No talking, just surfing

Spent the last two days home with no voice. I’ve had a pretty relaxing break as I haven’t felt sick, just a little tired, but it’s pointless for me to try to teach a class of 30 Grade 6 students if I can’t talk so that's why I've been home.

I spent the days at home, did some marking, etc., but also had time to play around on the computer. After the nice comment I received on my tortilla ad in the last entry, I decided to try something else, this time with a picture of a Vespa. I got this technique from Photoshop TV, one of the podcasts I regularly watch. I really enjoy using Photoshop to create photographic art - I just wish I was a better photographer.



The other thing I did was look around YouTube for a while. There were lots of interesting scooter videos, but the one I liked most was this one. It briefly tells about a charity ride based from an Army Base in Germany. I believe it is an actual news story as it looks and sounds quite professional.

I hope to ride this weekend as the weather is pretty nice and my voice has returned. I will be at a teacher conference for most of the weekend but I know that I will feel better if I can get out - even if it’s only for a short time.

Wasabi, Honey & Horses

Lately, the weather has been fantastic.

I try to ride my scooter in most weather but it’s days like Saturday that are warm and sunny that I love the most. Riding is not only exciting and exhilarating, it is also not too much of a challenge.

My ride yesterday was not a terribly long ride, although I did have a couple longer rides during the week. I scooted to Superstore which is a large grocery chain in Canada to track down a treat that a co-worker had shared with me earlier in the week - wasabi and honey flavoured tortilla chips. They’re Superstore’s own premium brand called President’s Choice (nothing to do with George W., thank goodness) and are a unique taste. I got a little carried away with my enjoyment of them as I took some photos and then played around with the images with Photoshop. Trying to avoid my marking load again, I guess...



On the way home, I took the back roads. There are many different farms and horse ranches in Maple Ridge which I still find new and interesting even though I’ve lived here for twenty years. I grew up in the city of Vancouver and really only saw farms and horses when we went away for the holidays. Living in Maple Ridge, just a few minutes on my Vespa or a few more on my bike and I’m in the middle of farming country.

It was a very pleasant ride - neither bricks nor bouquets today - and I came home with a nice cache of wine, chips and a few other groceries, all carried in my handy pet carrier. As always, I felt recharged, yet also relaxed, and maybe even ready to mark those darned math tests...