July 2008 Archives

For the first time in my life, I went dragon boating this evening. Kind of a neat experience, especially given that it's been a number of years since I have been out in a boat on open water. Felt great to get out there again, and I found it challenging. As you might imagine, it takes a great deal of stamina and focus to be decent at it. After a good hour or so of fairly strenuous paddling, I was starting to wear out, and I am far from out of shape lately. Which is good news, I think, but for a few months, it's an awesome way to cross train. Plus, there is a nice sense of camaraderie out there.

I am actually quite excited that Geometry Wars II is coming out in just two more days. It's somewhat sad, yes, but that game is quite a blast, and is great for quick one-off session. It's fairly intense, but can be quite short if you're not good at it. People standing behind me often remark it's near seizure inducing. True, but it looks absolutely fantastic. I highly recommend it if you want a basic arcade shooter that is reminiscent of 80's arcade games with an updated feel.

It was a good weekend at the Edmonton Indy. I have never actually been to a major series car race before, so this was quite the event. For one, there were tens of thousands of people in the grandstands alone. For another, it was televised world wide on ESPN, and of course there is a lot of money that goes into making one of these events. For my part, I was volunteering there all weekend, so I had credentials to access nearly every area available. That and I didn't have to pay for that, which would have easily cost well over $200 CAD.

I put my Tilley and my sunglasses to good use this weekend too, as it was hot and sunny for pretty much the entire event. Oh, and earplugs are essential. I was one row off from the track (and safety barriers...), and so it was unbelievably loud. The earplugs kept that manageable, but I had a dull headache by the time the race was over. Still, they're incredible to watch. Edmonton Indy has a fairly technical two mile track with 14 turns, and these things accelerate and brake more than is possible for pretty much any other car on earth.

I had a great time, but I was kind of relieved when it was over. It is tiring being out in the sun like that and wandering over the grounds every day. Felt almost like I were at work, really. I got some good pictures, saw in person people like Helio Castroneves (he handed me a hat that now I wish I took off with ... ;-) j/k ), and enjoyed some pretty good food. I'll definitely go back and do something like that again, I think.