Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy New Year


Happy New Year
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves."

- Bill Vaughan

(h/t: JG)

Saturday, December 30, 2006

from the "a new dawn" dept.


Steamy
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

What a stretch the past 10 days or so have been.

Reconnecting with old friends.
Finishing up my freelance work.
Preparing for Africa.
Christmas.
Housesitting (was that water the cat and feed the plants?).

And now the final week in Vancouver is about to begin.

On the agenda:

Hanging with friends.
Packing.
New Years.
Buying stuff.

It seems to me that my posts are probably redundant -- much about nothing. But then that's what blogs are for, aren't they?

It's an early Saturday morning in South Granville -- I'm off to get a coffee and snap some pictures, weather willing.

And then... it's time to tackle the taxes. Joy!

Cheers!

Friday, December 29, 2006

from the "done" dept.


CTV Control Room
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Another chapter in my life is over -- today was my last shift at CTV.

I started as a full-time promo producer, I leave as a freelance news writer.

It seems unbelievable, but I have worked at the corner of Robson and Burrard on-and-off since Sept. 15, 1997.

That's 9 years, 3 months, 15 days.

And today was my last.

The new life is now just 18 sleeps away.

Cheers!

from the "why Winnipeg" dept.


From the Phantompalooza gang:

Phantom of the Paradise made its debut in Winnipeg and other North American cities 32 years ago this week.

Some citizens were outraged, calling it "despicable...a sickening and decadent spectacle." Others defended it, saying that "the film has no serious message; it was to be enjoyed and not torn apart."

Using archival photos, embedded video and audio clips, and extensive research from Winnipeg Free Press and Tribune files, we track the rise of a phenomenon as the film takes the city by storm for an incredible 18-week run, resulting in a gold record and a visit by none other than Swan himself.

So take a trip back to the Garrick Theatre in early 1975 with our new feature "Why Winnipeg? The 1975 Phantom Phenomenon".

Thursday, December 28, 2006

from the "handwriting is on the wall" dept.

Another interesting concept: create a computer font based on your own handwriting. It's $9 and could make writing those personal cards and letters a thing of the past. Plus, it's good for the ego.

Surf here: FONTIFIER.COM

(h/t JG)

Cheers!

from the "trailer mash-up" dept.

It's scary how much creativity is out there.

A sample. And hold on to your hats. And lunch!

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

from the "I want my GTV" dept.

Want to watch news bulletin from Ghana's state broadcaster GTV? Well, you can!

Follow this link for an archived newscast -- the casts are a delayed a few days but include local commercials!

Cheers!

Hotel Van Reflects


Hotel Van Reflects
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

The top of Hotel Vancouver reflected in a downtown tower. Look vaguely like a pirate's hat. Arrr!

Leaving It All Behind


Lions Tower
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I'm looking at my current home in a whole new light (and through a nice lens). I won't be seeing sights like the Lions towering over towers much longer.

It also looks like my final day with CTV (I've been working here on and off over the holidaze) is Friday. Just days before I would have entered my 10th year of working here.

Not that I don't appreciate that -- but I don't really want to hit that milestone.

And so it goes...

Cheers!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Gathering


Gathering
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Christmas Eve Eve brunchy goodness.

Christmas Colours


Christmas Colours
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

League of the Empty Chair!

Holding Court


Holding Court
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

"And then after I singlehandedly defeated the alien invaders, I invented the concept of time zones..."

"Wow, you're dreaaamy!"

"Aw, shucks!"

Sprig


Sprig
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

The hostess with the mostess (and the parsley).

Pan-kooks


Pan-kooks
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Saturday brunch at Sue's with several travel nuts.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

from the "lo-fi hi-tech" dept.


Balance Balls
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I had some fun with my low end camera phone last night -- and actually, I was happy with some of the weirdness.

Cheers!

from the "comes a time" dept.

The calendar says 24 days to Africa, 15 to Toronto.

The preps continue in earnest. I dropped into MEC Thursday night and picked up lots of goodies like emergency water treatment, a tiny first aid kit and a new mid-sized backpack.

My big concern at this point is whether I can fit everything on my list into my bags. It's going to be a struggle, but I reckon there is always stuff that can be left behind. I'll do the test pack in the next week or so.

Friday marked my last day at CBC Online... for now. I covered the Alberta sites for the past week -- which came on the heels of a good run with CBC -- allowing me to earn even more money for next year.

I also successfully pitched an article on Aeroplan points for the consumer section of CBC.ca -- and I am hoping there will be more small gigs like that when I am overseas.

Last week I made contact with the head of development for Lonely Planet television. We'll be discussing various ideas after the holidays.

I'm beginning to think that joining the LP author pool is one of the best things that could have happened. I've certainly met a lot of interesting and like-minded folk and it's opened doors that normally would be difficult to even get to.

I'm technically off this weekend, but there is much to do. I'm housesitting two different places and two different cats and in addition to my cat duties, on Sunday I'm attempting to make Christmas dinner.

Next week I'm back at the TV newsroom for a week. This is good and bad. Good in the sense that the shifts start at 10 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. and I get to work in a room with people (instead of my basement). Plus the money. And I can walk to work from either Lisa's (where Miss Kitty lives) or Don and Linda's (where feral Sammy lives). Exercise would not be a bad thing! But it makes it hard to do any running around. No such thing as flexy hours in TV news.

On a musical note:

I had the chance, a few days ago, to catch the last half of Jonathan Demme's documentary on Neil Young, "Heart of Gold." Wow... absolutely amazing. What a gifted human Neil is -- and he's a prairie boy. Makes one proud.

As I seem to have a penchant for quoting lyrics these days, I though I'd cut-and-past a few lines that struck a chord with me while watching Heart of Gold.

Comes a time
when you're driftin'
Comes a time
when you settle down
Comes a light
feelin's liftin'
Lift that baby
right up off the ground.

Oh, this old world
keeps spinning round
It's a wonder tall trees
ain't layin' down
There comes a time.


Cheers!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Traveller's Card


Traveller's Card
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

My Christmas card from the staff at Lonely Planet's HQ in Melbourne. *sniff* They remembered!

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

27 sleeps


Ghana Notes
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Yep. 27. That's it. Just 27 days and my feet will be in a brand new country on a brand new continent.

Less exciting is the fact that I'll be in Toronto in 18 sleeps.

Things continue to come together. I keep buying stuff. Though I pretty much have all the major things bought.

The big chores include my 2006 taxes, GST and packing for storage. Little else.

It's all very weird and very, very exciting.

Cheers!

Monday, December 18, 2006

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Cuppa Joe


Cuppa Joe
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Joe's Cafe is a Commercial Drive institution. Great cap and sketchy customers. What more could you want? Steamed milk? Billiards? Sugary treats? Come on in.

Plugged In


Plugged In
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Argh! Exposure hell. But this was the view at Continental Coffee on The Drive this morning. I took a little break to get a caffine jolt and check the email on the ol' iBook. Look at that sun!

Transit Claus


Transit Claus
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Vancouver's transit company has special buses driven by Santa. The deal is to donate a gift to charity when you hop on. My timing sucked, so I didn't get the "perfect" shot, but you can see jolly old Saint Nick on his 99B route.

from the "Got Crabs?" dept.


Got Crabs?
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Ok, well... actually salmon.

The Dollarton Crab Shop an honest-to-goodness crab shack in North Vancouver, BC. They sell everything from Indian candy to crab (surprise). They also make a mean plate of fish and chips -- or so I'm told. I don't really like F&C as I find it a dish that is far too oily for my sensitive palate.

The Crab Shop is also one of those places you pass a million times wondering what it's all about until you actually take the bait and go inside to investigate.

I drove past it for years -- but then I moved to Deep Cove a few years ago and one day decided to pop in.

What I found was a bevy of seafood and something called salmon patties. They're like crab cakes, but made with salmon.

Colour them delicious. And addictive.

I often make the long haul from my so-far-south-in-Vancouver-that-I'm-almost-in-Richmond home all the way to the North Shore just to load up.

Which is what I did yesterday. I nabbed several sticks of salmon jerky (drool) and a half-dozen salmon patties.

They're infused with all sorts of herbs and fishy goodness and work for any meal.

This morning I cooked one up on the ol' George Foreman Grille and then crumbled it into some eggs. Dee-lish & easy like Sunday morning.

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From: DM
Email: doug@borderfilms.com
Headline: Conceptualization - The Biggest Problem of the Cedi Re-Denomination
Link: http://allafrica.com/stories/200612150715.html

Testing direct email to blog function.

There should be a story on the redenomination of Ghana's currency.

Cheers!

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Ghana Notes


Ghana Notes
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Every day I learn a little more about my soon-to-be new home.

If you're not already reading Wendy & Jason's Ghana blog on a regular basis, you may have missed this post.

Also, I found this image of my new home of Takoradi that I hope isn't representative of the entire town.

UPDATE:

Found some good pictures on a fellow Canadian's travel blog.

HERE and HERE and HERE.

Cheers!

Friday, December 15, 2006

from the "easy visa" dept.


Another Step!
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I met with Ghana's Honorary Consul in B.C. today. There was a power failure in his Burnaby, B.C. office -- but the paperwork was completed.

He told me there is a nine-hole golf course in Takoradi. Four!

I am now in the possession of a one-year multiple entry visa to Ghana.

Another step closer!

Cheers!

Thursday, December 14, 2006

from the "leaving again for the first time" dept.


Leaving Halifax for Europa. The first time.
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

The picture you see before you is an old one.

It was taken way back in October 1993. Four of us sat in Halifax airport full of anticipation and wonder.

Dave, Pat, Scott and I had never travelled to Europe. And we were just moments away from jetting to Lisbon, Portugal.

The reason? To ride our mountain bikes to a bar in the Algarve that we had read about in the paper (I still have the article!) and then onwards to Spain.

It was that trip, more than anything in my life, that changed me. It made me aware of the great big world, the importance of good friends and the fact that you can do anything (like a former 351.5 pound lazybones cycling hundreds of kilometres across the Iberian Peninsula) if you put your mind to it.

Now, with the big Ghana adventure looming, I find I am once again filled with that delicious mix of anticipation and anxiety.

I've noticed to that I am suddenly more aware of my surroundings.

I'll walk into Continental Coffee and think to myself "this is the 36th last double Americano I'll savour before leaving".

Or I'll look outside the kitchen window and feel a twinge of sadness knowing there are ony 31 more days of rain to endure before I head east.

And I've been stumbling across things that take me back to those youthful days in Halifax.

Last night while packing I came across a battered and scratched CD. It was the debut album by the Irish band Hothouse Flowers. They were never huge but I loved them at the time.

The CD was released in 1988, the year I moved to Halifax. Another big change. I still recall driving around the apple orchards of Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley listening to brand new music in a brand new place.

Don't Go, the first cut, is like a timewarp. And fitting in many ways. Read on & hum along:

There`s a smell of fresh cut grass
And it`s filling up my senses

And the sun is shinin down
On the blossoms in the avenue

There`s a buzzin fly
Hangin round the bluebells and the daisies
There`s a lot more lovin left in this world

Don`t go
Don`t leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while

And I`m lying warm on the soft sandy beaches
And my toes are submerged in the water and it feels good

Children playing building castles on the shoreline
Like a painting that we loved Lord it feels so fine

Don`t go
Don`t leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while

There`s white horses and they`re coming at me at a pace now
There`s a blue scirocco blowin warm wind into my face
The sun is shining on the underside of the bridges
And there`s cars going by with smiles in the windows

And there`s a black cat lying in the shadow of the gatepost
And the the black cat tells me that love is on the way
There`s a black cat lying in the shadow of the gatepost
And the the black cat tells me that love is on the way

Don`t go
Don`t leave me now, now, now
While the sun smiles
Stick around and laugh a while, stick around and laugh a while

Cheers!

from the "I'm rich" dept.


Ghana Notes
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I haven't even moved to Ghana (31 days) and already some nice man has emailed me offering to share millions of dollars.

Here's his (I assume) trusty worthy offer:

From: sa_abbas111@hotmail.com
Subject: Waiting your response
Date: December 14, 2006 11:14:10 AM PST (CA)
Reply-To: mr_sadiqabbas@yahoo.com


Head Office :
FromThe Foreign Operations Manager:
International Commercial Bank Ghana
Makola Shopping Mall P. O. Box 425 Accra, Ghana.

Sir,

I got your contact during my search for a reliable, trust worthy and honest person to introduce this transfer project with. My name is Mr. Sadiq Abbas.

I am the manager of the International Commercial Bank Ghana, Makola Shopping Mall Accra. I am a Ghanaian married with two kids. I am writing to solicit your assistance in the noble transfer of US$4.500.000.00. This fund is the excess of what my branch in which I am the manager made as profit during this year in my Head Office here in Accra and they will never know of this Excess.

I have since then, placed this amount of US$4.500.000.00 (Four Million Five hundred Thousand United States Dollars) on a SUSPENCE ACCOUNT without a beneficiary.


As an officer of the bank, I cannot be directly connected to this money thus I am impelled to request for your assistance to receive this money into your bank account. I intend to part 30% of this fund to you while 70% shall be for me. I do need to stress that there are practically no risk involved in this. It is going to be a bank-to-bank transfer to your nominated bank account anywhere you feel safer. All I need from you is to stand as the original depositor of this fund. If you accept this offer, I will appreciate your timely response.

With regards,

Mr Sadiq Abbas

---

So the question... do I start a long and entertaining ruse with Mr. Abbas?

Chime in, dear reader(s).

Cheers!

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Ghana Notes


Ghana Notes
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I'll add more detail later, but I have some Ghana related tidbits.

- I bought the DVD of the BBC series "Geldof in Africa." It's a fascinating travelogue/history lesson by Bob Geldof about Africa.

Episode two was pretty much dedicated to Ghana. I now have a better idea of what the coast, Accra and the roads of the country look like.

All I could think was: I can't wait to shoot pictures there (and train journalists, of course).

With that in mind I have decided to buck up and buy another lens for the camera. A 80-200mm zoom that is fast enough for low light conditions. It's not cheap but absolutely necessary.

There was good news from my accountant. It appears as though I will get a tax refund for 2005. Enough to buy the lens, methinks.

More good news too from one of my JHR colleagues in Takoradi. I have a place to live. And it's cheap. Allow me to quote huge passages from Kari's email Tuesday morning:

"First of all let me just tell you that you're one of the lucky ones. The placement at Skyy [television] is great. Things are quite organized around here and the staff are a great bunch of people."

That bodes well. Here's more:

"As for Takoradi it's a nice balance. It's not too city, but it's not too rural either. It's just right in the middle."

Reminiscent of porridge. And speaking of breakfast, it looks like I have some flatmates:

"As for living situation I live in a five bedroom house and share with three others . The house is quite nice. It's fairly close to Skyy so you can walk to work. It'll take you about 15-20 min."

So... how much?

"The rent is ridiculously cheap. You should be paying 314,000 cedis a month for your room. That works out to be about $60 cdn."

There's more, but that's the basics. And Wendy (in Accra) has offered to sell me some things that I would have brought from home.

As each day passes, there is one less thing to worry about. Good thing, as I'll be in Africa in 33 days.

Cheers!

Monday, December 11, 2006

Picture of the Day? No way!


Gadling.com Photo of the Day 12/9/06
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

Here's the screen capture of Gadling's Pic o' the Day from Dec 9, 2006.

Gadling.com is a nifty travel website brought to you by the fine folks at Engadget. They have wonderful taste, obviously!

More in the previous post right below this!

from the "fame becomes me" dept.


Morning Cruise
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).



Yet another of my snow pictures is receiving rave reviews, this time from Gadling.com, the travel focused offshoot of Engadget.

A shot of my snowy street made it as the website's Photo of the Day for Dec 9, 2006.

Here's the pic and write up.

h/t to REW for spotting it!

Cheers!

Friday, December 08, 2006

from the "countdown" dept. or "30 frickin' sleeps!" dept.


takoradi beach
Originally uploaded by ihadalitlweenie.

Yes, I've been remiss in posting mindless treacle.

Truth is, I'm now wound up with work (day 2 of 10 straight) and trying to figure out what to take and, more importantly, what not to take to Ghana.

Plus the clock is ticking. 30 sleeps until I fly to Toronto for a week of training, 37 days until I fly to Ghana.

Yep. Lots to do. But it will get done. And I've picking away at things over the last few weeks, so it's not like there is anything major.

I do have to get my Ghana visa (Dec 15), health insurance and pack. Really, that's about it.

I think.

What am I forgetting?!

Dear God. I'm hooped!

Wait. Be calm.

Dream of this:

THE GREEN TURTLE LODGE (h/t W&J)

Cheers!

Monday, December 04, 2006

from the "published" dept.


Page 26 fame
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

One of my photos (from Denmark) appears in the Winter 2007 issue of Yes! magazine.

Yay!

from the "weekend in review" dept.


New Lens
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

I spent the weekend picking away at the long list of things to do but, unfortunately, I didn't accomplish much.

Saturday was a busy day. It began with brunch with my former boss Lawrence. He picked Luxy's on Davie. I rarely frequent this part of the city so it was nice to visit somewhere other than the usual haunts.

The food ( spinach omlette) was great -- and as a bonus, a little bit of work came out of the meeting -- including stuff that I can do while in Ghana. Perfect.

Methinks I could become a nomad by writing my way around the world. Hey -- is that a book title?

I zipped over to Kits after brunch to pick up Leanne and we headed to the East Side for the monthly winter farmers' market. I loaded up on root veggies and breads. I got a great deal on cinny buns -- six for the price of two. And they're amazingly good. How can I wait another month?! Actually, the next market will be on Jan. 6 - my last full day in Vancouver.

Wow.

After the market I dropped Leanne off and headed home for a bit. Then it was back to Leanne's for a tasty dinner. We pulled out the big Nat Geo atlas and looked compared the per capita incomes of African nations. How's that for exciting?

It WAS informative... Ghana's PCI is about $300/year. Canada is over $20,000.

Sunday was another day to ignore the list. I spent way too much time online building my Mountain Equipment Co-op wish list.

But by midday, the cabin fever was overwhelming. I headed back to the Drive to take some pictures and grab a coffee. This time I visited the Prado Cafe ( h/t Donna ) but felt like I was cheating on Continental. I also couldn't get internet connectivitiy, which forced me to read an actual book (Bradt's Ghana guide).

It is now Monday morning. Just after 7 a.m. I'm doing the laundry and avoiding working on my taxes. But not for much longer. The window to get things done is slowly closing. And I still have my possessed car to deal with.

I am back to work on Thursday and work straight through until the 16th (10 straight). Then one off and five in a row.

The snow remains, but warm temperatures and heavy rains are on the way. The winter wonderland will slowly turn into a sloppy green swampland over the next few days. Sad to see it go...

All right... off to ignore the list!

Cheers!

Tree Time


Tree Time
Originally uploaded by borderfilms (Doug).

It's coming...

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Saturday, December 02, 2006

from the "catching up" dept.

The week has come to an end. And what a week!

I managed to get a few more things sorted for Ghana, but there is a considerable amount of entries remaining on my "to do" list.

This was a week about meeting people. On Tuesday I attended the a party for the television premiere of "The Rock and Roll Kid," a documentary about a 12-year-old guitar wonderkind.

It was produced and written by a friend of mine... LONG story there.

At the premiere, I met Danny - the kid, his parents, as well as a cool group of like minded folk.

On Thursday I met Donna, who is a friend of a friend and very like minded. We enjoyed poutine as we got to know each other. The fun continues next week when Donna, Randy, Christian and yours truly go Whisk(e)y sampling at the Irish Heather.

Tonight was the blooper party. The annual get-together of Vancouver media types (mostly TV). Folks from all the newsrooms converge for one night of watching each other's blooper tapes. This was my 9th.

Global "won" with the Best Tape, but I thought CTV should have been the winner.

I ran into a bunch of colleagues from CBC, CTV and Global, including some that I started with in this business back in '88!

Well, that's enough button pushing for the night. It's 1:12 a.m. and I have to be up in 5 hours.

More to come.

Cheers!

Doug