Travis Smith: my resume, bio and photos back to the main blog page

This entry’s just me checking in—can’t let the blog go without new posts for too long or you’ll think I’m busy working or something.

I might be a little quiet for a while after this post.  We’re heading to Seattle for the Blog Business Summit January 24 and 25th.  We’ll be catching a ride with some nice blogging software writers from Vancouver who have a bigger car.  I’m looking forward to it.

So, what’s new? I went on a really nice trip out to the wilderness of B.C.  My friend Martin has an unwired (literally: no power) cabin in the woods, south of a town you’ve never heard of (Parsons), which is itself south of a town only truckers and people in B.C. have heard of (Golden).

The complete photographic evidence of the trip is online.  But the best part was definitely the wood-powered hot tub out in the snow-covered woods.  The next best part was learning how many days you could eat turkey after Christmas and never have the same meal twice (Answer: six days).

Meanwhile, Susie was back in Vancouver, working on her book and her blog, and being hideously, awfully sick with a flu and a cold.

For the record, I would like to state that I didn’t know she’d be that sick while I was off in a mountain hot tub.  Nevertheless, I fully expect to be making this up to her for the next 18 months.

Meanwhile, we’ve been enjoying some of Vancouver’s unseasonably cold weather by building snowmen in the park.  My friend Dave came up with a plan (i.e. get dressed warmly and meet) and with some creative guidance from the others and some snow-lifting and -packing labor from me, we came up with several really neat snowmen—one driving a car and hitting a pedestrian, one resembling a Buddha, and several reclining on benches.  The park was next to a major street, and dozens of people came through to take pictures and pose with our art.

Last night, Susie and I went city-hopping down to Richmond to have dinner with pilot Ryan, who was in town on a lay-over.  We had a nice dinner at HON: House of Noodles, which made up for its cheap decor and chilly room temperature by serving excellent and very affordable Chinese food.  They also had a huge section dedicated to frozen foods like gyoza and rice noodle that I declined to buy at the time because I was stuffed but now think would have been a good investment.

Lukaska’s doing fairly well.  We took her to the vet for a “top up” of fluids recently.  She’s very well behaved there, but when we try to give her fluids here, she acts like we’re trying to shave her.  It’s for your own good, cat.  Hold still!

Overheard

“The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.”

...who said it?

“Almost every American I know does trade large portions of his life for entertainment, hour by weeknight hour, binge by Saturday binge, Facebook check by Facebook check. I’m one of them. In the course of writing this I’ve watched all 13 episodes of House of Cards and who knows how many more West Wing episodes, and I’ve spent any number of blurred hours falling down internet rabbit holes. All instead of reading, or writing, or working, or spending real time with people I love.”

...who said it?

“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”

...who said it?

“I play with variables constantly.”

...who said it?

“Only the person who has learned Continual Love coming from a heart of Gratitude/Worship can effectively deal with the problem of loneliness.”

...who said it?

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