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  • The Ultimate Sunday

    The Ultimate Sunday

    Today feels like the ultimate Sunday. You know, the day before your whole week starts and you have to start thinking of tomorrow’s tasks, only it’s been three months and there is a lot more waiting for me than a list of tasks. Still, I’m feeling recharged and refreshed from the time off and have been eager to get back to work and into a rhythm with writing again.

    I’ve done some reflection on everything I set out to do over the last three months and I’m happy with what I got done over the course of my sabbatical. Despite some low individual moments, like a pet scare, I was also very fortunate to have had a smooth run of nearly everything I had planned.

    Because I enjoy making them, here’s a quick, non-exhaustive list of things I did without going into too much detail on this blog:

    • Camped with friends
    • Listened to my first full audiobook
    • Attended two weddings, gave one speech
    • Started & finished Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
    • Started Elden Ring’s Shadow of the Erdtree, will likely be playing this one for a while
    • Rewatched Invincible season 1 ahead of watching season 2
    • Stretched often
    • Midday dog walks
    • Got up at sunrise

    A lot to smile about as I look ahead to the shift of focus before me. Thanks for reading along during my time unplugged!

  • Adventures In Osaka

    Our time in Japan has come to an end and Osaka was very kind to us. Outside of a plan to spend a day at Universal Studios Japan, we didn’t schedule a lot ahead of time in the city, anticipating that we’d be tired and may want to remain flexible for the sake of morale. The city was quite captivating, we learned quickly that we’d never be far from something to capture our attention as we stayed rather close to Dontobori, a foodie’s paradise as well as evidence of the city’s investments ahead of Expo 2025. We could have stayed another week and not experienced everything within walking distance of our hotel. If you’re ever in the neighbourhood, I’d highly recommend Bushido burger. It’s a bit of a safe choice among the hundreds of food spots in the area but it’s still got enough of a Japanese spin to still feel like adventurous eating.

    We did manage to explore other parts of the city, like the Umeda Sky Building, a true architectural wonder. We played tourist and left our heart-shaped padlock up on the observation deck with the rest of them, my partner especially enjoyed that little detail of our visit.

    A personal favourite among all our activities had to be Super Nintendo World. I grew up with those characters alongside my siblings and still regularly enjoy Mario Party/Kart with friends to this day. Seeing all of it come to life was pretty special.

    Other highlights include: Riding in the world’s first oval ferris wheel, a Capcom pop-up store, Pokémon Center Osaka, Osaka Castle, & some lengthy sessions of Dance Dance Revolution.

    As difficult as it can be for a trip to live up to all expectations we place upon them, I feel safe in saying that this was everything we hoped it would be. I’m home now with fond memories of the people, the food, & the gorgeous views. Thanks for reading!

  • Adventures In Kyoto

    Konnichiwa, friends. Kyoto was planned as the middle leg of our Japan trip and a chance to spend time away from urban centers. As much as I enjoyed the towering neon signs and the bustling subway system of Tokyo, I was quite looking forward to the change of pace it would offer.

    We rolled in via Kyoto station, which is a marvel of its own, and a great spot to see impressive architecture meet the marvel of their many various train lines. The station contains enough hidden treasures (like a full-scale Lego model of the station itself) and beautiful sights to spend a day exploring.

    Once I figured out how to leave the station on the proper side to reach our hotel, the city didn’t disappoint either.

    We visited a handful of beautiful temples and shrines, learning about the country’s storied history and walking through their beautifully-maintained gardens. Each morning, we wandered out to a nearby bakery to sample different pastries like the melon cream buns that I’ll surely miss most.

    A few other highlights include: Passing by Nintendo’s HQ building, finding an incredible family-run Udon shop, Kyoto aquarium, and taking a quick lesson in pottery from local artisans to craft myself a new coffee mug.

    Our final stop of the trip is Osaka, taking us back into a lively metropolis and eventually to brave the crowd at Universal Studios Japan. Thanks for reading!

  • Adventures In Tokyo

    Konnichiwa, friends. We just arrived in Kyoto via Shinkansen (bullet train) after spending much of last week exploring Tokyo and its many wonders. I’ve collected more helpful Japanese phrases, enjoyed delicious sushi, and immersed myself in new cultural experiences. Despite my long-term trend toward becoming a rural hermit, I find myself already missing parts of the big city.

    We went up the Tokyo Skytree, wandered Akihabara, caught a glimpse of Godzilla’s head, got slightly lost in Shinjuku station, visited Hakone shrine (among several others), and stumbled into incredible little restaurants that you might miss by blinking.

    One of my favorite encounters thus far was meeting a group of young children on a field trip, who had approached us with books in hand to practice their English with tourists. After reading through their phrases and asking us a variety of questions about our day, we had to sign their books to show that they had spoken to us before moving on to collect the remainder of their signatures. It was an unexpected treat to feel like we could share something in return in the midst of trying to take in and be respectful of the local culture. A great reminder of the beauty that travel offers.

    At this moment, my heart is full and I can’t wait to see more of what Japan has to offer. I’ll leave you with a drop of some of my favourite photos taken so far. Thanks for reading!

  • Shed-Building

    When thinking ahead to my planned sabbatical this year, I wanted to include a large project that would challenge my ability, improve life around the house, or equip us for the future.

    Ultimately, I landed on building a small garden shed to house my growing collection of yard tools and reclaim that space from our garage. It fit into my interests of working with wood and would serve the purpose of finally figuring out what to do with the shady patch of land along our back fence, where I’ve tried and failed to grow plants for a few years now.

    At one point, my heart was set on the idea of building a teardrop trailer and hauling that around North America for road trips. I quickly came to realize that it wouldn’t receive the kind of mileage I had envisioned and it becomes less simple to pack up for the open road when you’ve planted enough roots.

    In order to get this project underway, I had to complete a variety of tasks in the yard:

    • Remove the underground sprinkler system – It came with the house but I’ve never felt fully comfortable with the ongoing water usage so it doesn’t get a lot of use. This year, we’ve been planning for drought conditions and relying more on rainwater collection to keep our plants healthy so it was time to finally move on from what was in place before.
    • Deconstruct raised planter box & transplant surviving perennials – Despite our best efforts to fill in the shady spot by the back fence, most plants struggled under the constant  shade of the two trees we have back there. I could have doubled down on shade-loving plants but instead chose to find a different use for the area and save the existing plants by moving them into pots so they could enjoy more sunshine in other parts of the yard.
    • Dig area to extend gravel foundation – Digging is exhausting work. I moved a lot of dirt and laid out landscaping fabric + new gravel. The most painstaking work involved was tamping and levelling the ground to avoid building on a slant.

    In all, the prep work took me nearly 2 weeks. Once those tasks were complete, I was able to start on the fun stuff. The building process!

    Below is a quick gallery to showcase the progress made in the chosen spot.

    In all, I’m proud of the end result and glad to have more space for my toys tools. It was a great opportunity to try new things, like roofing, and put them into practice.

    Thanks for reading! 😀

  • Lake O’Hara – Early Season

    I was out camping in Yoho National Park with a good friend a couple of weeks ago. Early June can always be a bit of a gamble on weather in the mountains but we managed to luck out. Our campsite stayed relatively clear while the hike we had planned was mostly accessible without the need for snowshoes or to navigate deep/melting snow on the trail. It did approach freezing overnight but nothing that an extra blanket and a cozy fire couldn’t solve.

    We decided to hike up to Lake O’Hara, a real gem of a spot. The approach to the first lake is 11 KM up a gravel road and inaccessible to all save for the pre-scheduled shuttle & hikers (no biking or driving up yourself).

    Each year, there is a lottery in January to secure a spot on the shuttle to significantly cut down on the distance you need to travel in a day and give you a chance to explore more of the lakes up there. There are some lodges available to stay overnight and enjoy the area that way too but it can get rather costly compared to the style of tent camping that we usually set out to do. Well, another year has passed without a shuttle ride secured under my name but I wouldn’t let a few hours of walking deter me.

    Much of our day looked like the above, a pleasant walk through a forested gravel road with great signage. The first handful of KMs are straightforward with lines of trees to stare at on either side but after about halfway, the trail opens up to some nice views of snowy peaks.

    Middle peak looks like a giant rocky hand giving us a thumbs-up.

    We had a really lucky day in terms of wildlife sightings. For context, any day that I spot something on the trail is one I consider lucky. We managed to peep some ducks, a porcupine munching on snacks on the side of the road (below, left), and a grouse perched in a little tree. (below, right)

    About 1 KM from the lake, we started to see a lot more snow. Reaching the lake itself from the road took a short trek through the snow but any additional excursions would have seen us walking over deep snow and running the risk of post-holing.

    I had to fit in some push-ups to help me reach my total for the challenge I started earlier in June.

    Finally, the end of the road. Even covered in snow, the lake is quite a sight to behold and always worth the walk. In total, we travelled 26 KM on foot before we headed back to the campsite for the evening.

    I’ll throw in some bonus photos of the campsite itself because Yoho is always stunning.

    And here’s a couple from Banff, where we stopped for lunch on the way home and took a quick walk around town & to Bow Falls.

    Patio view in Banff
    Bow Falls

    In all, it was a fantastic trip to kick off the season, even with many hikes still having snow right now due to the amount of late-season precipitation we’ve been receiving. I’m already looking forward to the next adventure. Thanks for reading!

  • Wooden Mountain Art With Scraps

    After taking on a bigger project in building a wooden swing for our deck, I wanted to work with wood in a completely different style from following a step-by-step plan and consideration of structural integrity. The idea was to “cut loose” and allow myself freedom and flexibility in how to complete the project.

    The Plan

    With a small pile of wood left over from the swing project, I thought it’d be fun to plan something that would help me use up as much as possible (pictured below, left). I started by scribbling down a rough draft of what I wanted to build, which was essentially a frame of wooden mountains (pictured below, right).

    With enough of an idea of where I was headed, I got started with cutting 45 degree angles in the wood. Despite this being a more creative endeavour, I have a habit of placing limitations on myself to narrow focus and rely on a consistent style for the full piece. In this case, I opted to make all cuts using a fine Japanese pull saw. After relying on a rotating cast of power tools in my last project, I wanted to simplify the approach and hone my skills in making consistent cuts by hand. It was a great practice and felt like I was able to minimize sanding by taking care to make straight cuts. Without the added noise of power tools, I’d say my time in the garage has been a lot more peaceful in recent weeks.

    Once I had enough angled cuts, I went through a cycle of glue & sanding for each of the 4 planned peaks. Sanding is still the area where I feel I could benefit from additional patience but I was content to extend the timeline to compensate and insure that I’ve given it the proper attention.

    The Frame

    I learned that the frame was a bit trickier to line up with handmade cuts but some angle clamps (below, left) really helped to keep everything lined up while the glue dried & I could secure the corners. There were a lot of steps that required me to wait for something to dry but I was able to bounce around to different pieces and make the most of it. I was so relieved when the frame could stand on its own after being assembled because it felt like a small accomplishment to line up all the pieces up.

    Mountain Stain

    Next up, after the initial layer of stain, I sanded down the tops of the mountains in order to add in a second colour that I hoped would provide a bit more depth and shading to the row that would be in the front & most visible in the finished piece.

    The Final Result

    With all the components assembled and stained, it was easy to get them attached inside the frame. Since the plan was to have it hanging from the siding in a well-sheltered area, I relied on a dremel to carve out grooves for the frame to rest on two screws. I added a bit of stain over top of the carved out area to even the colour. I’ve included a zoomed out shot of

    All in all, this was a really fun project and exactly the kind of change of pace that I was hoping for ahead of some bigger plans for the yard.

    I’ve already begun the chain of events that will help me prepare a foundation for my new shed. It’ll likely be the biggest woodworking project I tackle during my sabbatical and one I’m very excited to start working on. First, I need to put in the work, so that’s exactly what I’ll be doing. Thanks for reading.

  • Pushing For Better, Australia Edition

    Earlier this year, I signed up for and completed a push-up challenge in which I had to do 2000 push-ups between Feb 1-23. With a team of friends, we raised a bit over a thousand dollars for Canadian mental health organizations. It was a great chance to challenge myself physically and it felt great to contribute a little bit toward the cause and raise awareness. Some of our group was willing to add push-ups in exchange for donations and it made for a lively group chat where we could freely share about arm pain.

    One member of our group lives in Australia and he’s enlisted us to answer the call. Their 2024 challenge takes place from June 5-28 and the stakes have been raised calls for 3,249 push-ups (one for each person lost to suicide in Australia in 2022). It’s quite a gut-wrenching statistic to think on for too long but motivates me to hit the increased target.

    I’m expecting a little more muscle pain than my first time around but I’m also a little bit wiser and more experienced now. I’ll aim to complete sets of 20-30 at various points throughout the days and allow my body to rest in between. Some days reach higher totals than others and I’ll also hopefully be able to fit in a full day or two of rest in there somewhere but the increased total will make that interesting. (My full schedule from the last challenge pictured in the note below).

    I’m not one to turn away from a challenge so I’ve signed up and made a donation to get myself started. You can check on my progress & see how the team is doing from this page.

  • A Swing With Perfectionism

    Happy to report that I’ve completed my wooden swing after some weeks of finishing and a break in Montreal. The only unforeseen blocker that came up was the realization that I would need to do my annual clean of the deck before I could kick back and truly enjoy the end product. That meant I had another week of work waiting for me outside unless I wanted the reminder each time I sat down.

    Gonzo was getting a bit impatient for quality sits.

    A lot of the finishing work was sanding the wooden slats to smooth the sitting surface and mask imperfections in the wood and all my little errors along the way. I must have sanded the whole thing 3 or 4 times once it sat assembled in the garage. As it’s often a step I lose interest in, I tried to be very mindful about sanding everything evenly. It was rewarding to see the subtle improvement with each round. In addition to the staining, I also opted for a semi-gloss clear coat finish to help seal the wood from the elements and hopefully extend the life of all bench pieces.

    Once it was fully sanded and stained, it came time install the hardware. I was a bit nervous for this work out of everything because I wanted to build something that will support weight for years to come and stand the test of time. The jury will stay out on that one but I’m happy with where things landed and grateful for the opportunity to work with the bench vice.

    Because our deck is painted, I try to touch it up at the start of each summer. Before I moved the swing into place, I scraped the surface and power washed everything. All that’s left now is to cut the excess chain.

    The finished product.

    It’s been quite a journey from start to completion and I had a chance to try a lot of new things in garage. There are some small things I would do differently next time around but that tends to be natural for longer projects where lessons are learned. I feel like a better craftsman overall and have reclaimed project space in the garage for new things.

    Up next? I think I’ll work on something more creative and open-ended using the leftover scrap wood from this project.

  • Monday Morning / Meal Prep

    A little over a week has passed since I began my sabbatical. Monday morning was the first time it felt weird. I woke up with a similar drive to “start my week” and dive into new comms and clear the familiar backlog of notification. For some reason, I’ve been waking up earlier than normal and ready to start my day close to 6am, which is not an appropriate time to mow the lawn so I have looked to indoor activities, like meal prep. Every few days, I’ve been making healthy, high-protein lunches in batches and it’s given my days more structure while giving me more energy than I’m used to from sipping coffee at my desk. I haven’t quite mastered the art of overnight oats yet but I intend to!

    I’ve been keeping busy with projects in the garage, which has become my new office during the day. I’ve been holed up there more than outside due to ongoing rain but I’m still happy with the progress I’ve made. The first project I had queued was to stain a convertible chair/step lapper that my father-in-law had gifted us over the winter. Next, I started on the porch swing by following a printed step-by-step plan. The frame is now built and the bench is nearly assembled. I’ve resisted the urge to excitedly speed through to a finished product in favour of patience with more of the details and finishing touches, especially sanding. I had hoped to finish before my trip to Montreal but now I likely won’t until late May, which I can live with if it means an end result that I’m proud of.

    Miter saw came in clutch
    Jigsaw cuts
    Bench pieces
    Frame pieces
    Frame assembled

    Yesterday, I was able to celebrate my wife’s birthday. It felt great to be at home for the day to spend time cooking a nice meal & baking her a cake. Both things I enjoy and don’t often dedicate time for. It’s probably been more than 10 years since I baked a cake that wasn’t from a box, something I did a lot more often with my mom & grandmother while growing up. I won’t be signing up for any baking shows but I’m happy with how it turned out & tasted!

    “Thirty, Flirty, Thriving” – Something my wife has been repeating so I put it on the cake.

    Tomorrow, I fly to Montreal to celebrate my friend’s upcoming wedding & visit with family. I’m also really looking forward to that poutine. Thanks for reading.