paulnet

I’d be remiss as a writer if I didn’t take the opportunity of my 30th birthday to put a few words down.  Today was a great day.  I was wished happy birthday by more people today, probably than ever in my life (or at least since I was a student in public school.)  My grade 10 class sang me happy birthday, my volleyball team sang me happy birthday.  It was really nice of them. I had a student (child of a fellow teacher) who made me 30 cupcakes, and they all had “Zn 30″ written on them in icing, signifying Zinc, with the atomic number 30.  Coincidentally, we’re in the middle of the chemistry unit right now.  My co-workers wished me happy birthday.  I had cafeteria duty today, many students wished me happy birthday there.  I had students I’ve never taught bring me hand made cards.  Students in my grade 9 classes worked furiously with their highlighters and pens to make me cards to one-up the one I had already been given.  It’s nice. It shows that they care.

I partied for the occasion on Saturday.  It was a great party with some of my closest friends, followed by an hour or so of dancing at the local discotechque. Cake, stories, sports on TV.  I haven’t been following baseball but it was a long game on saturday night.

I’m not feeling any anxiety about being 30.  I don’t feel like theres so much that I haven’t accomplished.  In fact, I feel almost a little more calm than I’ve felt in a while.  I do look forward to many more accomplisments and experiences to come.  Sure, I’m single and I don’t own a car or house but I enjoy what I do every day and I keep quite busy at it.  I go hunting and fishing when I get the chance and I try to work out when I can. 

Tim McGraw – My next 30 years - Maybe I’ll remember my next 30 years

Oh hello.  It’s been a couple of weeks now without a post.  In those weeks, some things have happened.

I’ve coached in 2 tournaments, one in Kenora, one in Winnipeg.  Our team is doing really well, although there’s one opponent we haven’t managed to beat yet.  Our last match went to 5 sets so it was close. 

My grandmother passed away almost 2 weeks ago.  She was ill with liver cancer and went peacefully in her sleep after an evening of visiting her great-grandson and playing cards with her friends.  I travelled to London for the funeral and it was good to see all of my family, all of the people she was responsible for shaping.  She would be 82 next month and luckily she was independent and vibrant until her last day, no suffering in a hospital bed.  It’s sad that she’s gone but it’s good that she didn’t have to suffer.  I could write a lot about grandma but I said my piece at the funeral and that’s all I have to say. I’ll miss you grandma!  Now I have no grandparents left.

I went hunting for the first time in 15 years this past weekend.  I entered in a draw for a moose licence in the spring and I was given a calf tag. Calves are hard to find but good to eat.  I haven’t shot anything yet.  The whole story was, I met my hunting friend (a co-worker) at 6 am on Saturday, opening day.  He lives 25 minutes out of town, and we had to drive an additional 30-40 minutes past his place until we got to where a logging road had been washed out to form a large ditch.  There, we unloaded a 4-wheeler and travelled another 10 minutes into the bush.  We then got off of the 4 wheeler and walked for another 45 minutes into the bush.  This was the furthest into the Canadian wild I have ever ventured.

The .300 winchester I had was borrowed from my friend and he was using a 30-30.  After getting to his preferred hunting spot, we mulled about for 10 minutes and he tried a few cow calls. To our surprise, approximately 6o yards away a large bull moose with ~46 inch paddles stood up from lying down and slowly began to walk away from us.  My friend has a bull tag.  Bull offered us many seconds of clear broadside shots but unfortunately neither of us had our guns loaded.  Rookie mistake on my part, but he also claims we should have known enough to load up when we started walking in.  Needless to say by the time we were ready to shoot the opportunity had passed and that was the excitement of the weekend, all over in the first 15 minutes.  We continued to hunt until 2 that afternoon and again on Sunday morning but saw nothing.  Hopefully we’ll have the chance again.

I’ve been much better at making it to play basketball on Tuesday nights this year than last.  Despite the fact that by 8:15 on Tuesday nights, I’m usually more inclined to want to sleep than run the court, I have been forcing myself to go and I never regret it.  It makes me feel great.  Play has been good and I had one of my best scoring nights last night.  Used the backboard a lot and was pretty aggressive with rebounds.  It felt good.

The sudden snowfall caught everyone by surprise.  This photo shows where we spotted the moose.  It would have been on the hill on the left hand side of this photo.  Just moseying along until it got behind the trees on the right.

I could see for miles at some points.  I also walked for miles, dressed heavily and wearing my insulated rubber boots.

This is Richard, my hunting partner, on his way to try to push the bush and scare the moose back out into an area where I could shoot it.  He saw nothing.  I saw nothing.

A few trees that didn’t get cut by loggers.

I can’t deny that the scenery was pretty breathtaking.  This area was clearcut probably 15 years ago.  In some places, clearcutting is a dirty word.  From what I can see, it’s not so bad.  Things grow back.  These trees were all about 10-12 feet tall.  Very healthy.  I would love to fish in that lake some day, I’m sure it holds monsters.

Here is one of the most exciting videos I’ve shot lately (warning: I’m being sarcastic.)

I found this video.  Shit it’s funny and I don’t believe it to be fake -

Modest Mouse – Bankrupt on Selling

Sarah Harmer – Capsized

Once a year, back to back exhibition games are held in Dryden between U Manitoba and Lakehead women’s basketball teams.  It is the best live basketball I get to see all year.  I only got to see the Thursday night game, as I was off to Winnipeg myself on friday for coaching.  Game was Thursday, October 1.

 Winnipeg won both games.

 # 6 scored a buzzer-beater at halftime, shot from past half court.  Impressive.  # 23 in white grew up pretty close to me in Smithville.

 Sweet block.

#14 is the only non-manitoba born player on the team.  She is from Hamilton.