and the lakes are freezing. not super thick yet. so im still up for one more swim if anyone else will come. serious. but its neat how the landscapes change as the sun begins to shine less and less on this part of the world, north of 60.
15 October 2006
13 October 2006
my name is slim shady..
ok. its not. i lied.
but seriously now, there is this show. it is hilarious. even better than that "arrested development", that so many of you find humorous. this is leaps and bounds ahead. check it out. My Name Is Earl. thursdays on NBC or global. i think.
but seriously now, there is this show. it is hilarious. even better than that "arrested development", that so many of you find humorous. this is leaps and bounds ahead. check it out. My Name Is Earl. thursdays on NBC or global. i think.
11 October 2006
10 October 2006
old school nintendo
i was checking out cbc radio 3 and found a link to a sweet website with 300 or so old school nintendo games. so if you are bored at work, or need to procrastinate for a bit...
THIS. is the place to do it.
THIS. is the place to do it.
06 October 2006
thank this
yep. i have a lot to be thankful for too. kamara said it all really well on her blog. go read it. nic also said it well on his blog, however, i would have enjoyed his post more if he had not censored it. just say what you want, you chump.
anyway, lately ive been thinking about how im thankful for the last 8 months of life. the ashbys have made yellowknife a home away from home, and tim and tara have made their place feel like a home away from my home away from home. so i am quite thankful for both of those families, and will be sad to leave them in 4 weeks.
im thankful for my family, mom and dad, kris, melissa and nic have made me laugh (and curse) so much over the years, and i wouldnt trade it for anything. and then my grandparents. dang. i owe them bigtime. for so much. so im thankful that i could know them for my whole life so far. not everyone gets that chance.
and im thankful for the chance to go see roger federer play tennis in 6 weeks (i have to put that into all my blogs from now on, just to make nic jealous)
and im thankful for my friends. so many. too many people to list. and that isnt because i think im so cool and have so many friends, but because so many people have thought that it would be a good idea to be nice to me, in spite of me.
i could write more. but ill stop here. you are probably bored, and other people who write much more eloquently than i, have better things to say. happy thanksgiving.
mom, im sorry ill miss your butter chicken. next time.
anyway, lately ive been thinking about how im thankful for the last 8 months of life. the ashbys have made yellowknife a home away from home, and tim and tara have made their place feel like a home away from my home away from home. so i am quite thankful for both of those families, and will be sad to leave them in 4 weeks.
im thankful for my family, mom and dad, kris, melissa and nic have made me laugh (and curse) so much over the years, and i wouldnt trade it for anything. and then my grandparents. dang. i owe them bigtime. for so much. so im thankful that i could know them for my whole life so far. not everyone gets that chance.
and im thankful for the chance to go see roger federer play tennis in 6 weeks (i have to put that into all my blogs from now on, just to make nic jealous)
and im thankful for my friends. so many. too many people to list. and that isnt because i think im so cool and have so many friends, but because so many people have thought that it would be a good idea to be nice to me, in spite of me.
i could write more. but ill stop here. you are probably bored, and other people who write much more eloquently than i, have better things to say. happy thanksgiving.
mom, im sorry ill miss your butter chicken. next time.
03 October 2006
Roger Federer
in about a month and 9 days, jon, nicole and myself will be watching this guy play tennis. thats right, THE Roger Federer. live. for now, you can check out his blog for this week on that ATP website here. hes currently playing at a tournament in japan. in about a month and 9 days, you can check out my blog to hear what i have to say about watching one of the greatest tennis players ever.
29 September 2006
gridblog number 3. living forgiven.
i have no idea what to write about to be honest. i forgot that there was a gridblog topic for today until i got home and checked everyone elses blogs. so i have read everyone else's thoughts before i sat down to write my own. i hope they all forgive me for plagiarism.
but seriously.
not only have i experienced forgiveness from the creator of the universe, i have experienced it from so many people too. and dont get me wrong...God's forgiveness is huge. so huge. but i think it is sometimes harder for people to forgive each other. so i am in awe of the way God shows himself to me through the forgiveness that my parents have shown me for my highschool years, as well as my stubornness since. without their loving, caring, forgiving attitude i wouldnt even be close to where i am at in the journey right now. (which honestly isnt even that good of a place). so many people have not only put up with my pride, arrogance, and selfishness (among a whole lot more) but have forgot about them. forgiven me. wow. i am so thankful that God has put these people in my life to model His forgiveness to me. if you are reading this, you are likely one of those people. so thank you. no seriously. i mean it. thanks!
but seriously.
not only have i experienced forgiveness from the creator of the universe, i have experienced it from so many people too. and dont get me wrong...God's forgiveness is huge. so huge. but i think it is sometimes harder for people to forgive each other. so i am in awe of the way God shows himself to me through the forgiveness that my parents have shown me for my highschool years, as well as my stubornness since. without their loving, caring, forgiving attitude i wouldnt even be close to where i am at in the journey right now. (which honestly isnt even that good of a place). so many people have not only put up with my pride, arrogance, and selfishness (among a whole lot more) but have forgot about them. forgiven me. wow. i am so thankful that God has put these people in my life to model His forgiveness to me. if you are reading this, you are likely one of those people. so thank you. no seriously. i mean it. thanks!
28 September 2006
here we go.
on november 10th jon slywka and i are heading to china, and will meet up with nicole laliberte there. a week in shanghai to watch the TENNIS MASTERS CUP! which will showcase the top 8 mens tennis players in the world! wow. and if that isnt enough, we are heading to Guilin, in Guangxi province to take in some sights like the one posted here, thanks to recommendations from jay, shannon and harmony. speaking of harmony, we will also be stopping in hong kong, for about 10 days to visit her and check out her new place. thats it, thats all.
23 September 2006
this is for dave mostly
one of the funniest guys i know has a photoblog that i just found out about. he lives in oklahoma city, his name is adam avery cole, and you can check out his pictures adam
21 September 2006
one more reason to not live in vancouver...
if, for some reason, you thought vancouver might be a cool place to live, read this article. not only do they break in and steal your stuff, they leave a great surprise in your porch. its funny, so go read it here
20 September 2006
farming
on sunday nite we played the farming game at tim and tara's house. always a great time because it is such a great game. if you are ever at tim's house, make sure you ask him to play with you. especially since he isn't any good at it. cody won this time. but next time, its all me. i think you can buy it here
08 September 2006
inspiration
breakfast inspires me...seriously. not so much the food, however, the food can be pretty stinkin good depending on where you go. but usually at breakfast a good group of people, or just a few get to hang out, talk, listen, share, and learn with each other. ive had a lot of good breakfasts over the years and they have been the times when i have felt closest and most at peace with things in life. ive shared countless tables and coffees with kris, blair, dave, tim, dad, ed, jonny, john close, pete, grandparents, harm, colby, joel, nic, vince...and a whole other list of people that i am forgetting. there is just something special about that time and a sweet cheap breakfast.
07 September 2006
"shot to the nuts"
nic, my smarter, funnier, better looking, younger brother is blogging. check it out. nic
06 September 2006
back in the knife
a trip to regina/dauphin in back in less than a week. that means 60+ hrs of driving. on the way down i didnt think it was going to be worth it. but here are some highlights....
-visits with jay and matt
-visit with grandpa in regina, so good to see him smile, hear his laugh, and hear some of his stories. definitely the number one highlight
-seeing the family
-quick visits with kris, and other regina people.
-hanging out with people in dauphin for the wedding.
-jumping off bridges at the lake of the prairies and wascana lake
lots more. check out the pictures for a better idea of what went on.
its funny how pretty much all the highlights involve people. in fact, they all do. kind of what jay and i talked a little bit about.
how important it is to be in relationship, sharing, encouraging, building with each other. so even though i spent a lot of time in a vehicle, the time i got to spend with people was well worth the trip.
-visits with jay and matt
-visit with grandpa in regina, so good to see him smile, hear his laugh, and hear some of his stories. definitely the number one highlight
-seeing the family
-quick visits with kris, and other regina people.
-hanging out with people in dauphin for the wedding.
-jumping off bridges at the lake of the prairies and wascana lake
lots more. check out the pictures for a better idea of what went on.
its funny how pretty much all the highlights involve people. in fact, they all do. kind of what jay and i talked a little bit about.
how important it is to be in relationship, sharing, encouraging, building with each other. so even though i spent a lot of time in a vehicle, the time i got to spend with people was well worth the trip.
01 September 2006
the bible: inspired or expired? (good one, john)
well, that is a hard question, and something that i have been wrestling with since i have taken a few religious studies courses at university (all three were from pastors of a church, so they weren't atheists trying to change my mind, just presenting the facts, so here is what i've been thinking about for the last few years, a lot of it will be things that i learned in those courses, or read elsewhere)
the bible is a collection of stories, letters and other forms of prose that were obviously written thousands of years ago, so how do we make it fit into our lives in the present?
- in my opinion, maybe it should be treated as a love story (not a self help book). a love story about God loving us so intensely that he often goes to ridiculous lengths to show that to us. (i.e. Jesus death)
- i dont think it is a biography of Jesus life, or direct, exact recorded history as we have come to know in our textbooks in
the 21st century, it is more like a collecion of stories from communities that had been passed on through the generations.
in my church background i was taught (whether intentionally or not) that the Bible was infallible, and i still find peers that i kind of clash with on this opinion, but no matter how hard i try, i cannot convince myself that this book is without errors. countless times in my university courses, i was pointed to places that would have required us to bend over backwards to prove the infallibility of this book. men wrote it. of course it is full of mistakes. "well", you say, "God inspired it, so thats why it is infallible". and yes, i do believe that God was likely with these people as they wrote, but i dont think he controlled their hands, or their minds as they wrote. it was likely these guys writing down things that they had been told or they observed while with Jesus, or people that were with him. it was oral tradition finally being recorded some 30+ years after Jesus left.
how much of the bible should we take literally? (all of it, if you go by what i learned in sunday school)
-this is probably the question that i have struggled with the most. maybe the Job story is just that, a story, not literal historical facts; a metaphor if you will. but does that take any of the meaning or power away from it? i, personally, dont think so.
- or even the words Jesus was "quoted" as saying. if nothing was written down directly from his mouth, im sure a lot of the things he said were somewhat different when the authors of the gospels (whoever they were) finally penned them.
i could write more, but this is long enough...and
to some this may all sound like im totally rejecting my faith, like i have given up, maybe even heretical. i assure you that is not the case. i still believe the Bible is alive. that it holds stories of God's intense love for us that i have missed. i do believe it is an important book, but i wouldn't say that it alone can change my life. sure, God could use it as avenue to work in my heart, but i dont think the Bible alone is capable of that, without God still flowing through it.
please go check out some of the other, more intelligent, people that have written on the same thing, there is a list of them at
tim's blog. and please join in the discussion.
the bible is a collection of stories, letters and other forms of prose that were obviously written thousands of years ago, so how do we make it fit into our lives in the present?
- in my opinion, maybe it should be treated as a love story (not a self help book). a love story about God loving us so intensely that he often goes to ridiculous lengths to show that to us. (i.e. Jesus death)
- i dont think it is a biography of Jesus life, or direct, exact recorded history as we have come to know in our textbooks in
the 21st century, it is more like a collecion of stories from communities that had been passed on through the generations.
in my church background i was taught (whether intentionally or not) that the Bible was infallible, and i still find peers that i kind of clash with on this opinion, but no matter how hard i try, i cannot convince myself that this book is without errors. countless times in my university courses, i was pointed to places that would have required us to bend over backwards to prove the infallibility of this book. men wrote it. of course it is full of mistakes. "well", you say, "God inspired it, so thats why it is infallible". and yes, i do believe that God was likely with these people as they wrote, but i dont think he controlled their hands, or their minds as they wrote. it was likely these guys writing down things that they had been told or they observed while with Jesus, or people that were with him. it was oral tradition finally being recorded some 30+ years after Jesus left.
how much of the bible should we take literally? (all of it, if you go by what i learned in sunday school)
-this is probably the question that i have struggled with the most. maybe the Job story is just that, a story, not literal historical facts; a metaphor if you will. but does that take any of the meaning or power away from it? i, personally, dont think so.
- or even the words Jesus was "quoted" as saying. if nothing was written down directly from his mouth, im sure a lot of the things he said were somewhat different when the authors of the gospels (whoever they were) finally penned them.
i could write more, but this is long enough...and
to some this may all sound like im totally rejecting my faith, like i have given up, maybe even heretical. i assure you that is not the case. i still believe the Bible is alive. that it holds stories of God's intense love for us that i have missed. i do believe it is an important book, but i wouldn't say that it alone can change my life. sure, God could use it as avenue to work in my heart, but i dont think the Bible alone is capable of that, without God still flowing through it.
please go check out some of the other, more intelligent, people that have written on the same thing, there is a list of them at
tim's blog. and please join in the discussion.
28 August 2006
the end of an era
well, in about 56 minutes, one of tennis' greatest stars ever will begin his last fortnight at the U.S. Open. Andre Agassi has been one of my favorite players since i picked up a racket for the first time. so it will be a sad few days, likely bringing tears to my eyes, as he trys to pull out one more grand slam. such a classy guy who plays beautiful tennis, and carries himself in a way that just commands respect. a true champion. he has definitely inspired me and made the last 20 years of watching tennis memorable. we will miss you Andre!
26 August 2006
.confused.
so here is the deal, i am confused. well, maybe more just wondering. tim, and francis have posted some great ideas about blogging and putting this discussion into action. and i know i have talked with other friends before about how great sitting around discussing world issues, faith and spirituality can be, but if it just stops at the table, was it really all that good?
so here is where the confused/wondering part comes in. hopefully i can put this into logical, straight forward questions to ponder, and hopefully get some help with.
is discussion wasted if it is just heard and not acted upon? what if that discussion is part of something that, possibly subconciously, enters our minds and changes us from the inside out?
or is that even possible; does this "movement" have to be a conscious decision?
and
how do we challenge those that we are discussing with to put that discussion into action (as well as move ourselves)?
so here is where the confused/wondering part comes in. hopefully i can put this into logical, straight forward questions to ponder, and hopefully get some help with.
is discussion wasted if it is just heard and not acted upon? what if that discussion is part of something that, possibly subconciously, enters our minds and changes us from the inside out?
or is that even possible; does this "movement" have to be a conscious decision?
and
how do we challenge those that we are discussing with to put that discussion into action (as well as move ourselves)?
24 August 2006
new in yellowknife
dayna, my cousin from weyburn just moved to yellowknife on the weekend. its already been fun having her around, getting the chance to get to know her better and making fun of her for her gypsy outings with melissa as they did the old orpah and morpah. (long story, but dayna and melissa are gypsies). anyway. i was reading her goodbye saskatchewan blog at daynamarie3.blogspot.com and it made me miss home. mostly my grandparents. my grandpa fleming recently had a stroke and is now recovering and working on the motor skills he lost. this guy is so tough. i miss him. definitely a role model in my life, in a quiet, unassuming, joking around, teaching me more than i thought he has, fun, loving way.
its crazy how people like that can love me. i guess it is just one more way that God shows us how much he loves us. and tonite, i am thankful for that. miss you grandpa, hope you are doing well!
its crazy how people like that can love me. i guess it is just one more way that God shows us how much he loves us. and tonite, i am thankful for that. miss you grandpa, hope you are doing well!
13 August 2006
jumping off things
yellowknife is great for jumping off things into the water.
there is water everywhere and usually some kind of cliff, bridge or wall to jump off. so ive taken a real liking for diving off things. it is probably one of my favorite things to do...and cody or nic or dad has often been there to snap some of those...so here are a few...if you ever come to yellowknife i know some sweet spots...so lets go. you can find more on my flickr site over there ---->
07 August 2006
just move
almost a month ago already(...wow...)harm left yellowknife. before she left we had a good visit. kind of talking about where each other was at on our journey, shared with each other how apathy and laziness were such an easy rut to fall into. one that i have been in for far too long. harm is now in China (check her out at www.harmonymc.blogspot.com) but sent me an email before i left for the weekend that had me thinking any time i got a few minutes of quiet.
i spent the weekend out at a camp and then at a cabin. lots of time in the water, jumping off cliffs, swimming, boating, fishing, etc. beautiful scenery and great friends.
for about 5 minutes this morning i had time sitting outside, sun shinning, blue sky, fire crackling, coffee in my hand, bacon waiting to be cooked. what more could a guy ask for. anyway. i took that time to talk to God. harm had encouraged me to just move. to take even that first step. so in those moments of conversation with Him, i told Him i was ready to move. to climb out of the rut that had too quickly been becoming more than a rut. so here i am, nothing spectacular happened, however i feel like im in more of a place that i want to be. headed in the right direction. not trying things my own way, i have help. neat. help that has been waiting for a long time to be asked. help that has all the answers, the right answers and an amazing love for me that i cant understand. it wasnt a big step, but im moving...
i spent the weekend out at a camp and then at a cabin. lots of time in the water, jumping off cliffs, swimming, boating, fishing, etc. beautiful scenery and great friends.
for about 5 minutes this morning i had time sitting outside, sun shinning, blue sky, fire crackling, coffee in my hand, bacon waiting to be cooked. what more could a guy ask for. anyway. i took that time to talk to God. harm had encouraged me to just move. to take even that first step. so in those moments of conversation with Him, i told Him i was ready to move. to climb out of the rut that had too quickly been becoming more than a rut. so here i am, nothing spectacular happened, however i feel like im in more of a place that i want to be. headed in the right direction. not trying things my own way, i have help. neat. help that has been waiting for a long time to be asked. help that has all the answers, the right answers and an amazing love for me that i cant understand. it wasnt a big step, but im moving...
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