Favorite Things

So I'm going to poach an idea of my friend Suzi's blog.

Favorite Things Friday

Every Friday I'm going to post 3 of my favorite things.

Things that make me smile.

Things that I like so much I want to share them.

Playing Hockey
It's what I look forward to all week. Sunday nights, Wednesday mornings, and (occasionally) Friday mornings. It's my escape from the daily grind, and it's exercise!

Maybe because I never got to play as a kid I still love playing like a kid does. I have some friend's that played at high levels, and now they don't like it nearly as much as they used to. Maybe I'm lucky.

The Music Of Mat Kearney
I've been a fan of Mat since his first EP (maybe 6 or 7 years ago), and while his sound has changed in the past couple of years, my love for his music has remained strong.

Sure I wish he included some more of his spoken word style, but City Of Black & White was still a killer album.

Crystal Summers
Seriously, she is the best thing to happen to me. I am so lucky to have an incredible wife that loves me so selflessly and puts up with a husband who she sees one day a week. She has the ability to make me laugh, put me in my place, or just forget about everything else that's going on and just enjoy life. She's so super-talented and can put a smile on my face with just a simple email.

AND she's my best friend.

Awkward

Does anyone else find "iPad" to be a bit awkward of a name for Apple's newest technology?

Don't get me wrong, I think it looks pretty rad, but the name makes me kind of uncomfortable.

How Do They Know?

The last couple of days have been... well... crappy. You know the kind of days where you wish you hadn't woken up?

Yeah... like that.

So as I lie in bed, not wanting to "man-up" and get on with my day, I'm greeted by a 25-pound ball of wool that jumps up on the bed and starts to lick my face.

Snax is so happy I'm awake.

She runs out and grabs her squeaky ball and drops it on my chest. I throw it out of the room and she takes off after it. Not 10 seconds later, she's back with the ball in her mouth, begging me to throw it again.

We play for a little while and then I head downstairs and make breakfast.

Snax stays by my feet, waiting patiently, hoping I drop some cheese on the floor for her. I don't. We then move to the computer room where I check email and she curls up on my feet, letting me know she's there and wants to be with me.

How did she know I was sad? How did she know I needed some "puppy kisses" to motivate me to get out of bed? How is she able to make me forget about the stuff that's weighing me down? How is she able to pull the "old AJ" out, when we thought he died a long time ago?

I never understood "dog people", and the weird connection they had with their pets... Now I think I might be one of them.

Hack Photography

I wish I was a better photographer. I love photography, and bought myself a pretty good camera a couple years ago to support my hobby. But no matter how good your equipment is, if you lack the skills/talent your photos will still look amateurish. (My sister takes some amazing shots with her little point-n-shoot)

In my travels across the interweb I found some sweet photos that use HDR (High Dynamic Range) Photography. Well today I decided I wanted to learn how to do it. So I toured around some websites that gave you a step-by-step instruction guide. So I went outside and tried it.

Not nearly as cool as others I found online.

So, like with the sweet camera, it takes talent to make a photo truly amazing. So I continue to read, practise and try to hone my photography craft. Practise makes perfect right?

Eventually.

Small Town Livin'

Today was the kind of day you'd want to spend at Blue Mountain. Bluebird all the way. Sunny, temps around the freezing mark, hardly any wind... pretty much perfection. Since I don't have a season's pass to Blue, that was not an option for me. But one such a perfect day, I wanted to get out and enjoy it.

So I got dressed and took the dog out for a walk. I knew our subdivision was close to the Nottawasaga river, so I ventured out determined to find the water. It took about 5 minutes to reach my destination. I found the river, frozen, and decided we'd take a walk along our icy trail.

I wish I had brought my camera, because it was other-worldly. No noise, fresh snow on the ground, the crisp air filling my lungs. It was magic.

I did manage to snap some pictures with my cell phone, see them below.

5 Reasons I Love Living Outside The City

1 - I can let the dog off the leash and let her run around. (And she has room to run!)

2 - I can see stars at night. LOTS of them!

3 - I come home and it's like a mini-retreat from work. Time to recharge and relax.

4 - The snow is still white. (Even though I live in a construction zone, a 5 minute walk and it's nature all around)

5 - That small town feel. All the stores are on one street, people are friendly, people drive their snowmobiles to the gas stations.