You're More Of An Atheist Than You Think

I'm troubled by the way the term "spirituality" is thrown around.

The word "god" (I don't capitalize on purpose) means different things to different people. At the extreme end of things, you could be a devoted Muslim or Christian. Closer to the middle you would be Buddhist. Somewhere on the continuum you might be Hindu (and then god would be plural).

About a century ago, I would describe god like this:

We knew almost nothing, and everything was tied to tradition and superstition.

We were frightened of the things we didn't know, and created stories to fill the gap. The stories provided answers - and continued to provide answers until science started to eat away at the questions themselves.





The way I would describe things today are more like this:

Science has provided answers to almost every question we've had. Sure, there are some we may never know (but science has even provided an answer to that as well. It's called "I don't know").

The Continuum

I started this by saying that you're probably more of an atheist than you think - and here's the logic. This is derived from Dawkins' Spectrum of Theistic Probabliliy (note that when I say "god", I mean any supernatural diety).

1. God exists. No doubt about it. He is involved in my life on a daily basis, answers our prayers, and there is a purpose behind everything. This is called theism.
2. Strongly assume that god exists, but short of 100%.
3. Lean towards god. More than 50%, but not very high. 
4. Absolutely impartial. The existence of god (theism) and the absence of god (atheism) have the same probability.
5. Belief in god is lower than 50%, but well short of zero. Inclination is that he doesn't exist.
6. A very low probability that god exists, but still short of zero. Live life with the assumption that he doesn't exist.
7. Absolutely believe there is no god. This is called atheism.

I suspect that most of us fall somewhere between 3-6 on this scale. I'd probably consider myself a 6.99 - the reason being is that I cannot ever discount something absolutely. Science taught me that.

My Argument

The one question that's always plagued me is this:

We live our lives in a scientific world. Almost everything you do, every day, involves science. Your alarm clock. Your blender for the morning smoothie. Television and radio. Your car. The lights in the office where you work. Your smartphone. They all exist because of science.

And yet many of us, scientists and engineers included, put that belief in science on hold whenever it comes to god.  

If your car failed to start 50% of the time, you would have no faith in the car. But we have faith in a god where the failure rate far exceeds 50%.

So why the incongruity? 

Why do we base our lives on things that work (science), but when we don't understand something we run to the supernatural?

Our lives are based on proof. There is no proof that god exists. Nothing.

How To Manipulate The Graduated Driving Program

Kathryn has figured out how to manipulate the ICBC (Insurance Corp of BC) graduated driving system. It'll probably work where you live as well.

She first got her N (for novice) drivers license in 2001. The program was new in BC, and the thinking was that new drivers need some time on the road before they could be re-examined and the N restrictions removed. The N restrictions were limiting the number of passengers to one, zero alcohol limit, and displaying the N.

The one area they overlooked was drivers who only drove occasionally, could live with the restrictions , and made no attempt to have them removed. There was no time limit on the duration of your N restrictions (I think this loophole has been filled). This was the case with both Kathryn and her brother. They felt that all the "N removal" process would do is add some extra stress and anxiety to their lives ... and hardly worth the bother.

Flash forward to today - some twelve years after Kathryn first getting her N. She's now living in Australia.

When she approached the Australians about a local drivers license, their response was "we don't know what this "N" is supposed to mean, but just in case we will give you a "P" or provisional license for six months. If you've had no incidents in those six months, we will remove the "P" and issue you a full, unrestricted Australian license."

She had her "P" removed this fall, and is driving with a full Australian license.

When and if she returns back to Canada, she can exchange the Aussie license for a full, unrestricted, Canadian one.

2014 Gear List

I've followed a blogger named Tynan for a number of years now, and despite him being a lot younger than me, he's living a very interesting life - pieces of which I aspire to.

One of the things Tynan does every year is a gear list - the things he travels with that he's refined over the years. I've done much the same.

After a few decades of travel,  I've got the whole thing down to a very small set of "necessities". With a few minor changes, I can turn this "casual travel" set into a "business travel" set. If there's a dress code anywhere - I wear the fancier clothes while I travel.

Computer - HP Envy 14 Beats Edition

Because I do some work while I travel, I need the horsepower of a real laptop. I've tried this with a Tablet, a Smartphone and a Netbook, but I've decided to sacrifice the weight and bring the workhorse. For me today it's a HP Envy 14 Beats Edition. It weighs too much, and I want to replace it with something much lighter, but haven't done that yet. One advantage of this big laptop is a "travel charger", which is a small brick of a power adapter with a built-in USB charger. I've got a couple of AC plugs for this charger - one for N.America and one for Australia. All I carry in addition to the laptop is a micro-USB cable to charge the Smartphone (so I don't need a Universal Adapter).

Phone - Google Nexus 4 by LG

As I wonder around Australia, I get asked more questions about my phone than I do about my accent. It's the perfect high performance, unlocked, Android Smartphone - and it happens to be very rare in Oz. It's replaced my camera, flashlight, calendar, social media manager, Kindle reader, iPod - everything. If I didn't have work to get done while travelling, this would be the only device I'd carry. It's about half the price of an iPhone. I'm an anti-Appleite.

Fleece - MEC Watchtower

This is an inexpensive, well made, medium-weight, pullover fleece from MEC. This, in combination with a good rain shell, is all you need. With layering, you're ready for any weather you might find. If I know it won't be cold, this stays at home.

Rain Shell - GoLite

This is a lightweight, compressible (especially with Ziploc bags) rain shell that I keep in my suitcase. Very waterproof, with a hood that rolls into the collar.

Underwear - ScottEVest Travel Boxers

I've got both the Revision 1.0 and 2.0 of these - and I tend to take the Travel Boxer 1.0's with me because they fit better. Three pair can take me anywhere - and I could probably get by with two.

Socks - Tilley Travel Socks

When I need to wear shoes, I take a pair of these along. I've had them for years, and they look exactly like the day I bought them - they wear like iron. Not even that expensive when you consider you might have them forever.

Pants - Royal Robins Trek Pant 

These are just lightweight, not gorky looking, travel pants. They have a zip pocket on the leg that I find useful for the Smartphone. They wash up in the sink and dry overnight. I imagine there are dozens of manufacturers out there that make the same thing.

Pants - Tilley AdventureCloth Sierra Pants 

I used to wear these every day for work. Now I wear them when I travel. They have a hidden, inside, secure pocket to keep your cash (impossible for a pickpocket), and the rear pockets are velcro closed. They wash in the sink, and are dry overnight. I wore out the previous pair after about five years.

Shirts - Icebreaker Merino Wool T-Shirt

I got tuned into wool shirts from Tynan. I've been wearing them for a couple of years now, and I'm hooked - they're pretty much all I have now. The problem is I never know when to launder them - you can't tell. They look fresh all the time, and they never smell. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Expensive, but worth it.

Shirts - Kuhl Renegade Short Sleeve Shirt

This is now my "dress shirt". It's goes well with the Royal Robbins and the Tilley pants, as well as anything else I happen to be wearing. Toss a light wool sweater over top, and it's very dressy. Again, washes in the sink, dries overnight, and is wrinkle free right out of the suitcase.

Shorts - North Face Zip Offs

These were once a pair of those "I'm a tourist" zip-off pants. I threw the legs out, and now just wear the shorts. I like them because they have a zippered pocket for money, and a separate, deep pocket for my Smartphone. I'm slowly moving over to wearing only pants, though, so don't know how much longer I'll be taking these.

Sandals - Chacos Mighty Sandal

If you don't need a shoe during your travels (ie: snow, business), then these are all you really need to wear. They're new to me (as my Tevo's finally kicked the bucket), but so far, so good. From all reports, they should last me for years. Guys like Gary Arndt travel the world in sandals.

Watch - Omega Seamaster

Way back when, after the complete collapse of the tech market in 2000, I bought myself an Omega watch after my first reasonable commission cheque in several years. I now consider it my little bit of extravagance. It's easy to change time zones, and it's really accurate. Other than that, it's just a watch. No alarms, no multiple time zones, no chronograph. Nothing special, but it looks good.

Bag - Samsonite Carry On Bag

Since the bag I actually use was bought in 1999, the link above is the closest I could find in a current product. The photo on the left is my actual bag. It forces me to pack light - especially if a laptop is part of the luggage. I've tried them all - backpacks, rolled luggage, oyster cases - but I keep coming back to this one. It's very well made, and has been all over the world with me. It's the only bag I carry, and I try never to check luggage.

Ziploc Bags

The best packing tip I ever learned was this. Take all your clothing, place it in large Ziploc bags, and sit on the bags to get all the air out. You compress your stuff by more than 50%. You can take more, and all your clothing is separate and easy to organize.

Shaving/Toiletry Kit

There's a few things in my shaving kit worth mentioning.

The first is earplugs. I tried different ones several times, but they always fell out during the night or were really uncomfortable - usually both. I now use the Howard Leight LL1 Laser Lite Earplugs, and I cannot sleep without them. The secret to their use is to get the inside of your ear slightly wet before inserting them - then they slide in and stay in. One case should last you two to three years.

The second is an eyemask - I use the ones given to me free from airlines, but you could buy a cheap one as well. The combination of the two of them make sleep possible anytime, anywhere.

I use shaving oil instead of shaving cream, and a little bit goes a very long way. You could also just use soap and water - a bit caveman, but it works. I use a disposable razor, which lasts for a very long time (months) if you clean and dry it after every use. I'm pretty convinced shaving creme is a conspiracy.

I take a regular toothbrush and a travel-sized toothpaste in my kit. If I'm on the road for more than a few days, I'll buy a larger tube of toothpaste (or use on wherever I'm staying) - whatever's on sale.

Note that things like toothbrushes, razors, shaving creme - are normally available as a courtesy at the front desk of a hotel.

I get my hair cut short just before I leave on a trip, and don't have to take a brush or comb with me unless I'm away for more than 5-6 weeks. If I was, I'd either get it cut again enroute, or bring a comb.

That's It

There you have it - the majority of what I take. It all fits nicely in the carry on bag, and I don't have to wait for luggage - unless I'm travelling with Laura.

My friends that know me well will consider this post really eccentric. And I'm OK with that.

2013 - The Year Of Simplification

Laura playing cricket

As 2013 wraps up, it seems to me that we'll look back and see that it was one of the most significant in our quest to simplify our lives.

While this whole process had it's start in 2006, it's really gained some momentum.

This is a bit self-indulgent, but to show how simple this process really is, I started to add up the changes we've made - it's a short list with some big impact.

• The most significant this year was selling the house and investing the majority of the proceeds (we kept some for travel). Renting is slightly more expensive than owning, but it doesn't take into account the investment upside of the equity. Mind you, it doesn't take into account the upside of real estate either - but lately the market has been quite stagnant. If you listen to the prognosticators (who are almost always wrong), real estate is due for a fall anyway. There are upsides and downsides to both real estate and investing.
• Putting the "extra" stuff into a storage facility. Although I was tempted to get a 5'x5' space, we ended up with a 5'x15' storage locker. Cost is about $130/month, which I hope comes down as we whittle away at the stuff we have stored (and move into a smaller locker, or move out completely if we live in a 2 bedroom apartment).
• We moved into a small 1 bedroom basement suite in a large home just up the hill from where we were. It is a bit tight, but as the months roll along, we're getting more and more organized. The only extra we have to pay for is electricity - at less than $50 a month. Cost to rent is $885, which includes high speed internet and cable TV.
• The truck was basically sitting there depreciating, and costing about $200/month to insure and maintain, so Don (my brother) now has it. There go those costs.
• I've shut down my BuildBetterSleep.com site, as it wasn't of interest to me any more (I now sleep pretty well most of the time), and it was time-consuming to maintain. The cost of the website was only about $10/month, but the "psychological costs" were much greater.
• One of the bigger savings has been Travis working for Virgin Australia. We've leveraged off this, and can now get to Oz and back for a reasonable amount (we still have to get to LA, but we can shop the sales). We'd likely go to Australia regardless, but far less frequently.

"Natural Bridge" in Oz

What this downsizing has allowed us to do is travel - we don't have a lot to maintain back in Vancouver.

Now if we can only figure out how to pay for a home only when we're in town? Any ideas?

The 42nd Annual Stewart Christmas Letter

(Down Under Edition)

G’Day,

For the first time in our lives, Laura and I are spending Christmas in another hemisphere. We’re in Mudgeeraba, Queensland, Australia with Kathryn and Travis. Laura arrived here in mid-November, and I followed in early December - seems I had a few Bee Gees slander issues with Australia Immigration to clear up after my Oz trip earlier this year. We head back to Vancouver just before the New Year.

Kathryn finished up her job with Teach Away ( the company that transferred her to Oz and set this whole thing into motion) at the end of November. She’ll be starting a teaching gig at a local language school in January, before she hops on an airplane for a Nepal trek in March 2014. It’s quite an experience to sit in the front seat of your daughter’s standard transmission truck and be driven all over Queensland. Awkward when I find that the brake on the passenger side doesn’t work.

Travis loves his job with Virgin Australia - although I’m not sure I could handle his commute (25 minute walk to the train station, then an 80 minute train ride each way). They really enjoy where they live, though, as it really is the vacation spot for most of Australia (Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise). He’s an engineer with Virgin, and his job is technical enough that I can’t understand it. Something to do with “plane fall out of sky - very bad”.

David is still teaching in Korea, and will be there till the end of March as well. When his contract is finished, we’re unsure where he’ll end up - maybe Australia with his sister? His apartment in Seoul is full of painting and drawings - and his life revolves around working and painting. Dave has a Korean family, but none of us can figure out what his wife or kids’ names are. He’s been there on and off for 2.5 years, so something’s up.

Laura continues contract teaching (Early Childhood) - see a theme here? She truly loves going to work each day, and I have to remind her how fortunate she is having a job she would probably do for free. She can pretty much work when she wants, and take extended time off whenever she wants as well - which works out just fine for us. I had a smart remark all lined up, but I can’t say anything slanderous about Laura this year as the lawsuit from last year is still pending.

Me, I’m lucky to have a pretty well established routine now. Working part time for a friend of ours doing a bit of everything (thank you Dave), and enjoying a bike ride most days when the weather is tolerable. I have taken to collecting bottles during our rides, and I can often be seen towing a grocery cart full of empties through town. (PS: As long as you’re north of David and east of Coast, we won’t have a problem.)

Laura and I made a huge change this year and sold our house*. We moved into a one bedroom basement suite, invested the proceeds of the real estate, and have decided to chew up Kath and Dave’s inheritance by travelling as much as we can. So far, so good. This paragraph is the only one that’s actually completely true.

Thats the short version of 2013 for the Coquitlam Stewart’s … email me for the 1,023 page epistle. 

Wishing You a Fantastic Christmas 
and an Exceptional 2014**


Love,
Doug, Laura, Kathryn, Dave, Travis 
and Bo TPD


*Special shout-out to all those Port Coquitlam taxpayers for the Dog Poop Bags!
**Actually, also true

New Heart-Health Guidelines - And What I Think About Them

I'll start by a disclaimer. I'm not a doctor.

That being said, I might know as much as your doctor about heart disease, stroke and cholesterol.

In general, the rule of thumb used to be to get your total cholesterol number low, especially your LDL. Raising the HDL component was also important, but stubbornly hard to do with drugs (I had good results raising my HDL with huge doses of niacin).

But researchers found that having low cholesterol numbers didn't improve health outcomes. People who suffered heart attacks and stroke had numbers all over the place.

They published a huge study this month called the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk - A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines.

So What Are The "New" Guidelines

The new focus is not on your cholesterol numbers - total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. In fact, all the manic numbers watching that people did - myself included - is now discarded. Although they still want you to know a couple of them.

In it's place we have three new guidelines to follow:

1. Stop watching and worrying about your cholesterol numbers - unless your LDL is very high (190mg/dl or 4.8mmol/l).
2. Know your heart disease/stroke risk. The American Heart Association has a downloadable Excel spreadsheet. Variables in the spreadsheet are listed below.
3. If you find yourself in the risk category, use medication to reduce that risk. The drug of choice here is a statin (Zocor, Crestor, etc). The number they use is 7.5% risk in the next 10 years. Or if you have heart disease. Or diabetes. Or are African American. Or breathe air. Or have a pulse. (I'm only slightly kidding about the last two).

This will probably increase - some say double - the number of people on cholesterol lowering statin drugs.

What Questions Does The Calculator Ask You?

When you download the spreadsheet, it asks you 9 questions to determine your risk (the optimal answer in brackets).

1. Sex - Male or Female
2. Age
3. Race - African American or everybody else
4. Total Cholesterol (170mg/dl or 4.3mmol/l)
5. HDL Cholesterol (50mg/dl or 1.3mmol/l)
6. Systolic Blood Pressure (110 mm Hg)
7. Treatment for High Blood Pressure - Y/N (N)
8. Diabetes - Y/N (N)
9. Smoker - Y/N (N)

After you fill it in, the calculator will give you your 10-year ASCVD (Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease) risk as a percentage. Mine was 4.1%.

And What Do I Think About Them?

From what I've learned and experienced:

• I'm glad to see that the focus on cholesterol numbers is waning. They're wrong-headed.
• I think the risk calculator is ridiculous simple. A small change in one number greatly effects the risk calculation. Notice there's nothing in there about weight, diet, exercise, sleep, stress.....
• I'm disappointed (but not surprised) to see that we still think statins are the answer if you have any risk. There are side effects, which are almost never talked about. The use of statins is hugely controversial, and the evidence to believe they extend life or reduce mortality is mostly non-existant. Take a look here.
• I think lifestyle changes are the very best way to improve health outcomes, but we're too damned lazy to incorporate them. We'd rather take a pill and make the pharmaceutical companies rich.
• Lose weight, exercise, eat real food. That's it. That's the secret.

What If I'm Already Taking A Statin?

Do yourself a huge favor, and watch this ABC Network (Australia) program - too bad we can't do something like this in North America.

Then do some research, and make up your own mind.

I myself stopped taking any medication - except a daily 82mg aspirin - 18 months ago. 

I thnk I'm right. I bet my life on it. 

Tesla - Is This A Tech Company or a Car Company?

I subscribe to Kevin Rose's Twitter feed, and he said something that caught my eye. You might ask "who the hell is Kevin Rose", but he's kind of a god in tech circles. I could list his resume here, but it's easier to link to his Wikipedia entry.

 This got me to thinking about a hunch I had back in 1982 about Apple. I figured it was a good buy, based on nothing more than wanting one real bad.

Flash forward to today, forgetting about their near bankruptcy, and $100 worth of their stock would now trade at about $141,728. This gives a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 19.36%.

The average Vancouver home price in 1980 was $86,000. Now it's about $680,000. CAGR is 4.93%. And everyone considers their home as their best single investment.

So I'm considering investing a small amount in Tesla - the electric car company.

They're all over the financial news because they announced quarterly earnings this week, and the results didn't meet expectations.

The company is almost "across the board" being shorted, and most analysts say that the high stock price is not maintainable.

My own Financial Advisor tells me that to get Tesla's current valuations, they'd have to produce as many cars as BMW. Their target "realistic" stock price is about $55.

And that's the point.

Is Tesla a car company, or a tech company? Or a new hybrid of the two?

I think that electric cars done right (as Tesla is clearly doing) could be just as much a game changer as Apple was (is?). They're not a computer company any more. They're a lifestyle tech company - and introduced a whole new category to us. Tesla is doing the same.

So is listening to analysts getting me anything other than old world thinking? Or do I listen to the tech community, which is putting Tesla on a pedestal?

I haven't made up my mind yet.

All Is Lost

This review contains spoilers.

The "All Is Lost" release puzzled me. A movie with this much positive press, and overwhelming good reviews, was showing at only one screen in Greater Vancouver.

After I saw the movie, I could understand why. More on that later.

Robert Redford is the only character in the movie. He gives the most lifelike, believable, fallible, intelligent performance I've ever seen. I could really imagine being there in his place during the entire film - doing everything he did, thinking everything he thinks. I would even be as quiet as he was - after the opening "letter reading" monologue, Redford speaks about ten words during the entire 106 minutes.

I spent the duration of the movie with my heart in my throat.

You've probably read about or heard the plot somewhere else by now. A lone man on a 39 foot sailboat in the Indian Ocean gets hit by a shipping container lost from a freighter. And then his boat starts to sink.

The movie is all about the sinking, the saving of supplies, the abandonment of the yacht to a life-raft, the struggle to be found - and all the hopelessness that entails.

You may as well have strapped a video camera onto an actual yachtsman and filmed all that ensues. Only during the movie you'll see things you could only imagine happen - like what a capsize would look like.

For anyone who's ever sailed, you can find a couple of "I would have done that" or "I would have had this" moments but for the most part everything that happens absolutely could (would?) happen. This movie should be mandatory viewing for anyone making an offshore passage in a sailboat. And there's the rub.

The theater was about 1/3 full for a matinee on it's Canadian opening weekend. I think the reason it was sparsely attended was because of the subject matter. It's a movie about sailing - or more precisely not sailing.

But it's a movie of survival. Way, way more believable than "Gravity", and I think it's actually a much better movie. Only because it could really happen today. And yesterday. And tomorrow.

So forget that you'd get even more out of the film if you sail. The story about a man, the sea, and mortality is an old story. But the telling of the story here is epic.

Go see it and tell me what you think... 

Our Clothing Doesn't Cut It Anymore...

I thought about this the other day ... when was the last time our clothing changed in any kind of functional way?

Sure, fashion comes and goes. Wide ties were in. Then wide ties were out. Then no ties at all.

You could say that clothing has evolved to suit us over the last few thousand years, and it works very well - but does it really?

Think of all the recent changes that aren't accommodated by your standard dress, or your standard accessories:

• Everyone carries a smartphone these days. Where do you keep it? Is it safe stuffed into your front pocket? How about your purse?
• Same thing for your iPhone/iPod/MP3 player - although that might also be your phone, but I still see a ton of people with their music players.
• There's a trend to start making smaller denomination currencies - bills - into coins. Are you carrying more coins around with you than you used to? Are they bigger and heavier?
• Although the smartphone has consolidated many accessories into one device, many people still carry a camera. Or a pocketknife. Or a flashlight.
• And how about that set of keys?

The point being is that - for men at least - all this stuff must find a home in your pockets. More and more women travel without a purse - think how easy it is to misplace, lose or have stolen - so have the same problem. And they likely have fewer, smaller pockets.

Only one company I know about has tackled this issue with a line incorporating something they call TEC - Technology Enabled Clothing. I've bought a lot of stuff from them over the years, and while there have been some hits-and-misses as far as durability, the fit and practicality works well for me.

Their Internet-based, so you have to buy on-line. This is another trend that the retail world is trying to come to grips with.  Almost all of my shopping is now virtual (although I did have to get a pair of shoes resoled - that's hard to do online).

These guys even make underwear - which I bought several years ago, and ordered some more recently
(they actually double as a swim suit in a pinch).

The cotton stuff you get at Costco just doesn't last...

Almost four years...

Re-learning to climb stairs in rehab

On October 5th this fall, it will be the fourth anniversary of my life-changing stroke.

I had to relearn how to walk, how to talk, how to balance on a bicycle, basically to do all the things we find "cute" in a toddler, but frustrating for an adult.

There are still a couple of things I cannot do ... swim and run. Swimming fell under the "ambivalent" category for me, so as long as I'm wearing a life jacket when on the water, it's really no big deal. Same thing for skiing (I can ski, but it hurts and I get tired really quickly).

Running, however, is a disappointment. I used to run all the time, and found it relaxing and therapeutic. So not doing it leaves an empty space in my life.

But that's not what this post is about. It's about encouragement. The "experts" say that most stroke improvement happens in the first few months. That's true, but I've noticed a very slow, very long term improvement in a couple of key areas.

The first is speech, which is very cyclical in terms of clarity, but is getting slowly better. Cadence of speech has improved almost since day one, and the amount of time it takes for my talking to get "nasally" has gone from a few minutes to more than an hour. The more comfortable with the audience I am, the better my speech is, and in social settings, I can talk all night.

The second is strength. There's a very long hill (for those of you local, Wellington) that I used to ride my bike up for street hockey on Sundays. I did that hill in second gear on my bike, and be exhausted at the end. I can now do the same hill in third gear, and have energy left in the tank when I get to the top.

When I get home, for the last few months I've barely had the strength to roll my bike up the sidewalk and stairs to our place. The last few days I've picked the bike up and easily carried it up the stairs.

I wonder how much of this is me just discovering what I could do all along, and how much is really new?

I know that if I slow down and focus I can do a better job of almost everything...but maybe the same goes for all of us....

* Note that in the photo, the woman teaching me how to go up the stairs is Ruth. She died of cancer within months of me leaving the hospital. Another reason I don't believe in god.

Random Thoughts on Australia

Big Termite Mound

This isn't fair at all - my perceptions of Australia, after being there for only five weeks, are incredibly simple. But often I've found that first perceptions are usually bang on. They can change over time, but it amazes me how many of them hold up.

Having an opinion on someplace you've never been, on course, is ridiculous. And traveling somewhere with a preconception of what it will be like is equally crazy. But now I feel qualified - this was a real trip staying with real people in Oz.

With all this in mind, in no particular order, are my thoughts on what I saw in Queensland, Australia.

• The people, almost without a fault, are incredibly helpful and polite. It's only when Kathryn and I arrived back in Los Angeles you notice the stark difference. Without exception, everyone was kind, helpful, generous and friendly. 
• Offers of help (like spending the night, sleeping on the floor, having a shower, doing the laundry) are genuine. They aren't "just being polite" as we would be back in Canada.
• I get a kick out of Australian toilets. I wish I took a video. They all have two settings - low flow flush for #1, and a more complete flush for #2. I couldn't tell the difference. Both force 150 gallons of water through the toilet. No "swirl" action at all - just like dumping a huge bucket of water down the loo.
• Honking your horn is never done. Everyone driving is really polite. They all wait for each other, let each other merge when it's time to merge, and never seem to get upset. The only horns I heard were buses, when somebody parked themselves at a bus stop and they pulled up behind them.
• Every single vehicle I rode in was a stick - manual transmission. I know there's lots of automatics there too, but there are many, many more sticks there than here at home.
• Their version of "real camping" and our version of "real camping" are different. They drive to every location, where as we might drive to a trailhead. Therefore, light weight isn't really a big deal because your vehicle is right there. The advanced campers like Ben and Kate absolutely love MEC because of this. They are the ultimate light campers - and are a machine to behold when they set up camp or make a meal. 
• Australia has an RV culture much like ours. More tent trailers and small travel trailers, but a handful of motorhomes and fifth wheels as well. Tents, however, are really common - and the roof top tents are something I want to pursue.
• The campgrounds and RV parks are really clean and comfortable. The washrooms are clean (because of the number of people that rely on that service) and everywhere has a shower. Cooking is often done in a common area, which forces you to know your neighbors.
• I think we're more "advanced" in primitive camping etiquette. Digging your own toilet in Australia is common, but the way the waste is handled (ie: TP everywhere) is disgusting. We tend the burn and bury here, and that to me seems a lot safer/cleaner.
• Maybe it was only the slice of people I met, but there is a very big "can-do" attitude among them. They would rather build/make/reuse/fix than buy new. We are a culture of new. They aren't.
• Their cars all have really high mileage compared to ours. You could sell a vehicle with 300,000km on it with no problem. Most of the 4x4's we were in were in the 300k range of mileage, and they did fine. Vehicles are really looked after (again, with my small sample size).
• The distances involved in getting anywhere are very Canada-like. Everyplace seems to be 1000km from every other place. The infrastructure to get there, though, isn't as advanced - more dirt/gravel roads and two-lane highways.
• Drivers are all respectful of speed limits. I never saw the aggressive driving and speed we now take for granted here. Everyone respects the "Work Zone" signs - and slows down for them.

I'm going to have several more "observations" over the next few weeks ... and I'll be posting them as well. I need to digest the trip before I can really describe it.

Will I go back?

We're going for Christmas.

Australia - The Cape Trip Prep

On June 22, we leave from Cairns for an extreme 4x4 trip to the northern tip of Queensland, Australia. When I was first invited I thought "4x4 trip, big deal. I've done that before."

But I've now been here a week, and have spent the last several days on my own with some of Kathryn's friends and their family. I've been welcomed, fed, sheltered and helped out by people who were complete strangers to me four days ago. They say Canadian hospitality is amazing - but this is at a whole other level.

I met Ben for the first time on Friday night last week. He's Kate's partner (Kate works with Kath) and is a bit of an extreme adventurer (ie: just finished a 5,300km walk from Melbourne to Cooktown). He arranged this 4x4/Postie Bike trek and I was invited.

Kate and Ben's Postie Bikes (and parts bike)

Over the last few days I'm finding out just how serious they take 4x4ing here in Queensland (actually, they take it pretty seriously in all of Oz). Travis and Kathryn bought a 1997 Mitsibishi Pajero 4x4 specifically for this trip, and Ben (over dinner on Friday) said that we should get it checked out by his dad, Barry.

Barry and Jennie live in a town called Wedgie, and I drove there with Ben on Sunday in the Pajero (Kath and Travis have to work). I've been staying at their place, eating their food, and monopolizing all of Barry's time for the last three days.

Barry has checked out the Pajero and has (with very little help from me because I'm mechanically inept):

• Replaced the spare wheel and tire - we found out the spare was both bald and the wrong size (15" versus 16")
• Found another "case" or tire - it's good to have two spares for this trek
• Checked all the fluids - under the hood and under the vehicle (transfer case, differential, etc)
• Bought a spare fan belt and fuel filter
• Pulled the front wheels, didn't like what he saw, and replaced the wheel bearings

It's amazing, but in this tiny town you can find almost any auto/truck/tractor/4x4/diesel part you could ever need. Barry said it's because of the 4x4, farm/ranch and mining business in the area.

So it's taken two and a half days before Barry says he feels OK about the Pajero on the trip we're about to take. 2000km of nasty road.

I'll post pictures and video when we're done!

PS: Al and Bruce - I think you'd never leave here .... everyone tinkers, everyone owns three motorcycles, two front end loaders, a bobcat, six cars, two trucks and a boat - and it takes everyone half an hour to say hello.

Welcome to Australia - Episode 1

I flew out of Vancouver on Monday, June 10 at 4:00pm and arrived in Brisbane, Australia at 7:00am on June 12 - total flying time about 17 hours, and total time being awake about 45 hours (7am Monday to 4am Wednesday Vancouver time).

Fortunately for me, Travis booked me in Business Class on Virgin Australia, and it really is like checking into a hotel.

They go so far as to ask if you'd like pyjamas as soon as you board the plane. I declined (because everything I wear is man-made and wrinkle-free and will spontaneously ignite if exposed to flame), but most of the others popped into the washroom right away and changed. It was midnight in LA when we boarded, so I guess that makes sense.

I decided early on to get onto Brisbane time as soon as I boarded, so it was only 5pm by my new clock - so I stayed awake as long as I could. I must have drifted off for a few minutes anyway, and when we arrived at 7am I felt relatively refreshed. I stayed awake until 9:30pm that night, so I am either so used to not sleeping that it didn't matter, or I actually got some rest on the flight.

Travis met me at the airport and got me on the train south to Gold Coast. Kathryn then met me at the other end (1:45 train ride - and Travis does this twice a day!), got me a coffee, and dropped me off at their house.

It poured rain that entire afternoon, so I stayed in to recoup. Kathryn and Travis both worked all day Thursday, so I explored the immediate neighborhood.

Today is Friday, though, and Kath had the day off.

We went all over the place, and the weather was gorgeous.

The sunshine does wonders for jet lag, and it's easy to see why they love living here ... despite the commute Travis has to tolerate.

Tonight we go over to Kate and Ben's to discuss the Postie-Bike trip to the Cape (north of Cairns). We're having BBQ Emu.

If You're a Boomer - This Might Be Your Future

I wrote last time about our decision to downsize - and that it wasn't a decision I was allowed to make all by myself - although I've always loved small spaces.

Now that the move is complete, and the clutter has started to subside, it's time to document some of the outcome. Here are some photos I took today (excuse the quality) of our new one bedroom suite, located about a mile up the road from our old place.

While Laura is still a bit tentative about the whole idea, she's coming around. Living in a space this small is our reality only for the next year - the term of the lease. After that, it's our decision what to do next.

And if there's any single thing we've learned, it's that your whole world can change in a year...

Entrance down a few steps

View from the front door

Dining room table near front door- shoe storage beside the fridge

Storage room immediately behind front door

The kitchen is still a bit cluttered and a work in progress

I'm pretty happy about the living room

I can't bear to part with my Pacific-centric map of the world

Peek into the bedroom - that's a double!

Best laundry we've ever had

Laundry to left of Bo's kennel, bathroom to right

The bathroom

So there you have it.

We've gone from a townhouse with two teenagers at 2400 sf, down to another townhouse with a guest room and an office of 1440 sf. We now think this one is somewhere around 600 sf. We've also rented a storage space of 75 sf (5X15) to hang on to all the crap we're just going to get rid of a year from now.

So far I think we've made a good decision......

Why?

 Trey Ratcliff via Compfight

Over the last several weeks (OK - several years) people have looked at Laura and me and wondered what was going on .... Some of the things we do seem strange when compared to the "normal" middle aged, middle class, white couple living a comfortable life in the Western world.

So to save Laura time and embarrassment (nobody ever asks me - they think it's normal for me), I'll write it all down here. Why?

It's Not Just Me

Although I've been accused of having a strong will, and I will admit that I get my way most of the time (given sufficient time and pressure - kind of like a diamond), there are really two of us involved in these decisions.

Actually, as Kathryn has gotten older, she has become quite the source of influence as well. Our normal is Kathryn's boring. David is a bit more conservative (at least for now).

Laura and I hash these major life moves back and forth for months before we finally take a leap. I've often told her that "I could live in a box under a bridge" - so the final decision is always hers.

Why Now?

So the latest "experiment" in living is something I've been interested in for a long, long time. Smaller spaces. My real preference would be to live on boat, but I can see that's really impractical at this point (I now get seasick after the stroke). I have been trying to convince Laura of a "Tiny House" for a decade or more now, and she never caved, so this is the next best thing.

Although we'll likely never have all the conveniences we have today right at our fingertips (3 bedrooms, 2 car garage, walk to the grocery store, walk to the park, etc..), what we don't have is flexibility.

I think Laura and I agree that having all that cash tied up in a home ties you to a location and a lifestyle. We want the ability to change without trying too hard. It would also be nice to have the tied up money working for us as well - we got out of the house less than what we put in six years ago. We've made money on some of the homes we've owned before - but I think the days of the house funding your retirement are gone.

And now both kids (OK - not kids, adults) are overseas, maybe for the long term. The reason for having a "home base" is gone.

The Biggest Reason

OK - now the biggest reason.

For me especially, life is too short to dick around living it conventionally. I want to try a bit of everything.

We were lucky enough to be born white, wealthy (by world standards), English speakers and in North America. If you're able, why not try living in a house boat, cycling South America, camping in Australia, taking a 12 month road trip, couch surfing to Japan, take in Burning Man, or motorcycle the length of Africa?

I guess you could still do all these things and have a home, but it would be harder. They all take cash, and most of us don't have enough to try anything and everything.

We've lost close friends (Mike, Jack) who never had the chance to do these things. I don't even know that they wanted to do these things - but they're gone, so we'll never know. I do want to try other things, and have been fortunate enough to have a second (third?) chance at them.

Stuff is Just Stuff

At the end of the day, we're tied to all our stuff. Much of this recent "project" is to get rid of as much "stuff" as we can. It actually starts to feel good when you can either

• sell the stuff to someone who really wants/likes it (I'm a Craigslist superuser)
• give it away to someone who really needs it - the couple who bought our house could barely afford it, so they're grateful for everything we can leave behind

The less stuff you have, the more flexible you can be - and we want to be really flexible (even though Laura made us rent a small storage locker - but my bet is it will disappear in the next year).

Our First Decision - Economic or Social?

When we first decided to list the house and move, we thought that downtown was our destination. And up until the last month or so it was. But when an actual offer came in on the house, we had a decision to make:

• make a bit more money and move closer to high paying jobs (for Laura)
• stay in Port Coquitlam where most of our friends are (Sunday Diack dinners, sushi night, beer on a driveway at Plymouth Crescent, almost daily bike rides with the old farts)

Staying won out - it was never really a contest. So we reduce our costs, get some better return on the house funds, do some travel, and enjoy a smaller footprint.

The Downside

There is a downside to this new lifestyle. We're moving from near 1500 square feet and a two car garage with street parking, to 500 square feet with one outside parking spot. So the most we can entertain is two people at a time. So we have to come to you, not you to us. Did I say downside?

The Adventure

So now it's time to start another adventure.

Although Mike and Jack have memorable epitaphs, I know neither of them wanted them. We have a chance to write our own - so we're writing.