Out Of Africa

It's been a tranquil week in Edmonton. Niki and I had a relaxing weekend, she had her book club and I had video games. Some new snow has fallen, dashing hopes for an early spring. I attended my first couple of yoga/pilates classes. I am amazed at how fast I start sweating, and it's hard not to laugh sometimes. It feels good though, and has been good for my back. I think I will keep it up, and would probably recommend it. Though not giggling insanely while doing the 'happy baby' pose has been a little hard.
Ryan and Dad made it home safely from Africa. It sounds like they had a really good trip. My favorite story is of 'John Deere'. Their first day working dad noticed one of the locals was working so hard, he compared him to a John Deere tractor. He gave him a JD hat and from that moment his nickname was John Deere. Apparently he is the local equivalent of a general contractor, and from what dad said, outworked everyone in sight. As you probably surmised, that's John Deere on the right in the picture. The other gentleman is wearing a Peterbilt hat, his name being Peter. I guess if you are ever in that area of Kenya, and ask for John Deere, people will know who you are looking for.
They also told me something that made me think of a Terry Pratchett quote, from his book Reaper Man. "Studies have shown that an ant can carry one hundred times its own weight, but there is no known limit to the lifting power of the average tiny eighty-year-old Spanish peasant grandmother." I guess this also holds true in Africa too. I was told that Ryan had a wee bit of trouble keeping up with a 80 year old grandmother. She thought it was funny when he wanted to take a break.
Have a good week,
Cheers,
Scott

Our Alberta Long Weekend

The previous weekend was a long one in Alberta. The Monday following Valentines is "family day". Seems they want to encourage family's to spend time together, which is fitting to me as so many people are probably working at making a family around that time.
Niki and I took this opportunity to visit some friends in Calgary.
My lovely wife's childhood friend Amy now lives in Calgary, some
of you may remember she was a bridesmaid in our wedding. We
had a nice visit with her and her boyfriend Joe. They showed us
their neighborhood Pub, called 1410, which was great and I would recommend eating there if you ever are in Calgary. After which they treated us to a improv show at the Loose Moose theatre. It was very entertaining and I got to hit one of the performers with a pool noodle. Seems the audience did not like the play he directed and so a select few of us got to punish him. I wish I had a picture of it, my many years of wailing on my brothers in our pool with pool noodles came in handy. I am laughing just thinking about it. I hit him, hard. They also introduced us to a nice cafe called the Heartland Cafe. They make all their own food, I think there was probably a lot of organic stuff going on. If you care about the food you eat, it would be another good place to visit if in Calgary.
The other half of our trip was spent visiting an old friend who just moved to Calgary. Steve, his very cool wife Kimasia and daughter have all just moved up here from Seattle. I have known Steve since High school. With him in Seattle the last few years, we have not seen him or his family that much, so it was very nice to be able to get to know them all more. Though I now realize it's no longer Steve and Kimasia, but just Sydney's Mom and Dad. Niki sure made a new friend. Niki enjoyed reading Sydney stories and playing around. Sydney is a very adorable little girl, and makes her parents life awesome! When she was napping, we would try and pass the time. We played Settlers of Cataan, which Niki managed to be Lord of all Cataan in her usual devious way. Kimasia almost won, but I think Niki cheats. *kidding* Another highlight of the trip was a private Yoga lesson for us. Kimasia is a Yoga instructor and she led us all in an hour of stretching. It was pretty cool. It's always neat to see your friends showing you something they are knowledgeable and passionate about. When it comes to health and exercise, Kimasia is both. I know Niki is a little sore today, but it sure helped me. I would normally be a lot more sore after a three hour drive home, but I was not. It has inspired me and I think I am going to check out the Yoga class at my gym. Niki and I were also inspired by the healthy food, so healthy it doesn't count, and amazing organization at their house. We might attempt a little more organization in our home and be little more conscious about what we are eating. Steve also had a very cool idea about a garden. A perfect garden spot for us is currently being blocked by our garage, so he suggested building a raised garden on it's roof. If anyone has any other suggestions furthering that idea, feel free to mention them.
That was our long weekend, and we're now home and back in our routine. It was a good break, and thanks again to our Calgary friends for such a great time.
Cheers,
Scott

Nutmeg

I am starting this entry on a sad note. Yesterday Nutmeg passed away, she was 13. I am normally one that is not so sentimental over animals, but Nutmeg was a special member of the Fowler family. She provided much relief when I first started dating Niki. Walking Nutmeg was always a good excuse to spend time together. As well, if there was ever an awkward lull in conversation, or if I had just said something stupid, she always provided a good distraction. I must say, my first introduction to this furry family member was not always good. Scratching at the door at three in the morning can be a rude awakening. I also seemed to be intruding on valuable bed space, which Nutmeg seemed to think was rightfully hers. I grew up under the philosophy that dogs did not belong in the house. Nutmeg helped me see this might not be the only way to live. She did not smell, shed, or bark, all the reasons I would give on why a dog in the house would be a bad thing. Lindsay might have tried to blame a few smells on Nutmeg, but I knew what was really going on. Nutmeg was cute, full of personality, and probably the sole reason that we will be getting a dog in the future.
This last week seemed to go by fairly fast, but a per usual, it's hard to actually remember what happened. Aaron, Shelly, Niki and myself attended some talks on postmodern theology given by Peter Rollins. It was good, and provided some good discussions over Starbucks coffee.
Last Saturday night was a boys game night. While our respective wives were off watching some sort of female oriented theatrical entertainment, we busied ourselves playing Poleconomy. It was loads of fun. Rob Stobbe was prime minister for most of our first game. I was able to secure a cabinet post, Minister of Truth. Needless to say, we were a little corrupt and drove the Canadian government to bankruptcy. We learned from our mistakes, and in the second game, we were a little less partisan. The government lasted through the whole game.
I talked to Ben Lanyon earlier today, he seems to be chipper, even though he's a year older today. Ben is always sort of chipper though. Our friend Shelly is also having a birthday today. Happy birthday guys.
Cheers,
Scott

Fun and Games

I know I missed last Tuesday, but i don't think anyone noticed.
It's been a good last two weeks. My brother Ryan took me to an Oilers game, which was legendary. The Oilers won, there were some good fights, and beer was had by all. A guy behind us even bought me a beer, because his girlfriend accidentally spilled some on my coat. I think that was a great trade, especially considering how much a beer costs at Rexall Place.
Niki, Aaron and myself attended a debate between PZ Myers and Kirk Durston. It was debate on "Does God exist." I personally think that's way too broad of a subject, and it showed. It was interesting, though I think it was a weird match. Usually you want people to debate who are in the same fields of study. I don't know if Mr Durtson has a blog, but here is what Mr Myers thought of the debate. I am starting to agree with a friend of mine that debates of this nature are 'missing the point', but that's an idea not for this blog.
My parents are back from Mexico, they had a nice vacation, and Ryan and Dad are off to Africa tomorrow. It's crazy, I would never have guessed my Dad would go to Africa, but it's cool. I hope they have a good time and don't work too hard. Their safe return would also be awesome.
One of the reasons I did not get around to the blog last Tuesday, is I went out for wings, beer and serious thinking with Rob Stobbe. Looks like we might do round two tonight. It's a good thing I have been consistently going to the gym. Anyone able to spot the subtle Simpsons referance in the previous bit?
Speaking of Simpsons, I can't stop laughing at this quote. It just makes me laugh uncontrollably.