Another Trip to Edmonton

I am flying out this afternoon from Fresno to Edmonton for a few days. My Grandfather passed away quite peacefully yesterday afternoon. My brother Jonathan and I were going to be meeting my parents up in Edmonton this weekend to spend some time with my Grandfather as he was very sick and we knew he didn't have a lot of time left. Unfortunately we missed getting to see him this weekend by about a day. The funeral will be sometime early this week.

My Grandfather will surely be missed, and we all love him very much. He is in a much better place now.

Alice in Wonderland

In case you haven't seen the trailer for Tim Burton's new film Alice in Wonderland or for that matter heard about it coming out, check it out below. I think it is going to be really great.

Virtuality

It is a very long time coming, but I said I would blog on this and here it is.

Within the last few weeks I watched a feature film/show on Hulu from Fox called Virtuality. Unfortunately the show is no longer available on Hulu, so you'll have to wait until they might post it again.

Virtuality is basically a science fiction set in the future when the Earth is quickly becoming uninhabitable and a crew of scientists are sent into space to explore a nearby star system. The two things that make this show unique is that the lives and experiences of the crew is being video taped and sent back to earth as a reality TV show, and the ship is fitted with a virtuality reality system to occupy the crew's time and keep them sane. Both of these two aspects of the show seem to be adding the conflict, keeping it from being boring.

I liked the show a lot, and I hope Fox (or someone) picks it up. I think it has potential to be really good, and I liked the acting so far.

Perfect Time for Rail

As you know, I am quite passionate about High Speed Rail coming to California. I try and share this enthusiasm with others so they can see all the positives associated with this project. One of the arguments I hear most often from people that don't really understand the project is "we can't afford a project like this while the economy is in this state."

These people need to read this article on the California High Speed Rail Blog.

Text or Call

With the new study done at Fresno State about texting while driving, I was reminded of something I heard while on my recent trip to Edmonton.

A DJ on one of the radio stations I was listening to was talking about getting in touch with the radio station, and she said "And if you're driving, don't take any unnecessary risks by calling, go ahead and text us at XXXXXX". I thought to myself, is it really safer to text the radio station while driving than to call them?

What do you think?

Trip to Canada

A week ago I had the opportunity to fly up to Edmonton, AB for the weekend to visit family and friends and spend some time with my Grandpa. It was a both a happy and sad trip, but I'm really glad I got to go.

A long with spending quality time each day with my Grandpa, I visited with Grandma, Uncle Myron & Aunt Betty, the Jones, Tim G., and Mackenzie. As well, I saw a lot of other people at Church and those that came to visit my Grandpa while I was at the hospital. I drove by all the houses I lived in while in Edmonton, and I drove by all 4 schools I attended in Edmonton.

It was a big step for me, as it was the first time I had ever rented a car. Now that I am 25 I can rent a car like any other adult. The other parts of the trip weren't anything new as far as traveling is concerned though.

Edmonton sure is a growing city as I saw by all the construction (LRT expansion and cranes all over the city) and I realize every time I go how much I miss Edmonton and all the people I know up there.

10 000 miles

In the last month I finally hit the 10 000 mile mark on my Smart Car! It took about 11 months for this feat, and what it means is I was recommended to take my car to the dealership to have the car's first oil change and 10 000 mile service/check-up.

Unfortunately, the closest dealership (and the dealership from where I bought my car) is in San Jose, a mere 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive. It is Smart Center Stevens Creek and it is attached to and a part of the Porsche dealership next door. I was lucky enough to have my brother Andrew come along with me. We made the trek up to San Jose, got to the dealership at 9:00am and let the dealership do there thing. I got the car back shortly before noon, and we were on our way.

The complete work-up cost me about $160.

The dealership did the following on my car:

• Oil/Filter change
• Checked the lights
• Checked and topped up the fluids
• Checked system components such as wiper blades/hoses/belts/horn/clutch
• Checked battery
• Checked tires
• Checked brakes
• Checked underbody and exterior trim
• Washed the exterior of the car
• Vacuum/clean the interior

I also received a "Know Your Vehicle" pamphlet, which has a lot of good information such as tire tread and brake condition. I'm not sure if this was particularly specific to this dealership or not. The car wash was also nice, and I felt very appreciated by the staff at the Smart Dealership as well as the Porsche Dealership.