Sunday 17 July 2011

Slacking? Who has been slacking?

Okay, I know, I know.  This hasn't exactly marked a high-point in my blogging career!  I apologize for the total lack of communication, but I hope I can earn some bonus points for posting on a Sunday afternoon for the first time since I announced that I'd be posting on Sunday afternoons.  Now it's time for some catch-up...

First things first: the trip to Brucedale!  That was a fantastic bit of nice, easy camping.  Obviously a conservation area just off Highway 21 isn't going to hold a candle to the isolation and beauty of Killarney but there's something to be said for being able to store sensitive equipment in the truck when it's looking like rain.  Also, showers.  There's a LOT to be said for showers.

We really lucked out with the weather and it stayed clear for us for most of the trip.  We got a few rumblings of thunder early in the morning on Saturday while we were still safe it our tents, and it rained for about 10 minutes on Saturday afternoon, but aside from that we had great weather.  Actually, that led to us spending the majority of the trip on the beach.  Anyone who looks at Brucedale on a map and thinks "Wow!  That's right on the water, we can hang out on the beach!" may be making a slight calculation error.  It's right on the water, yes, but do not count on a beach.  That said, it's a pretty short drive up to Port Elgin, which has a lovely stretch of beach to sun yourself on.

Short of any sand-based lounging we just engaged in the usual camping activities of sitting around a campfire, roasting wienies, and regaling each other with tales of our past victories in battle.  Well, two out of three ain't bad...

Since then I've been keeping fairly busy with work.  There's been a lot of excitement around the office lately.  Unfortunately I'm not in a position to go into any details, but I can say that the company I work for has been bought by Zynga.  I'm sure that any of you who use Facebook will be familiar with the name, and if you're not I strongly suggest you take a look at their website.  For the official press-release on our acquisition please have a look here:

http://zyngablog.typepad.com/zyngacom/2011/07/zynga-acquires-toronto-based-five-mobile-team-creates-toronto-mobile-studio-.html

Like I said, I can't discuss the details of the move except to say that I'm incredibly excited about it and that I think on a personal level that this is going to be amazing for my career.  I'm really happy to be a part of the Zynga family!

In martial arts news Kai-sensei has come from Japan to visit us.  Unfortunately we haven't had much time to study with him.  Brahmjot has formed his own dojo called Tendokan which I am a member of, and during Kai-sensei's visit he has officially closed Seibukan Canada.  It's been a pretty tough time for those of us who started studying under the Seibukan name, but I have been assured that this move was entirely necessary, and not taken lightly.

So, that's where I'm at right now.  A lot has been shaken up in both my work and personal life, but the future looks rosy!  I'm pretty tired at the moment, but feeling pretty good about what's to come.  In the short term I don't have much planned, but I'm in the very early stages of trying to put together a trip for Euphemia and I to go visit her family in China.  I'm really hopeful that I can arrange to get 3 weeks off work to turn this into an epic trip on par with the great voyage to Japan that originally spawned this blog.  Right now we're aiming for Spring 2012, so it's still in the very early planning stages, but just like any of my trips I'll keep you all posted as things start to take shape.

My apologies again for making it so long between posts.  I hope that I can get back in to the rhythm of writing regularly again from this point forward.