Farm To Fork

Dearest Readers,

I’m going to phone it in a bit this eve. That’s correct, I’m not going to write a completely different post. Instead, I’m going to modify something that I just posted to Facebook. I hope you’ll forgive me.

Anyway, I know I’ve been yammering on a lot in the past few days, weeks, months about Farm To Fork and our constant requests for funding. That will stop soon. I promise. However, if you are interested in changing the way we deal with food security in this country – hell, in North America even – please consider donating to this program.

Farm To Fork will allow donors (you and me) to know exactly what items a food bank or pantry needs when they need it. Moreover, we’ll receive an email the day we go grocery shopping so we know in real-time what food is required. In this way, we’ll actually be able to donate fresh produce and meats, instead of the standard peanut butter, boxed processed whatever, or leftover canned bric-a-brac that sits in the back of the cupboard for an indeterminant amount of time.

The apps that we are also developing will take this one step further – giving those of us with mobile phones location-based notifications. The minute we walk into a grocery store, our phones will let us know what foods are needed at our food banks and pantries.

We have other ideas in mind as well, but even these simple tools will make a huge difference.

How so?

In short, Farm To Fork will allow those in need to receive healthy, nourishing foods – something we have an abundance of in North America. And yet, despite this, 1 in 40 Canadians go without. That number is appalling. It’s even more upsetting when you realize that we waste so much food. The average Canadian family throws away about $28 in food every week in the home. That doesn’t include restaurant waste.

We have enough food to feed everyone; we’re just not doing the best job we can to make sure that every last member of our society has it.

How else will Farm To Fork help?

Farm To Fork will allow food banks and pantries to have a consistent supply of food, instead of the feast and famine situation that typically occurs now. Imagine – a constant flow of fresh veggies and fruits; shelves stocked with products that aren’t one step up from fast food; food that will actually nourish the bodies and minds of the people who receive it.

To date, 70% of the funding goal from our campaign has been raised. We’ve made it to this point because of awesome people like you. We’ve also made it to this point because of amazing businesses who have recognized the potential of the Farm To Fork project. But we still need to raise about $4500. We need to do so by Sunday.

Much of the funds collected will cover the cost of students who have been volunteering their time to work on the project. They’ve been doing this in lieu of summer jobs – which they easily could have found – because this project means that much to them. But they also have tuition to pay, and I think they should be rewarded for doing something amazing.

Please consider donating whatever you can – $1, $5, $10, $20, $50, $100. It doesn’t matter. Every dollar gets us that much closer to our goal.

If you can’t donate, please consider sharing this post. Email it to your family and friends. Send it to your boss, your grocer, your pastor – anyone who might be interested in helping out.

I wouldn’t be pushing this if I didn’t believe in it. But I know in my heart and in my gut that this program will make a huge difference. Please help us make it a reality.

Donate here -> https://www.microryza.com/projects/farm-to-fork

Thanks,

Dan

---

Related articles

• One In Forty Is One Too Many (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)
• Two Thirds To Awesome (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)
• How Can You Support Farm To Fork (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• The Business Of Doing Good (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• Farm To Fork – An Update (danielgillis.wordpress.com)
• A Summer Of Farm To Fork (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• Optimism is a Choice (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)

I think something might be wrong with me. Ever since Friday I’ve had a ridiculous smile on my face and it doesn’t want to go away. Trust me, even when I’m having a serious moment or pondering all things academic or think-y like, there, just beneath the surface is a giant smile.

And every time my thoughts move to the Farm To Fork project, that just beneath the surface smile bursts through. In fact, as I write this post sitting in a Starbucks in Toronto, I’m sure that my neighbouring coffee drinkers are watching me as I grin from ear to ear. They’re likely wondering what I’m up to. I’d probably be wondering what I was up to as well.

The source of my smile is probably obvious. Over the last week the Farm To Fork fundraising campaign not only passed 50% of our $15000 goal, we smashed through it. At last check, citizens and businesses have really stepped up – donating over $10000 to the cause. They’ve recognized the potential of Farm To Fork to be a game changer – making sure that the people in our community who are struggling to feed themselves and their families get what they need. They’ve recognized that meaningful change can occur if we all just start moving things in the right direction. They’ve recognized that the power comes not from talking a good game, but jumping in and getting involved.

And holy hell, that is inspiring. What started as a simple class project has grown into something so much more than I could have ever imagined.

And the support is not just local. I’ve received emails, Facebook messages, and tweets from as far away as Berlin, Kentucky, and across Ontario and Canada. People are hearing about this program and they want to know how they can help.

I repeat – I never expected this thing to be what it has become.

But what is Farm To Fork? At its base level, Farm To Fork connects those of us with the ability to donate to the front line emergency food providers. These are the fine folks who support the members of our community – our brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, and children – who are struggling to feed themselves and their families. It does so by sending donors a grocery list of items that the food pantry around the corner that you never knew existed might need, on the day they go grocery shopping. We’re also working on mobile apps that will use location based notifications to remind us the minute we step into a grocery store what is needed. And if the stars and planets align, it’s going to be even more than that.

But beyond the lines of code, the hours of testing already completed and as yet to occur, the meetings and presentations and blog posts and tweets, Farm To Fork has become something so much more to me. Farm To Fork has become a reminder to me of how awesome our world can be. It’s a reminder to me that, despite all of the terrible things that might happen every day, there are people out there who want to help. Despite the odds against them, despite the challenges and hours, days, weeks, and months of work, there are people out there who just won’t give up, just won’t say no.

And that, dear readers, is pretty effing amazing.

For those of you who may wish to help out our campaign, check out the link here.

Just a wee dive.

While the video (embedded below) doesn’t do justice to the experience of leaping from a perfectly good airplane, I figured I’d share with you the adventure as it happened.

What I think you should take from this video, apart from the awesomeness of falling to the earth with only a thin piece of fabric protecting me from becoming a rather large splat/crater, are the following things:

1. I was slightly hungover. My tandem instructor decided that meant he needed to whip me around in circles. He claims this was to make sure we landed where we were supposed to, but if I were him, I’d totally be doing it on purpose.
2. The goggles and the extra-large space beanie that I was sporting truly are the sexiest things I’ve ever worn.
3. It was damn cold up there. Damn cold.
4. The instructor kept telling me of things he could see (like a glider). Sadly, without my glasses I had no idea most of the time to what he was referring.
5. I really should have worn sunglasses. It was a beautifully bright day, which meant I was rather squinty.
6. Look at the skin flaps fly! Holy hell, I’m glad we don’t experience that kind of wind on the ground. Flapping skin, albeit hilarious and such, is so not sexy.
7. I did not select the music that came with the video.

Anyway, without further ado, let’s jump out of a perfectly good plane.

Twitter – it’s good for you

So if I’ve timed this correctly, this post will become part of my 30000th tweet.

Holy hell.

Thirty thousand tweets. I can’t believe I had that much to say. Of course, I’m not going to pretend that it was all stellar. I’m sure far from it. Hopefully, though, I’ve managed to entertain or educate more than annoy or confuse.

But, this post isn’t really about me writing down my thoughts in 140 characters or less. It’s about Twitter in general.

When I started using Twitter back in the old time-y days of whenever the hell I started using it, I never expected it to be more than a communication tool with my friend Dr. Beth (whom just so happened to be the first person I followed on the Twitter).

That soon changed. It wasn’t long after I started tweeting that I met a group of individuals, all who lived in Guelph, who I might never have met otherwise. They were doctors of all sorts; they were computer geeks; they were photographers; they were writers. Some were number crunchers, some musicians, some athletes, and some who hadn’t worked out in a long time but were trying with every fibre of their being to be healthier. Others dabbled in personal finance, or mortgages, or nutrition. Some were restauranteurs. Some were geeks. Some were nerds. And some would argue that there was no difference between the two.

Despite the different paths that brought all of them to Twitter, the thing that became immediately obvious to me was the fact that these people were amazing. These people were the life blood of Guelph. They cared. They cared intensely. They cared about everything. They all had a vision that wanted to see Guelph moving, always moving, towards something better.

And I think that is why I kept tweeting – because it wasn’t just that there were people out there willing to listen to my random ramblings. It’s because there were people out there who cared about our city and the people who lived here. It’s because there were people out there who cared about making our world just a little bit better. And more than that, it’s because there were people out there who decided to actually do instead of just talk. 

So here’s to 30000 tweets, and here’s to 30000 more. But more than that, here’s to the amazing people I’ve met via the Twitter. Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for challenging me and supporting me when I decide to do crazy things. Thank you for reminding me that there are helpers in this world. Most importantly, thank you for inspiring me each and every day.

21.1 km of pure wholesome goodness.

So tomorrow is the big race – the Toronto Goodlife Marathon.

Some of you may recall that I was planning on running 42.2 km of marathon-y goodness tomorrow. However, given that my training schedule has been weak at best, I’ve opted to run only 21.1 km.

I know, right? I’m sooooooooooo lazy.

Ha!

Honestly, I do feel like a bit of a quitter making this change last-minute. I should have trained harder. I should have kept to my running schedule. I should have done a lot of things really.

But I didn’t.

And that’s life.

So instead, I’m going to enjoy the fact that I can run 21.1 km, because in the grand scheme of things, 21.1 km is more than 0 km. Also, I’m going to try to forgive myself just a little, what with my actually being human and mortal and not invincible. I sometimes think that I can do everything all of the time, and then get annoyed with myself for not performing up to some insane standard that I’ve created. Tomorrow, I’m just going to run the race and enjoy myself as much as I can. Because I should be able to run 21.1 km and feel proud of myself for doing so.

Take that stupid self-doubting self.

For those of you who want to follow along, the race starts at 8:30am. As per usual, I’ll be live streaming the race via RunKeeper. Feel free to tweet or message me as I run – your messages will be read to me. Note: I fully expect those messages to be uplifting, and inspiring, and hilarious, and in some cases, crude.

To follow along, click here.

To message me as I run, either text me (for those of you who know my number), or simply send me a tweet (@thedangillis). Mom and Dad – if you want to send a message you can do so by texting me through your iPad. But keep the messages short, as only the first 80 or so are read to me.

The many faces of skydiving

Last Saturday was an awesome day. Around 8 in the morning my friend Aqleema picked up the slightly hungover version of me, and we started on our trek to Niagara.

Our mission – to jump out of a perfectly good plane. For me, this would be my third time skydiving. For Aqleema – her first.

As with most of my Aqleema-filled adventures, this one began with a visit to Starbucks for some go-go juice, and also some water for yours truly. Did I mention that I was slightly hungover?

The drive was uneventful, save for the side-splitting laughter, giddiness, and conversation that gracefully danced between high-brow intellectualism and low-brow shenanigans. So pretty much, it was the standard Dan/Aqleema fare.

We eventually arrived at our destination.

I was stoked. I love skydiving. The only thing I was concerned about was the aforementioned hangover. I had no idea how that might play into my jump. I figured as long as I didn’t vomit or soil myself I’d be alright. Fortunately for me and my tandem jump instructor, neither such event occurred.

As with all of my jumps so far, the anticipation is nothing in comparison to the joy of soaring through the sky. The feeling of flying is pure freedom. Seeing the earth through the eyes of a bird is stunning, and humbling, and breathtaking. To be honest, it’s impossible for me to do justice to the experience. All I can say is that I will do it again.

Aqleema jumped after me, and as she drifted towards the ground I could hear her screaming – the happy sort of scream. She totally kicked ass – especially for someone with a fear of heights. She’d never admit that she’s the type of person to face her fears, but I’ve got a list of examples to suggest that she does just that. Aqleema never fails to amaze me, and our skydiving adventure was no exception to the rule.

Thanks Aqleema for helping me knock yet another item from my Not So Bucket List list. Here’s to starting the summer in style. Here’s to crushing more adventures.

---

Related articles

• Mile High Club… (sincerelyyoursfrankwhite.wordpress.com)
• Student Loses 60 Lbs In 90 Days For Chance To Skydive (prweb.com)
• Octogenarian takes a leap at 13,000 feet (sykose.com)

From left to right, Beni, Lee-Jay, Danny, and me.

I’m very lucky. I’ve never known what it means to go hungry. I’ve never had to wonder where my next meal would come from. Sure, I’ve had to scramble during periods in my life to make rent or pay a bill, but I’ve always managed to find the cash. And when I couldn’t, I had parents who helped me out, or friends who had no problem buying me a coffee. Or a snack. Or a lunch. Or a dinner. Or all of the above.

I’m so very, very, very lucky.

Especially when you consider that over 850 thousand Canadians need to use emergency food services (like a food bank or pantry) each and every month. Let me repeat – 850 thousand people. That’s about 2.5% of our population. Think about it this way: imagine lining up 40 of your family and friends and telling one of them that they weren’t allowed to eat for the day. Or the week. Or the next month. 

That’s one of the reasons why we started the Farm To Fork project. Clearly there has to be a better way to help people who are in this situation, because no one should go to bed hungry, no child should go to school hungry, and no senior should wonder how they’re going to be able to feed themselves.

I know that Farm To Fork will improve the situation. I can feel it with every fibre of my being. The passion with which my students have taken on this project, the way it makes people feel – I know it can only make things better for a lot of people.

Today the Farm To Fork project was featured in the at Guelph online magazine. When I saw it posted, I couldn’t help but feel amazingly proud of my students. They’ve turned this from an idea into something tangible; something amazing. But more than that, they’ve started a conversation, an awareness, maybe even a movement, that can only do good.

Of course, we’ve only just begun. We need to beta test the prototype. We need to make sure that everything about Farm To Fork works perfectly before we officially launch in September. But we can only do this with your help. This is why we started the Microryza fundraising campaign. If you can, please donate. Every dollar donated gets us that much closer to our $15000 goal, which gets us that much closer to completing the project. Please help us help the 1 in 40 who need to use emergency food services each and every month.

Before I end this post, I’m going to leave you with a quote from an email I received today from someone who had read the at Guelph article I mentioned above:

“I saw on Facebook that your food bank project is going well, that is awesome. You should feel very proud. A roommate of mine has been struggling with money and health, and she cried when she came home with some pasta from the food bank. She was literally crying tears of joy because someone donated pasta and eggs so she could eat.”

This, dear friends, is why we must finish this project. Please help us.

---

Related articles

• Farm To Fork – The Prototype (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• What The What Is That? (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)
• Farm to Fork Needs Your Help (nottobetrustedwithknives.com)
• Farm To Fork – The Next Steps (danielgillis.wordpress.com)
• Farm To Fork – The Beginning (danielgillis.wordpress.com)
• How Can You Help Farm To Fork? (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• Farm To Fork – An Update (danielgillis.wordpress.com)
• A Summer Of Farm To Fork (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)
• DemoCamp (farmtoforkguelph.wordpress.com)

This. Today and every day.

By now everyone has probably heard or read or watched the horrific events that unfolded at the finish line of the Boston Marathon today. I sat in my office this afternoon reeling from the images I saw. Stunned as lives were altered forever. Moved by the image of flags from around the world torn and toppled, some soaked in blood. I sat watching as tweet after tweet flew by with information (some accurate, some not so accurate) about what had happened. And then I saw the videos poor in. Images of senseless destruction and horror, one after the other, on seemingly endless repeat.

How could something like this happen? Why would someone do this? I watched and read and searched for any bit of information, hoping that it would somehow explain or justify what I was witnessing. Hoping that in the stream of 0s and 1s that brought the details from the finish line of Boston to my comfy office chair, that I’d find anything that would provide reason.

But of course there was no reasoning. How could there be?

For anyone who has taken part in a marathon – as a runner or as a spectator – they are nothing short of incredible. I have watched as every-day people have crossed the finish line to the roaring support of strangers; sometimes breaking down in tears because they accomplished something they may never have thought they’d be capable of doing. I have witnessed runners picking up and carrying those who stumbled just shy of their goal. I have felt truly inspired by runners without limbs, runners without vision, and runners with any number of physical limitations, because they ran – and continue to run – without excuses, or self-doubt, or a belief that they were less than.

The community of runners that I am so proud to be a part has again and again reminded me of the incredible human spirit, of coming together and helping those in need, of encouraging others, of reminded us to be the best we can be.

And for this I just can’t comprehend what I’ve watched unfold in Boston today. I’m truly struggling to find the words to explain, the logic to comprehend, the anything to do anything that makes any effing sense out of what we’ve all witnessed today.

Amidst the tragedy, I was reminded by a friend of a lesson shared by Mr. Fred Rogers.

“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster’, I remember my mother’s words and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers – so many caring people in this world.”

The running community has taught me that, and continues to remind me of that. The world is full of caring people, and we are stronger than those who would seek to do harm.

Be kind to each other folks. Be the helpers. The world is truly amazing so long as we keep fighting the good fight.

The image that started it all

Several weeks ago there was an incident at the Stone Road Mall. I think it had something to do with a coolant leak, but details were scarce. Okay, maybe details weren’t truly scarce. Maybe I just didn’t really do any research to find out what happened. We’ll probably never know. All I do know is that whatever happened was severe enough to have the mall evacuated.

Almost immediately the Twitterverse was buzzing with theories explaining the incident and subsequent evacuation; a chemical spill; a bomb threat; an alien invasion; the zombie apocalypse; super gene-mutating-monster-creating radioactive gamma radiation¹. So many theories. So little information.

Being the science-y guy that I am, I immediately sat down and began debunking the theories. My goal – eliminate all of the theories that were clearly hokum, and by the process of elimination obtain only that which could properly explain the truth. Clearly a chemical spill or a bomb threat were too far-fetched; we are talking about the Stone Road Mall after all. Zombie apocalypse or alien invasion? Nope. The event started during the day and we all know that alien invasions and zombie apocalypses require the dark of night. What was left? The only probable explanation: super gene-mutating-monster-creating radioactive gamma radiation.

With this knowledge firmly in hand, and armed only with my camera and quick wits², I began the painstaking task of documenting the effects of the gamma radiation. Godzilla, Mechagodzilla, Gort, King Geedorah, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, Frankenstein, King Kong, giant Gigantor-Elliot, a Tyrannosaurus Rex for some reason, Jaws, a Wampa, and a giant tarantula – all have made their appearance in town, all have left their mark on the good citizens of Guelph. 

While I’ve managed to capture many of the creatures below, I fear that we have not yet seen the last of the super gene-mutated monsters. Stay vigilant.

---

¹ Radioactive gamma radiation being the worst of all the radioactive radiations.

² And the program GIMP.

---

So apparently I was a model for a day.

Just when you think life couldn’t get any more interesting and bizarre, someone asks you to be a model.

You know, if someone told me years ago that at some point in my life I’d be walking a runway, strutting my stuff, being all that and a bag of chips, I would have assumed they were insane, or possibly whacked out on crack. And yet there I was, only a few weeks ago, shaking what my momma gave me.

Okay, I may have strutted and I may have sauntered, but I wasn’t shaking anything. At least not intentionally.

The night – hosted by my friends Beth and Joel – was surreal and a lot of fun. It helped that I got to spend the evening with a bunch of great people, and getting dressed up in some sweet clothing didn’t hurt either. For those of you who might be interested, there are a couple more pictures below.

Of course, you may be wondering where that sweet clothing came from. Well, dear readers, it came from Grey Rock Clothing. If you’re in Guelph, you should go there and buy all of the things. Every piece of clothing sold there is ethical. That is, no sweatshops were involved. At any time. Ever.

Modelling. I guess I have something to fall back on if this Assistant Professor and Statistician thing doesn’t work out.

---

All of the best models giggle as they strut. True story.

This is my “deer caught in headlights” look. Apparently.

---

Related articles

• This … Is … So … Weird (huffingtonpost.com)

Help us raise $15000 for the Farm To Fork project

So those of you out there with a keen eye – and let’s be serious, that’s probably all of you – may have noticed a new addition to the blog you have come to know and love¹ as Consumed By Wanderlust. Of course, I’m speaking about that fancy new button over there to the right. The one that looks like an unembiggened² version of this picture to the left.

Fancy, no?

Well that button is going to be here for a while.

Of course, you’re probably wondering what purpose it might serve. Wonder no more. That button is your link to a massive fundraising campaign that I’m involved in with my friend Danny Williamson, two amazing senior undergraduate students Lee-Jay Cluskey-Belanger and Beni Katznelson, and a team of 30 amazingly dedicated third year Computer Science students at the University of Guelph. The goal is to raise $15000 to help fund the Farm To Fork project – a website designed to improve the quantity and quality of food that makes it to the local food banks and food pantries.

While this isn’t your typical fund-raising campaign associated with a food bank, the end result is the same. With your help, Farm To Fork will be able to improve the quality and quantity of the food that makes its way to families in need. More than just that, Farm To Fork will help maintain a constant flow of quality food; something that is desperately needed between annual food drives.

If you’re interested in donating – please click on the button to the right, or click here. The campaign runs from now until May 19th. Every dollar counts. If you aren’t able to donate, please consider passing this campaign on to as many people as you can.

For more information about Farm To Fork, follow our blog, find us on Twitter, or Like us on Facebook.

---

¹ I hope.

² A perfectly cromulent word.

---

 

This is my mantra; it’s time to crush the slacker. Crush him real good.

Happy Easter all y’all.

So apparently I’ve been slacking in so many ways. To start, let me begin by apologizing for not having written anything in so very long. I could use the excuse that I’ve been swamped with a million different things, which is true, but that never seemed to stop me from writing in the past. I blame the fact that I’m a lazy slacking bastard.

Interestingly¹, I’ve also slacked – at least it seems to me – in pretty much every other aspect of my life². Writing? Slacked. Repairs to my condo? Slacked. Running? Slacked. Yoga? Slacked. It seems the only area of my life that hasn’t involved a substantial amount of slacking has been eating and slacking. In fact, I’ve excelled in those areas. You could say that I’m a connoisseur of slackitudity. Okay, you might not say that, but I might.

Anyway, I guess this post is my attempt to get my lazy ass back on track; in terms of writing, in terms of running, in terms of yoga, in terms of everything.

In that sense, let it be known that the slacker-who-is is about to become the slacker-who-was, because there are too many things I need and want to do, and being a slacker isn’t going to get me to where I want to be.

Be warned slacker-who-is; things are about to change.

---

¹ I’m sure that’s debatable.

² Except for work.

---

Related articles

• (Shit) Happy Easter (loveyourinneralkie.wordpress.com)
• Slacker… (myshitshowlife.wordpress.com)
• Keep Calm and Happy Easter! (iheartartblog.com)

 

Yes, I do dress up from time to time.

So just over a week ago I made my way once again to the airport for fun and adventure – this time in the form of a wedding¹. In Vegas².

Having never been to Vegas I really didn’t know what to expect, but this trip wasn’t so much about Vegas itself as it was about celebrating my friends Danny and Erin getting married. And what a celebration. Given the law of the land, I can tell you that a good time was had by all. The food was fantastic, and I may or may not have had a bottle of Laphroaig to toast the newly married couple with³. We also had an amazing room for the reception that overlooked the city.

The day after the night before, some of the party-goers and the happy couple headed off to tour the strip. I won’t say I was feeling perfect, but walking around for several hours, enjoying the blue sky and the fresh air certainly didn’t hurt.

Sadly, the well established law of the land – What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas – didn’t seem to hold true for me. I don’t know if it was a result of the cigarette smoke in the casinos⁴, the jet lag, the time change, the handling of money, the casinos, the slots, the time spent on the plane, or a lovely combination of these, but I brought home some nasty bug. I tried to fight it all week, but by yesterday I was down for the count. Fortunately my friend Danny – the groom component of the happy couple previously mentioned – insisted that I stay home and get better. And so I did. Because he knows things about things.

Fortunately I’m feeling much better today. Whatever evil possessed my body seems to be leaving.

Sadly, I’m left with the unfortunate realization that I broke the cardinal rule of Vegas. I’m going to assume whatever punishment the universe sees fit to dole out will be reduced or eliminated as a result of Friday’s time already served.

---

¹ Not my wedding. Don’t be silly.

² Which means I can cross off Vegas from my list of travel destinations on my Not-So-Bucket-List list. And given my trip to Florida in January, my trip to New York in February, and this trip to Vegas, I’m 3 cities down on my goal to travel to 12 cities outside of Ontario in 2013⁵.

³ Note: it wasn’t so much a formal toast as it was I drank some scotch in their honour.

⁴ Ew.

⁵ Hmmm, I’ve just realized that I haven’t updated my Not-So-Bucket-List list in a while. There are a few other things I can cross off – like travelling to New York city for example.

---

 

The Incredible Spiderman

Remember just over a week ago when I met Natasha? And then remember how I held Natasha like we were age-old friends? And remember how I promised there’d be video?

Well, dear readers, I am happy to say that a video is ready for your entertainment. I think the video gives you a general sense of how freaked out I was, but I’m also amazed at how well I held myself together given how much I was screaming on the inside. I’m not saying that I deserve an Oscar for my performance, but I’m also not saying that I don’t.

A huge thanks again to everyone who helped me deal with my fear. Thank you to so many of you for coming out or supporting me via the Twitter. Thank you to everyone who donated to the Canadian Mental Health Association. And an extra huge thanks to Jasper Tey for filming the event. Not only did he manage to capture how much I was shaking, he spliced together – in my opinion – a really entertaining mini-documentary of the occasion. You sir are kick-ass awesome.

And now without further ado, I give you Dan And Natasha, A Love Story With 10 Legs.

---

---

Related articles

• Don’t Write That Obit Just Yet (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)
• Today Is The Day (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)
• It’s On (consumedbywanderlust.wordpress.com)

This cartoon always makes me laugh.

Despite another flight delay – seriously, did I piss off the gods-o-flight? – I arrived in Vegas last night. I may have smelled of stale plane air, and every part of me may have been screaming to move from the seat in which I had been held captive for over 5 hours, but I had arrived in Vegas safe and sound.

But didn’t you just spend a week in New York? you might be asking while throwing daggers at me with your eyes.

Yes, yes I did.

But this trip could not be helped. You see, my friends Danny and Erin are getting married this weekend and I had to be here to celebrate with them.

Anyway, I’ve spent the morning in my excessively over-the-top suite because I had to finish up some reports. As such, my Vegas adventure hasn’t been nearly the sin-city-filled adventure that I would have expected given what one sees in the movies.

Or perhaps it has been. I’ll never tell. After all, the golden rule of Vegas is What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. I wouldn’t be following that rule very well if I gave away all of my comings and goings while here. And we all know that I’m a man who follows the rules.

Ha!

---

Related articles

• Best of the Best: Having A Vegas Wedding (honeymoon.answers.com)
• Las Vegas – The 9th Hawaiian Island? (furthestsense.wordpress.com)
• Vegas on the brain (iamdazzling.com)
• 10 Best Movies (Mostly) About Las Vegas: The Hangover, Oceans 11 and Some Surprises! (eonline.com)