Journalhttp://tysonelder.org/journal/en-US2010-03-12T22:23:43ZSquarespace Site Server v5.9.2 (http://www.squarespace.com/)The Spirit of my Radio.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/10/the-spirit-of-my-radio.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-11T02:53:16Zcassette tape cd music music personal stereoIt is official. My stereo is dead.

When I got home from work today I decided to fire up "Gordon" while I made dinner. So instinctively I reached for my ipod which I conveniently had forgotten at work. No worries I've got it on cd. Oh wait my cd player is broken. Wedged open with a new wave cd from Starbucks jammed in there.

That is a no go for ipod and cd. So what else can I do about it? That is when I realize I have the cassette laying around here somewhere. I find it in my office amongst a pile of other tapes from Van Halen, Rodchester Kings, and The Ventures.

Remember when we used to listen to cassette tapes? I do and sometimes I still listen to them.

I pop the tape into the tape player and hit play. Nothing. Maybe it isn't rewound? So I flip it over and hit play. Nothing. I eject the tape look at the the things that spin the tape when I hit play and they aren't moving. So I give up on the idea of listening to the Barenaked Ladies and play a Bill Cosby LP on my old Fisher record player.

It looks like my stereo I bought 8 years ago doesn't work anymore. Which means I'm going to have to look for a new cd player soon. Maybe I'll work on that home theatre dream all males are supposed to dream about. But all I really need to do is hook up a cd player to my Fisher. It seems like Future Shop only has one cd player for sale these days.

Are cds really dying off so fast that electronic stores are pretty much have stopped stocking them on their shelves? I still buy music. Sometimes I buy cds and records. Sometimes I buy digital music but if I can I buy a physical copy of most albums. I'm sure I know plenty of other people who do that as well. But this is a rant for another time.

Do you think I should get a tape player as well?

]]>Sleeping sickness.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/10/sleeping-sickness.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-10T15:13:43Zpersonal personal sick sleepI slept for twelve hours on a work night.

I needed the sleep or at least my body told me that when I was falling asleep at my desk last night. I think it was a mixture of allergies and a few unintentional late nights.

So when I woke up this morning all I can think of is how I wasted my evening last night by going to bed at 7:15pm. I didn't eat supper, I didn't read, I didn't write, and I didn't get some much needed cleaning done. I did start laundry but forgot to put half the load in the dryer (but that is why I have in suite laundry).

So tonight will I play catch up on all the things I missed or will my body tell me to call it quits early again?

]]>I'm Bigger Than You.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/9/im-bigger-than-you.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-10T01:30:18Zpersonal personal pregnant sister uncle tyson

My preggers little sister is visiting for the week. Now I'm not the only one in the family with a big stomach.

]]>Saturday Nights.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/6/saturday-nights.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-07T04:57:40Zfooodie personal personal photoblog tumblr update updatesI've been using my tumblr quite a bit in the last few days because I have a short attention span. Plus I don't want to dillute the already watery blog I've got going on here. So if you are ever wondering why I'm not posting on here check the tumblr.

I've been cleaning my place in bits and pieces over the last few weeks. Focusing more on corners and piles of junk scattered through out. I've gone through boxes recycled more than enough paper to save a tree or two and thrown out my fair share of crap i've been holding onto for no real reason.

I'm thinking of moving stuff around here. Mainly my office area in the rational of better productivity. The move of my desk probably won't help but it will get me away from the heater that kicks on all the time.

On the topic of productivity it sounds like I'm getting some help from Darryl on my portfolio. That is right a dedicated website to my photography and a photoblog to keep everyone updated on my photo taking.

Also Darryl is working on something very cool called Fooodie. It sounds like I'm going to be helping on this project a little so I'm excited for that.

]]>Three Days.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/4/three-days.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-05T05:56:11Zpersonal personal updateJason Walsh at Fresh Cup in Sidney
It has been a busy few days.

-Dine Around with Rozie and Shayne.
-Jason played in Sidney tonight.
-My sister gets in for a visit tomorrow.

And I've been making decisions about where I want to be eventually. We will see how things pan out. I hope to write a proper blog tomorrow.

]]>After the Gold Rush.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/3/1/after-the-gold-rush.htmlTyson Elder2010-03-02T02:12:26Zcanada olympics personal thoughtsToday is the first day after the Winter Olympics.

My morning was filled with "Did you see the game?" questions and answers. Slowly things went on. Forgetting our friend who passed away and we focused more on some bizarre patriotic spectacle full of giant Mountie hats, inflatable beavers, and other stereotypes.

The commuters of Vancouver clogged the highways once again and the streets were full litter, propaganda, and "Go Canada!" car flags. The Olympics left a shadow so big we could forget to follow the Para-Olympic Games.

Tomorrow we will deal with what seems to be the everlasting debt the Olympics will have left behind and if we have time we will deal with the homeless that they shipped to the Island. But only if we have time.

I admit I got caught up in the mess as well. I felt my share of Canadian pride.

I wasn't anti-Olympics. Nor am I now. I'm just depressingly focused on the problems that will be at hand shortly. I know we will be paying for it for a long time to come.

I'm hiding my money in my mattress from now on.

]]>Breathing Easy.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/2/26/breathing-easy.htmlTyson Elder2010-02-27T03:10:14ZAdventures photo photography photography saltspring

I need an adventure right now.

]]>Two Shits.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/2/23/two-shits.htmlTyson Elder2010-02-24T04:26:36ZSidney by laws crazy person dog leash personal sidneySometimes I really dislike people and couldn't give two shits what they think.

I'm in the biography section. Space Cowboy is in current affairs. We are being fairly quiet we are in a book store after all. It is like an expensive library.

But someone isn't being quiet.

I'm not even sure if this lady was shopping in the bookstore or just popped her head in the door to start an argument with someone. She is the type of lady who writes to the paper about how teenagers wear their pants to baggy, or how cyclists should give the right of way to people on scooters on the bike path. Remember that nosey bitch in your neighbourhood growing up who always had something to yell at you for? That is her.

I've never been in a bookstore and heard such a commotion. She is arguing from the doorway with a man picking up a book at the till. Something about a dog but I can't see I'm on the other side of the store. Space Cowboy starts laughing and signals me to come closer. And here is where I pick it up.

Crazy Lady - "...Well how did it (dog) get in the store?"
Man - "I brought him in with me."
Crazy Lady - "Where is the leash?"
Man -"He doesn't need to wear one."
Crazy Lady - "It is town by-law! The dog HAS TO BE on a leash! And it isn't allowed in stores."
Man -"Well it is up to the owner of the store if I'm allowed to have the dog in here and off the lead. And she said it was okay."
Crazy Lady - "No she didn't!"
Lady from behind the counter says "Yes I did. The dog is fine."
Crazy Lady - "It is still against the by-laws!"
Man -"Actually, the leash by-law is for outdoors. Inside it is up to the owners of the dog and the store whether the dog is allowed off the leash. Have a good evening."

The argument goes on for another five minutes. The crazy lady gets no where and the argument ends with the man saying "Have a good evening" and the crazy lady saying "Do the right thing" repeatedly for a few minutes. This involves her going back and forth through the door multiple times.

After she leaves I head to the counter to be greeted by a beautiful black standard poodle sitting next to its owner. I ask if I can pat him, and the owner lets the dog come over and tells me the poodle never left his side for the entire time he was in the store. Sitting and waiting obediently for his owner to say they could leave.

Space Cowboy and I left the bookstore laughing about the situation and just saying to each other "Do the right thing." Another fun evening adventure in the town I live in.

Do people really need to start arguments and stir the pot just to liven up their own lives? But I guess I do live in Sidney.

Also I bet you thought this was going to be about poop.

]]>Out of Context.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/2/19/out-of-context.htmlTyson Elder2010-02-20T03:33:07Zpersonal personal restaurantI'm in the liquor store buying beer (surprise!) and a girl I can't place walks by me. She gives me that knowing smile which I return and I'm off to pay for my purchase. I can't figure out where I know her from and this really bugs me because she is a good looking lady.

I finish paying for my beer and walk past her at another cashier being ID'd and I figure it out. She is one of the waitresses at the coffee shop I go to everyday before work.

I always find it so weird seeing people I see everyday at their work outside of their work. Be it at the liquor store, a restaurant, for a stroll by the ocean, or even weirder at the bar. They should be cooped up in that cramped farm bakery serving coffee and fresh baked goodies 24/7 not out in the real world.

I really started thinking about it as I was driving home. I started to think about how she knows lots about me. She knows I don't eat meat, the company I work for, what I order in the morning. I don't even know her name. She knows mine.

But I think the worst part is now I know something about her now and that is she has terrible taste in beer.

]]>Happy Endings.http://tysonelder.org/journal/2010/2/18/happy-endings.htmlTyson Elder2010-02-19T05:01:21ZBooks books happy endings personal readingI love reading, but sometimes (about once a month) I enjoy being read to. So I pay for my monthly subscription to Audible to get an audiobook or two every month it is nice for long trips for work or work in general.

Recently I decided to re-read "Do Travel Writers go to Hell?" by Thomas Kohnstamm because I haven't been to the book store lately. Khonstamm mentions the novel "The Beach" several times and all I knew about it was that there was a film adaptation with Leonardo DiCaprio.

So I decided that I'd download the audiobook (legally) and gave it a listen. I was actually quite surprised as I spent ten hours over the last two days that I hadn't read the book sooner. It was right up my alley. I love reading travel books because I can live vicariously through the pages but this one was a little different. It was fiction and a little outlandish at moments but I really did enjoy listening to it.

So once I finished it I did the write thing and got my hands on the film adaptation (illegally). Now I wasn't expecting it to be spot on because ever adaptation isn't always the same. Jurassic Park: The Lost World is a prime example of that because almost nothing is the same between the book and the film. Most of the film was accurate to the book but it always rubs me the wrong way when they leave out main characters and mix them with other sub characters.

The worst is when they change the ending. I love a good movie about losing or ending on a down note, because that is life. You don't always get the girl or some fancy email with a photo attachment of you all happy at one point. Sometimes your punk ass gets stabbed or you get raped by pirates.

I think that is my biggest complaint with adaptations. Why ruin a good thing?

Fuck happy endings!

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