Fire

This is my 250th blog, and I'll commemorate this with a story about that greatest human achievement: fire.

As I mentioned, Emily and I went camping recently. We arrived at the campsite around 10pm, not long after it had rained. With a firepit in our campsite, it seemed only logical that we light a campfire. Since we're not made of very stern stuff, we opted to buy firewood from the campground manager for $5.

Having the firewood was not enough though. You have two Computer Science students, in a damp campsite, trying to light a fire. I mean, we're both perfectly capable of setting off fire alarms just by trying to cook. But intentionally starting a controlled fire?

First, we realise that we need paper. Let's hear three cheers for tourist brochures and magazines! They burn a little funny, perhaps because they're glossy paper, but otherwise they work just fine.

Next, we need the optimal fire structure. Something that will protect the fire, focus the heat, etc. A pyramid or tee-pee structure perhaps? We tried, and tried, and failed. In the end, just throwing the logs one over the other, with tinder underneath and paper jammed between was our solution. This "lazy" approach seemed suitably Australian to me. :)

We got to watch that fire burn itself out as we lay in the tent. In the morning, Emily arose first (surprise!), and got the fire going again. She was very proud of her handiwork, as you can see in this picture.

Of course, all good things must come to an end. Emily's fire was actually burning more fiercely than the previous night's, and we needed to put it out quickly. Plastic shopping bags filled with water served in place of the usual buckets. We managed to fill the air with smoke and steam before we drove out. Very nice. :)

I Could Be A Courier

In Australia, I used to frequently carry things on the back of my bicycle. Carrying 36 cans of soft drink was common, as we needed to restock the fridge in our lab at university. I haven't carried large amounts of stuff on my bike here before.

But now, the local chain grocery store has closed down. The next nearest (cheap) grocery is a few blocks away, so I ride there now to do my shopping. As a bonus, the ride takes me close to other shops, like London Drugs (which is like a miniature Big W).

Of course, this leads me into temptation. Today I bought two large archival boxes, and two cushions. All were on special at London Drugs. Getting them home was the tricky part (see photo). I'm lucky I always have straps on hand when cycling, though sitting on the bicycle was difficult after this. And I did manage to put a indentation and lose some skin from my thumb when one of the straps released prematurely.

Camping in Canada

At the end of our vacation, Emily and I went camping for one night in Elk Falls. I've uploaded photos already, but I need to describe just how different it is from Australian camping.

In Australia, the average campground is:

• large grassy area
• perhaps lines and roads marking each numbered campsite
• a communal barbeque and eating area
• trees far from tents in case they break/collapse in the wind
• concrete or brick toilet blocks
• limited campfires, if any are permitted at all
• close to the beach, and likely to have a pool

The campground we went to in Canada was:

• a thick forest of tall pine trees
• campsites are private cul-de-sacs surrounded by trees
• benches/tables right next to your tent
• log cabin washrooms
• campfires in each campsite

As an Australian, you only see these kinds of campsites in Disney movies! I know that I've always thought to myself "haha! fiction! noone would have a campground like that!". Where would you find sufficient logs to make a toilet out of in Australia? And Australian trees are simultaneously friends (for shade) and enemies (tend to fall in the wind, catch fire easily, and host birds that crap on your tent during the night).

I do miss the beaches and heat of Australia. That's why I'm coming home in December. But if you want a cool, relaxing camping experience, Canada has it.

Cow Takes Flag

I was playing Unreal Tournament last night, using the "Capture the Flag" rules. In this game, the players are split into two teams. The teams start on opposing sides of the field as in any regular sport - though to gamers it is called the "map" and players are said to "spawn" on opposing sides. From their starting positions, each team must try to steal a coloured "flag" located somewhere on the other team's side. It is a game of simultaneous attacking and defending, as you try to find the other team's flag, but prevent them from finding your own.

The human players were myself, Emily, and Jordan (a friend of hers from work), with five computer players added to fill up the teams. Emily and I were both on Blue team, while Jordan chose to be on Red team, opposing us.

Halfway through the game, I managed to find the Red flag. However, in front of it was Jordan (who is a very skilled player). I had to defeat Jordan before I could safely steal their flag.

Now, unknown to me, Emily had followed me throughout my attack and was preparing to steal the flag herself! While I fought with Jordan, I was treated to the amazing sight of a waddling two-legged cow flanking him to steal their flag! It was a brilliant and sneaky play, made absurd by her squat and furry choice of character. It was, for me, truly a sight to behold.

Unfortunately, I then lost the duel with Jordan, and Emily was shot in the rump as she tried to waddle away with the flag. Still, that sight of Emily, as a two-legged cow, flanking the defense and stealing the flag was the highlight of the game. :)

Disneyland

Wow! I just got back from a great Disneyland holiday with Emily. I forgot to mention it before we left. We had basically no net access, so I couldn't update this blog. Oops. :)

I have to say, it was an awesome way to spend a week. It's two whole parks really, Disneyland and California Adventure, sitting right next to each other. There's no 'extreme' rides - the biggest rollercoaster does just one loop - but there's a lot of very fun rides, parades, stageshows, water rides, a nightly fireworks show, Disney characters walking about...

They also have a cool "fastpass" system that allows you to bypass long queues that normally plague these places. You insert your park entrance ticket into a machine near one of the popular rides, and you'll be allocated a time. If you come back to the ride at that time, then you get to use an express "fastpass" line! This lets you run off and try less popular rides (like the Winnie the Pooh ride) rather than waiting in line. Sweet!

I mention the Winnie the Pooh ride because it was the key to our second day at Disneyland. In the morning, just after riding Splash Mountain, we needed a warm place to be. Winnie the Pooh is one of those cute little indoor story-telling rides that kids would love. But mainly, it was warm. On exiting the ride, we're approached by two staff members saying "Congratulations! You're winners as part of our Year of a Million Dreams!" and gives both of us "Dream Fastpass" tickets! These let us use all of the express lines for each of the rides, just once, at any time we choose during the day. A Dream Fastpass overcomes the main limitation of regular fastpasses (that you can only hold one fastpass ticket at any one time). On that day, we did every major ride in every park. :)

I've uploaded a bunch of photos from both of our cameras:

• Parades and Fireworks
• Characters and Scenery

We also have this awesome photo of us in the Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters ride. We both have such incredibly serious faces as we shoot the little aliens stuck on the walls. You can see why we play Unreal Tournament together. :)