Death Of A President

Back in July our local movie store had an out of business blowout sale, so Crystal and I decided to check it out.  It was pretty much picked over, and we almost left empty-handed.  I say almost because I managed to pick up one movie; Death Of A President.

I had heard a lot about the movie when it premiered at TIFF in 2006.  It's a mockumentary about the assassination of George W. Bush, on 19 October 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.  As you would expect, it had its share of critics who hated the idea, while others thought it was quite clever.  As with other controversial movies (DaVinci Code, Passion Of The Christ, Fahrenheit 9/11) the controversy just made me want to see it even more.

It sat on my DVD shelf, untouched until today.  I decided that I had 2 hrs to kill, I'll watch it.  It was a good flick.  I don't want to give too much away, but I was impressed with their use of actual news footage.  They worked in footage of Bush shaking hands, speaking and getting prepped for an event.  They also used footage of Dick Cheney from Reagan's assassination attempt, and used it in a way that made this fake documentary feel real.

Maybe it's because I'm not an American, but I enjoyed the film.  The fact that the film was made while Bush was still in office does make it a little weird, but I didn't think it was done in poor taste. 

I wonder if the same film was made about President Obama, would the reaction be different?

It's a good flick.  Check it out.

Eager Anticipation

In just over a month (Oct 8) the NHL kicks off for the Dallas Stars. I can't wait.

I know we're not even out of August, and I do not want the warm weather to leave us, BUT I can't wait to get back on the ice.

I was in the basement earlier this week and looked over at my hockey gear hanging in the corner. I miss it. I miss playing three times a week. I miss watching the Stars on TSN. I miss studying the box scores and stats, trying to maintain my dominance of our hockey pool.

I'm not sure if I'll be able to hit the ice three times a week this year, but I'm going to try my hardest. Hockey is my release. It is how I wind down and blow off some steam.

The Dallas Stars will look like a very different team this year. No Mike Modano. No Marty Turco. My 2 favourite players have left the lone star state, but I will remain faithful to the Stars. I'll just have to cheer for Morrow, Richards and Benn.

WWGD?

I started a new book today. For those that know me, it shouldn't be much of a surprise that it is non-fiction. The majority of my reading is either business, leadership, or christian non-fiction.

What Would Google Do is written by Jeff Jarvis (apparently he's a big deal) and it looks at what makes Google the most successful company in the world, and (hopefully) how you can apply those principles to your business.

I'm excited to read it. To glean some information out of it. To apply it to my life.

Jen Melanson recently posted about a book she read. Have you read any good books lately?

Now You Know...

If you're a child of the 80's then you probably remember the PSAs at the end of each episode of G.I. Joe. 

"Now you know, and knowing is half the battle."

That has nothing to do with this post. (Or maybe there's a weak connection.)

Over the past couple of days my buddy Joni has been posting videos he made while attending Summit College at MBC.  Summit was started in 96 by Kaj Ballantyne as a place where could come each year for intense Bible classes and a variety of extreme outdoor sports and experiences.  How awesome is that?  Had I known about the program when I was in high school I likely would have enrolled. 

So how does this relate to the G.I. Joe PSA? (If at all)

I didn't know.  Knowing is half the battle.  Get it?

Point is: do your research!  People wonder what God wants them to do after high school or college.  How about you look at the passions God has put inside of you, do some research and follow the path before you.

It sounds so simple, and I think that's how it's supposed to be.

Unfortunately the Summit program (along with the Boundless program) have been discontinued.  It's too bad.

Love For The Grill

This past weekend we finally made use of our new BBQ.  Friday I made a delicious Hawaiian Chicken recipe, and Saturday we had friends over for burgers and hot dogs.

Living in a condo, I forgot how much I love the BBQ.  It is so versatile!  Fish, burgers, steaks, sausages, veggies and potatoes!  Is there anything the BBQ doesn't do?

What's your favorite BBQ recipe?

Birthday

My birthday is coming up in less than a month.

I think this tops my wish list.

It's The Waiting

It's the waiting that is the hardest part.

I recently received some FANTASTIC news.  News that breathed some life into me.  News that made me excited to get up in the morning.  News that surprised me, but it was something I had been praying would happen for the past year or so.  Things were looking up.  Life was good.  I had a new project to work on.

I got more news today.  Not good news.  Turns out that while it's still going to happen, the project won't get underway until much later than I expected.  5 minutes later and my happy-go-lucky mood had found its way to the bottom of the Mariana Trench.

I hate waiting.

When I get a new project, I want to get started on it right away.  Why waste time waiting?  Let's do it!

Looks like I'm going to have to learn to wait.

Broken & Beautiful

I am a visual person.

When I hear songs, I picture what sort of scene the song would work best in.

As I was sitting on the ferris wheel last week I was clicking through my ipod searching for songs that would fit with the scene I was "shooting" with my eyes.

Video (when paired with the right audio) moves me, and awakens something inside of me like few other mediums have the ability to do.


BROKEN from TK McKamy on Vimeo.

Round & Round We Go

For the past 4 days my world has been spinning (almost) non-stop.  I was "living" aboard the Ferris Wheel at the Peterborough Ex.  As long as the midway was open, I was on the Ferris Wheel.

It actually isn't as crazy as people make it seem.  I had a couple books along with me, an iPod and could get off the wheel to go use the port-a-potty.  After a while, you don't even notice the motion of the wheel.  It was nice to get some time to read, reflect and listen to some podcasts that are still challenging me.

Some things I noticed over the past 4 days:
- There were A LOT of teen moms at the Ex.
- Peterborough loves the demolition derby.
- Ethanol burns clear, so when a demolition dervy driver is rolling around on the ground, it's likely because he's on fire, not because he's got an itch he can't reach.
- Carnies, while looking weird, are actually very nice people.
- When teenagers get on the ferris wheel, their hormones surge to an uncontrolable level and they MUST make-out with eachother for the length of their stay on the wheel.
- People will shell out a lot of cash to win an over-sized stuffed animal.
- All fair food comes deep fried.
- You can only sit on hard plastic for so long before any seated position starts to hurt your butt.
- The temperature at the top of the feris wheel is 10-15 degrees cooler than at the bottom.
- After sunset is the best time to visit the fair.  The lights, sounds and smells reach a whole new level of sensory hyper-stimulation.

Did I miss anything?

A Graceful Exit

Yesterday I came across a story where a woman quit her job via email.  She took 33 pictures, and emailed them to the entire staff (about 20 people) at her work. Turns out it was a hoax, but it was still entertaining.

Weekend Recap - Day 2

For day 2 we had the option of a "guide your own" trip down the rapids, or riverboarding.  We elected to go with the more dangerous of the 2.

Since we were the only group going out on Sunday, I figured the bus ride would be more tame.  I was wrong.  Music still pumped through the speakers tied to both ends of the bus, our guides still danced and donned costumes, and there was an added wrinkle: a push-up contest.  The record was 34 push-ups with the bus moving.  I figured I could beat that fairly easily, but with the bus bouncing down the road, the task proved to be more difficult than I expected.  I think I managed a total in the low twenties, not even close.  (One of the guides (Dave) hammered out 38 to claim the belt.)

Once we arrived at the river we unloaded the bus and grabbed our riverboards.  Basically bodyboards, with some extra handles and tough plastic along the edges.

We sat in the raft to start, while Oscar paddled us to the start of the rapids.  The waves look a lot bigger when you're lying on your gut, feet dangling off the back, with a death grip on the small piece of foam keeping us afloat.

The ride was surprisingly smooth, considering the beating we took the day prior in our much larger raft.  The riverboards rode the waves with surprising ease.  We did come to a set of rapids that managed to throw us around pretty good.  At one point we ended up facing upriver, and hitting the rapids hind-quarters first.  An uneasy feeling for sure, but all the more exhilarating when you reach the flats in one piece.

Just like on the raft, we paddled back towards the waves to play around in some sections.  If you maneuvered your board just right, you could surf the standing wave for as long as you had the energy.  (Or until someone else comes in and poaches your wave).

Crystal and Megan opted for the safety of the raft, with Oscar (our super-strong Mexican guide) rowing through the rapids.  (Backwards on some occasions to keep the ladies dry).

It was a really unique experience, (HorizonX is the only one to do it on the Ottawa river) and one we won't soon forget.

The crew at HorizonX super served us, and helped to make it an unbelievably fun weekend.  Let's do it again next year!

Weekend Recap - Day 1

This past weekend Crystal Summers, myself and 2 contest winners (plus guests)  made our way out to Ile du Grande Calumet for the Wonderdog's Whitewater Weekend.  On tap, 2 solid days of fun on the Ottawa River with HorizonX.

After the drive north through Algonquin Park we crossed the border into Quebec and to HorizonX.  We decided to head out for dinner and grab some authentic french poutine.  Blows anything New York Fires has to offer right out of the water.  Delicious!  (They layered the cheese and gravy through the fries, not just dump them on top.)

After our poutine dinner we headed back to base camp and took the kayaks and paddleboats out to burn off some of the extra calories we just digested.

After our "exercise" we grabbed our bags and headed to our tents.  Not your typical nylon tents that you might use camping, we're talking legit wood and canvas tents,  Complete with electricity (for the girls) and cots for us to sleep on.  (Hardly what I'd call camping). 

We awoke Saturday to a beautiful morning.  A gentle fog on the water, the sun pelting our semi-frozen bodies with warmth.  We made our way down to the waterside deck that would become our kitchen table, and enjoyed a hearty breakfast and got ready for our first day out on the river.

The bus ride to the top of the river was nothing like my bus rides to high school, this was a party bus!  Complete with a musical soundtrack, costumes and lots of dancing, the 20 minute ride felt much shorter with the "entertainment" from the guides.

After a quick lesson on how to properly wear our life-jackets and helmets we boarded our rafts and the day on the water was underway.  6 passengers, and our guide (affectionally known as "Barbie") began paddling towards the rapids.  Barbie told us the front of the boat gets the most water, and often falls out the most frequently.  So... I sat in the front.  After a short paddle, portage and on-the-spot safety lesson, we hit our first rapid.  A wall of water was directly in front of us, and we weren't going to turn.  SWEET!  We hit the wave and the boat pitched back, then crashed back down.  No casualties.  Barbie then had us paddle back into the wave.  Apparently he wanted us to "play around" in the rapids.  He took us toward the wave, turn the boat so we hit sideways, and... we lose the right side of the boat.  1 person hanging on to the side of the raft, and 2 disappeared into the rapids.  I stand up and start looking around for our 2 casualties.  No luck.  I eventually turn around, and they have floated a good 50 yards down river from us.  This was going to be a fun day.

Most rafting companies have large boats, seating anywhere from 8-20 people.  HorizonX elected to go with smaller boats that are stiffer and enable them to have the vertical in the rapids, instead of folding like a wet pancake.

6 hours out on the water and everyone got tossed at least once.  Since the Ottawa river is fairly deep, most people escaped without injury.  Except for Dave.

After 6 hours of paddling, hanging on for dear life and swimming we were wiped!  So we took the opportunity to relax in the riverside hammocks.

After nap-time we hit the water for some kayaking, played volleyball, got wrinkly in the hot tub and enjoyed a very intense couple games of Skip-bo.  Dinner was a fantastic medley of salad, chicken and potatoes (we ate VERY well).  We spent a couple hours picking Dave's (one of the guides) brain about his traditional winter camping methods, and then headed down to the fire.  Singing, frivolity and Crystal playing the bongos ensued and the party was on.

All in all a fantastic day, and it was only the beginning. 

Stayed tuned for Day 2 and Riverboarding tomorrow.