, it was still a very interesting class. One day I may have a go at a strip kayak but for now I want to try my hand at the easier to build and cheaper kits. Besides the endless pieces of advice applicable to any form of construction, and the tips on picking a boat that suits your needs, Eric the instructor showed us how to apply fiberglass. This was something I was a bit unsure of undertaking but now I feel comfortable with being able to complete this task.

I ventured into Port Townsend for lunch. I had a wonderful Italian sub as I sat by the fountain. I also had a wander around the Farmers Market. I even took some sneaky shots of some jewelery for Janice to see. You see Janice wants to sell her jewelery at such a market. Call it industrial espionage if you will.

After I got back to Fort Worden, I decided to attend the first part of a two part seminar on how waves and wind effect you when kayaking. Although more applicable to the bigger seas found on the east coast, I learn a lot of useful techniques and information that will hopefully make me a safer kayaker.

I finished the day with a trip down to the beach to see a kayak sailing demonstration. It was interesting to see how this particular type of sail worked. I am sure I will eventually get one, but first I better build the kayak!

After a great day, it was nice to put the top down and cruise back to Eric's.

This is my first year in the northwest and therefore it is the first year I have had the opportunity to attend the symposium. This one happens to be the 20th annual one, and I have the t-shirt to prove it!

It is a 3 day sea kayaking extravaganza with classes, demonstrations, exhibitors and just about anything that has to do with sea kayaking. I will blog about each day, starting now with the first.

After registration I started the day by attending a class on tides and currents. We covered how to interrupt tide books and charts. I had already been taught this by Casey, who obviously is more of an expert on this subject than she professes too, as I was able to understand and knew everything that was covered. The only thing new to me was reading the charts that have the currents and tides marked on them. We finished the class by planning a trip in the San Juan's, Friday Harbor to Strawberry Island in a day. I thought it was a trick question as it is a long paddle for just one day! However we seemed to come up with an acceptable solution that had us carried by the currents. It ended up being a fun and informative class that strengthened my skills in the navigation area.

When the class ended I went and had a look at all of the indoor retailers. The magazines, equipment outfitters and the like. It looks like I will be subscribes

After a light lunch I had prepared earlier, I wandered down to the beach where all the boat exhibitors were. There were no classes or demonstrations running but there was a sea of people trying kayaks out. I never knew there were so many different types and designs. Tomorrow I will head back down to the Pygmy display and talk to the guys about the one I want to build. There was another wooden kayak company and they wanted to try and convince me to use their models. I will talk to him tomorrow and see what his selling points are, as his models were a lot more expensive.

After wandering the beach it was time to hit the classrooms again. I attended the Survival Skills class followed by a class that developed your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense'.

The first class was interesting and taught the K.I.S.S.W.E.T. concept. That stands for....hmmm let me think...
K =....
I=Injuries, do you have any?
S=Shelter, build one!
S=Fire cant remember why it was S though - maybe Signal - for help
W=Water, you die quick without it, but you can last up to 30 days without food!
E=Energy, look for food if you can
T- Theatre (or you can use P for Play), you should play to keep your mind active and to stop freaking out over the situation

In all this was a great class with many great anecdotal stories thrown in.

The second class was suppose to aid you in developing your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense' but in reality it was more of a 'use common sense and know your bounds' class. The speaker was encouraged to use more of his stories to share his experience as these were the most interesting part of the class. He had many more years experience than the rest of us!

In all it was a great day. I cannot wait for days tow and three.

From the Herald Sun Newspaper

THERE would be no flatulence tax on farm animals, Premier Steve Bracks ruled yesterday.

National Party leader Peter Ryan sought Mr Bracks' assurance after telling Parliament such a proposed tax in New Zealand had led to the formation of a group called Farmers Against Ridiculous Taxes.
"Will the Premier rule out ever introducing such a tax in Victoria?" Mr Ryan asked.

"A F.A.R.T tax will not be supported by our Government," Mr Bracks replied.

National Party Agriculture spokesman, Peter Walsh, later said the pledge would bring relief to worried farmers.

I was introduced to Guster when my ex-wife took me to a Barenaked Ladies concert at Universal Studios in California. Guster were the opening act and really set the feel for the night.

Ever since that performance I have been a fan. There latest release is called 'Keep it Together'and you may have even heard their single Amsterdam on the radio. The album is a collection of great songs that always lift my day as I drive along.

The guys have a great web site where you can sample and buy their music and merchandise. The latest album is enhanced and has some fun flash movies incorporated with the Amsterdam single.

Check them out at Guster.com

I cannot believe I am sitting here working away at my newsletter while watching a game of baseball. I am actually growing attached to the Mariners.

If you are a regular reader of my blog or newsletter you will know that I am a big fan of Instant Messaging (IM). As my friends, family and workmates all subscribe to different types of IM (ICQ, Yahoo, AOL, MSN) I use Trillian as my unified messenger. It sits open on my desktop whether I am here or not, and allows me to keep abreast of what everyone is up to.

I took the plunge a while ago and shelled out the US$25 for a Pro license. Let me tell you it was well worth it. It gives you access to a more robust and feature laden version of Trillian along with access to the Trillian online community. Here you can get plugins that make Trillian an even more comprehensive tool. I have added int he RSS, world time and quick launch modules.

I have just taken there new version 2.0 through its paces (I did try it at beta stage briefly as well), and it installs over 1.0 like a charm, keeping all of my previous settings. It also has improvements on its container management and connectivity with the various services.

To find out more or download Trillian Pro or Basic (free) go to:
http://www.trillian.cc/

Well it has been decided. I am just going to have to buy a part of Decatur Island. Expensive? Sort of. Gorgeous? Definitely. Peaceful? Always, with the exception of when it is foggy and the state ferries are blowing their horns.

We went to Decatur Island to check out some property we kayaked past a few weeks ago. The property has wonderful waterfront views, and will be ideal for a Bed and Breakfast. It will also avail us the beach landing we need for kayaking. Better yet is the fact that the island is small, sparsely populated, and off the state ferry route. The locals were friendly and helpful. However most importantly there are Internet connection possibilities. In fact a neighbor will be employee 500 from Amazon.

After spending most of the day on Decatur, we headed back to Anacortes for the state ferry to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island. The idea was Decatur and San Juan Island Weekend to see Orca's although they were not about. However we saw the English and American camps from the Pig War, which decided the sovereignty of the San Juans. We had a couple of great meals on the island. Taking the SUV over there was a great move as it allowed us to see just about every part of the island.

The San Juans, such a an idealic place!

You are going to let the fear of poverty govern you life and your reward will be that you will eat, but you will not live.

Here is a simple way to loose weight.

When you feel full this is your bodies way of telling you it has all the food it needs to fuel you for the moment. Allow your body to process the food. If you keep eating all the food offered or available to you, your body will think it needs to 'store up' for later.

This technical should be applied particularly at family gatherings and potluck lunches and dinners where there is a plethora of great food on offer.

This has been your weight management guru speaking.

Ok so there were not any garden gnomes involved really but I am sure they were off in the woods watching and wondering what on earth was going on last weekend.

I was out and about helping my friend do some landscaping for their mother. There were stepping stones, pea gravel, vines, trellis and a lot of tools involved.

Now the vision the mother (I won't mention any names like Ann) has for this assortment of gardening items was somewhat different to how it had been explained to me originally. However I think the concept of hiding the shed with the trellis and vines and keeping the weeds down in the garden bed with the pea gravel and stepping stones will work well. Although what gets me is that the plants aren't sitting in the garden bed but rather are sitting outside the garden bed.

Anyway it was an interesting way to spend a Sunday.

I hope said mother gets a kick out of this blog entry.

Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence.

Works of imagination should be written in very plain language; the more purely imaginative they are the more necessary it is to be plain.

We can lick gravity, but sometimes the paperwork is overwhelming.

Some days you just were not meant to wake up. Well at least it would have been better to stay in bed!

I woke up this morning and rushed to put out the recycling as I could hear the truck on its way. However I fell down the stairs instead, which did not really hurt until I had a shower and the carpet burn became evident!

Then to add insult to injury I spun out in my Miata this morning after hitting a slick spot. No injury or harm done to the car or myself, however I would have preferred to do such a maneuver on a closed circuit rather than a busy road.

There have a been a couple of other crappy things happen but alas that is the past and the rest of the day looks great. I am off to see a Mariners game tonight. I was not a big baseball fan before I came here and I am still not that into it. However I like the atmosphere of a big game, it is quite the social event.

We all have the extraordinary coded within us, waiting to be released.

Hitch your wagon to a star.

A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.

Well here is a journal like entry for the amazing kayaking weekend that I just got back from yesterday. It was a 4 day, 3 night paddle into the San Juan Islands. The weather was glorious!

DAY ONE - Anacortes to James Island

We drove down to Anacortes in the Miata, which was packed to the brim with supplies and camping equipment. A short stop at A&W for an early lunch and then we paid for the kayak at the shop before picking it up at the back marina. In hindsight taking a car that would have allowed us to take off from Rosario Strait would have made life a little easier. However I digress, we started our paddle at noon and crossed Geumes Channel to avoid ferries and other boat traffic. It is quite a challenge to paddle across a large body of water in a tiny kayak with large boats, larger ferries and speed boats causing all sorts of wake.
I only got more daunting when we crossing Bellingham Strait, however by the time we needed to cross Rosario Strait I was so tired and sore that we turned toward James Island and paddled our way across to the island.

James Island is a great little island that is a state park and has a Washington Water Trails site for paddlers, moorings for larger boats and a dock. There are three distinctly different camping areas that each have their own benefits. This night we were up high on the saddle.

Absolutely stuffed after a days paddling we dined on Angel-hair Pasta and Chicken in a creamy Alfredo and mushroom sauce. Just because you camp doesn't mean you cannot eat well! Oh and a nice bottle of white wine didn't hurt either!

DAY TWO - James Island to Spencer Spit

Thick fog greeted us on day two. It did not clear completely all day, but by noon we were able to leave bay. Before leaving though we had some wonderful egg muffins!

The plan was to ride the currents up to Doe Island. Currents and tides were something I had never encountered paddling in rivers, but around the islands here they make a lot of difference to your paddling experience!

We crossed Thatcher Pass in good time and broke early for a nice lunch on a deserted beach. We watched a sea otter playing in the kelp, while he kept an eye on us.

We headed up the coast of Blakley Island, then started heading up toward Doe Island however we realized we were both tired and changed our plans to head to Spencer Spit. So we turned down Pevine Pass and across the top of the island. Somewhere along the way we picked up a seal which tailed us for the rest of the trip. It was fun to see him bob up every now and then checking us out as we rounded the island.

We had to give way to a sea plane taxiing out to take off, which was an impressive site! Another impressive site were the waterfront homes we passed. Most had views to die for, while they obviously did not change the landscape or trees at all, which was great to see!

We eventually made it down to Spencer Spit, where absolutely every power and sail boat (I counted 47) had moored for Sunday night. Besides us however the Water Trails site was empty.

On the beach we dined on Gnocchi and then more Angel-hair (thanks to a draining incident!) and drowned our sorrows with a bottle of red wine!

DAY THREE - Spencer Spit to James Island

We started the day with another muffin or two and then walked over to Lopez Village to hit the bakery and coffee shop. After an hours walk we were disappointed to find out that the coffee shop had been sold and then gone out of business, however the bakery (an island institution) served us a great lunch!

We hit the other coffee shop that was not that amazing, tried to find a taxi, then started to walk back to the Spit. A lady in a station wagon picked us up and took us some of the way which helped us to no end as our legs were weary!

We then packed up and caught the current back to James Island. The seal joined us again. The paddle was nice. I tried to use my kite to pull us along but the wind was all over the place, so it did not work at all. We picked out some waterfront property that might be a nice buy. Then we hit the island, and chased Aaron the Heron around it, solitary and alone except for a couple of sailing boats moored at the dock.

We had a great stir-fry for dinner and watched the sun set over the back of the island, before heading off for bed.

DAY FOUR - James Island to Anacortes

We woke early and ate the rest of our food. We were happy to see that the water was flat and the wind was nonexistent.

We headed off and the paddle was easy until we hit Guemas Straight and the wind picked up. We battled against a current and a head wind but eventually made it back to the beach we headed off from four days earlier.

Sore and tired we cleaned the kayak, packed the Miata and headed back to A&W for a great lunch. Two hours later we were back in Seattle soaking in a hot tub.

This was a fantastic trip and the first of many. Next time we hope to have our own wooden boat constructed to use.

When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object.

Don't you hate it when you wake up in the morning and your computer is trashed? By trashed I mean nothing is working correctly. That even though you have been anal about your firewalls and virus protection, you still get a stuffed up machine.

Well anyway it appears I am going to be spending a good chunk of time rebuilding my machine from scratch. Should be sort of fun, in a time wasted sort of way.

It is simply annoying as I had the machine set up exactly how I wanted it.

If you go in for argument, take care of your temper. Your logic, if you have any, will take care of itself.

I forgot to make note of this last week so I will today!

Friday night Eric and I went on the Renton to Columbia Winery, Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. We were witness to one of those murder mysteries, which was corny but fun.

I had a wonderful stuffed chicken breast and Eric had a steak. We both followed it up with chocolate cake while ampling supplying ourselves with wine during the meal.

The train stopped at the winery and there was a brief tour and time to purchase wine or gifts at the store there.

It was a great night! I recommend the dinner train, but only do the murder mystery part if that is your sort of thing!

It was a great

If we are lucky, we can give in and rest without feeling guilty. We can stop doing and concentrate on being.

We had a great day today. Seven Miata's went in convoy to Leavenworth, a small bavarian town in the mountains an hour or two outside Seattle.

I was lucky enough to carry the Princess of Kingston (Caitlin?). She was resplendent in her formal dress, and for her age held herself well. It was a pleasure and fun to carry her around the 2 mile parade course.

Now when the Miata Club does a parade we do not simple drive the royalty around the course at snails pace! No we decorate the cars with flowers and fit the pop-up lights with 'eyes'. This delights the parade viewers. We also toot our horns and loop around (thanks to the Miata's tight turning circle). Mike Springer even drives most of the parade backwards!

After the parade we walked the town, had a great lunch at Gustav's, and then found the Australian Store (what it was doing ina Bavarian town is beyond me) where I stocked up on Mint Slices, Fantales and Golden Syrup. In the Aussie store I met a lady from Brisbane who reminded me of the fact that Brisbane just won their third consecutive premiership (Australian Rules Football). At least Collingwood didn't win!

Needless to say on the way home I ate a fantale, tonight I will have a mint slice with my coffee and tomorrow morning I am having pancakes with my golden syrup!

Love what you do and do what you love!

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

I only drink fortified wines during bad weather. Snowstorm, hurricane, tornado--I'm not particular, as long as it's bad. After all, any storm for a Port.

I investigated my dodgy speaker in my Miata. With any bass it would reverberate horribly, so I would turn the bass down completely. I opened the paneling and found that both my door speakers were totally shot. What can you expect for an older car? I figured I would just go out and get a new set eventually. However upon telling Eric of my problem he produced a pair of perfect speakers he had on hand, which he graciously helped me install in my Miata! Now I have great sound.

Go and buy a Miata. It will make Eric happy. Then sign up for the Puget Sound Miata Club, which will make Eric even happier!

This weekend I am doing my first parade in my own car. Leavenworth somewhere around here in Washington. It is a small Bavarian town and should be a great day. I shall report on it later!

I heard about this anti-Bush site on Leno. I thought it was an interesting use of a domain name! Go see what it is.

Well the trip down on day three was a crapper. It was foggy again so I was busy concentrating on the road, until a state trooper flashed his lights and pulled me over. After being slapped with a fine for speeding I took off again.

Upon arrival I found out that the guiding workshop I wanted to attend had been canceled. So I attended a Eating for Endurance and then the second part of the wind and waves class. Both were interesting and informative classes and I learnt a lot. However my mind was not on it as much thanks to my earlier mess with the law!

The drive home was interesting yet uneventful. Eric took Janice and I out for a monster burger at the Hi-U-Heni (or however you spell it).

I think I shall sleep in tomorrow! That always makes things seem better!

Day Two of the Symposium started with a fog bound drive up to Port Townsend in my Miata. A fun way to start the day!

A slightly longer day with four classroom sessions. The first I attended was entitled 'Sea Kayaking and Liability'. It was an interesting look at the legalities involved with paddling. whether it be with a group of friends, as a volunteer or as a paid instructor. I personally learnt some interesting things I will need to know if I go into guiding in any way, shape or form.

The next session was one I was really looking forward too, Wooden Kayak construction. Although the method explained was strip building instead of the easier stitch and glue that I will use, it was still a very interesting class. One day I may have a go at a strip kayak but for now I want to try my hand at the easier to build and cheaper kits. Besides the endless pieces of advice applicable to any form of construction, and the tips on picking a boat that suits your needs, Eric the instructor showed us how to apply fiberglass. This was something I was a bit unsure of undertaking but now I feel comfortable with being able to complete this task.

I ventured into Port Townsend for lunch. I had a wonderful Italian sub as I sat by the fountain. I also had a wander around the Farmers Market. I even took some sneaky shots of some jewelery for Janice to see. You see Janice wants to sell her jewelery at such a market. Call it industrial espionage if you will.

After I got back to Fort Worden, I decided to attend the first part of a two part seminar on how waves and wind effect you when kayaking. Although more applicable to the bigger seas found on the east coast, I learn a lot of useful techniques and information that will hopefully make me a safer kayaker.

I finished the day with a trip down to the beach to see a kayak sailing demonstration. It was interesting to see how this particular type of sail worked. I am sure I will eventually get one, but first I better build the kayak!

After a great day, it was nice to put the top down and cruise back to Eric's.

This is my first year in the northwest and therefore it is the first year I have had the opportunity to attend the symposium. This one happens to be the 20th annual one, and I have the t-shirt to prove it!

It is a 3 day sea kayaking extravaganza with classes, demonstrations, exhibitors and just about anything that has to do with sea kayaking. I will blog about each day, starting now with the first.

After registration I started the day by attending a class on tides and currents. We covered how to interrupt tide books and charts. I had already been taught this by Casey, who obviously is more of an expert on this subject than she professes too, as I was able to understand and knew everything that was covered. The only thing new to me was reading the charts that have the currents and tides marked on them. We finished the class by planning a trip in the San Juan's, Friday Harbor to Strawberry Island in a day. I thought it was a trick question as it is a long paddle for just one day! However we seemed to come up with an acceptable solution that had us carried by the currents. It ended up being a fun and informative class that strengthened my skills in the navigation area.

When the class ended I went and had a look at all of the indoor retailers. The magazines, equipment outfitters and the like. It looks like I will be subscribes

After a light lunch I had prepared earlier, I wandered down to the beach where all the boat exhibitors were. There were no classes or demonstrations running but there was a sea of people trying kayaks out. I never knew there were so many different types and designs. Tomorrow I will head back down to the Pygmy display and talk to the guys about the one I want to build. There was another wooden kayak company and they wanted to try and convince me to use their models. I will talk to him tomorrow and see what his selling points are, as his models were a lot more expensive.

After wandering the beach it was time to hit the classrooms again. I attended the Survival Skills class followed by a class that developed your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense'.

The first class was interesting and taught the K.I.S.S.W.E.T. concept. That stands for....hmmm let me think...
K =....
I=Injuries, do you have any?
S=Shelter, build one!
S=Fire cant remember why it was S though - maybe Signal - for help
W=Water, you die quick without it, but you can last up to 30 days without food!
E=Energy, look for food if you can
T- Theatre (or you can use P for Play), you should play to keep your mind active and to stop freaking out over the situation

In all this was a great class with many great anecdotal stories thrown in.

The second class was suppose to aid you in developing your 'Kayakers Sixth Sense' but in reality it was more of a 'use common sense and know your bounds' class. The speaker was encouraged to use more of his stories to share his experience as these were the most interesting part of the class. He had many more years experience than the rest of us!

In all it was a great day. I cannot wait for days tow and three.

From the Herald Sun Newspaper

THERE would be no flatulence tax on farm animals, Premier Steve Bracks ruled yesterday.

National Party leader Peter Ryan sought Mr Bracks' assurance after telling Parliament such a proposed tax in New Zealand had led to the formation of a group called Farmers Against Ridiculous Taxes.
"Will the Premier rule out ever introducing such a tax in Victoria?" Mr Ryan asked.

"A F.A.R.T tax will not be supported by our Government," Mr Bracks replied.

National Party Agriculture spokesman, Peter Walsh, later said the pledge would bring relief to worried farmers.

I was introduced to Guster when my ex-wife took me to a Barenaked Ladies concert at Universal Studios in California. Guster were the opening act and really set the feel for the night.

Ever since that performance I have been a fan. There latest release is called 'Keep it Together'and you may have even heard their single Amsterdam on the radio. The album is a collection of great songs that always lift my day as I drive along.

The guys have a great web site where you can sample and buy their music and merchandise. The latest album is enhanced and has some fun flash movies incorporated with the Amsterdam single.

Check them out at Guster.com

I cannot believe I am sitting here working away at my newsletter while watching a game of baseball. I am actually growing attached to the Mariners.

If you are a regular reader of my blog or newsletter you will know that I am a big fan of Instant Messaging (IM). As my friends, family and workmates all subscribe to different types of IM (ICQ, Yahoo, AOL, MSN) I use Trillian as my unified messenger. It sits open on my desktop whether I am here or not, and allows me to keep abreast of what everyone is up to.

I took the plunge a while ago and shelled out the US$25 for a Pro license. Let me tell you it was well worth it. It gives you access to a more robust and feature laden version of Trillian along with access to the Trillian online community. Here you can get plugins that make Trillian an even more comprehensive tool. I have added int he RSS, world time and quick launch modules.

I have just taken there new version 2.0 through its paces (I did try it at beta stage briefly as well), and it installs over 1.0 like a charm, keeping all of my previous settings. It also has improvements on its container management and connectivity with the various services.

To find out more or download Trillian Pro or Basic (free) go to:
http://www.trillian.cc/

Well it has been decided. I am just going to have to buy a part of Decatur Island. Expensive? Sort of. Gorgeous? Definitely. Peaceful? Always, with the exception of when it is foggy and