Two Tone Farm Cabernet Sauvignon
Chat-en-Oeuf
Funky Llama Shriaz
I stayed up until 3am Saturday finishing phase one of evilgobin cleanup (take the working code of ver4 and re-architect it so that it's good enough to build on), and Sunday I cleaned the house and packed. We left the house at 3pm, drove to Montréal airport, checked in at aloft hotel (which included parking the car for the week), and had dinner at St. Hubert's (a short drive away, but without directions we wandered though Dorval for a long time). Back at the hotel we watched figure skating Olympics, saw (not live) the first Canadian at-home gold medal and had a great night. Next morning, Amanda "lost" her wallet (actually it was on the night-stand beside the phone) which caused some unpacking and re-packing and general unhappiness. But the juice/croissant/fruit breakfast provided by the hotel put us back in good spirits.
The shuttle got us to the airport in no time. We flew Air Canada 1810 YUL-UVF departing 9:05am. Self check-in was easy except for figuring out how to put the stickers on the bags, and there was a ~10 minute line up at the baggage drop-off. Security had almost no line, but they took more time than usual looking at the bags in the x-ray machine, and my boots and rings set off the metal detectors so I got the "detailed" screening. Finally on the plane, our seats were separated by several rows, but the ride was good. There was almost no waiting on-plane before take-off or after landing. We deplaned via stairs, but it was much quicker than boarding because we were able to use both the front and rear exits. There was ~15min wait at customs and we were met at the exit by a taxi (8-person mini-van) driver named Ed who had been booked for us by the Oasis Marigot. He was really great. The drive took about an hour, but he showed us on a map where we were going and talked the whole way about what we were seeing and answered all our questions about St. Lucia. It cost $70us but we gave him $80.
The Oasis had suggested a taxi rather than a rental because "it's hard to find" but I think we could have done it ourselves with a decent map. That said, I really appreciated Ed's commentary and avoiding the stress of driving on the left after a long flight, so no regrets. At the end of the road we were (eventually) met by the Oasis' water taxi that took us and our luggage across the bay and were shown to our room (which was fantastic). To get up the hill side they have a trolley which is a great idea considering our luggage. I asked, and was told that both the trolley and the no-road-access are not common in St. Lucia.
There is some shared space (with a pool) outside our room (ocean cottage four aka Large Floor Plan 4) where we met Yan and Dean from Kingston Ontario (they'd arrived the previous day). They advised us that the restaurant at the bottom of the hill (Doolittle's) had a special on: "Lady with a flower in her hair accompanied by a gentleman gets her meal for free". We were starved so we ditched our stuff, picked a flower and made our way down, but the kitchen wouldn't open for another hour. We had drinks while we waited and I talked the bartender into fast-tracking us some chicken fingers from the kitchen. He was great. He brought me a second bottle of beer (Piton) without asking and didn't charge us for it or for the chicken fingers. Dinner was fairly good but it took a very long time and we were both exhausted after the walk back to our cottage. We slept almost twelve hours.
Next morning was another beautiful day. I went to the office to check-in. The lady there (Nahdjla) was great, she set me up with a car rental and talked them down to $75us from $85us. She also gave me the lay of the land and confirmed our boat pickup/drop-off. She was really good at summarizing at the end of a booking phone call so that it was obvious what both parties had agreed to. Afterwards, I picked up Amanda and we headed down to the public ferry and bought two 4day passes. On the other side (which has road access) we had lunch at a bakery on the shore (again expensive for average quality food). Afterwards we spent $200ec at the grocery store and took the loot back to our flat. It has a nice little kitchen (actually bigger than our kitchen back home) well stocked with pots, cutlery, etc, but lacking in some critical respects: salt, pepper, matches (to light the gas range). Also the propane tank (under the sink) had a safety switch in the off position. So it took some figuring. We scored matches from the neighbors and used the toaster to light them.
I cannot stress enough how beautiful this bay is.
Anyway, after stowing the groceries we went down to the beach. It's small but pleasant enough. The guy in charge of the chairs (which are free for tenants) said: "Your lady told me that she likes the ganga". I replied: "Oh. No thanks. We don't need that." To which he countered: "No? You don't need no cocaine?". I think in the remainder of the trip we were offered marijuana five or six more times and cocaine a second time. People in St. Lucia are forward but not too pushy and are easily dealt with if you are polite but firm.
After setting up Amanda with a beach chair, I snorkeled around the little swimming area for a while (which was relatively barren and polluted) and eventually found lots of fish, anemones and urchin type things around a little rock jetty that marked the left boundary of the swimming area. That was neat and I spent a long time staring at them. Afterwards we retired back to our cabin, but on the way I checked at the office to see if it is permitted to climb the hill. It turns out that the land behind the Oasis Marigot is a nature preserve and there is a trail to the summit. So I changed clothes, grabbed my camera and set off.
I was surprised to discover that the Oasis is enclosed in a razor-wire fence. I don't know if that keeps out animals or criminals. There are two little gates that you though. During the day they are left ajar. I assume they're shut in the evening. They can only be opened from the inside, so don't stay out past dark! The trail was a good climb (and pleasantly deserted) but there wasn't much to see. I did find a tiny bird's nest and on the way down ventured off the track several meters and found a giant caterpillar (maybe 11cm long, 2cm thick). The view from the top was fairly spectacular, but not really much better than from our cottage. And there were millions of tiny insects (which may or may not bite) flowing past me on the prevailing winds, so I didn't stick around for long.
At the grocery store, I had picked up a few bottles of Piton (their local lager, quite good) and a bottle of "Guinness Foreign Extra" which sadly tastes like a cross between real Guinness and tobacco juice. Yuck. Amanda made fruit, cheese, shredded cucumber and garlic-butter-pasta for dinner, then we played a game of scrabble which neither of us could finish because we played our words so densely.
Next morning we had muesli for breakfast and footed our gear over to the parking lot for our 9am meet with Jeanine from Avis. She arrived after a few minutes wait (early, I'm fairly sure) and I filled out our the rental agreement on the trunk of the car. With insurance, etc. it came to ~$100us/day (as promised), was a Nissan automatic, was shockingly scratched and dented, and had a big red sticker on the inside reminding you to drive on the left and to put it in 2nd when going down steep hills. Along with the rental, you must purchase a driver's permit, but she didn't have it with her. We arranged for it to be left at a nearby hotel. A driver was coming to pick her up and he'd have it with him.
So with that settled, we embarked on our crazy adventure. The driving is tricky. Its on the left, narrow, steep, windy and most intersections aren't posted. We went the wrong way that the first turn and were advised by an old man to turn around and "Go to the shanty, turn left, then at the other shanty, turn right". We drove (through much bedlam) to Anse Le Raye, Canaries, and on to Soufrière where people on the very narrow downtown streets continually offered directions (presumably wanting a dollar). By following other touristy cars we found ourselves on the way out of town and at the "Drive-in Volcano". It was interesting to see but was definitely a tourist trap. It was very crowded and we felt thoroughly corralled.
We got directions from two different staff at the Volcano (back through town) to the Diamond Waterfall, but when we arrived, it was thick with cruise boat tourists -- literally an infinite line of people standing three abreast. The ticket lady said they'd be all gone in a few hours so we drove back through town, parked at the waterfront and walked past "local's territory" to the beach (which was rocky and strewn with garbage). We persevered around the point and were rewarded with a great view of The Pitons and proper beach (although still quite rocky). After relaxing for a while we decided to head back to search for ice cream. I stopped at the car and re-applied sun-screen (having already burnt the tops of my feet). We picked up supplies at a local grocery store but no ice cream (because they only sold large tubs). Back at the Diamond Waterfall we had the place almost entirely to ourselves. It's definitely worth the visit when the crowds aren't there. We took our time wandering the paths and just sat around several times.
The drive home was relatively uneventful. We stopped at a few road-side lookouts. Back in Marigot we again took a wrong turn and had to be advised by a local: "Hey Papa, wrong way!" Before the long climb back to our cottage we took a swim at the beach and I started stared some more at the fish clustered around the rocks. Then back at our cottage we took a short dip in the pool to wash off the salt. After a rest we cleaned up than went to Chateau Mygo for dinner. It was characteristically expensive and took ~2.5 hours but was really superb. Amanda had scallops and I Had fried fish. That doesn't sound too exciting but let me assure you it was excellent.
I've forgotten to mention that each of us had picked up a variety of bug bites, mostly around the feet and ankles. So before dinner and again before bed, we started putting on DEET, and that seemed to significantly reduce the problem. There's nothing like scratching mosquito bites on sun burnt feet.
Next morning (Thursday 18th) we had muesli again and it was another beautiful day. But quelle disaster, I'd lost the car keys. I'm normally a very careful person and this sort of thing doesn't happen to me. I double searched the room, checked the path to the car and back and decided they must have been in my shorts pocket when I went swimming, and were irrevocably lost in the sea. I asked around but no one had found any keys, so I got Nahdjla to phone Avis for me and ask for another pair. They said that the spare keys were in another facility and they'd find them and call back with a quote (for delivery cost). So I agreed to check back with her later and fetched Amanda from the house so I could snorkel for the keys. Unbelievably, I swam right to them. They were beside an urchin beneath a buoy that I had been looking at the other day. Hooray! This un-ruined my day. I ran back to advise Nahdjla.
Amanda and I had egg salad sandwiches for lunch before driving to Castries. The drive north is much easier than the drive south. The roads are wider, less windy, less steep, less fast. But Castries is a city and there were three huge cruise ships in the harbour. After some sweating and swearing we found a multi-level car park and walked around the markets. After driving, I was in no mood for shopping, but I did my best not to grouch on Amanda's parade. Seeing my eminent collapse, she stopped us at a grocery store and scored me some Snapple and two bananas. Then we drove on to Rodney Bay and went swimming at their beach. It's nice but not as good as Varadero or Manual Antonio for that matter.
After our swim we walked the length of the beach and back and got a look at the free-with-the-flights hotel: very depressing. I much prefer Marigot Bay. On the way home we had to punch through some rush-hour traffic, but got back to the Oasis in time to watch the last light fade from the horizon. We had a quick swim in the pool, then Amanda cooked and amazing meal: carrots, orca, garlic potatoes, fried fish. But she had a stomach ache, so I ate alone.
There is a lot I love about Marigot Bay, but it has its faults. There are mosquitoes. Although I never saw them I had ten or twelve nasty bites to remember them by. There is hot water but the water pressure (both hot and cold) is bad. When you run the tap or flush the toilet or take a shower it comes in fits and bursts as though the pump is drawing air. The birds are pretty but there is a lot of forest noise all night and the walkway lights shine into your room so that it's never dark enough for proper sleeping. The bed is large but is hard and you can feel the springs and despite its hardness passes all your partner's slightest movements to you as little earthquakes, almost as efficiently as a waterbed. Also, I hate the pillows.
Anyway, for whatever reason (I blame the pillows), I woke up mid week with a stiff neck. And Thursday night it got so much worse that I couldn't sleep. Near morning I took some Advil and switched to a towel for a pillow and the situation improved but I was largely incapacitated until noon.
After lunch we drove out to Barre de L'Isle, which is an Inland hike along a ridge and up a mountain. The ridge was beautiful and breezy and the mountain (steep hill) was a very difficult climb but a great adventure. The views were nice but not spectacular. The value was in the journey.
Back home after a leisurely dip in the pool, Amanda made dinner and we packed for the boat. We read some of "The Last Chronicle of Barset" together (Amanda caught up to me the previous night), and went to bed. I slept with a towel for a pillow again which helped but next morning my next was still quite stiff.
Saturday was another beautiful day. I met Avis at 9:30am to return the car. They were on time and the process was easy. I stopped at the bank to pickup some cash and luckily they were open. Unluckily, the only way to get cash (I have TD debit and visa) is as a cash advance on a visa (which collects interest immediately) plus a bank fee of $20ec. Hotels and restaurants take visa but everyone else (taxi, park admission, ferry, grocery store) requires cash (us or ec). So after waiting forever in line, getting the bad news, trying (rejected) my debit card in the ABM, waiting again forever in line trying (rejected) my visa in the ABM (fee is only $5ec if you use the ABM), I eventually got $200ec form the bank teller (after handing over Visa, Driver's License, foreign address, local address, and signing ~nine times).
In the mean time, Amanda's attempts to email the Girl Guides were frustrated by repeated IE crashes. We were both late so she brought down all the luggage all by herself (therefore super pissed). But finally we were on the boat and under sail to Pigeon Island in Rodney Bay.
The journey by boat is very different and much better then the journey by car. Our skipper "Mike" (born and raised in Marigot Bay) anchored near Pigeon Island and motored us in (via little rubber dingy) and we agreed to meet at 3pm. We paid entrance (it's a national park), used the washroom, had an excellent lunch (Roti) and climbed the hill, which has an unbelievably great view. Then motored back to the boat, went for a swim and sailed back to Marigot Bay.
We were both pretty burnt but not yet incapacitated (I actually bummed some sunscreen from a Brit on Pigeon Island beach). Three things we were short on: Cash, Sunscreen, Water. On the sail home we saw a pirate ship "The Unicorn", a big turtle, and the green flash as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Mike dropped us off at the Chateau Mygo and arranged to meet us in the morning. We had drinks and dinner and Amanda read aloud from "The Last Chronicle of Barset". She's the best.
Later in the evening we met a great couple from Lunenburg who run a bed and breakfast there. We got the ferry to take us back to our boat (a distance of maybe 20m) for $10ec. We pretty much went straight to bed.
Next morning Skipper Mike was very drunk. I didn't notice at first (when he boated us to shore where we bough two Pain aux Chocolat and 4.5L of water and a baguette). But it was obvious to both of us, and he mentioned it as he boated us to the Oasis side. We agreed to met him at 10am (so that he could sleep it off) and Amanda went to the office to use the internet (and finish off the Girl Guide emails).
10am came and went with no skipper. I found him passed out and snoring on one of the lounge chairs on the beach. I spoke to him but he didn't wake. I spoke and nudged him several times, and finally he came-to. Eventually we were under sail (downwind) to Soufrière. He did most of the steering asleep, which is to say lounging in the back of the boat until the sails made a lot of noise at which signal he would nudge the wheel with his feet. But he did keep us on course and it was a beautiful day.
We went snorkeling near Jade Mountain (~$1500/night) north of Soufrière and saw lots of neat ***fish and motored in to Soufrière, tied up at the pier and walked to the Hummingbird for a late lunch. We also bought take-away sandwiches for dinner. They were characteristically slow and had trouble with the visa lines (had to take an imprint). So we didn't get back to the boat until ~5pm. We motored back to Marigot Bay (although I think we could have made just as good time sailing). The sun set as we went and the stars were out by our journey's end. It was very beautiful. Mike left us on the boat, and I re-packed our gear. Before bed we played a game of scrabble and read aloud. I slept with a proper pillow and had my first restful sleep all week.
In the morning, Mike (sober) boated us to shore and we bought water and two chocolate twists and two Pain aux Chocolat from the bakery and relaxed on the beach. Amanda read aloud for most of the morning. It was another beautiful day. I went on an adventure down the rocky shore of the bay until I found a large rock outcrop which I climbed. Then back at the beach we went for a swim and met a nice couple from New York with whom we shared a cab to the airport (organized by Nahdjla). At the top of the hill out of the bay we stopped for ice cream. At the airport, I remembered my customs form just before we checked our bags (which was lucky because it was in one of the bags). Past security we bought a delicious lunch and were soon on the plane. All US flights had to do a second security screening but since our was a direct to Montréal, we just waked though.
There was considerable turbulence on the flight home, but I like that. The Montréal airport was smooth and efficient with short lines. We were pretty exhausted and Amanda (bless her) drove us the two hours home to Ottawa. To bed after midnight, and straight to work in the morning. Ouch.
St. Lucia is a great country. I had a great time. But for inland adventures, I think I prefer Costa Rica. However I would like to meet a skipper I could live with and go on a Bahamas sailing trip for a few weeks or a month where all nights and most meals are spent on the boat.
I didn't get underwater photos, but here's some of the fish I think we saw.
My dad has (over the years) written several poems and short stories, and I thought it'd be a nice idea to get them bound into a book. A quick survey of book publishing options gave me the following.
Low cost, mini-mass production -- www.scaruffi.com
Summary of self-publishing options -- mashable.com
Lulu (books, media, storefront) -- www.lulu.com
Blurb (has booksmart) -- www.blurb.com
Xlibris (for serious authors) -- www.xlibris.com
Photo Books -- www.apple.com
Discussion on Self Publishing -- www.fonerbooks.com
Semi-useful blog about how to use Lulu -- www.makeuseof.com
Cafe Press (low cost) -- www.cafepress.ca
My requirement was to print (not for resale) ~4 books of ~30 pages with flexible layout options using roughly the standard novel paper size and with the ability to embed illustrations. After reading the above, I decided it was a draw between the following two options:
LuLu: Perfect Bound, 32 pages, Softcover, 5.83in x 8.26in, $5.14 USD/book.
Blurb: Perfect Bound, 32 pages, Softcover, 5in x 8in, ~$5/book.
I'd previously heard of Blurb's booksmart software, and Lulu looks like its niche is more for helping you re-sell your final product, so I went with Blurb.
Big mistake.
In the end I was able to produce what I wanted, but the path was full of pain and misery. If I ever try something like this again, it'll be with Lulu.
In the booksmart software, there are three modes: preview, edit and layout. The preview mode (presumably) shows you exactly what your final product will look like. This is a nice feature and is pretty much the only thing I appreciated about booksmart.
Edit mode is where you add your text. It has a zoom feature but as soon as you move your cursor from one editable area to another, it reverts to the default zoom, making the zoom feature frustrating and effectively useless. Another pisser is the restriction on window size (in all modes). They have scroll bars, but for whatever reason, you're not allowed to resize the window much smaller than full-screen -- again, useless.
There are two types of text areas: fixed size and flowing. Fixed size means that if your text fills more space than the available area then it just disappears past the bottom. This isn't very useful for anything other than captions. Flowing means that when text goes past the bottom of the page, a new page is started and the text appears there -- not a break-through technology, that's how every other word processor functions. But here's the coup de grâce: if you have text flowing from page 5 to 6 and you later add text to page 5 or change font size or do anything to effect where in your text the page-break occurs then:
1. extra line-breaks are arbitrarily inserted
2. characters from you text are arbitrarily deleted.
Insane. Unbelievable. Garbage. Just to be totally clear: you add a paragraph on page 3 and text is deleted from every following page. That's totally unacceptable.
When you're in layout mode it looks like the following. Because of the "arbitrarily delete your text" bug described above, I ended up making my own layouts (one for left pages, on for right pages). And because I didn't like the dimensions of their header, I added my own. These choices made production of the book very tedious, because I had to copy (and align) my header text for every page, and I had to decide before-hand the layout of all my page text because I had to use fixed size containers and text couldn't flow from page to page. So if you're editing page 20 and you change your mind about page 3 you basically have to redo pages 3 to 20 if the page 3 changes at all effect page 4.
Finally, it has an automatic save-as-you-go feature, which I normally appreciate. But since the interfaces and controls were so horribly non-intuitive and buggy, it was difficult to know the effect (sometimes sweeping) of your actions and how to reverse them. They do offer the ability to archive the current state of your book, which I used often as a means to recover from the devastating effects of their frequent bugs.
In the end, I managed to cobble together an acceptable product and placed an order for four copies on Dec. 22nd 2009. They arrived about 30 days later, and my dad was delighted.
My advice: do publish books; don't use blurb.
May 2007 - October 2008, we lived in Kanata and had Rogers cable internet. For unrelated reasons, I hate Rogers, but the quality of the internet was decent. October 2008 - present (December 2009) we live closer to downtown (K1Y 1W6), and we have a Primus phone/internet package. The price is decent ~$70/month (taxes included). The phone quality is good. We've never used more than the allotted long distance minutes. But the internet sucks. Our Primus DSL is unbelievably bad. Here's the add: Triple Value Bundle.
The first problem is that they give you an idiot's install package. When you sign up, they tell you that you have to pay them a sign-up fee. Sounds reasonable. What they don't tell you is that you're buying a useless modem/router device, and that if you thereafter want to use any other device they will refuse to support you. That wouldn't be 100% stupid if the device was a wireless router, but it's not. You can buy such a device from them, but since they don't tell you any of this at sign-up time, it's too late and you're screwed.
So, you get a Thompson SpeedStream modem (which is a DSL modem and wired router combined). They don't tell you your username and password, so you can't connect it to your wireless router (which no doubt you already have unless you've lived in a cave for the last decade and they are your very first internet provider). Solution: call them, get the user/pass for DSL, change the modem to bridged mode, setup your router with the user/pass as PPPoE. But good luck with this as their support staff speak almost no english.
Bridge Mode
TekSavvy provides this article that shows screenshots of how to set the modem to bridged mode. Basically: wired connection to modem >> 192.168.1.254 >> SpeedTouch >> Configuration >> Setup >> Bridge >> 0.35 >> new user/pass >> yes DHCP >> Finished.
Once in bridged mode you won't be able to connect directly to the internet via the modem. You'll have to setup PPPoE on your router and talk only to your router.
Why bridge mode? Well I made a bunch of changes before getting usable internet and this was one of them. The idea is that if both your modem and your router are in "Routed PPPoE" mode then they conflict. Also the idea is that the routing capability on the modem is a flaky add-on.
You access the SpeedTouch modem via: 192.168.1.254
The original setup was:
Routed PPPoE on 0/35 and 0/33 (modified by user)Speed
Factory Defaults
Configuration modified by CWMP
(UTC+01:00) Amsterdam, Bern, Rome, Stockholm
Web Browsing Interception: Automatic
I've never much cared about speed before. But the Primus DSL would sometimes drop to such an abysmal crawl that I was obliged to get some measurements. You can go to speedtest.net or speedtest.primus.ca to measure the speed of your internet connection.
Kbps = Kilo bits per secondWired to the SpeedTouch Primus modem in default (Routed PPPoE) mode:
Mbps = Mega bits per second
1 Mbps = 1000 Kbps
KBps = Kilo Bytes per second
X Kbps = X/8 KBps
speedtest.net (preferred server: toronto) 1808-2111 Kbps download, 111-127 Kbps upload
Wireless Router PPPoE to SpeedTouch modem in bridge mode:
speedtest.net (preferred server: toronto) 1639-1956 Kbps download, 96-152 Kbps upload
One site I found said that average high-speed internet is 1.9 Mbps = 1900 Kbps = 237.5 KBps = 1 GB in 73 min. Which is probably okay.
But from my box at work, the internet is 40x faster:
speedtest.net 42,368 Kbps download, 5,932 Kbsp upload, ping 17 ms.
speedtest.primus.ca 38,392 Kbps download, 12,914 Kbps upload, latency 6 ms.
Primus says you will get up to 7 Mbps = 7,000 Kbps, and I'm getting 1,800 Kbps, so that's 25% of what I might expect. Not terrible. But before all my fixes, I was getting 300 Kbps. That's unbelievably bad.
Wireless Channels
Initially, I had horrible download speeds, so I tried all channels 1-11 on my wireless router. It's true that some of them (2 and 3 in my case) really sucked. But the others were all about the same and didn't give me much improvement over my initial config (ch6). In the end I settled on ch7.
An easy way to test for bad channels is a ping test:
cmd> ping -t 192.168.1.1
This sends pings directly to my router. My good channels had 0% packet loss and almost all times shorter than 3ms.
Software
I did three things to my laptop before I got usable internet. I'm not sure if all were required, because I didn't do reboot tests in between each.
1. install the latest drivers for the wireless card
2. install the latest management software for the wireless card
3. tell the wireless card to always use full power
4. use WPA instead of WEP at the router (this seems like an all-around good idea)
5. shut off the macbookair
MacBookAir
It's possible that our MacBookAir was causing part of the problem. It seemed that when the MacBookAir was powered off, then my ASUS L5GA laptop with Intel Pro Wireless 2200BG card would get ~30,000kbps. But when the MacBookAir was powered on, I would get 600kbps. Although those results weren't very consistent. Perhaps it had nothing to do with it. Perhaps there was some other intermittent interference from other apartments in my building.
Here's some ideas I've gathered:
http://forums.macnn.com/92/networking/305303/mysterious-crashing-with-linksys-wrt54g/
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies-archive.cfm/990169.html
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=1080253&tstart=645
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=489910&tstart=15
Current Status
I now run the ASUS always wired with a static IP. The MacBookAir runs wireless with a dynamic IP. When we have intenet, it is decent ~2,500kbps. But the router will intermittently become disconnected from PPPoE, which is solved by rebooting the SpeedTouch modem (toggling its power switch) and asking the router to reconnect (via the router's status page at 192.168.1.1). This might not happen for several days, or it might happen several times in a given day. It may be correlated with bad weather. It doesn't seem to be correlated with rate of internet usage. It's a real pain, but it's work-around-able, and I'm not willing to waste more time debugging it.
I think I'll probably just go back to Rogers.
Here's some wisdom from my brother:
The Boondock Saints
Tomatometer: 16%
IMDB Rating: 7.9
The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day
Tomatometer: 21%
IMDB Rating: 7.5
First of all, if you believed the Rotten Tomatoes rating, you would never watch either movie [edit: for those of you who don't know, Boondock Saints is one of the best movies of all time]. Second of all, there is almost zero chance of the sequel being better than the original, as RT would suggest.
Rotten Tomatoes: Boooooo.
My Advice
Learn some Spanish. Bring colónes (their money) into the country, and withdraw more from their bank machines. Don't use USD because it'll be harder to know what it's actually costing you. Get a good guide book with details on small towns and lots of maps. Get good road maps or a GPS. Rent a car from adobe and get a cell phone from them. If you get into trouble, they'll help you out. Note that your key chain probably has a RF security device in it, so it has to be next to the drive-shaft or the car won't start. So don't take it off and chuck it in the glove compartment. If you get lost: backtrack. Don't try an alternate route. Book only hotels in advance. At the hotels, someone will speak English. Ask them about local tours and services. Pay for the expensive tours. You'll get smart guides with small groups. Costa Rica is great. Go soon. Go often. And here's a video from Amanda.
Why Not To Book With Gap Adventures
Gap looks like a great company, and they probably are good at their core business which seems to be low-cost group tours on a well worn route. But they will also book custom self-directed tours for you. For $25, they give you a suggested itinerary which I've copied most of below in case that link dies. We were exclusively in contact with Cindy Kwan from Gap, so maybe it's just her, but in any case I was totally dissatisfied with their service.
Feb 7 Liberia - Tamarindo
Pick up your car at the airport and transfer to your Tamarindo
Overnight at Hotel PasatiempoFeb 8 - Tamarindo
Get ready for your 2hr surf lesson today! Spend the rest of your day testing out the waves.
Overnight at Hotel PasatiempoFeb 9 Arenal
Transfer to Arenal today and take part in the Arenal Volcano Hike followed by a relaxing soak at the Tabacon Hot Springs. Tonight your dinner is included as well.
Overnight at Arenal Paraiso HotelFeb 10 Arenal
After breakfast get ready for the Venado Caves Tour. The rest of your day is at leisure.
Overnight at Arenal ParaisoFeb 11 Manuel Antonio
Transfer to Manuel Antonio and this small beach town.
Overnight at Tres Banderas HotelFeb 11 Manuel Antonio
Spend the day at leisure. There are plenty of watersports or other outdoor activities to take part in.
Overnight at Tres Banderas HotelFeb 12 Manuel Antonio
Tour Manuel Antonio National Park today and spend the rest of your day hiking the trails or relaxing and one of the many beaches found in the park.
Overnight at Tres Banderas HotelFeb 13 Liberia
No services booked.Feb 14 Liberia
Tour ends today. Bring your car back to the airport and prepare for your flight home.
The Pre-Book items below are the things we were considering having her to book for us. Note that I easily found all this detail on the internet. None of it was provided by her. What you see above is all we ever got: "Pick up your car at the airport". What kind of car? I only drive automatic.
Another important thing completely lacking from Gap was any help with transportation: "Transfer to Arenal today". What route? How long will it take? Will I be able to get there in time for whatever we've booked next? I googled around and found some discussion boards (links below), so I was able to roughly estimate travel times.
So anyway, I sent the following to her as a suggested itinerary based on her original itinerary. I wanted to know: Can you book this? What will it cost? What benefit do I get by booking with you instead of booking it myself?
--- Feb 7th ---
3:45am Arrive at Direct Flight Economy-Park (map). Shuttles run 24hrs with max 20 min wait for pickup.
4:15am Arrive at Pearson Airport.
6:15am American Airlines flight 1409 departs from Terminal 3 (food for purchase).
9:40am Arrive in Miami (3hr 25min air time).
11:05am American Airlines flight 2127 departs.
12:55pm Arrive in Liberia (2hr 50min air time).
Pre-Book Pickup rental car from Budget 100m west of airport.
- Rental for 7th at noon to 14th at noon of a CFAR compact 4x4 automatic, with coverage for supplemental liability, an additional driver, and a GPS. $387.30 USD (+taxes?)
- An extra $132.65 USD (+taxes?) for "super collision damage" coverage.
- Cost of GPS is $69.95 USD (+taxes?)Drive to Tamarindo (~1hr?) (~total travel time 11.5hrs)
Pre-Book 2 nights~3:00pm Check in to Hotel Pasatiempo. 2 nights, standard room, $109.00 x2 (USD+taxes?) (a different hotel would be okay)
--- Feb 8th ---
Pre-Book Surfing Lessons
--- Feb 9th ---
10:00am Check-out and drive to Arenal (~2.5hrs?)
Pre-Book 2 nightsArenal Paraiso Hotel "superior" room (unless the "standard" room has a better view), $110.00 x2 (USD+taxes?)
Pre-Book3:45pm Volcano Hike (~3.5hrs?) $35 x2 (USD+taxes?)
Hike to the Arenal Volcano along the Silencio path with a professional local bilingual guide. The walk to the Silencio viewpoint takes about 1.5hrs. There you will be able to see lava flows. After this you will head for the Arenal hot water springs for a relaxing hot water spring bath. $35.00ea
10am-10pm Hot Springs (no cost)
[edit: at the time, the arenal paraiso website was much less sucky and provided lots of details on bookable events like the volcano hike and their free hot springs. I turns out that Cindy was talking about completely different hot springs which were admittedly awesome.]
--- Feb 10th ---
Pre-Book2:00pmVenado Caves Tour (~3.5hrs?) $45 x2 (USD+taxes?)
--- Feb 11th ---
10:00am Check-out and drive to Manuel Antonio (~6hrs?)
Pre-Book 2 nightsHotel California "deluxe" room (unless the "standard" room has a better view), $160.00 x2 (USD+taxes?)
--- Feb 12th ---
Tour Manuel Antonio National Park ($3 parking, $7ea entrance, $20ea group guide 2hr tour, not pre-booked)
--- Feb 13th ---
Drive back to Liberia
Pre-BookBest Western Las Espuelas (or similar), $76.00 (USD+taxes?)
-- Better than this would be to drive back to within a 3hrs drive of Liberia and spend the day/night there. That way we can wake up and drive straight to the airport, and we don't waste the entire day.
could stay at "Canas"
could stop at waterfall in "Bagaces"
could stay at ots.ar.cr or at the ranger station in "Parque Nacional Palo Verde"--- Feb 14th ---
11:30am Arrive at Liberia Airport and return rental car.
Pay $26 x2 cash (USD?) exit tax.
2:00pm American Airlines flight 2130 departs (food for purchase).
5:40pm Arrive in Miami (2hr 40min air time).
8:05pm American Airlines flight 646 departs.
11:14pm Arrive in Toronto at Terminal 3 (3hr 9min air time).
So, I give her all that, and I point out that neither of us have ever driven a manual transmission and eight days later she replies with that no-details itinerary that I copied above. As far as I can tell, she's simply offering to book you at a hotel, and book some of the hotel-provided tours for you. But since she's only offering major hotels that are bookable over the web, you can easily do it yourself. And that way you can choose from the 10 tours they offer rather than just doing what Cindy supposes you'll prefer. Better yet, don't book the tours in advance, just show up and ask the people at the hotel what kinds of local services are available. There's no shortage of advertisements.
Now about the car. She sends us itinerary #1. I send her the details above and call her to discuss them and make a big deal on the phone about absolutely requiring an automatic. She says sure, no problem, give me a couple of days. Eight days later she replies with itinerary #2. Amanda calls her to confirm that she'll book us an automatic (because it's not specified in the itinerary). She says no, sorry, that'll cost extra (what? wasn't I clear?). She replies with itinerary #3 which is identical except the price has increased.
At this point I've lost all confidence in her, but it's Jan 19th and our flight is Feb 7th. On the 14th we told her to make it an automatic and book it. But on the 20th she sends us an itinerary (the identical one with the increased cost) for approval. What approval? We've already approved it. Book it. I should have backed out then. I could probably have booked the whole thing myself in a couple of hours.
Jan 23rd. Still not booked. Now she tells us that we must provide proof of "travel insurance with emergency evacuation and repatriation up to US $200,000" or pay for hers. Well, we do have travel insurance (from work benefits) but I have no idea if it covers "emergency evacuation and repatriation", so I send her my policy and ask her to confirm that it is acceptable (after all, I might as well get her to do some work for that $500+ that we're paying). No reply.
That's my biggest complaint. No reply. She sends proposals that are always in the same cut-and-paste style, never with the detail I request, and when I ask a question to which she can't provide a cut and paste (albeit insufficient) answer, she just doesn't reply.
Jan 23rd. She's booking stuff now. We get this message:
The Suzuki Jimmy is not available and we can also offer the Tucson for an extra $72 CAD. Also the Hotel California in Manuel Antonio is sold out, the other hotel we use is the Tres Banderas. Let me know if this is ok and to go ahead with the confirmation.
I reply:
Hi Cindy,
Yes the Tucson is fine.
Yes the Tres Banderas is fine.
Please book them.Once everything is booked, can you send us specific details for our itinerary.
For example:
- checkin at Arenal Paraiso Hotel after Xam/pm + description of room
i.e. superior/standard
- Volcano Hike departs from X at 3:45pm, duration ~3.5hrs
- etc.
All these details were of course on the itinerary I sent her. But I've lost all faith in her ability, so I want a written record of what to expect when we arrive. Is that too much to ask? Yep. She ignores me again.
Jan 26th
Hi Michael and Amanda,
Please send me your flight details as soon as possible so I can your final documents to you.
What the hell?
Hi Cindy.
Our flight details are included in our suggested itinerary.
[dead url here]
Here's a copy.
...
Jan 26th at 3:10pm
Services booked:
Attached are your final documents. Please review them and ensure all details are accurate. You will be met by your representative at the airport and brought to Adobe Car Rental. All of the details regarding your trip, activities, maps, check in's and hotel information will be given to you once you arrive.
Ensure the details are accurate? What details? The final documents are really just the itinerary that we already approved. Very vague. But she has let some detail slip: Adobe Car Rental. I'd suggested Budget in my proposal. Who cares. I check out the site anyway. Big surprise.
Thank you.
Could we possibly see the details regarding our trip, activities,
check in's and hotel information before we depart?One other thing.
Below, you mention "Adobe Car Rental".
http://www.adobecar.com/ describes the "Suzuki Jimmy" and "Tucson"
that you mentioned in you Jan21 email as manual transmission.Please confirm that the car you book for us is automatic transmission.
Thanks.
Her reply
Hi Michael,
The car booked for you is automatic as we have discussed. In fact you have been upgraded to a Mitsubishi Nativa at no extra cost.
I cannot send you the details regarding check ins and hotel info as the operator that we work with in Costa Rica will meet you once you arrive and give you those documents. We don't issue them from here.
Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. It's obvious to me that she didn't book an automatic. We were billed $2,447.00 on the 21st when we approved her itinerary. Then a separate $72.00 on the 23rd for the upgrade from (manual) "Suzuki Jimmy" to the (manual) "Tucson". Note that I expected a $160 room at Hotel California but received a $70 room at Hotel Las Tres Banderas instead but this didn't reduce our bill. It's obvious to me that she only upgraded us to the Mitsubishi Nativa when I for the 3rd time pointed out that we requested an automatic but she provided a manual. I'm convinced that I spent more time checking up on her shoddy work than I would have spent booking the entire thing myself.
Okay, what about: "The operator that we work with in Costa Rica will meet you once you arrive and give you those documents." Also bullshit. The free airport shuttle from adobe car rental met us at the airport and had a little packet of vouchers to give us. That's it. No detail. No maps. What follows is the entire deliverable from Cindy Kwan (minus the vouchers for Adobe Rent-A-Car and Hotel Pasatiempo which I didn't think to photograph).
So that's my big long angry story about why not to book with Gap Adventures. I've heard good things about them, so maybe it was just Cindy, or maybe they're only good at their pre-packaged group tours, or maybe there more useful in a less internet-enabled, tourist-friendly country than Costa Rica. But next time I go, I'll just book a car and some hotels in advance and leave everything else to chance.
Here's what actually happened to us in Costa Rica
--- Feb 7th ---
3:15am Get in the car and drive to the park-and-fly at 655 Dixon Road. (map).
3:45am Arrive at Direct Flight Economy-Park. (requires voucher) Shuttles run 24hrs with max 20 min wait for pickup.
4:15am Arrive at Pearson Airport.
6:15am American Airlines flight 1409 departs from Terminal 3 (food for purchase).
9:40am Arrive in Miami (3hr 25min air time).
11:05am American Airlines flight 2127 departs.
12:55pm Arrive in Liberia (2hr 50min air time).
We were met at the airport by guy from Adobe Rent-A-Car with a sign with our name on it. He had some English. He drove us to Adobe. This service is free with the rental.
At adobe they gave us our vouchers. We paid an additional $160.89 CDN for extra insurance (i.e. the maximum that they offer), cell phone rental, and coverage for both of us as drivers. Basic insurance was covered by the GAP voucher. They said that they were giving us the cell phone for free. We should have also rented a GPS. They gave us a free map, but it didn't have nearly enough detail to navigate.
2:00pm Pickup rental car Mitsubishi Nativa / Automatic 4WD from Adobe Rent a Car(requires voucher)
Drive to Playa Tamarindo (took a little over an hour, paved the whole way)
4:00pm Check in to Hotel Pasatiempo. (requires voucher) (booked for 2 nights) (we left Scarborough 13 hours and 45 minutes ago)
This hotel was fantastic. In my opinion, it's the best in town. Very private.
Had dinner at Taco Stop. Run by an American girl. Excellent. Walked on the beach at sunset.
--- Feb 8th ---
Breakfast at some place by the water. Not so great.
Went walking around the outskirts of town. There is a sort-of nature preserve. Saw some monkeys, and lots of birds. Also climbed up a huge hill behind the centre of town. Great view. Lots of land cleared as if they will be putting up condos soon.
12pm 2hr Surf Lesson. (requires voucher) A guy met us at our hotel at noon. We walked down the street to the surf shop and picked up boards and rash-guard. Then down to the beach for some surfing. Was lots of fun.
Have been buying food at the local's grocery store. Great banana bread. Another great sunset on the beach.
Dinner after dark at an Italian place at the end of our street, near the water. Great lady runs the place, but didn't much like my sandwich. Amanda's pizza was excellent though.
--- Feb 9th ---
9:00am Check-out and drive to Arenal Volcano near La Fortuna (got lost, ~6hrs)
Instead of backtracking to Liberia, we took the only other obvious route on our map. It was very slow dirt roads at first, but then was paved for the rest of the way. But we missed a turn off and were lost for hours. Finally arrived at 3pm. Rescheduled Volcano and Hotsprings to next day.
3:00pm Check in to Arenal Paraiso Hotel. (requires voucher) (booked for 2 nights)
This place is a resort. It's very beautiful, but very American. Relaxed in the hot springs. Very great. Dinner at the Hotel restaurant. Decent.
--- Feb 10th ---
7:45amVenado Caves Tour(requires voucher)
Okay, this is exactly why GAP sucks. This tour was great, but we didn't know that it would be early morning or that we were going to crawl through a muddy cave, get soaking wet and need a complete change of clothes. Happily the guide warned us of all this when he picked us up.
This tour is lots of fun if you like crawling around in dark, dank, humid caves. On our tour there were five people total: us, the guide, and a couple from Lithuania.
3:15pmVolcano Hike(requires voucher)
Great tour. Guide picks us up and drives us to the other (active) side of the volcano. We hike through the park (jungle with very wide path) to about 1km from the volcano (actually on top of the rubble from an old eruption). He tells us about the area along the way and we see some interesting birds and termites. Little white clouds of dust roll down the slope as the volcano spits out white hot chunks of rock. This sounds like gunshots. This is what they mean by "you will see lava". Not what I expected, but very much enjoyed it. There were four other tourists on the tour with us, and the guide was excellent.
6:30pm Tabacon Hot Springs (requires voucher)
After the volcano, they drove us to a nearby resort: The Tabacon Grand Spa Resort. We played in the springs then had buffet dinner. I cannot begin to express how amazing and decadent these hot springs are. Not sure how I feel about it, but was very amazing. Quite an experience.
--- Feb 11th ---
9:30am Check-out and drive to Manuel Antonio (stopped for lunch so took about 7 hours)
Before we left, stopped for souvenirs at Galeria Aguas Verdes Alajuela. Lunch at a great little place called Rancho Ceci Alajuela where they have as little English as I have Spanish.
4:30pm Check in to Tres Banderas Hotel. (requires voucher) (booked for 2 nights)
This place is decent. It's run by a Polish guy. They have an open kitchen and a bar, but the cook and bartender seem very grouchy.
--- Feb 12th ---
7:25am(requires voucher) A bus picked us up and took us to Manuel Antonio National Park. We had a guide and a group of about 12 people. Definitely tour this park with a guide. You walk through the jungle basically on a dirt road. He sets up a scope on a tripod when he spots something (i.e. bat, tree frog) and you get a great view and can take great pictures through the scope with a standard pocket sized camera. Don't bother taking pictures of the monkeys if you seem them on this hike. There will be lots more, much closer near the beach at the end of the hike.
Spent the second half of the day body-surfing. Great day. But separated the key from the keychain, so later the car wouldn't start. The keychain contains an RFchip that has to be near the steering column or the car won't start. Good thing we had the cell phone.
Dinner at Ronny's Place (Resturante Mirador Mi Lupuntarenas). Amazing food. And would have an amazing view, but we went after dark.
--- Feb 13th ---
10:00am Check-out and drive to Playa del Coco. (about 7 hours)
Stopped for groceries at the Supermercado in Canas. Also got lost looking for a waterfall in Bagaces.
This was our rebellion from Cindy's bad advice. Instead of spending the night at a Best Western, we had a fabulous time at the Hotel Villas Del Sol in Playa del Coco. We just looked them up in the Lonely Planet book while driving toward Liberia and called with the rental cell phone (unlimited calling in Costa Rica) and booked for that night. (Here a little Spanish is necessary).
The guide book says that Playa del Coco is no great shakes. But I loved it.
--- Feb 14th ---
11:30am Arrive at Liberia and return the rental car at the airport.
Pay $26 x2 USD cash exit tax.
2:00pm American Airlines flight 2130 departs (food for purchase).
5:40pm Arrive in Miami (2hr 40min air time).
8:05pm American Airlines flight 646 departs.
11:14pm Arrive in Toronto at Terminal 3 (3hr 9min air time).
Go to the courtesy phone near the reservations board in Terminal 3 and select "Direct Flight Economy Park" and request a shuttle. Wait at the post they indicate.
--- Cost (in canadian dollars) ---$790.69 x2 -- Flights Toronto to Liberia and back for 2 people (all taxes and fees included) via Expedia
$58.47 -- Park-and-Fly via Expedia
~$130 -- Travel doctor consultation and hepA shot each ($240 but was partially covered by benefits)
$10.31 $85.72 $13.45 $22.89 $14.43 $31.60 $6.49 $24.44 $9.20 $35.00 $4.72 -- Misc. supplies (like fuel to drive to toronto, sunblock, airport food, magazines)
$22.59 -- Photo for International Driver's Permit
$15.00 -- International Driver's Permit (from CAA, should have also got the photo here, cheaper) (note, this permit is not required, I was just being over cautious)
$72.00 $2,447.00 GAP
$120.26 for 50,000c cash
$505.20 for $400usd cash
$160.89 for additional insurance, both drivers covered and cell phone from Adobe Rent-A-Car
$123.04 for dinners and drinks at Hotel Arenal Paraiso
$76.61 for souvenirs at Galeria Aguas Verdes Alajuela
$12.11 for lunch (black egg soup) at Rancho Ceci Alajuela
$95.84 for dinner at Ronny's Place (Resturante Mirador Mi Lupuntarenas)
$70.18 for breakfast/dinner and drinks at Hotel Las Tres Banderas
$27.51 for groceries at the Supermercado in Canas
$82.54 for one night at the Hotel Villas Del Sol in Playa del Coco
Notes
Sunrise 5:30am, Sunset 5:30pm. Costa Rica uses 120V 60Hz ..1 CAD = .....453 CRC $0.50 (USD) - loaf of bread | Hotel Meals |
While ATMs are widely available, there are no guarantees that your credit or debit cards will actually work in Latin America. Check with your bank. You should be aware that to purchase products or services on a credit card a fee of 5%-10% usually applies. Do not rely on credit or debit cards as your only source of money.
It is customary in Latin America to tip service providers such as waiters, at approximately 10%, depending on the service. Please note that in Costa Rica, a 23% charge is added on to almost every meal (13% tax, 10% tip). Further tipping for wait staff is appropriate in the case of excellent service.
Canadian Embassy
Travel Report for Costa Rica
- There is no Official Warning for this country.
- Leave copies of your passport identification page, itinerary and insurance policy with friends or family.
- Visitors should be vigilant at all times when travelling in the country due to high levels of crime.
- Petty crime such as pick pocketing, bag-snatching and theft from vehicles, buses and hotel rooms occurs regularly. Crimes against tourists are particularly common at airports, bus stations, ports, car rental lots, crowded tourist attractions and resort areas.
- Travellers should also be cautious in Tamarindo and Manuel Antonio.
- Beware of "good Samaritans" offering their help to change a flat tire, as they are often the cause of the situation.
- Remain vigilant in a stopped car (e.g. at traffic lights) and always drive with the doors locked and windows closed.
- Travellers should also avoid leaving their drinks or food unattended in bars and places of entertainment.
- Visitors to jungle areas should always be accompanied by an experienced guide.
- Few people outside major hotels, and very few public service providers (e.g. police, lawyers, hospitals) are able to communicate in English or French.
- Tourist Visa: Not required.
- The passport must be valid for at least thirty days from the date of arrival in Costa Rica.
- A tax of US$26 is charged upon departure.
- Canadians arrested or detained have the right to contact the responsible Canadian government office
- It is illegal to photograph official buildings. You should verify with local authorities before taking photos.
- Costa Rica has one of the highest accident rates in the world. Drivers and pedestrians should exercise great caution since traffic laws and speed limits are routinely ignored. Traffic signs are not sufficient. In some areas, potholes, sharp curves, landslides, and narrow or unpaved roads create dangerous road conditions, therefore be careful after dark, especially on rural roads.
- Terms and conditions of car rentals in Costa Rica are unlike most North American contracts. You should carefully review contracts and, in particular, be aware of the mandatory insurance liability coverage. Many driving situations can nullify insurance.
- Traffic enforcement is the responsibility of the Transit Police (222-9330 or 222-9245). Transit Officers often perform roadside inspection of vehicles and request the driver's permit, vehicle registration, and insurance documents. Traffic fines are not supposed to be collected on site. Travellers involved in driving accidents should call 911 to notify authorities of the accident. Do not move the vehicle until advised to do so by the police.
- The currency is the Costa Rican colón (CRC). To avoid complications, carry U.S. dollars (USD) or colónes. Street money changers often pass counterfeit U.S. dollars and local currency. Credit cards are widely accepted. Credit card fraud is a growing problem.
- It is extremely difficult to exchange Canadian currency and traveller's cheques in Costa Rica. Access to cash via ABMs is available in major cities. Only local currency can be withdrawn.
- Credit cards and debit cards should be used with caution due to the potential for fraud and other criminal activity.
- ABMs should be used during business hours inside a bank, supermarket, or large commercial building. Leave copies of your card numbers with a family member in case of emergency.
- An International Driving Permit is recommended. (I got this from the Kanata CAA Travel Store. They take the photo and issue the permit on the spot. ~30min. $15 for permit. $15 for photo.)
Costa Rica - SAN JOSÉ, Embassy of Canada
Address: La Sabana Executive Business Centre, Building No. 5, 3rd Floor, behind the Contraloría General de la República, San José
Postal Address: P.O. Box 351-1007, San José,
Tel.: 506 2242-4400
Emergency toll-free to Ottawa: 0-800-015-1161
Fax: 506 2242-4410
E-Mail: sjcra@international.gc.ca
Internet: http://www.costarica.gc.ca
Get Movies From The Ottawa Public Library
It turns out that you can borrow videos from the Ottawa Public Library, and many of these are mainstream movies. So the library is like a free movie rental store. Sounds kind of cool.
First problem: none of the good ones are available. First solution: you can go to the website and request them. They'll eventually arrive at your local branch and you'll be notified by phone or email. You have about a week to pick them up and about a week to watch them. I think your number of requests are unlimited. So you can do what I did and simply request hundreds. With any luck, they'll show up at a rate of about a couple every week. You can engineer the rate at which they arrive by looking at the "position" they tell you when you request the movies or later by looking at the "position" column when looking at your account. But be warned, I think position doesn't take into account the number of copies they have. So if you're in position 20 but they have 10 copies then you should expect to receive it in about a week, not in 20*7 days.
Second problem: their website sucks. You can't easily browse, and you certainly can't browse by availability. You can search for a specific title. It's best to use thier: Search > Advanced Search > Format: DVDs. Here's a link.
You have to login in order to request movies. If you have a library card then I think you have a account. It's just your library card and your phone number (I know, super secure). But if that doesn't work for you, just stop by any branch and they'll set you up. Once you're logged in, you just search for a title, click on one of the results for details, and click the "Request next available copy" button.
Since I went to the trouble of mining their data, I thought I'd share. Here's a good portion of their pre-2009 movie list. I built this by searching for DVDs titled * (i.e. all of them, but I gave up after a while). For some of them (i.e. the ones I considered requesting) there are IMDB links. Go wild.
| Probably Worth Looking At Lilies In the shadow of the Moon Guess who's coming to dinner Lake of fire Stalag 17 All roads film festival collection 2 A room with a view Pollock The 11th hour Six degrees could change the world Up the Yangtze I'm not there The great debaters Across the universe The kite runner American gangster A collection of 2006 Academy Award nominated short films Murder in the first Shallow grave Immortal beloved Legends of the fall Donnie Darko The Shawshank redemption The Da Vinci Code Passchendaele Stormchasers Richard III Cat on a hot tin roof My dinner with André Wildlife specials Shake hands with the devil Going upriver: the long war of John Kerry. Word wars The last Englishman Manufacturing consent Fearless Boys don't cry Quiz show Bullets over Broadway The adventures of Priscilla, queen of the desert Becoming Jane I remember Nelson Human footprint -- National Geographic Channel. The tenant of Wildfell Hall Standard operating procedure Terry Jones' Medieval lives Ghost in the shell Rob Roy Les Misérables The sound of music The age of innocence Swimming with sharks The Buddha of suburbia Man on wire Body of war A collection of 2007 Academy Award nominated short films All Roads Film Festival: 5th anniversary collection Control Sergei Prokofiev's Peter & the wolf Cranford Chop shop Sense and sensibility Earth, the biography the story of our world John Adams Pulp fiction Fiction The small back room The fugitive The small back room Maya Lin: a strong clear vision Africa: the Serengeti In the heat of the night Atonement The Live's Of Others John Adams (TV) Earth, the biography (TV) Foyle's war. Set 5 The private life of a masterpiece Days that shook the world The Crow Stargate Pulp fiction Seven The usual suspects 12 monkeys The Englishman who went up a hill but came down a mountain Poldark Apollo 13 Sharpe's rifles Middlemarch Like water for chocolate Mary Shelley's Frankenstein Reality bites Timecop Maverick The client Baraka The remains of the day The fly The piano The Secret of Roan Inish. In the line of fire Short cuts Driving Miss Daisy Bloody Sunday Clear and present danger Nell Speed The madness of King George Heavenly creatures Forrest Gump Interview with the vampire Tombstone The birds Nixon A great day in Harlem True lies Before sunrise All or nothing at all My fair lady Charade In the name of the father Shadowlands The secret garden Groundhog Day The crying game My own private Idaho Wuthering Heights The Blackheath poisonings Merlin and the dragons Lawrence of Arabia Doctor Zhivago Great expectations The Fisher King Oliver Twist A Canterbury tale Hands of a murderer : a Sherlock Holmes mystery. Dick Tracy White Fang Cleopatra Pump up the volume Madama Butterfly The real Bruce Lee The Life of Leonardo da Vinci The agony and the ecstasy Astro boy. The complete series A tale of two cities Sex, lies, and videotape Dead poets society The Unbearable lightness of being The thin blue line A handful of dust Mississippi burning Fury The Jane Austen collection The Maltese falcon National Velvet Good morning Vietnam The sword in the stone Alice in wonderland Bleak House Swiss family Robinson The black cauldron Anne of Green Gables Killing fields The Dead zone Man on the moon The boys from Brazil The Longest day Breakfast at Tiffany's Romancing the stone Dune The velveteen rabbit The dark crystal Sweeney Todd : the demon barber of Fleet Street. Fast times at Ridgemont High The Scarlet Pimpernel War and peace The Man from Snowy River Crazy/beautiful The postman always rings twice Shogun The four feathers The lion, the witch & the wardrobe : the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. White oleander Cinderella Big Red Monster's ball A knight's tale And justice for all Apocalypse now Almost famous Kramer vs. Kramer The Patriot All quiet on the western front Hair The King and I Alien The rainmaker The real Bruce Lee The day the earth stood still Murder by numbers The notebook The fast and the furious Donnie Darko The believer The Shining Caddyshack The Thomas Crown affair Raging bull The Blues brothers Jack Frost David Copperfield Bright young things Matchstick men Spider-Man 2 Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind The grapes of wrath The last unicorn Tuck everlasting E.T. the extra-terrestrial Spider-Man The world according to Garp The princess diaries Interview with the vampire Star trek II: the wrath of Khan. Blade runner Jumanji Sling blade Brideshead revisited Sin City Finding Forrester The terminator Lolita Star trek III : the search for Spock. A Nightmare on Elm Street Ghostbusters Heaven can wait Against all odds A Christmas carol The war of the worlds Amadeus Hamlet Gandhi A streetcar named desire Octopussy The night of the iguana Never cry wolf Scarface The breakfast club The color purple The goonies The pirates of Penzance The Americanization of Emily Name of the rose Mean girls Freaky Friday Old Yeller Ocean's eleven Pretty in pink Platoon Dr. Strangelove, or, How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb Mary Poppins Labyrinth The Mosquito Coast Top gun It's a wonderful life The color of money Capote George Orwell's 1984 Girl with a pearl earring Lost in translation Die hard The Sixth sense The land before time Dead ringers Rain man A fish called Wanda The Princess bride Snow White Rumpelstiltskin Chicago Fargo Three men and a baby Full metal jacket The untouchables Wall Street Lethal weapon Spaceballs Planes, trains and automobiles Titus Andronicus The many adventures of Winnie the Pooh The jungle book Charlotte's web Touching the void Twelfth night A room with a view North and South : the complete collection. Bend it like Beckham Awakenings GoodFellas Charlie Wilson's war Around the world in 80 days Big The little mermaid Public enemy Life of Brian The adventures of Indiana Jones : the complete DVD movie collection. Driving Miss Daisy The abyss Turner & Hooch Back to the future the complete trilogy. Tremors King Lear The fury Patton When Harry met Sally Say anything The fly ; The fly 2. Henry V Steel magnolias Rosemary's baby The fly Monty Python's flying circus Who framed Roger Rabbit The Witches Field of dreams Batman A.I. Star Trek VI : the undiscovered country. The little mermaid 101 Dalmatians 101 dalmatians II. Patch's London adventure Wizard of Oz Me and you and everyone we know The paper bag princess My fair lady Peter Pan Whale rider The hunt for Red October Dances with wolves About a boy Back to the future the complete trilogy. The chronicles of Narnia Harry Potter and the philosopher's stone Harry Potter and the prisoner of Azkaban Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets Ghost Not without my daughter The Godfather DVD collection Home alone The Rescuers Down Under Misery Pink Floyd, the wall Arachnophobia The Crow Into the woods Die hard 2 : die harder. Night of the living dead Scream Terminator 2 : judgment day. Aliens Robin Hood : prince of thieves. Dances with wolves Amazing Grace Naked lunch The nature connection with David Suzuki Cape Fear He said, she said City slickers Hook Courage under fire JFK Three kings Reservoir dogs Bridge on the River Kwai The Doors Arsenic and old lace The perfect storm Thelma & Louise Patriot games Beauty and the beast Glengarry Glen Ross Dracula Spartacus The best of Mr. Bean Wallace & Gromit. Three amazing adventures Schindler's list The complete Beatrix Potter collection Romeo & Juliet Sleepless in Seattle Black Hawk down War and peace Iron will The essential Egoyan Wayne's world 2 What's eating Gilbert Grape The Three musketeers : [all for one, and one for all]. Annie Leibovitz The tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny ; The tale of Mr. Tod. The Firm Kalifornia Philadelphia Searching for Bobby Fischer Jurassic Park Mrs. Doubtfire Lord of the flies Treasure Island Four weddings and a funeral Dragon, the Bruce Lee story What's love got to do with it? The nutcracker The Pelican brief Into the wild Howards End Aladdin My cousin Vinny The piano White men can't jump Malcolm X A river runs through it The last of the Mohicans Hero Scent of a woman The great escape Lethal weapon 4 A League of their own Batman returns The player Baraka Blood diamond Jarhead Shelley Duvall's Faerie tale theatre Aftermath: population zero Romulus, my father The Buddha of suburbia The Edwardians Starting Out in the Evening Long way down. Complete TV series King Corn Ballet shoes The Deal Housewife, 49 Sharkwater (TV) Gulliver's travels (TV) The legend of Tillamook's gold Ganges Love in the time of cholera Darfur now No country for old men Pucca. Kung fu kisses All about Eve Life after people Zodiac Boy called Twist Philby, Burgess and Maclean Watership down The furies The Hudsucker proxy Mr. Holland's opus Leonard Maltin's animation favorites from the National Film Board of Canada Raining stones Much ado about nothing A year in Provence Heaven & earth Six degrees of separation Lip gloss Diary of a worm Cracker. Series two The Windsors, a royal family The Bostonians Bizet's dream Kurt & Courtney Thumbelina Queen of the East Yanni live at the Acropolis Whaledreamers Around the world in 80 treasures Faces of Earth Mitzi Gaynor: razzle dazzle! High noon Reservation Road Le peuple invisible Jimmy Carter. Man from Plains The memory keeper's daughter Love and other dilemmas Late fragment The wild horse redemption Surviving my mother The secret of Santa Vittoria The Strauss family Elton John: tantrums and tiaras The lost book of Nostradamus American teen The daydreamer Love's unfolding dream The Dick Francis thriller. Volume 2, The racing game A walk to beautiful African American lives 2 Abel's island Country matters Before the devil knows you're dead Normal Too tough to die, a tribute to Johnny Ramone How the West was won Journey to the center of the Earth The stone angel The Easter Bunny is comin' to town Lonesome dove Steal a pencil for me Family motel Into the unkown with Josh Bernstein. Tortoise vs. hare Finding Rin Tin Tin Operation Valkyrie: the Stauffenberg plot to kill Hitler. The small back room Recount The last laugh Spirit of the Marathon The Jewish Americans. King Priam. The hands of Orlac Tin man The blue elephant The rape of Europa Surfwise The business of being born Moondance Alexander I'm still here: real diaries of young people who lived during the Holocaust. Missing Sorrell and son Shaun the sheep. Off the baa! Lost stallions: the journey home. Crusade: a march through time. Justice League. New frontier Steep In the family Alice upside down Charlie and Lola. [Volume] eight, I am collecting a collection Sand and sorrow: a new documentary about Darfur Wind at my back: the complete third season. Jesse Stone. Sea change Jumanji Get on the bus Pocahontas Victor, Victoria Forget Paris Cadfael. A morbid taste for bones Brother Cadfael. The leper of St. Giles Mighty Aphrodite Waiting to exhale Clueless Restoration Nixon Mallrats Heat Something to talk about Safe Truman How to make an American quilt Goldeneye Dolores Claiborne Babe Circle of friends Anne Murray's classic Christmas Leaving Las Vegas Damage The best bits of Mr. Bean Casino Get Shorty To die for The bridges of Madison County Clerks Dido & Aeneas Sharpe's company Angels in the outfield Sharpe's enemy Sharpe's eagle Oliver's travels Sharpe's battle Stonewall Kurt Cobain, about a son Phantom museums: short films of the Quay brothers. Scotland forever Can you hear me thinking Mysterious Britain Double happiness Liberation The rector's wife Omagh Crumb Ben-Hur Wind in the willows A wrinkle in time Million dollar babies The courtesans of Bombay Who gets to call it art? The assassination of Richard Nixon Pulse Mad hot ballroom Brother minister Hotel Rwanda God sleeps in Rwanda | Probably Not Worth Looking At Sharpe's gold Sharpe's sword Sharpe's honour No quarter unledded Madiba Baseball -- a production of Florentine Films and WETA-TV Einstein and the stars Rainforest (Jungle) Dinosaur -- BBC Wildvision -- writer: Brian Meehl. Signs out of time: the story of archaeologist Marija Gimbutas. The miracle of life: pregnancy workout. The Beatles anthology Cadfael. Monk's hood Central America; Pilot Film and TV Productions LTd. ; WETA. Archibald Frisby -- a production of Great Plains National The House of cards. v.2, To play the king Richard Scarry's best sing-a-long Mother Goose video ever The Mikado -- directed by Rodney Greenberg L'animation Radio-Canada [enregistrement vidéo (DVD)] : un hommage Frédéric Back. A brilliant madness Discovering Italy -- written & directed by Patricia Franklin The Beatles: the ultimate DVD collection. Brother Cadfael. The leper of St. Giles Baseball. Inning 1, Our game: [the 1840s-1900] Baseball. Extra inning Baseball. Inning 9, Home: [1970-1994] The best of Mr. Bean. Volume 2 101 dalmatians II. Patch's London adventure -- Walt Disney Pictures Mrs. Reinhardt Jack Frost Corner Gas. Season 5 (TV) Pucca. Ninjas love noodles The aristocats -- Walt Disney Pictures 101 Dalmatians -- Walt Disney Pictures Clifford the big red dog. A big help! Pingu. South Pole adventures Water horse: legend of the deep. The Osmonds: 50th anniversary reunion concert. Franklin. Franklin's sailboat Sharks: knights of the sea. Be my valentine, Charlie Brown Chrysanthemum: -- and more mouse mayhem. Barack Obama Human body: pushing the limits. Saturday night live. SNL in the '80s: lost and found Justice League. New frontier -- Warner Bros It's bad for ya' -- George Carlin Partner dancing 101. The Latin dances Caillou. Caillou's winter wonders The Beatrix Potter collection -- BBC Video Sure shot Dombrowski: hockey's greatest two-way player. It's the Easter Beagle, Charlie Brown Goosebumps. Perfect school The Who at Kilburn 1977 Goosebumps. One day at HorrorLand Wind at my back: the complete fifth season. Rush - snakes & arrows live The Three Stooges collection. Volume two, 1937-1939 Wind at my back: the complete fourth season. Jane and the dragon. Struggle for hope: Six gestures Tai chi: (6 forms, 6 easy lessons) Michael the visitor The greatest-- and the latest: Comic relief. Les classiques de Frédéric Back Medieval warfare Snowshoes and solitude: a year in the Wabakimi wilderness. Thomas & friends. Trust Thomas & other stories The Kids in the Hall. complete season 5 1993-1994 Keepers of memory (director/producer, Eric Kabera.) Mighty machines. Vol. 7 Mighty machines. Vol. 5 Mighty machines. Vol. 6 Mighty machines. Vol. 8 Yesterday in Rwanda Faults & fixes with Nick Price Mighty machines. Vol. 9 America and the Holocaust: deceit and indifference. Breaking point: Quebec/Canada--the 1995 referendum. All about fast trains Auditioning (by Allan Miller) Leonard Reed's shim sham shimmy Garbage (Disney Educational Productions) Vietnam (produced by Escapi New Media Studios) The big plane trip (directed by William VanDerKloot) Loreena McKennitt: no journey's end. Mighty machines. Vol. 4 The big comfy couch. Are you ready for school? Due South. Season two Due South. Season one Mighty machines. Vol. 3 Mighty machines. Vol. 1 Mighty machines. Vol. 2 Baseball. Inning 5, Shadow ball Baseball. Inning 3, The faith of fifty million people Baseball. Inning 2, Something like a war The Three Stooges collection. Volume two, 1937-1939 Fun and funky fitness for kids Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog Les classiques de Frédéric Back The Kids in the Hall. complete season 5 1993-1994 The Kids in the Hall. complete season 4 1992-1993 UFO and paranormal phenomena. The mystery of life and death Dinosaur & Prehistoric life. Tchaikovsky: the tragic life of a musical genius. Essential art house. Lord of the flies. Healing cancer: from the inside out. Mac computer basics Bible code II: Apocalypse and beyond, finding our future. Teens, sex & health: a comprehensive approach to sexual education. CSNY/ Déjà vu Snow angels -- Crossroads Films production The first emperor -- directed by Brian Large The secret of happiness -- Eckhart Tolle. Are you ready to sing? Incredible Britain Ayurveda - for detox Ayurveda - for stress relief Classic archive: gyorgy cziffra Exercise and cancer - inspirations, indications Hollywood singing and dancing Peter Grimes Thomas & friends. The great discovery All-access: an unprecedented look behind the scenes. Growing up. Arctic Hansel and Gretel -- EMI Classics Growing up online It's a plus: learn to add. Puppytown. Growing up The dancing princess Mac computer applications Activity TV. Puppets Luck of the Loch Ness monster: a tale of picky eating. Franklin and the secret club Animalia Beginning ukulele. Volume 1 Am I normal?: teens and emotional health. Email for seniors: a step-by-step guide for the computer sky. Goosebumps. A night in Terror Tower A senior's guide to using a computer Eloise's rawther unusual Halloween Embracing aging: families facing change. Goosebumps. Monster blood. Big rig Tec the Tractor: best friend on wheels. Robson Arms: the complete third season. Arthur. Big brother Binky A mama for Owen The royal diaries Happy Valley: what's in your jello? Goosebumps. The night of the living dummy Do unto otters: a book about manners. Hello numbers: learn to count. One-on-one training with Jackie That incredible state Babywatch. The complete guide to having a baby for men The source of the secret Kid guides. Zoos Solomon yoga & pilates Finding hope in recovery: families living with addiction. Casper the Friendly Ghost . Trick or treat Flying: confessions of a free woman. The Bible code: predicting Armageddon. Goosebumps. The ghost next door Go Diego go! Diego's Halloween Daphne: the secret love life of Daphne du Maurier. Stott pilates. Pilates for breast cancer rehab A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving The Backyardigans. Escape from fairytale village Live to be 150: can you do it? It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown Monarch and milkweed Signing time. Series two, volume 13, Who has the frog? Goosebumps. It came from beneath the sink Baby boost 48 songs You're not elected, Charlie Brown Bebé goes shopping; Bebé goes to the beach. Postcards from Buster. The case of the coin purloined Who wants to be an entomologist? Joy Division: the true story of the meteoric rise and fall of one of the most influential bands of our time. Ports & pilots -- presented by North Carolina Public Television. Kideosyncrasy. Volume 2, Getting the world in shape one kid at a time. The Pyongyang concert -- EuroArts Music International Bear dreams: learn to read. Viva piéata. Volume 1 -- Montréal : Imavision Berenstain Bears. Family and friendship Drawing power! Safari animal drawing Planet B-boy -- directed and produced by Benson Lee. Okay, I bought a Mac! Now what? Spooktacular new adventures of Casper. Vol. 2 Jazz class for kids Sneaker confidential Sunrise Earth: sunrises of the ancient world. -- Discovery Channel Interview the best -- S.n. Quick licks for guitar: fast classic metal. -- Mel Bay Quick licks for guitar: up tempo blues shuffle. -- Mel Bay Drumsense. Volume 1 -- Colin Woolway. Drumsense. Volume 2 -- Colin Woolway. Affairs of the heart. Series one, Volume 1-2: classic tales of love and loss based on the fiction of Heny James. Make way for ducklings: and more Robert McCloskey stories. Gunnin' for that #1 spot Woodcarving with Chris Pye Steps4kids handwriting Steps4kids cursive writing SPI: successful partnership investigation. Activity TV. Paper airplanes Edward the King -- written by David Butler and John Gorrie Garrett's gift -- written by Karyn Parsons Big boats & busy harbors -- Fred Levine Productions : Little Hardhats Talespinners 1 & 2 -- National Film Board Bear friends: learn to read. -- an LDJ Production Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King Dinky Dog -- the complete series -- A Hanna Barbera Pty Production -- 2008 Kid guides. Museums -- Echo Entertainment Incidents in the life of a slave girl [a DVD study guide] Distributed by Recorded Books Phonics 4 babies. Colors & counting -- Distributed by Anchor Bay Entertainment, 2008. South Central Farm: oasis in a concrete desert. The battle of the bag -- CBC Learning, 2008. Crazy for life: a true story in one act. -- written and performed by Victoria Maxwell. Audubon videoguide to butterflies -- Audubon Society, 2008 Men get depression -- PBS, 2008. Jack London's Call of the wild, 2008, c2000. Tchaikovsky: the tragic life of a musical genius. -- BBC, written by Matthew Whiteman and Suzy Klein. Treasures of America's national parks -- by Bellevue Entertainment It's movie time -- National Geographic Max & Ruby. Perfect pumpkin -- Nickleodeon Fidel Castro: a life of revolution. -- CBC, written and directed by Terence McKenna. Zappa plays Zappa -- directed and produced by Pierre & Francois Lamoureux. Java jive -- producer, Selwyn Jacob ; director, David Ozier. Inspector Gadget: big little problems. -- 20th Century Fox Computer comfort: Help for the Computer Shy Internet for seniors: a step-by-step guide for the computer shy. How to use a Mac: a guide for Windows computer users. How to surf the web on your Mac computer: a step-by-step guide for using the apple safari web browser. Anger: myths and truths about the emotion. -- ABC News Depression: out of the shadows. -- PBS Home Video Transformation: the life and legacy of Werner Erhard. -- directed by Robyn Symon. All you need is love -- London Weekend Television, directed by Tony Palmer. Derivatives of logarithms -- TMW, 2008 Be the change -- producer and director, David Chernushenko. Ottawa Madeline. We're off to Africa -- 20th Century Fox, 2008. I'm an animal Vol. 1 -- Vivendi Visual The greatest and the latest: Comic relief. -- directed by Billy Crystal Comedy Central salutes George Carlin The Hardly Boys in Hardly gold -- written and directed by William Wegman. Alphabet soup: learn the letters. -- an LDJ Production Signing time. Series two, volume 11, Once upon a time -- Two Little Hands Productions Signing time. Series two, volume 12, Box of crayons -- Two Little Hands Productions Buddy Guy, guitar lessons -- Koch Gentle vinyasa yoga: mystical desert mist beginner & intermediate. -- MyYogaVideo.com Yoga: gentle practice. -- Real Bodywork John McCain -- produced and written by Deirdre O'Hearn. Mustard pancakes. Are you ready to sing? -- Distributed by Vivendi Visual Entertainment Yoga body sculpt: perfect yoga poses to tone & sculpt your entire body. -- Anchor Bay Latin rhythms fat blasting dance -- Anchor Bay Soup stories: how letters become words. -- an LDJ Production Voyage to the Bunny Planet -- Weston Woods Studios, Inc. Strobist lighting seminar -- Midwest Photo Exchange Solving integrals -- TMW Integration by substitution -- TMW Calculating volume with integrals -- TMW Derivatives and integrals of exponentials -- TMW Integration by parts -- TMW Integration by trig substitution -- TMW Improper integrals -- TMW Hiya, kids!!: a 50's Saturday morning. Online dating for the computer shy Wings over Canada. 10th Anniversary season Yoga: core cross train. The medicated child Mapping stem cell research: terra incognita The four-winged dinosaur Company: [a musical comedy]. Beyond Beijing: exploring China's cities. Kid guides. Aquariums The calculus tutor. Volume 3, Differentiation formulas Car of the future: engineering for the environment. Bush's war Max & Ruby. Max's present Red, white and brown Stott pilates. Volume 1, Pilates with props The country wife Christmas tapestry Warnings from the ice Raffi renaissance All stars of rock guitar Musician More Mac computer basics United Feature Syndicate, Inc. and Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates Slippin': ten years with the Bloods. Cinderella : a dance fantasy. Body & soul Alice in Wonderland : a dance fantasy. Madeline. Meet me in Paris One dead Indian : the story of Dudley George and Ipperwash. The complete adventures of Cubby Bear Dizzy Gillespie : Live in '58 & '70. Escape to Canada Raised to be heroes Ripples cross Destination Ottawa Zoo TV : live from Sydney. I know I'm not alone : [a musician's search for the human cost of war]. Eternal enemies, lions and hyenas Breaking point : Quebec/Canada--the 1995 referendum. Hamas, behind the mask Birth = La naissance. Growing up wild Combination platter Brother Bear The Shakespeare collection Bush's brain The hunting of the president : the ten-year campaign to destroy Bill Clinton. Angels in America New York The big comfy couch. Wait your turn, and Fancy dancer Bopha! Great adaptations N is a number : a portrait of Paul Erdos. Century of warfare Cracker. Series one, Glenn Gould collection Israel : a nation is born. This boy's life Linnea in Monet's garden Snowy The big comfy couch. Comfy & joy, and Jump for Joy The extra-special substitute teacher The Rainy day adventure Raffi in concert L'animation à Radio-Canada [enregistrement vidéo (DVD)] : un hommage à Frédéric Back. Richard Scarry's best busy people video ever Toronto Blue Jays : 1992, Atlanta Braves ; 1993, Philadelphia Phillies ; presented by Major League Baseball Productions. Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore, or The Witch's curse [videorecording]. Jeeves & Wooster. The complete fourth season The tale of two bad mice and Johnny Town-Mouse ; The tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Mr. Jeremy Fisher ; The tailor of Gloucester. Sabrina Discovering Egypt Funny face Porgy and Bess Jazz. Episode seven, Dedicated to chaos Jesus of Nazareth Gettysburg Jazz. Episode eight, Risk Rudy Calendar The Audrey Hepburn story Bell, book and candle The war room Dieppe A night to remember Stalingrad Dave Homeward bound : the incredible journey. The Holiday Collection Sacred fire : live in Mexico. The greatest-- and the latest : Comic relief. The Noël Coward collection Rowan Atkinson live! Adam Bede The Henrik Ibsen collection The call of the wild The Kids in the Hall. complete season 4 1992-1993 Destination Canadian Rockies The boys of St. Vincent The camomile lawn The Life & times of Allen Ginsberg Shelley Duvall's Tall tales & legends. John Henry Speaking of courage Never so few McQ Bad day at Black Rock The Kids in the Hall. complete season 3 1991-1992 David Leadbetter golf instruction. Taking it to the course An ungentlemanly act Shakespeare : the animated tales. The original television Christmas classics Of mice and men = Des souris et des hommes. Aileen Wuornos : the selling of a serial killer, the 1992 interviews. Eloise at Christmastime = Éloïse fête noël. Porco Rosso Flipper Two brothers = Deux frères. Road to the presidency : inside the Clinton campaign. O pioneers! ABC's Eloise at the Plaza Burned bridge The inventors' guide to making your brainstorm bankable : how to protect and market your invention. Mastering woodworking machines Mastering your bandsaw In the shadow of the Reich Bringing down a dictator The Iceman : confessions of a Mafia hitman. The Sarah plain & tall collection Momentum Toronto Blue Jays : 1992, Atlanta Braves ; 1993, Philadelphia Phillies ; presented by Major League Baseball Productions. Salmonberries Mr. Saturday Night The tale of the Flopsy Bunnies & Mrs. Tittlemouse : The tale of Pigling Bland. The adjuster = L'expert en sinistres. Haxan ; witchcraft through the ages. Jeeves & Wooster. The complete third season Citizen Cohn Shadows and fog Blue sky Fires of Kuwait Agatha Christie's Poirot. Death in the clouds Salvador The magnificent seven Ferngully, the last rainforest Aromatherapy : [learn the all-natural way to relieve stress and enliven your senses]. The eagle has landed Te Deum Unforgiven Bob Roberts The best years of our lives The old man and the sea We are traffic! ; Return of the scorcher. School ties Agatha Christie's Poirot. The ABC murders The Discoverers The perfect husband Orlando Chaplin Passion fish Mr. Saturday Night Damage Midnight express Tropical rainforest Death becomes her The Birth of a nation Dora the Explorer. Dora and the 3 little pigs [videorecording]. The Edwardians Devices and desires The best of Mr. Bean. Volume 2 Poisoned by polonium : the Litvinenko file. My father's angel = L'ange gardien de mon père. Can you hear me thinking Diamonds of war. Africa's blood diamonds Living and dying with muscular dystrophy Popmart : live from Mexico City. Elvis Costello live : a case for song. Free cinema Bon Jovi. Lost highway: the concert The Noël Coward collection Absolute hell : a rose-coloured spectacle. Six days in June : the war that redefined the Middle East. The McCartney years Anatomy of a script.. #6, Tom Schulman Coney Island Zoo TV : live from Sydney. Father Christmas Kissology. Vol. 2, 1978-1991 : the ultimate Kiss collection. Destination British Columbia Another road home The Kids in the Hall. complete season 3 1991-1992 Madeline's Christmas = Le No?l de Madeline ; plus, Madeline and one other story. Letter from Wingfield farm The Short game Changes The ballad of the sad café Daddy The Edward R. Murrow collection Bruce Springsteen in concert : MTV plugged. The Doobie Brothers, Rockin' down the highway : the wildlife concert. Class action = Confrontation ? la barre. Crosby, Stills & Nash : the acoustic concert. The Commitments Uncovered : the whole truth about the Iraq War. Peter Gabriel : play : the videos. Weezer, video capture device : treasures from the vault 1991-2002. The very best of Cher : the video hits collection. Simply Red, Stars A murder of quality Barbra Streisand : the concert. In America Little house on the prairie. Season 4 Sarah McLachlan : afterglow live. The Manchurian candidate = Candidat mandchou. No quarter unledded Oscar Peterson : a night in Vienna / produced by Scott Morin ; concert co-produced by Universal Music Canada and ORF. Eric Clapton : Crossroads Guitar Festival. Slacker A perfect hero Great adaptations Little house on the prairie. Season 5 The Kids in the Hall. complete season 2, 1990-1991 Prime suspect 1 Phil Collins live and loose in Paris Peter Gabriel secret world live VH1 Storytellers. Alanis Morissette Fool's gold : [the story of the Brink's-Mat robbery]. Phonics video tutor. Level 1 Nirvana nevermind Turning projects Live from Baghdad AC/DC live at Donington VH1 Storytellers. Sarah McLachlan Phonics video tutor. Level 2 Diana Krall live in Paris The Civil War Little house on the prairie Little house on the prairie. The pilot : the premiere movie. Little house on the prairie. Season 1 Little house on the prairie. Season 2 Little house on the prairie. Season 3 Click, clack, moo, cows that type : and more fun on the farm. Spirits of Havana : with Jane Bunnett. White room = Le secret de la chambre claire. The Canadian history series, 1939-2000 The best of 1990-2000 Agatha Christie's Poirot. Collector's set 4 Blue sky Little man Tate Indian runner Barbara Taylor Bradford's to be the best [videorecording DVD]. Barbara Taylor Bradford's a woman of substance trilogy Fires of Kuwait Tom Jones The Prince of Tides Discovering Greece Red Rocks live : Neil Young, friends & relatives. Silver & gold Kiri Te Kanawa : home & afar. A passage to India Beastie Boys video anthology Santana : supernatural live : an evening with Carlos Santana and friends. Appalachian journey : live in concert. You're the one : in concert. What about Bob? Jazz. Episode ten, A masterpiece by midnight Bon Jovi : the Crush Tour. Butterfield 8 All the way : a decade of song and video. Symphony no. 9 Grand Canyon Lost horizon Incident at Oglala When it was a game Mr. Deeds goes to town Yanni live at the Acropolis It happened one night Duke Ellington's sacred concerts Father of the bride Mr. Smith goes to Washington Madonna : truth or dare. The Paris concert for Amnesty International : the struggle continues-. Where angels fear to tread The Snowman ; and, Father Christmas. Live at the Beacon Theatre / James Taylor. L.A. story Antarctica : an adventure of a different nature. Black robe Ring of fire Meet John Doe It's a wonderful life = La vie est belle. Summertime High lonesome : the story of bluegrass music. Sacred fire : live in Mexico. Dad's Army Three men and a little lady Intolerance Royal wedding Francis Albert Sinatra does his thing Sadako and the thousand paper cranes = Une enfant d'Hiroshima. Eric Clapton unplugged The greatest-- and the latest : Comic relief. The Edwardians Zappa plays Zappa The small back room James Last : live in Berlin. Night of the fox Gowan : live in concert. Echoes that remain 49th parallel Kissology. Vol. 2, 1978-1991 : the ultimate Kiss collection. Art Blakey & the Jazz messengers : live in '58. Cuba : the accidental revolution. Portrait of a marriage Africa : Namibian ecosystem. David Leadbetter golf instruction. The swing Fine things The complete thin man collection An angel at my table : a trilogy. Kaleidoscope Live Aid Peter Gabriel : play : the videos. Sanding and finishing hardwood floors Hamlet The very best of Cher : the video hits collection. Breaker Morant |
Sundance Balloons In Ottawa (May 12th 2009)
On May 12th 2009 we flew in a Balloon over Ottawa. It was a great experience. I booked with Sundance Balloons by calling 613-247-8277 and chatting with a friendly agent about what was involved, when they were available and how to reserve a spot. They have a pretty good website where you can do it all yourself. It's a two part process. First you pay for vouchers that give you the right to fly. Then you use the code from the vouchers to schedule a flight. This is because ballooning is very weather dependant and you might have to re-schedule several times.
I went with my wife and my dad and handled the booking. You need lots of info to fill out the forms, like date of birth and weight (which is reasonable considering that it's a balloon ride). They tell you to bring a hat -- advice which I ignored. I thought they were concerned about the sun. Nope. It's the giant fire three feet from your head. Believe me: bring a hat.
It's not cheap, $220 per person, but I had a great time. Our balloonist was Frank, and he and the crew were spectacular. We took off from Carleton University and followed roughly this route. The take off and landing are the most existing part. While you're up there you move with the wind, so it is very calm, and there are great views. To spice things up, Frank lowered the balloon once we were outside the city so that I could actually touch the tree tops. We'd been up for quite a while and sunset was approaching when Frank decided that he'd be able to set down in the middle of an Orleans soccer field. We came in as close as he could over a power line and landed with two bounces. A guy from the chase vehicle was already there when we touched down and grabbed on as we bounced to add weight and help us land. It was lots of fun.
You'd think that a Google product wouldn't need instructions, but Picasa seems to be the exception. Have a look at the help fourms and you'll find a lot of angry customers. So, having wasted many hours messing with Picasa, I've decided to put together a list of tips to help others and probably also myself in the future.
It's been my experience that when you let software like iTunes or Picasa manage your files, they do a bad job. So I don't let Picasa watch my folders and I archive all my images (and music) to an external drive (which is most of the time read-only). I use a date-by-alphabetic folder structure as shown below.
I would love to find a piece of software that given a folder will open all images, sorted by name alphabetically and embed date/time information sequentially, starting at a given date/time. But this folder structure lets me live without it.
I add files to Picasa via the following procedure.
[1] - Organize new images into a date-by-alphabetic folder structure and move them to the Picasa folder on the external drive.
[2] - Open Picasa [ Tools > Folder Manager ]. Only the Picasa folder structure should be marked "Scan Once" (the check mark). Everything else should be marked "Remove From Picasa" (the red x).
[3] - Select the root folder (in my case "images") and select "Remove From Picasa" then select "Scan Once" then click OK. That procedure seems counter-intuitive, but it has the effect of asking Picasa to re-scan your folder structure and pickup the new images you just added.
Having done this much, Picasa can serve as a handy tool to view your archived images. But you probably want to organize images into groups based on people and occasions. Albums are a handy tool for this. They are basically playlists of images. The fact is that you I take more photos then are worth looking at, but with cheap storage there's no reason to delete anything unless it's truely hideous. Before adding files to Picasa, I go though them, delete any that are awful and rotate the sideways images (see below for why to not let Picasa do your edits). Having added a new folder to Picasa, you can [ right-click > Select All Pictures ] and then use the blue icon near the bottom left of the screen to create a new Album.
Having created a new album of all the new images from your folder, you can then select the album, double-click the first image, and remove images from the album with the delete key. This just delets them from your album, not your disk and is a fast way trim down the number of files so that your friends and famaily won't have to suffer through too many pictures.Warning: I've read that if you open Picasa while your external hard-drive is unplugged then all your albums will be toast. Protect yourself against this and other disasters by backing up the album PAL files. Your Picasa has a name. Mine is named b8ebd58cc0bbd85077b3521f7a54046a, and all my albums live in that folder. Each album has a name and lives in a file. For example: 1c6f0c62952b69bd4ddbc981aaa63b92.pal
Here's how to manually create an album.
[1] - In Picasa, select an image then add it to a new album, such that you've created an album with just that image.
[2] - Close Picasa.
[3] - Go to your albums folder (mine is b8ebd58cc0bbd85077b3521f7a54046a) and find the smallest PAL file. This is your new album. Open it in wordpad. Mine is named 696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68841.pal and looks like this:
<picasa2album>Now it would be great if Picasa let you work with these files, but instead it actively fights against you. Anything you do to this file will be wiped out next time you start Picasa. This is because Picasa really keeps its info in [ ...\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Picasa2\db3 ] and notices that you've tampered with the pal file and undoes your changes. You can rebuild your database from pal files but that is a bad idea. It takes forever, it's spooky, and it breaks the link between albums and web-albums.
<DBID>b8ebd58cc0bbd85077b3521f7a54046a</DBID>
<AlbumID>696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68841</AlbumID>
<property name="unread" type="flag" value="0"/>
<property name="uid" type="string" value="696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68841"/>
<property name="token" type="string" value="]album:696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68841"/>
<property name="name" type="string" value="My Custom Album"/>
<property name="date" type="real64" value="40138.893333"/>
<property name="category" type="num" value="0"/>
<files>
<filename>[Z]\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\001.jpg</filename>
</files>
</picasa2album>
Here's what you can do.
[4] - Re-name the new album to an unused value. For example, increment the number by one: [ 696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68842.pal ]. I think that any 32 digit hex value not currently used in your albums folder is okay to use.
[5] - In the file, set dbid to null and the three instances of the albumid to the new value and enter any file list you want. An example follows. Notice that the drive (in my case Z) is denoted by "[Z]" instead of the usual "Z:". Further note that the "&" character must be escaped as "&".
<picasa2album>So this album is actually specifying the following three files:
<DBID>null</DBID>
<AlbumID>696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68842</AlbumID>
<property name="unread" type="flag" value="0"/>
<property name="uid" type="string" value="696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68842"/>
<property name="token" type="string" value="]album:696fd5f8756a6af8d395d4c24cd68842"/>
<property name="name" type="string" value="My Custom Album"/>
<property name="date" type="real64" value="40138.893333"/>
<property name="category" type="num" value="0"/>
<files>
<filename>[Z]\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\001.jpg</filename>
<filename>[Z]\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\002.jpg</filename>
<filename>[Z]\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\003.jpg</filename>
</files>
</picasa2album>
Z:\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\001.jpg
Z:\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\002.jpg
Z:\images\photos\2009\03 - Fish & Chips\003.jpg
If any path in the file list is invalid, then that file and all files after it will be dropped from the album.
[6] - Restart Picasa. It will add your album to it's database, and you're good to go. Note that I've heard that setting dbid to null doesn't work for some people. It worked for me. I used Picasa Version 3.1.0 (Build 71.43, 0) on WinXP.
Okay, that's it. You've now made your custom album. Why bother? Well, like me you could have spent an hour going through tonnes of photos and recording their paths via [ right-click > Copy Full Path ] because you just wanted to export them and it was easier than [ right-click > Add To Album ], but then you decide, hey I do want these in an album after all.
Or you could be like the many people I read about who started Picasa while their drive was unplugged or whose Picasa just crashed and ate their albums, or whose Picasa killed a bunch of their albums during upgrade. Using the above you can recreate albums from old PAL files and recover from these situations. That's an aweful lot of greif to go to, but it seems that Picasa doesn't measure up to Google's usual standard of "don't worry about it, it's easy and it just works". From my experience it's more like microsoft's standard of "wow this is stupid", but I still prefer Picasa to the alternatives I've seen.
Backup
Having read the above, and knowing that your edits and stuff like that are stored in hidden [ Picasa.ini ] files alongside your images, there's only two things you need for a full backup.
[1] - Your folder structure. In my case: "Z:\images\".
[2] - Your PAL files. In my case "C:\Documents and Settings\Obadiah\Local Settings\Application Data\Google\Picasa2Albums\b8ebd58cc0bbd85077b3521f7a54046a".
You can use picasa's built in backup, or you can just copy these locations yourself or you can use some 3rd party package. But be warned, Picasa's restore sucks. All the backup does is copy files from your disk to your backup location and all restore does is copy them back. So if you restore some PAL files and your current db3 already has an entry for them, then it'll just nuke your restored album and use the old "presumeabley broken" one. And if it doesn't have an entry for your pal file, it'll just nuke it (although if you use the procedure above you can restore old albums as custom new albums).
Furthermore, if the location of your files ever changes, all your albums will be broken. Say for example that you bought a new computer and you tried to move Picasa there but the file paths weren't identical. Then you'd have to manually edit all your PAL files and use the above procedure to add them as custom albums. That's one of the reasons I have my data on an external drive. You can tell WinXP that it should always be mounted as Z: or whatever, so you're guaranteed to have the same folder structure wherever you go.
Web Albums
For me, the biggest draw of Picasa is the web albums. For $20/year you get 80GB of online storage. That's not bad. Plus the web album interface itself is pretty decent. It still has a lot of room for improvement in my opinion, but its certainly better than anything I've written myself.
So, just click on an album and near the top right of the screen, tell it to "Sync to Web". Sounds simple, but there are plenty of gotchas.
All good? Fat chance. There's a huge entry on the Picasa forum about attempts to upload at original size. There was a bug, fixed in Picasa 3.1, version 71.36 that just always degraded your image quality. There is still a "feature" that degrades your image quality for all images that have edits. They propose a work-around, but it would be so labour intensive, that I'll just stop using picasa to do edits and live with the bad quality for my existing edits.
On top of all that, even if you do get the full quality image up there (verifiable via [ Download > Download Photo ], near the top left of the Picasa webpage), there's no online interface to view photos at full quality.
Once you've got a bunch of albums online, you'll probably feel cramped by the fact that they're all listed on one page, either by name or by date. Sort by date is nice for event based albums like "Halloween" or "Trip to Costa Rica". But for subject based albums like "Photos Of Ottawa" an album date doesn't make sense (i.e. when the contents span several years). I've worked around this by choosing to sort by date and assigning false dates far in the past to subject based albums. The result is that my event based albums are listed first and my subject based albums are listed second and alphabetically (via careful choice of fake dates).
Which brings us to another surprise limitation. From the online help it really does sound like changes to album description, date and location on your local computer will be reflected in online synced albums. That just doesn't happen. So choose these wisely before syncing to web. Thereafter you'll have to make changes locally and then make them again on the web. And the web interface is slower and more tedious.
If you're interested. You can see my pictures here or here.
I've been running a variety of low-data, low-traffic websites since 1999. I've been with three web-hosts, one of which sucked. My requirements are:
- good server up-time
- good server response-time
- php
- mysql
- add-on domains
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100% uptime and 248ms average response time is plenty good for me. My previous host, midphase.com seemed pretty good at first. I paid $182.16 CAD (all-in) for one year of hosting with plenty of bandwidth, plenty of storage, plenty of add-on domains, 3 mysql dbs, cpanel, and a bunch of other frills. My reason for moving to midPhase in the first place was the add-on domains (more on that below), but after I'd signed up and seen cpanel for the first time, I was hooked. Easy sign-up, great admin interface, midPhase was looking considerably superior to my previous host. But the response-time sucked. At first I thought it was my fault, bad scripts or something, maybe my internet connection. So I signed up for a pingdom account (great service by the way) to monitor both servers. And it turns out, yes midPhase response time sucked, but it wasn't just that. The really slow loads ~1min or so were actually mini-downtimes. Have a look at the charts.
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So, the 608ms average response time is pretty sad, but it's the sheer number of down-times that I couldn't tolerate. Granted they're short. (I think actually shorter than 5min, that's probably just the pindom resolution). But I'd be working away using the punchclock, and bang!, the site would be dead for two minutes. That's a real pisser. And don't think I was measuring some resource intensive page. These stats are from a simple html file on the primary domain. In fact, before getting the pingdom account, I put up simple php, html and pdf files on the primary domain to rule out specific problems with dns, db, php, and file serving when one of the mini down-times was being observed.
After gathering some data, I went to midPhase support about it. Here's how it went.
From: Michael Holtstrom, Mar/11/2009 8:15:54PM
I've noticed that from time to time, my site appears to be down for approximately 1 minute. (i.e. I get the ...not responding... page)
Examples:
Feb 23, 2009 ~7:30am
Feb 2, 2009 12:42pm
Jan 21, 2009 10:41am
Since I'm not using the site all the time, I must assume that actual downtime is much frequent.
Is this expected?
Do you provide any uptime guarantee?
Can you suggest any actions to diagnose the problem? (i.e. logs, etc)
Thanks
From: James Rasmussen, Mar/11/2009 8:22:48PM
Michael,
I am showing that your website is loading, resolving, and up at the moment. You can try looking at the error logs in cPanel to see if there is anything there of import to your uptime.
From: Michael Holtstrom, Apr/13/2009 7:59:47PM
Hi.
As I said earlier, I've noticed that from time to time, my site appears to be down for approximately 1 minute. (i.e. I get the ...not responding... page)
I've been using pingdom to monitor it for the last month. Screenshot is attached.
Is this expected? It seems unusual to me that the server goes down so often. For example it was down four times on April 11th. This hasn't been my experience with other hosts.
Do you provide any uptime guarantee?
Thanks.
From: James Rasmussen, Apr/13/2009 10:12:43PM
Michael,
It looks like that was from october, november, and december. Could you post anything more recent? Your uptime is 99.52%, which is quite good.
From: Michael Holtstrom, Apr/14/2009 6:33:35AM
Please take a closer look. That log is from April 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th of 2009.
The date format is day-month-year.
Yes, 99.52% sounds quite good, however my past experience with servers has been
characterized by long (days, weeks, etc) periods of up-time.
Your server is non-responsive for several short periods every day.
That sounds like a problem to me.
1. Is it expected that your servers become non-responsive several times every day? What is the reason for this?
2. Do you offer any uptime guarantee?
Thanks.
From: Tami Mitchell, Apr/14/2009 1:47:01PM
Hello Michael,
I'm sorry that you are frustrated with the service. The hosting account you are currently on is on a shared server, and due to the nature of our shared servers there may occasionally be downtime due to excessive load. Please note that we do not offer an up time guarantee. If you feel that you require more control over your server, you may want to take a look at our dedicated hosting plans. This way your service will only be based on your site, not the activity of multiple clients.
From: Michael Holtstrom, Apr/16/2009 9:34:21AM
Thank you for your reply.
I don't mean to cause any trouble.
In many respects I prefer your service over other hosts I've used in the past.
In regards to "there may occasionally be downtime due to excessive load".
I assume that the load is relative to the number of accounts you host on a single machine.
For April 1-15, I observe an average of 1.8 downtime events per day.
I thought this was unusually high and that perhaps there might be an issue with this machine which should be addressed.
Is it your policy to load your machines to this level?
If so, I can accept that.
In regards to "we do not offer an up time guarantee".
Can you explain what is meant by the attached "99.9% uptime guarantee" from your linux-hosting page.
The site in question is low-traffic/non-profit, so I don't think that dedicated hosting is the right fit for me.
Thanks.
From: Tami Mitchell, Apr/16/2009 3:36:47PM
Hello Michael,
I would like to apologize, I had not recently checked if we offered an up time guarantee as I was unaware that we had one. This was certainly an error on my part, and I'm sorry for the wrong information.
While we do try to utilize our shared servers as much as possible, what you describe (1.8 downtime events/day) should not be happening and is not satisfactory performance. We are not aware of any issues on esc124, but I will let our admins know to keep an eye on it in the future as there may be some problem accounts on it.
Thank you for letting us know.
Well that's the story. So when my year's hosting ran out, I looked around and settled on iWeb, who as I've said are great. Before all this, I was with tera-byte.com for nine years, and I still use them for all my domain registrations. They're also a Canadian company and provide very reliable service. Have a look at the pingdom stats below. In the nine years, over two separate hosting accounts, I only ever noticed one downtime. They had some kind of catastrophic failure and the server was gone for most of the day. They sent out an apology email and said that they'd had to restore it from the previous day's backup. I did have some other minor problems over the years (like a bad server clock), but their support staff resolved them all.
The only reason I left was for add-on domains. They only let you have one domain per hosting account. If you want other domains to point to a sub-folder on your server, you have to fake it with a service like zoneedit.com or redirection.net. So I switched hosts. And I'm glad I did. Having cpanel and filemanager is awesome. And I think that iWeb will continue to be a high quality, affordable web host.
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Koreana is probably my favourite restaurant in town. They have a great mix Kim-Chi, Bimbap and Sushi, and I really like the friendly, professional, but laid-back attitude of the staff. Usually, I have their Sushi and Amanda has stone-bowl, but next time I'm there, I'm going to try #20.
The Best Thing I've Ever Tasted
This Hazelnut Cake from Simply Biscotti is the best thing I've ever tasted. I'd probably be willing to pay $50 for it. Amanda brought it home to me as a treat, for which I am eternally grateful.
More new, great music from CBC radio.
www.emilybrownmusic.commyspacefacebook
Her new album "In Technicolor" features songs written as part of her Canada Council for the Arts sponsored songwriting project: reclaiming family stories and found-poetry from women’s WWII journals. I think it's great. Check out this vimeo video from her site to see what I mean.
The album isn't available yet, so I bought "Part of You Pours Out of Me" from CD Baby instead. I've been wondering what the best way to pay artists is, and I've seen lots of online retailers lately. After reading this www.downhillbattle.org/itunes, I decided that iTunes probably isn't all that great for artists. And it seems that many artists can't get on iTunes without a middle-man like CD Baby, so I figured why bother with iTunes and bought straight from them.
www.sixshooterrecords.com
This is a great site that supports independent artists. There slogan is: "life is too short to listen to shitty music". I found them because I heard The Dozens by Amelia Curran (www.ameliacurran.com) on CBC radio, and Six Shooter Records was the only place to buy her album (a physical CD if you can believe it). They sent me the disc in a hand addressed padded envelope along with a hand-written thank you note. I'm impressed.
