I wanted to test out this video plugin. The video above is an amazing documentary about a guy (my hero) who built his own log cabin in the wilderness and lived off the land.
Let me know if you have any problems viewing this video. If this works, I intend to feature a documentary or special film once a week as a feature of the blog.
Thanks,
RW,
Family Fun Night on Sept 12th, 2009 was fun, as the name would suggest. I had a great time hanging out with some of my fellow volunteers.
Things got a little crazy… At times.
And of course things got hot (and sweaty)…
I ended up getting into my bunker gear to roast hotdogs with, and mend the fire, while another volunteer decided that a cardboard heat shield would protect him well enough from the radiant heat. Luckily for him, it worked! Sadly the hot dog pictured in this photo was in the heat for far too long, (about 30 seconds) and ended up coming out completely burnt.
All in all, it was a fun night, and lots of laughs were had. Would of been more fun, I am sure if more people showed up.
Kelly came down this past weekend. We ended up staying in a very ghetto hotel. The hotel manager must of been about 80 years old or so, as he had issues calculating and did not understand about half of what we said. We ended up getting a room for 2 nights for about under 60 bucks, or there abouts.
The first night we watched Shrek as I had not seen it yet. We also obviously had some fun 
The next morning we woke up and went to IHOP for breakfast. Then we headed out to Zoar Valley. We parked at the common entrance point, at forty road and from there we walked towards the confluence. Walking down stream we did not see many animals, however at the confluence we saw a large catfish which seemed to frighten Kele. Walking back up stream, we saw a water snake.
We ended up meeting with a few other people coming the other way. Some of them fairly scantaly clad. One group were obviously not educated, and did not understand what I ment by ‘confluence’. The other group warned us of some environmentalist groupies who were blocking off access to the nearby waterfall.
From there we headed back to the Hotel. That night we went to Red Robins for dinner and watched Madigascar. I believe we also watched The Rock.
The next morning we slept in, and then went to Tim Hortons for breakfast, on the way to the Buffalo Naval Park, where we toured the ships. For Kele, it was her first time touring battleships and I believe she had a lot of fun. I ended up getting into a conversation with a volunteer there about the Aud.
And so ended a fun weekend with Kele. It was nice to do some real touristy things with her. I look forward to the next adventure 
Was out driving today and saw a duck who was injured on Niagara Street near Tonawanda. It was right in the middle of the road and cars were swerving around it. I stopped and was able to capture it without too much trouble or stress (to the Duck). I then drove it to the SPCA.
I am not too sure what type of duck it was, but I think it was a Scaup. It was a young one. It seemed to be unable to fly, and was limping a little. I hope to contact the SPCA and get an update on its condition if possible in a few days.
It is always nice to be able to help in some form. I don’t know why people don’t do it more often.
A faithful reader emailed me and asked me about this photo:
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How did I photograph it, they ask.
Well, That was some calcite deposit which is leaking down from the roof of the cave. It would of taken years for this to form. I set up my camera on my tripod, and extended it as close as I could to the deposit. Setting up a tripod in a cave with bolders all over the floor is not an easy task, let me tell you!
I was with a friend who happened to have a UV Led light… Or it could of been my UV Led light… I forget which one it was for this specific photo. But we used a UV light source and I took my exposure with the lights all off except for the UV. The UV light lit the calcite up very nicely, to the point there it was glowing a little. This was actually the first exposure. I did a few others but they didn’t turn out as well. First ones a charm, eh.
Now, about the Akron caves. I will thank my friend GeoViolator for finding out what they actually are. They were Limestone mines in the 1890’s, and the very first type of cement which would set underwater, ‘Akron Flour’ was found in these mines. Lord Rick (some random and whacky self proclaimed ghost hunter / man god) seems to think that they were ancient native american burial grounds and all this crap. But that is complete BS.
The Akron Caves (they are really mines) in Akron, NY are a fun, but slightly dangerous place to visit. Please read my full article on them, located here.
Having generally given up my formerly Roman Catholic faith, I still seem to miss the time of year when family gets together and celebrates beside a Christmas tree. I have many fond memories of this time of year, and also some memories I wish I could go back and change. Being that I am still waiting for my immigration to go through, I am stuck in the states and unable to attend the family holiday celebrations. Of course however, I doubt now that everyone has grown up, and moved on, like myself, that the holidays are nearly as special as they once were. The magic of Christmas morning was something you looked forward to all year around.
I imagine that magic will never truly return, the realities of being an adult now kind of put a damper on things. I suppose if I ever had a child, some of that magic would return, if not for myself, at least I would see that magic in my child. But a child is not in the plans at this time. Last year, if I recall, my Christmas consisted of eating chineese food, while playing World of Warcraft. I imagine this year will be fairly similar. However, that being said, I will make a short list of things I would like.
- New Computer Components: I wish to build a new computer for gaming. Since gaming and the internet are my main forms of entertainment, computers are essential for my sanity. The following is a list of parts for a planned computer upgrade, which I shall add to my wishlist.
XFX GeForce 9800 GT video card.
Intel DP45SG Motherboard – This is the core of the system and the link is a package deal which includes RAM and a Processor.
Hard Drive… These are actually very cheap these days.
Media Center for Flash Drives and such.
Case and Power Supply The case is purchased. Still need a power supply however.
The most important thing… Windows XP Pro! I have a copy of it, that we purchased, but it is a upgrade copy, which upgrades from windows 95. This is clumsy… And before Windows XP completely dissapears, I would like to get a fresh install disc for it. I refuse to run Windows Vista at this time.
Dreaming aside, the computer is likely the item which I would get the overall most use and enjoyment out of. My current computers are getting old. At these prices, it is also hard to ignore that this computer would be an amazing deal, and since most of the components are state of the art, there is a lot of potential for future expansion.
Some other things for my wish list:
- A MEC Tent I dont know when I will be going camping again, I hope soon tho, and I really miss it. This tent will be a useful addition. Likewise other camping supplies I need: Stove, a Lantern… But camping in NY State is no fun really. So I will likely be only camping when I can get back into Canada.
- New Flashlight with about 10 Batteries.
- AKG HSC-171 Headset! This is a dream headset of mine. They fit so nicely and have the most amazing sound I have ever heard. I would love a pair of these for the computer, and for late night gaming / raiding when I need to use voice chat. It is very much worth the money… I love this headset and really want one, lol. I am pretty sure RVA in Toronto can supply them for a better price, especially if you mention my name to Ian. I think aside from a new computer, this is what I would get the most use out of.
Anyhow thats my wish list, lol I am sure I wont get any of it, but I had fun typing it up and dreaming
Not that gifts are really what I miss so much. I miss sitting by a fire, enjoying some eggnog and maybe a little Baileys Irish Cream. Socializing with everyone and having a good time. The Christmas dinner is also a big thing I miss, a nice long table with 24 or more people, all eating a giant feast. But I know that wont be happening this year.
Things are going well however, and hopefully in a few months I will be able to begin working. I have thought about going into fire safety, or maybe working on the Railroad. While being a fire fighter is something I am sure I would love, I do not think I could do it with my asthma.
Happy Holidays!
Roadwolf,
