Sun, 31 Aug 2003

Aug 31, 2003, 09:18 [home/journal]
Great Vacation

Well, I’ve had a great holiday! We spent the first week relaxing around home, and I got some chores done too. I fixed leaky taps in the bathroom, re-calked the tub, bought, painted, and installed baseboard for the living room and kitchen, and bought ceramic tiles to do the front hall, little bath, and kitchen. I’ve been busy!

The second week, last week, we went to John and Mary’s cottage in Muskoka and relaxed by the lake. I finally added flippers to my snorkelling gear— Lucas and I spent hours underwater. We took all of our bikes along and biked around Bracebridge and Gravenhurst as a family. Today we’re going to Wild Water Works to swim and slide the tubes. A great way to finish vacation.

This afternoon our boarder from Japan, Shin, will be arriving. We’ve prepared the guest room for him. He is a drummer, so hopefully he’ll be able to play at the church on Sundays when we need him.

What a wonderful holiday. I am relaxed.
~Jason


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Thu, 21 Aug 2003

Aug 21, 2003, 03:13 [home/webdesign]
Two New Web Projects

I’m working on two new web projects right now. Wow, I’m getting quite a list!

The first is a medical database program which connects patients with doctors, and their medical history via the web. It’s called oscarCitizen, and it’s the next phase of the open source OSCAR project. I’m just responsible for the front end and design/branding of the site. You can see my sample page and progress from here: oscarCitizen.

I’m also developing a site for a recording studio in Hamtilon called the Fonic Factory.
~Jason

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Tue, 12 Aug 2003

Aug 12, 2003, 15:06 [home/journal]
Wandering Memory

Everything was covered with a sort of orange pale. It was the way in the seventies. Orange and brown. I remember Holly Hobby dolls, and chair rails; wood panelling; beards in fashion, and Volkswagen bugs. Long hair that would blow in the wind, big brown sandles, Coke teaching us all to sing. This was the style when I was a child.

I remember family coming to the house at Christmas. It would be birthday celebration time because my uncle Clair, my dad, and myself all had birthdays around the twenty-fifth. Mom would spend days before baking mincemeat and raisin and butter tarts. Christmas evening would be such a celebration and feast. I loved to eat the butter tarts especially.

We pushed toy cars around the orange designs on the kitchen floor. We built towers of plastic blocks on the brown shag in the family room. We brought out the instruments and sang loud and bad. After the harmony died down, we kids would be banging on the piano in one room; playing some new game in another.

My grandpa, Earl Abrams, looked around with a crooked smile that I knew. He could only hear half of what was being said. Every room was full of laughter and noise. These were his children and grandchildren, and his blue eyes welled often. He was proud and happy. I loved to crawl up on his lap and smell the dark mystery of him. His giant hands with creases like canyons would cover me gently. Little children would come up to him and speak in some obscure dialect. He would smile up questioningly at the child’s parent and shake his head quickly: higher voices were even harder to hear.

I remember the evening tiring. Adults would recline around the fireplace, talking about mysterious adult subjects. We were never really interested, and never really listened.

But one time I did hear. I don’t remember how old I was; I think fourteen— approaching adulthood myself. Earl and Hazel had left to take the crooked snowy road to their lonely country home. I don’t even remember the exact words of the discussion between my parents and my uncle and aunt. I do remember suddenly understanding: they were criticising him. This man was the hero of my life and they were tearing him down. He’s stubborn, they said, doesn’t listen. Hazel must be very patient. Hard to live with. These were words of betrayal.

I protested, speaking up for him, defending his honour. The adults exchanged quick glances, distracting me with intent; changing the subject.

But in my mind the conversation continued. I had never conceived fault in this gentle man. I didn’t want to see him that way, but realise I have never seen him the same since. It’s not that I remember his faults— I do not. But I remember first realising that we are, none of us, safe.


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Sat, 09 Aug 2003

Aug 09, 2003, 13:22 [home/webdesign]
Eat And Run Cafe

I’ve been working on a site the last day for a business in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. They have approached fast food from a completely different angle, and wanted a site that was funny, and tongue-in-cheek.

I settled on a comic theme, and I’m quite happy with the results. Check it out:
EatAndRunCafe.com
~Jason

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Sat, 02 Aug 2003

Aug 02, 2003, 17:27 [home/pocket_pc]
New Pocket PC

FINALLY! I’ve been using an old E-115 by Casio for three years now, and I bought it when it was two years old already! Now I’ve got the new DELL X5! It’s amazing, and I’m looking forward to trying it out.

My Cassiopeia E115 (and my first E10, for that matter) stopped working first because their screens stopped being touch sensitive! How annoying that was. I read a bit about how to fix it by replacing the screen, and even took it apart, but decided in the end to just buy a new one. It hurt the wallet, but some things I just cannot live without!

~Jason

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Fri, 01 Aug 2003

Aug 01, 2003, 21:58 [home/webdesign]
Couple of New Sites

I’ve really been implementing the self-editing sites lately. I’ve added another two to my list of designed sites. The first is SaddleCorrections.com, and the the second is InternationalWomensHealth.org.
~Jason

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Aug 01, 2003, 00:18 [home/webdesign]
Skin

It suddenly dawned on me this evening that I created a new skin a number of months ago and never turned it ‘on.’ So here it is. If you like the old skin better, then go here: SiteSkinner. Any thoughts on the new look?
~Jason

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