Banff Mountain Film Festival (the road-show edition)

No, we didn’t go to Banff to the film festival. Although as has become our tradition in recent years (I think we’ve been to 4 or 5 in the last 7 years?), we went to the World Tour when it came to Ottawa. These shows are always sold-out, and I’m pretty sure the two years we didn’t go were (1) when I’d just gotten to Ottawa and didn’t know when the tour was coming through, and (2) the one year I didn’t remember about it until it was too late to get tickets.

I have a great time every year, and if my biggest complaint is that either of us has yet to win a door prize, I’m OK with that. I won one at a golf tournament last year, so I think my luck is tapped out on that front for at least the next couple of years.

Now, on to the movies. While I felt that there was a heavier-than-normal skew towards winter sports movies this year, overall it was still great. One complaint about the show is that they ended with a movie that is meant to be (and is) inspirational, but personally I’d rather end the night on a happier note (The Freedom Chair).

Actually, now I wish I hadn’t gone to look at the list of movies included in the Tour in order to jog my memory about the movies we watched – 80% of the movies we didn’t watch, I wish we had. (They rotate through all the movies included in the tour, so every stop gets to see a different subset of the movies)

And my biggest advice? Check our CARCA. The Canadian Avalanche Rescue Cat Association. That’s right. They do say that the whole short will be available on youtube after the World Tour, but for now you’ll have to get a taste with this little clip. My favourite movie of the night.

My for real favourite movie of the night was On the Trail of Genghis Khan: The last Frontier. I’m curious to see the other 3 parts, since we were only shown the 4th part. It was also a very timely movie because over Christmas, I had read In the Empire of Genghis Khan by Stanley Stewart – it was great to see a visual representation of a similar journey.

This is the movie that I think the night should have ended on (Skim Bums never die). Happy skiing seniors? Yes please – I want to be them when I grow up!

Reel Rock: Sketch Andy – this guy is a different kind of crazy (with a good measure of stupid mixed in). He’s famous for taking slacklining to a new level – and there were some incredible tricks, but it felt like a bit too much macho show-off. Meh.

We also saw a movie in two parts – your stereotypical powder skiing (sigh… I miss Whistler!); and a pretty neat second part with skiing down city streets (All.I.Can: The Short Cut). These guys climbed a mountain in the winter, and swore about the cold a fair bit (Cold). It was alright.

In a deviation from winter sports – a kayaking short (Seasons: Fall). Cute and sweet. Can’t find a link to any trailers, though. And then this guy ice climbs on glaciers he kayaks to from pretty much his backyard (Blue Obsession). How awesome is that?

I don’t really have a summary – other than to say that you should remember to get tickets next time the Banff Film Festival tour comes to town. It’s a great night out for those interested in all things outdoors.

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Laundry Room: Days 1 and 2

It has begun – we’re working on the laundry room! I’m so excited! I’ve been promised a laundry room by the end of January, and I’m really going to keep pushing for that to happen.

Being off work until after New Year’s means that I can get started on some of the prep work. Of course, as with most projects, it had to get worse before it gets better.

Yesterday [err, yes, I'm posting this a few days after writing], I started with  removing the trim as well as the awful stick-on tiles. A drawback was that now the floor squelched whenever you walked on it, since the remaining construction adhesive was still quite sticky.

I inadvertently solved that problem today when I was scraping the popcorn finish off the ceiling – after finishing, and sweeping the popcorn into a neat little pile once I was done, the floor was magically no longer sticky, having absorbed the dust from the popcorn. Just for good measure, I actually spread my little pile back around the still-sticky areas of the floor, and re-swept!

When reinstalling the dryer vent earlier in the year, Dan questioned the adequacy of the vapour barrier, and in true over-engineering style asked me to take down the drywall on that wall so we could check. So I scored the corners, wound up my best Chuck Norris impression, and BAM…

…no more drywall. My best Chuck Norris impression may have involved a crowbar, drywall knife, hammer, and some serious grunting and swearing (sweating may have been involved as well, thanks spellcheck!), but who’s counting?!

The rest of day 2 – and I use the word “day” generously, not really having worked more than half a day on either occasion – was taken up with screwing in the first of three sheets of extra subfloor we’re adding to better support the tile.

Stay tuned! A trip to Ogdensburg may or may not be in our future – we’ll see!

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Bubble wrap 2.0

You know how you just can’t resist popping bubble wrap? It’s just so… pop-py. Inviting. Well, I think I’ve just found a suitable replacement.

Planing. Look at those curls planing produces. Aren’t they irresistible?

So soft. And crinkly. You just have to reach out and crumple them… you know you want to!

And the even more awesome side-effect is that it’s a great workout!

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Winter is here!

This is what I woke up to the other day.

We are incredibly lucky to have our house back onto a little forest, and while in the summer it is an impermeable wall of green, the skeletal branches become very pretty under a dusting of snow.

We also have our own little doorway to the secret forest world beyond.

One of our resident squirrels. I’m not sure who I will have to worry about more next year – the squirrels or the bunny whose tracks we see occasionally. I think some chicken wire will be in order around the vegetable beds.

Even though it seemed like it would be too chilly to venture outside, everything still looked full of winter-fun promise.

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