Time 4 Learning

I've been invited to try Time4Learning for a month in exchange for a candid review. Their online program can be used for homeschool, as an after school tutorial and forsummer learning. My opinion will be my own, so come back and read about my experience. You can write your own curriculum review, too!

Genius Bar doesn't have happy hour.

Confession: I'm a Mac fanboy. I'm a Dell reseller, but for myself...it's all MAC baby!

What's not to love! The style, the simplicity, the design all speak to me. All is perfect, till something breaks.

I love the concept of the genius bar - an assortment of clone-like geeks ready to answer your questions, unlock the Mac secret key combinations that will revive your unit or perform a repair.

The experience begins with the walk up the glass castle stairs. With each step, your head gets a little lighter, as the altitude (or is that attitude) kicks in. With my broken laptop, I go up to the Genius Bar. All the stools are taken by Macoholics who are just trying to get some attention from the Genius Bartender. Oh? I need to make a reservation? I have to see a Concierge? What is this, a hotel? The Concierge informs me that I can schedule a 15 minute Genius Bar session, but they are currently overloaded, so it will be in a couple of days. Arrive early, so you can wait, but don't arrive late, because we don't wait for you!

Walking back down the glass stairs, getting glassy stares from the Macbots working the floor, I leave feeling dry and unsatisfied.

Two days later, I enter the Mac Store again, this time with the knowledge that I will be served a cool one (cool Macspert with clammy hands). I am 15 minutes early according to the rules. The wait is longer because of the anticipation. Finally, an Apple appointed Genius invites me to the bar. He inspects my Macbook and it's clear that the hard drive is defective, but under warranty. Great! I will just leave the laptop here, pick it up when it's done, right? NO. I am informed that I have to leave again with my defective Macbook and wait by the phone till this Genius calls me to let me know when the part will come in.

At this point, I can only compare this to going to a restaurant.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?"

"No, but I'm here, I can wait a little."

"Please see our hostess and she can help you make a reservation."

"But I'm hungry now!"

"You can eat in two days."

Two days later.

"Do you have a reservation, sir?"

"Yes, yes, yes...please let me eat, I'm so hungry!"

"Please sit down sir, what would you like to eat?"

"Can I have the steak?"

"I'm sorry, although most of our customers order steak, we don't have any in stock. Please leave, and we will call you when your steak is ready. Goodbye!"

Second time at the Genius Bar, and it's NOT happy hour. I leave again, unsatisfied, to wait on the phone for them to get a hard drive...one of the most replaced parts on a laptop no less! What has this cost me so far? I've spent $12 on parking (2 x $6), and wasted half an hour the first time, three quarters of an hour the second time. This does not include the time it took to get there, find parking, and return to my work.

Of course, but the time my "steak" came, I was out of the country, so I'm still stuck with a dead Macbook. I will have to repeat the procedure again on my next return because after a few days, they will ship the "steak" back to the mother-ship.

Honestly...it doesn't take a GENIUS to figure out that this BAR is not working. I could have gone down the street with my broken Macbook, had a pint of Guinness and I would have ended up with the same result, although I would feel satisfied and refreshed.

Next time your Macbook breaks down, visit a local Pub...the Genius Bar doesn't have happy hour!

Adobe Acrobat Activation Hell - How I spent my summer vacation

I have a client who has Acrobat 8 Standard. Her PC died and when I installed Acrobat using her serial number, we were told that activation failed.

I call the Activation center number, and after a half hour wait, I had to leave to do something else. I called again about 1 hour later. After listening to agonizing New Age Music for another half hour, they hung up on me. AARRRGGG!

I settled in for another try. Prepared with drinks, snacks and making sure I had no urge to use the bathroom (because you know they would pick up while I'm there and promptly hang up!), I bravely went back to Easy Listening Elevator Music for the Insane. The temptations were great to jump into the pool, do actual work, or make other calls, but I simply could not abandon my quest. My mind wandered, thinking of all the productive things I could do. I wondered why an honest customer was automatically assumed to be a pirate with copy protection schemes. I knew that getting a keygen would take a matter of minutes and I would be done, I would be free to follow other pursuits...but no. I'm doing the right thing, following the rules. The minutes turned into hours. The infernal music playing mind games with me...am I slowly going insane? Am I really in an elevator and this desk is just an illusion? Which floor was I going to?

I soon ran out of water and snacks. The hunger pains were sharp, but I couldn't leave. They would pick up at that time right? I started eating some my tax papers. Expensive yes, but not tasty. The visions started getting stronger. The elevator doors opened, but I was unable to exit. I ran towards the exit, but it kept getting farther and farther in some distorted 3D nightmare. A call came through, and I did the unthinkable...I put Adobe on hold. Quickly losing the other call, I returned to Adobe and the terrifying sounds of the elevator. But the illusion was broken by the call. The doors openned and reality came back into view. This is what I saw:

I had just wasted 3 hours, 21 minutes and 27 seconds of my life. Time I could have spent with family, friends, heck...even enemies would have been better! Those dreadful songs etched in my memory forever. Will it ever end? Those 3 plus hours drained my energy, my joy and my respect for copy protection.

I ended it all. No...my life continues, but Adobe's torture was ended.

I now have 29 more days to prepare for the next call. Here is my top 10 list of what is needed BEFORE a call to Adobe is made:

10. A comfy chair...something you might be able to sleep in a half awake state.

9. A sharp object (not too sharp) to bring you back to reality and remind you that you can feel something else than utter confusion and frustration.

8. An iPod on stand-by with de-hypnotizing music to counter the effects of the New Age Elevator Music of Despair. I suggest some Clash and Ramones.

7. Bar fridge with cool beverages. You don't want to dehydrate during your journey to activation.

6. Exercise list to combat the risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis. Nothing like dying from a blood cloth while on hold to ruin your day.

5. Port-a-potty. Relief is just inches away!

4. Bonzai tree starter kit. Takes a lifetime to grow...you are bound to get off to a good start.

3. Anger management tips - for when and if they eventually pick up.

2. Masseuse - hire a massage therapist to come once a day to relieve tension while awaiting activation zen.

1. Conjugal visits. Activation does not mean abstinence. Just remember to pay attention to the music...

Thanks Adobe for giving me something to do on my summer vacation!

American Idolatry

For some odd reason, I got sucked into American Idol-atry this season. The show to me is part car crash (can't help but stare at the incompetence), part Whitney Houston wannabes, and part real talent.

My favorites this year are:

Adam Lambert
Allison Iraheta

I'm sure both of them will have long careers.

Anoop Desai & Megan Joy were also fun to watch. Looking forward to hearing what Megan will do on her own.

Of course the winner was Kris Allen. I enjoyed his stuff, but I wouldn't buy an album by him. He is pretty good, but not my style.

The question is, why did Adam lose to Kris? If you look at the iTunes stats (released by mistake), you can clearly see Adam outselling everyone else. Matt is in last place.

Could the results be the influence of Vote for the Worst website? They wanted to sway the vote for Matt, then Cokey (calling him a woman's feminine hygiene product), then finally Kris. The site leaves no doubt about Adam's preferences, calls her Paula Rehabdul, has the mug shot of Jesse who was arrested for driving on a suspended license...everything you need to know about the show!

But the single most interesting thing about this show that surprised me, was how nice most of the top contestants were. Even after winning, Kris would ask for applause to his runner up Adam, when on the talk show tours. It's refreshing to see a bunch of kids that seem to show respect, honor and good sportsmanship.

I just wonder how long till they turn DIVA on us. "I asked for ONLY blue M&M's in my trailer!"

Swine flu in Mexico

Alot of people are asking me: How bad is it in Mexico?

Well...no cases in our area. I think the pandemic is not the disease, but it's the fear that Americans will leave the country and spend some money in Mexico! Ah...the propaganda machine hard at work. Scare scare scare the flock.

This video shows you what is really up in Puerto Vallarta.

Swine Virus in Mexico - got bacon?

Two days after arrival in Montreal, the news was inundated with stories about the Swine Virus in Mexico. How do I feel about this issue, a Canadian spending lots of time in Bucerias, Mexico?

Mexico is getting a bad rap these days. It started with the violence in border states, which is a real problem, but does not affect us here in Bucerias, Mexico (which is as far from the border as Seattle!). Like everyone, you take safety precautions in everyday situations. Most of this violence is related to drugs...so don't take drugs and you will likely avoid much of these issues. Don't go after Mexican women, you might feel the wrath of a over protective brother trying to preserve the "Virgin Mary" reputation of his sister. Do I feel safe in Bucerias, yes. Safer than any major US city for sure.

The press always take a story, injects fear in it, and presents it to the viewer. "Find out how spaghetti can cause spontaneous combustion in adults...film at 11h00." Let's face it, news is all about fear, so they can sell their ads.

I don't want to catch the Swine Virus. I have been having "weird" cravings for bacon, but don't take me behind the barn and shoot me just yet! If you think about it, there have been close to 150 deaths in Mexico City, but the population is over 18 million! If we go back to the violence in Mexico, according to this blog 5,612 people have died in 2008, executed because of the drug war.

According to CNN, swine flu is more contagious, but I'm still flying back to my family on Thursday. Am I scared? Not really. Might have to have some Tequila to kill disinfect myself, but I'll live.

Family Pictures

When I was in Montreal this summer, we had a chance to get our family pictures done by our favorite photographer Monique Simone who does Montreal Wedding Photography. She did our pictures a few years ago. Here are my favorite ones:

I will put up a link to our pictures once I get it. Monique will even make a book with all the pictures in it. A perfect gift!

Online Billing Solution

I am addicted to Freshbooks. I've been searching for an online billing solution for my IT business for years, and I stumbled onto Freshbooks.

Try it for free here. It's free for up to 5 clients.

This is how I use it. I'm at a client, I do some work, sell some gear and I log on to Freshbooks. I make sure the client is created, I make my bill, send it by email to the customer, print it on the spot, accept the check, apply payment, send an automated email back to the customer that the bill has been paid. Done. I leave with a check in hand, my billing done.

It will track expenses and make reports for taxes (GST, QST). You can add your own logo, choose the colors...it's great!

Try it today! Customers love it.

https://compuquest.freshbooks.com/signup/

Making sense of the world

I recently finished reading Confessions of an Economic Hit Man by John Perkins.

This book was hard to put down! Controversy follows John Perkins which you can research in Wikipedia but I have to admit that it does ring true, and makes sense.

Enjoy.

Windows XP - RIP

Just got advised by Dell, that XP will no longer be available on Dells...kind of. July 18th was the last day to buy a Dell with an OEM license of XP.

On June 30th, Microsoft will officially kill XP. Oh sure, they make it sound better with the acronym EOL (End of Life), but really, Bill is taking XP behind the Microsoft Campus and will Tarantino XP.

What about those who don't want to go to Vista? You can buy a Vista Business/Ultimate downgrade option, in which you pay for Vista, but Dell will ship with XP pre-installed.

So...Bill...XP escaped!

iPhone & Zune in Canada

After all this time, the iPhone will finally come to Canada via Rogers. Story here.



The Zune, which is now in it's second generation is also available in Canada. This product seemed to have been pushed out the door of Microsoft pretty early, and with many missgivings. This latest version is much better and a nice competitor to the iPod.

Ads on websites

I have a few websites. I have my corporate website CompuQuest, website about Moving to Mexico, a fun site called Names 4 Bands, one of my Podcasts Outside The Artist's Studio and the other Cuddle Podcast.

Apart from my corporate site, I don't generate any money from these sites. They are mostly just for fun, or informational. I donate my time to these projects and I have come to know a lot about web marketing in the process.

I used to find ads annoying and thought that clicking on a banner was a sin. If you are on a dubious site, I don't recommend clicking on a banner... During the course of any day, I do gets lots of valuable information from the web. Now that I have so many site, and wish to generate a little bit of cash for my effort, I have changed my opinion of ads. If I find something useful on a site, I now out of courtesy click on an ad. I now feel good about myself, that by doing this little gesture, I have contributed to that person's efforts.

I'm not asking you to start going to all my sites and clicking on ads! That would actually be cheating. But the next time you find a useful tidbit of information on a page...click an ad and help a fellow web developer.

The Mexican Experience

The other night, we decided to go to the Bucerias Mexico town square to find a red cowboy hat for Breanna, as she had to dress up for an International Expo at Colegio Bucerias. Of course, we met many tourists while eating a fresh Churro (a Mexican version of the Beaver Tail but costs only $0.30) and spoke to a few of the local shop owners. All the while, my dad was standing on the corner watching a bunch of Mariachis playing just outside a house. They had a big table on the street and guests...looked like a party. Next time I look back, my dad is sitting down with the locals right in front of the show. A few people came and talked to him. Now I'm thinking they are saying: "Hey gringo, this is a private party!" Turns out, my dad was standing on the corner and the Grandfather got his son to invite my dad to sit down since he looked interested in the music. A few introduced themselves, and next thing you know, it was announced that the next song was going to be dedicated and picked by my dad. My dad was not sure what to pick so they dedicated the song Pancho Villa to him, because of course my dad looks like a Mexican Revolutionary! He was offered but declined drinks and to have supper with the family. We all left the town square, but he returned there with my mom to catch the last few songs of the night. This is the culture of the Mexicans. I had a similar experience here on our street. Ryan went to take care of the puppies down the street, at the founders of P.E.A.C.E. (Protection, Education, Animals, Culture and Environment) and when I went down to check up on him, I passed a little pickup with some of the friends of the organization. They were taking a much needed day off. Wendy was off with Molly horseback ridding. I was invited by the boys to try a cracker with a spoonfull of a mix of shrimp, green chili and cucumber. Wow...that tasted yummy...but a little hot. So they offered me a Cerveza (Pacifico). I ended up spending a good part of the afternoon hanging around, having a few Cervezas, shrimp, and talking. The neighbor showed us this weird fruit which I am pretty sure is the Durian, and I was able to taste it. It smells pretty overpowering, but it tastes like a mixture of banana, mango and melon. There is this weird liquid that is very sticky, so preparing the fruit is not very pleasant...but I froze it and use it in smoothies. So, we have a lot to learn about hospitality from complete strangers.

The TelMex experience. I requested a phone line on November 22, 2007. It was installed last week (around the 6th of March 2008). So, the first time I went, I signed up, got my order paper and was told that within a week or two, I would have my phone line and Internet. Of course...friends told me more like 8 weeks, unless you find a TelMex guy in your neighborhood and flash a 100 pesos in front of his windshield. But...I don't like encouraging bribery to get something done. A few weeks later...I returned and they could not find me in the computer! Did they spell my name wrong? A few days later, I returned and progress...I had an order number! This was sometime in January. February goes by...no news. March comes around...and it was time to make another visit to TelMex. They type my order number and (drum roll please!)...my order has been cancelled. Apparently someone went to my place and no one was there (the owners are here 24/7) so they cancelled the order. Nice. Thanks for telling me. This happenned to my neighbor also...so don't believe everything they tell you. They asked me if I still wanted it...h*ll yeah! This time...I got a number...a phone number to go with my order! Progess. Two days later...they installed my phone line. The installer told me to call TelMex to order the Internet, which I did. After being passed around till I got someone who spoke English, I was told that I had to wait till I got my first phone bill before ordering the high speed...so at least 30 days. Never believe what they say. I went back to TelMex, got my modem and was told that it would be active in 48 hours. 48 hours VS 30 days. What did I learn? With TelMex, you have to ask for something at least 3 times and if you speak to 3 different people...you will get three different answers.

But, today I went to lunch with Wendy on the beach and had the Ultimate Biffer (it's a burger) with the best french fries in Bucerias (Biff's Beach Restaurant and Surf Shop) and a cerveza looking at the waves. Kind of puts all this TelMex stuff in perspective.

So when you get frustrated, or disapointed with something in Mexico...go to the beach, have some comfort food and beer...and it all goes away!

This week we also went for our FM3 form...which will allow us to keep the truck in the country for more than 6 months...so I'm 1/2 mexican!

January in Mexico

Last time we left off...we were shopping for furniture, and we were still wet behind the ears (not sweat!).

It is now mid January and Ryan lost his first tooth today. We were able to find some more furniture, so our place isn't so bare anymore. Believe it or not, we went to IQEA in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle and it was the size of a large room with about 10 Ikea pieces. Sure enough...you can read Ikea right on the boxes. We got this Expedit which sells for $250 in Canada, but $330 here...so not too big a rip-off. Can you believe it that I come all the way down here, and buy Ikea, which by the way is Swedish for "crap". We found a nice lime green hide-a-bed at Sam's Club that looks modern enough for the living room...so we have room for 2 visitors now. We also got bar height table and chairs off a truck in the street. Gotta love Mexico for guys driving around with stuff to sell.

We also got our washer/dryer from Home Depot in PV. It's still very new, and the staff are all over the place (as in disorganized) and nowhere to be found at the same time. On one visit, they billed me about $6 for a nut. It took about 45 minutes for me to get a refund!

For a country where things are very relaxed, I do find one thing ironic. They are never in a hurry...except when they get into a car...and now they are in a rush to go somewhere!

I ordered my High Speed Internet with TelMex. Now TelMex is kind of a monopoly, so you can just imagine...add 1 part of "we don't care...you can't get it anywhere else", 2 parts "come back tomorrow", with a cup of "for sure they will install your line tomorrow!" I ordered Nov. 22th...and we are now January 16th! They at first told me it was going to be about a week. But...it's Mexico and you can't really get mad, you just wait, have a Cerveza and eventually it will get done.

Part of the challenge of living here is accepting Mexico for its faults. You just can't get angry when these types of things happen...you just smile. Here we are in these little towns that just grow at an incredible rate and you can't expect the people to have "big city" smarts or know-how.

When you are tempted to blow your top...stop...go to the beach...have a nice lunch and a Cerveza and everything is forgotten. We really enjoy Karen's Place for breakfast or lunch when you just want to get away. Listen to the waves crash on the shore and eat some good food. For the best tacos hands down is a little place in La Cruz called Tacos on the Street. Not sure the exact address, but it's in my GPS. It's pretty much of a given that every Sunday night we are there. We have tried elsewhere...but none compare! Of course The Shamrock Irish Pub is a great place for a burger (about $7) and a Pint, especially during happy hour. They even have a kids menu! They also have free Wi-Fi...so technically, I could work from there! We found a good little Pizza place with a wood burning oven the next town closer to PV. Some of these little places don't have liquor licenses, so you can bring your own beer, which makes it even cheaper!

They just built a Mega in our town, which is kind of like a department store that is half for groceries. The Mexican Loblaws! Now, we don't have to venture into Puerto Vallarta for supplies.

The kids are in a Mexican private school which is half Spanish, half English. It is called Colegio Bucerias. I am very impressed by how nice they are there. The prices are very fair. More than I was expecting to pay, but it's important that the kids have good schooling, so well worth it and reasonable.

We love our little town. It's just big enough to allow us many new things to explore, but not as busy as PV. Of course, being close to PV, we pretty much have it all.

I was back in Montreal for the end of the year...and that was depressing! Cold...damp...dark...I missed the sun. Although it was great to see the friends, roll around in the snow and jump back into the hot tub on New Year's, and do a few favorite restaurants...I was actually happy to be back! Wow.

So I will sign off for now...and report back soon.

5000 km Mexico Trip Report

We left at around 3h30 AM on Friday, after spending the day loading up the truck and trailer. As we were waiting at the US border and seeing all cars in front of us being searched, we were hoping that we would not have to open up the trailer for inspection. You know that closet that you fill up with all the junk lying around your home, which when opened, produces of mound of stuff up to your ears? That's what we felt would happen to the poor fellow who opened up the trailer... I have to say, it was the funniest border crossing I ever experienced. When we told him we were on our way to Mexico via Florida/Disney, we started talking about taking time off for a trip like this, talking about learning Spanish...basically no questions about your typical border crossing trek. I guess we looked pretty harmless with 2 cute kids cuddled in the back. I always found it funny that when you cross the Canadian border, they ask if you have booze and guns. When you cross the US border, they ask if you have fruit...no wonder they have more crime in US!

We drove all day till about 11h00 PM to close to Fayetteville. The next day, we of coursed stopped at the cheesiest place on earth...South of the Border.

From there, we drove all the way down to Sarasota (got there pretty late), where we stayed at Wendy's cousin's place. It was a great place to relax with a huge pool and hot tub in the back yard. Great food, wine and especially company. On Monday morning, we left for Disney and did MGM Studios which was a lot of fun, although it was raining off and on all day. At least we did not have to wait in line-ups. My favorite ride was the Rock and Rollercoaster where you start off going from 0 to 95 km in 2.8 seconds. Breanna & Ryan loved the Star Wars ride and the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.

On Tuesday, we did Disney's Animal Kingdom. We started off with a safari, which was fun. The Finding Nemo and Lion King show was great and the kids loved it . Here is my favorite picture that I captured during our little safari of a sleeping lion. We ended the day with the Everest Roller Coaster which was pretty fun. Two days of Disney with kids is pretty exhausting to say the least. We went back to Sarasota and took a day off.

Our next stop was Destin, Florida Thursday. We were given the use of a time-share for the night by some friends of ours and we stayed at the Intrawest Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Wow...what a room, what a resort. This was one of the best beaches we have ever been to! The sand was close to flour, and the water was aqua blue. The kids found enough crab parts to make one good one :). We rented bikes and the kids loved the free arcade.

Saturday and Sunday we spent in New Orleans. We stayed at Le Pavillion within walking distance to the French Quarter. Talk about service! They have a real doorman! On Saturday, we walked the French Quarter and loved the architecture of the balconies. The food and music was exactly what I was hoping for. Music on the streets, great food and wonderful balconies.

We left the French Quarter around 5h00 PM, when happy hour starts (3 for 1). It did not take long for it to get raunchy, so we left with the kids. A local told us that when she leaves work around 11h00 PM, she regularly has to step over passed out teens on the street, puke, and other enjoyable obstacles, sort of like the drunk Olympics.

From New Orleans, we went to Texas in a little town called Brenham to visit my friend's parents. It also served the dual purpose to have a power supply shipped to me. OK. You all know me, and what I do. Imagine now that I left Canada forgetting my laptop power cord and the power cord for our movie player (I bought the Creative Labs Zen W which I love) which was supposed to keep the kids occupied during the trip! I was only able to recharge the movie player in Sarasota and Texas...sorry kids. The Zen is great to watch movies, in fact I regularly watch TV shows or movies in bed with it. It might also come in handy if I ever get the "runs" down here :).

From Brenham, we went to Laredo Texas, where we stayed the night. We got up early the next day, and crossed the border. I was kind of nervous, since my Spanish is really bad, so of course, I choose the wrong lane, and went into the "To Declare" lane, which is where you pay taxes for all the stuff you have. Of course, I had a trailer full of stuff! The officer told me I had to go inside to pay tax, although I told him that I think I went in the wrong lane and I was really looking for the place to get a permit for my truck & trailer. He made me go in, and I again played dumb, and told the guy at the counter that I think I at the wrong place and I'm looking for the place to get a car permit. He took me outside and gave me directions to the place, and I just headed for it. Phew! After getting my permit, I still wasn't sure I was passed the border! It was a little weird. We started driving towards PV, and at the 12 mile point, there is a checkpoint where you stop in front of a light, and luckily, it was green, so we just went on through. At that point, we knew we were in.

We had the choice of taking the toll roads (which I find quite expensive), or the free roads. Although expensive, I feel that the toll roads is the way to go. The free roads go through small towns where you have to slow down, you are only a two lane highway so you have to pass big trucks, and most of the time, there is no shoulder. The toll road on the other hand is smooth, has emergency phones at regular intervals, gas stations at regular intervals (never let your gas go below 1/2 a tank...you never know how far the next one is and you can waste lots of gas in the mountains!). The scenery was breathtaking, seeing the mountains, valleys and many varieties of plants (Tequila!). We drove all day in well into the night, when Wendy and the kids had their full. We were in Aguascalientes by then, and we had a hard time finding a hotel with vacancy. We found one, which was fairly expensive for a stop-over hotel ($120 USD), but wow what a room. We were on the ground floor facing a huge pool. We were tempted to stay an extra day! We left after breakfast and headed for our new home for the next little while. The last stretch from the main toll road to the road that follows the ocean (Highway 200) was pretty twisty and again, we were behind slow trucks. We finally made it around 9h00 PM, at which time it was pretty dark, but I found our place just fine. We unpacked the trailer, and passed out on the mattress (did not even take the time to rebuild our bed!). We awoke and of course the kids headed straight to the pool while we unpacked.

7000 KM was our total trip, and with the stops, it was quite enjoyable. We love our place, and having a pool in the back yard is great and better than going in an elevator for 20 floors like when we were at 2021 Atwater (which we really enjoyed also). Yesterday, I found the little Irish Pub in town and the owners were quite helpful giving us tips about where to find stuff in Bucerias. We had a chance to see our friends down here, and the kids today are having a little beach party in LaCruz. We just got a fridge, and still need some furniture, so we have to shop some more. Groceries are really reasonable and I can see how it can eventually cost us around 1/2 what we are used to, once you get to know the good places to shop. We have relied on Walmart so far, and although you do find good stuff at a good price, I believe you can get good fruits and vegetables from local sources.

Anyways, that is the short version of our trip so far. Stay tuned for more updates and tips on how to survive in Mexico!

The slow death of St-Catherine Street

I was stopped coming back from Blockbusters today by a reporter from the Gazette named Jan Ravensbergen started asking my son & I questions about the moving of the last open storefront on the St-Catherine's strip between Lambert-Closse and Chomedey. Bombay Palace is moving out.

I remembered reading “Tipping Point” (kind of a link to the thought behind it here http://www.gladwell.com/1996/1996_06_03_a_tipping.htm and http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070326/OPINION/703260308/-1/opinion04) and how small things can lead to a clean-up of a locality.

Having pretty much the whole street boarded up, with posters for upcoming (and sometimes long gone shows), graffiti…gives the impression that nobody cares for that block.

St-Catherine IS Montreal. It’s what ties everything together. To come visit Montreal and not spend some time on St-Catherine is impossible. What would a visitor say about Montreal, when he passes Lambert-Closse? It obviously detracts from our fine city.

It started with the Seville Cinema which closed in 1994, followed by the closing of the Montreal Forum in 1996. Since then, the block has slowly died.

Following the thoughts of the Tipping Point, could not the city decided to clean up that block? Why not give a subsidy to build a theatre (we all know that movies are dead) for local shows, and plays and concerts. Once you have that started, just wait and that block will be filled with restaurants, maybe a art dealer, Starbucks... If the city would take in initiative to start something, such as a my proposed cultural block, then local students from Concordia and Dawson could put on plays, we could have local artists hang their art in a gallery, we could have trendy restaurants and coffee shops to accommodate the show going crowds.

The same thing happenned at the corner of Charlevoix and Notre-Dame. They opened up a theatre, and the next thing you know, you have Joe Beef and other trendy hot-spots cropping up!

Come on Montreal...let's re-open the Seville and give some life back this dead zone!

Can't get this song out of my head...kill me please!

Screaming girlfight caused by Energy Drink?

This last Saturday Night, a fight broke out around 3 am (Tonic club closing) at the corner of DeMaisonneuve and Atwater. The loudest female scream I had ever heard was gently thrust upon me for the duration of about 15 minutes. This was very reminiscent of the Nancy Spungen whining in Sid & Nancy. When my ears started to bleed, I finally went to the balcony to find my wife looking at the live "Cops" show below. Three squad cars where there separating some hysteric group from this small group of about 3 very loud and whinny ladies. What surprised me was that when these peace disturbing ladies finally got into their car, in whatever state of inebriation they were in, calm came back to Atwater street.

Unfortunately, I mistakenly thought they got into a Honda Ridgeline that was plastered with Base Energy Drink logos. It seems that Base had nothing to do with this drama, except trying to market their drink to club goers.

In the good old days, people would drink...get plastered and fall asleep. Now, they drink, and are wide awake, being fueled by caffeine, ginseng, ginkgo biloba and who knows what else. I actually like a Guru & Vodka every now and then, but you have to be careful with that combination...moderation is the key.

I haven't tried Base Energy drinks yet but their marketing is targeting the right crowd. As I drive to Mexico, I might just stock up on some of these drinks (minus the Vodka).

They should put a warning on those things: "Warning: Mixed with Alcohol, may cause female club goers to yell and get involved in fights at 3h00 AM. Possibility of incontinence or puking (as seen by the opposing side on our side of the street)."

The baby on Nirvana's album is now 17!

Am I that old??

Comments about the picture can be found here.

Trinity Restaurant Review (Montreal)

On Wednesday, May 23rd, we were invited to the opening of Trinity Restaurant on Drummond Street. Intrigued that it is from one of the owners of Queue de Cheval, Peter Morenzos (Pete as we called him), we were anxious to have a night away from the kids and celebrate that we sold our house.

The decor was inspired by monasteries, making us believe we are in the Mediterranean, tasting Greek delicacies and wine. Like Queue de Cheval, the kitchen was open and amazingly huge!

Since Trinity specializes in fish, we became adventurous with the menu. We started off with Calamari (I would have preferred it a little more tender), Octopus (Amazing), and they suggested a third entrée - Greek salad. Now the Greek salad had the biggest piece of Feta I have ever seen for a single serving. Much like the quantity you would buy for a week! It was interesting that every plate was inspected by Pete, and generously adorned with olive oil. Pete seemed like an owner totally invested in his creation. At one point, my wife felt the need to give Pete a hug, in a motherly way, calming him down, as he was obviously passionate about the preparation of the dishes, and being opening night...stressed. Pete was very inviting, and passionate about the food he serves, he told us. My wife choose the Sea Bass (to die for), and I opted for the 1/2 lobster (not usually a big fan of lobsters, but it was good). The side dishes were great as well.

As for the service, it was on par with Queue, but it was obvious that the staff was new, and understandably a little disorganized as it was their first night. I'm sure that given a few days, they will be at their best.

I have no clue what the prices are, but if I compare with Queue, I'm sure they will be up there, but worth it. We had a great time, the food was amazing, and the staff were terrific. Treat yourself to a trip to Greece, without needing a passport.