Move coming soon...

The move to the new apartment is coming up very soon.  I expect to move the stuff I have here in my room in Burnaby over to the new apartment Wednesday evening, though some will likely be shifted over Tuesday evening depending upon the weather and how I feel.  I'll be using a van (taxi) to get the belongings there on Wednesday.  Wednesday evening into Thursday morning will be my last stay at the old place.  Moving the stuff in storage over to the new place still has to be decided, a date anyway, plus the funds owing have to be paid up before that is moved over.

The phone and internet is ready for May 1st.  The internet service for the old place ends on April 30th.  Then the keys for the old place have to be returned to the landlord in order to have the deposit reimbursed.  There is so much to do and so little time in which to do it all.

There has been a pay raise:  $12.55 per hour as opposed to $12.25.  There is another raise due later.  This is all good because it means I can get my debts paid off faster.  Having too little money is an issue and having to much of it has its own set of problems associated with it.  There will be more news regarding the employment scene later.

On another front, I plan to restrict access to this blog only to those invited.  This will happen soon.  Brad is to be co-writer as previously mentioned.  So those that wish to read the blog, Saltwater Blood Meets Spirit Mountain, will have to email me in order to get a password that will allow them access.  The email is to be found in the profile for both this and the original blog, Haliaeetus, but here it is anyway:  haliaeetusblog(at)gmail.com.  This will allow Brad and I to discuss matters more freely in order that those that have a right to this information can benefit from it.  With that I will close this entry for this evening.  -  Volker

The Royal Vancouver Yacht Club

Above is a view of the Royal Vancouver Yacht Club next to Stanley Park in Vancouver. The photo was taken on a warm, sunny spring day earlier this month. This is the entrance to the club and a portion of the seawall is seen on the left foreground.

Famous last words

A friend of mine in Pennsylvania sent me an email a couple of days ago with a link to an article and video about a 46 year old professor that wanted to leave others, especially his children a legacy.  Check out the following link to learn more about  Randy Pausch:  Famous last words - Times online and what he had to say.  The focus wasn't on the cancer that was to end his life but a meaningful message for his children and others.  Comments?

Ramblings....

Well, today has been a productive day in a sense.  The day started off slowly though.  I slept in until after 9 am, showered, had breakfast and then got caught up with the few emails that came in since yesterday.  This afternoon I went over to the new apartment  complex in New Westminster to sign the lease and pick up the keys for the suite.  Before I left the building I went through the checklist given to me to record the state of the apartment at the time it was taken.  There were a few minor things but for the most part everything was in good order.

Now I am back at my room in Burnaby, had supper and am contemplating what to do this evening.  A friend in Vancouver had asked me to come over but since nothing has been definitely decided on that front, I will wait until I hear something from him.  His computer has also been acting "wacky" lately and that doesn't bode well for proper communications either since we IM each other.

Yesterday I posted series of video clips regarding Aussiebum and Andrew Christian underwear, some wrestling clips and some other videos as well.  I've long had an interest in both underwear and swimwear which some would say was a fetish.  Everyone has a fetish of some sort even if they don't admit it to their friends or family.

The wrestling clips remind me of the days when I was still in high school.  That was a long time ago:  September 1969 - January 1975!  I went to two different secondary school in that period:  Westminster and Saunders Secondary Schools, both in London, Ontario.  It was at the first school that we had wrestling class during gym period.  I remember being paired up with a guy a bit heavier than me and not particularly appealing as far as I was concerned.  I would often end up on the bottom.  We also had basketball and even a try at gold, though the latter didn't appeal to me either.  There was even a sexual education class which back then didn't consider anything else but straight sex and avoided all the others  like gay and lesbian sex altogether.  Things have come along way since then but there are still many improvements to be made in making society more accepting of others, regardless of race, nationality or sexual orientation.  Now the younger generation is more enlightened and accepting than the generation I grew up with or the generation mine was raised by.  Today they'll discuss anything but back then you didn't even open the matter with our parents (taboo) and our own generation wasn't as enlightened then as they are now.  Then the age of the computer and internet makes most any form of information available.  Now there is no excuse for not knowing.  And while most of my friends are straight, some are also gay and lesbian plus being from a variety of backgrounds.

Enough on that for now.  Let me go back to washing my supper down with a cold beer or two.  The temperature reached near 14 degrees Celsius, so the beer tastes particularly good under these conditions.  Rain is in the forecast for Sunday.  The cloud cover is already moving in but it will still be warm enough at 13 degrees.  More later.  -  Volker

Beach

Flipside - Sean Cody Str8 College Guys at the beach

Love

Amour Gay/Gay Love

Brockton Point Lighthouse

This post features a series of photos of the Brockton Point Lighthouse on Burrard Inlet. The lighthouse can be accessed and seen along Stanley park's seawall. This also marks the entry point to Vancouver's harbour. Brockton Point Lighthouse dates from 1914 which replaced a lighthouse originally built here in 1890. I love the white and red colour combination plus the mostly blue sky adds to the photos. The lighthouse would also be a great background for a photo or two of someone special. Enjoy! - Volker

Ethan Reynolds @ Salton Sea

One of my friends, Adam Bouska, a 24 year old photographer in Los Angeles, California, recently did a shoot of Ethan Reynolds, a mutual friend that both Brad and I know. Here are but two examples of Adam's photographic genius. All of his photographic work is great. Ethan is as good-looking as ever and who cannot appreciate that fine muscled physique with all the work that went into achieving that look? I certainly can! Can you?

Check out the following links for more information and photos taken by Adam Bouska:

http://www.bouska.net/

http://www.adambouska.com/

http://www.myspace.com/bouska

Relationships

Yesterday I was thinking about relationships, whether with friends, a significant other, business partners, and how important they are to all of us in keeping us sane. It's important to keep an honest, open dialogue with those that we hold important in our lives to maintain this relationship. Humans are a very social creature by nature, so I believe we would become "insane" in time without this social interaction.

The past few posts have been dwelling on the physical beauty of humans (i.e. male) but there is also an inner beauty that many times defies desciption. Those of us that are capable and estute enough to have a gut feeling or intuition regarding another person, regardless of gender or sexual orientation, are gifted and truely are honour-bound to make this a better world for everyone. I believe this is the point in the most recent video clip of Matt Dallas and the troubled young man. It doesn't really matter who the young man opens up, whether male or female, but it does matter in the long term in order to release the demons of the past, deal with the trauma and move forward letting go of the past. Without this release I believe we are stuck and cannot move. Courage, honour and strength of spirit together, with insight from others and self-introspection, help enlighten us and move us forward. Then we should do the right thing once we have resolved our own issues to be of service to others who ask and have their own issues to resolve. Together we help ourselves and others move forward and upward in enlightenment.

So, we can have all the family in the world but true friendships are very important in keeping us sane. One can never have enough friends but having a few very deep, honest and open friendships is very important. Those we usually have for a very long time since the shallow friendships are fleeting and generally do not last very long. Hug the ones you love and tell them you love them. Do not wait for a severe illness or death to do so. Life is too short and things could change at any moment. Open dialogue is important regardless of the relationship, gender or orientation of those that we have interaction with. That is how I feel on the matter. It's just good sense as far as I'm concerned. More on this later. - Volker

C-IN 2 - Jail 2 - underwear video clip

C-IN2 - Jail 2

C-IN2 - Jail 1 - underwear video clip

C-IN2 - Jail 1

Dip anyone?

The weather has been warming up nicely but the water is yet to do the same. This hearty soul braved the waters of English Bay's Third Beach on Sunday. The air temperature that day was around 13 degrees Celsius but the water was still cold. This was a bit of a change from Saturday's 19 degrees. Blue balls anyone? - Volker

Imagine

Can you imagine Brad's totally cut physique in front of the white walls of this lighthouse showing his muscled body to its best advantage??? I can! Can you? - Volker

Some new photos

Here are a couple of new photos in keeping with this blog's nautical theme. Above is a sailboat with spinnaker deployed sailing on English Bay on its approach to Vancouver's False Inlet. Note the waterfowl (mostly ducks) flying past. The photo below is of a lighthouse along the south side of Burrard Inlet on the north side of Stanley Park. More photos to come. - Volker

Horoscope for the 16th

There were a couple of interesting horoscopes in yesterday's 24HRS newspaper but like all of them, they are rather general and could apply to almost anyone. They are mostly common sense predictions. Below are two, one for Gemini and the other for Leo.

Gemini (May 21-June 20)
"Clear your mind and the rest will follow. Remain attuned to tasks at hand and move forward toward making fond dreams a reality." Brad is a Gemini!

Leo (July 23-Aug.22)
"Honesty is the best policy. You may want to just blend into the crowd, but do not pretend to be less than you really are." I'm a Leo!

Anyway, good for thought. - Volker

Laptop issues

I ran into some issues with the new operating system (OS) and have decided to install the old OS (original) instead. This means starting from the beginning once again installing the OS followed by the rest of the needed software. This should take a few hours of work. I plan to contact my internet provider (IP) this evening to check on some issues with the account and then hope that all is running normally by Friday and ceertainly by weekend.

Once all is back to normal I plan to post some new photos. Others that I had planned to post are still on the old drive or saved on an external hard drive. Hopefully I can retrieve those and post them at some point. These are the challenges and frustations of owning a computer: great when they work and not so great when they don't! - Volker

New hard drive is working

The new hard drive that was installed on my laptop recently is now working properly. I spent last evening downloading much of the required software and have still a bit to finish up tonight. There is a minor issue to resolve as far as the software from the IP is concerned but I think I have the answer to that problem. It should be resolved this evening. So by the end of the week, if not sooner, all should be running as normal again. - Volker

Weather is improving

The weather here in the lower mainland has been improving over the last couple of weeks. Saturday was especially nice with bright sunny skies and a temperature of 19 degrees Celsius. Sunday was nice too, just a bit cooler. I went for a walk along Stanley Park's seawall both days (Saturday and Sunday). On Saturday I saw a couple of guys out on their seadoos near Siwash Rock and on Sunday a guy went for a dip at the Third Beach. Although the air temperature is great, the water is still to cold, so he must have been a rather harty soul to brave the cold water.

A friend joined me on Sunday where we followed the seawall from the main beach at English Bay to the Third Beach and then headed into the park along the trail. We saw an eagle's nest high up a tree and a bald eagle on an upper branch at the top of the tree (fir tree I believe). The seawall and parts of the park were closed most of last year because of detruction caused by a winter storm late in 2006. The devastation could still be seen in the area where this tree was found. There are new trails further back from the edge of the cliff overlooking Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The area where the old trails are is likely too unstable for the time being. We hooked back up with the seawall beyond Prospect Point. There is a great view there of Burrard Inlet, English Bay and the various mountains to the north, such as Hollyburn Mountain, Grouse Mountain, etc. Both days were great for getting plenty of exercise and fresh air since I spend most of the work day as a concierge sitting behind a desk.

Afterwards it was off to the local Starbucks (Denman & Davie Streets) for blossom white tea and a sandwich in my case and something else from Delaney's (Denman) in my friend's case before heading home. Enjoy your lovely spring weather where you are or enjoy it when it does come. - Volker

New hard drive is working

The new hard drive is now properly installed and working. I am supposed to be getting a commercial OS on Sunday and then will proceed from there by downloading all the software I require to do the various tasks on the laptop. A tech at work had a look at the computer and was able to correct the problem.

I'm in at work on Sunday for fire training. Although I am a concierge, knowing what to do in the case of a fire or other emergency is part of the job. So, I'll be there at 8 am which means getting up early six days in a row. Oh well!

Have a great weekend! - Volker

Brad, blogging and life at sea

Back in March of this year I invited Brad to be my co-author of this blog. This was his reaction in an email dated March 3rd:

"I willingly accept the role of co-author & the role of posting insight regarding us amongst this blog.

Also, I will post in this blog my current up to date thoughts, feelings and ongoings aboard the boat, so both you (Volker) and others will be kept up to par with my daily activities." - Brad

Then on March 15th, which was the last time I heard from him, he mentioned the following:

"All is well & days are long." - Brad

In this last email he wrote that he was using a borrowed computer and borrowed time to send a quick message while getting a coffee and a dinner before heading back out from a port in New Brunswick. Seems he's too busy for the moment to post which I can well imagine. I didn't hear from him during Easter weekend as expected. Likely ice conditions and other factors contributed to this delay in contact.

Then it also recently that four seal hunters lost their lives. The fourth is still missing as I understand it. Of the six onboard the two on watch survived. As I understand it, the boats stopped their work in honour of those that passed on. A sad weekend that's for sure.

So, needless to say, I am very much looking forward to hearing from Brad when he does break his silence. He must be overworked and very tired at day's end! - Volker

Marine Forecast for the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Nova Scotia

To give you an idea of the marine weather forecast in the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Cabot Strait, here it is for your interest:

Environment Canada's Official Text Forecasts

Marine Synopsis for the Maritimes

* NOTE: Corrected and/or amended bulletins are listed first *
FQCN20 CWHX 081822

Marine synopsis for the Maritimes issued by Environment Canada
At 3.30 PM ADT Tuesday 8 April 2008.

A broad area of high pressure stretching from the Gulf of St
Lawrence to Nova Scotia will gradually slide southward tonight and
Wednesday. Moderate to strong northeasterlies over southern waters
will diminish to light winds by Wednesday afternoon as the high moves
southward. Elsewhere generally light winds are forecast throughout
the period in the vicinity of the high.
On Wednesday evening a trough of low pressure will approach the
district from the west. Over westernmost waters winds will increase
to moderate southerlies ahead of the trough.
END/ASPC

see: http://text.weatheroffice.gc.ca/forecast/textforecost_e.html?Bulletin=fqcn20.cwhx

-Volker

More on horoscopes

Last week the weekly paper called the West End [WE] had an interesting horoscope prediction for the week of April 3-9/2008 [Free Will Astrology].

Leo (July 23-Aug.22)
The feats you're pulling off may not appear spectacular to a casual observer. But in my view, they are some of the most interesting accomplishments you've enjoyed in a while. Here's a brief a brief description of some of your subtly glorious break-throughs: 1. You've made yourself less susceptible to being manipulated by guilt or pushed around by bullies, 2. You're getting smarter about how you treat the people and things you love, 3. You're at the peak of your ability to discern the difference between rash risks motivated by fear and smart gambles driven by authentic intuition.

In general these could apply to anyone and is why I would prefer drawing up a natal chart based upon the place, date and time of birth rather than the generalities presented in daily or weekly horoscopes. My own birth date is August 14th born at 7:10 pm in Bruchsal, Germany. The book that I used to draw up my chart (and the chart itself) is in storage until the end of the month. When my belonging come out of storage, I plan to review my own chart and draw one up for my friend Brad, who is a Gemini and born June 17th (May 21-June 20). Since he is born in the cusp, the sign Cancer (June 21-July 22) has influence. However, a natal chart is like a blue print or map of what is ahead in life. Obsticles can be overcome and predictions are based upon current human actions. Changes in these actions may change the outcome for the future. Also, personal predictions have greater leaway than say those for the collective, or humans beings in general.

I would like to hear from Brad and then find out more particulars on him for drawing up a natal chart. More on this subject later. Feel free to comment. - Volker

home computer offline for a while

The new hard drive I bought recently to replace the one that died made no difference. My laptop still won't boot, so I am cancelling my internet at the current place (I'm moving at the end of the month anyway) and set up a new account with phone services at the new place. I'd rather use my funds to pay the rent and moving expenses rather than sinking them in a computer right now. A tech will look at the laptop when I bring it in to work next week but there is no rush on it. It will be looked at when he has time. Such is life!

So now with the move coming up, there is so much work to do such as finding the funds to pay the storage and moving expenses and such. The phone and internet issue is simple by comparison. That about sums up what this month will be. - Volker

Recent deaths of sealers off Cape Breton

The recent deaths of seal hunters off Cape Breton gave me a bit of a shock on the weekend. Since Brad is still at sea off Nova Scotia my heart almost stopped. I learned the details from the news on tv and more when I did some research on the net the other day. A fishing vessel was being towed by a coast guard ship after having some troubles. Then at about 1:14 am the fishing vessel capsized after running up on ice. Three persons sleeping below deck drowned and a fourth is still missing. The two that survived were above keeping watch. These were needless deaths as far as I can tell. So why were the six men allowed to remain on the vessel being towed in the first place? Hopefully the investigations into this matter will shed some light into this and hopefully such things may be prevented in future. Whether you agree with it or not, the seal hunt itself is another issue entirely.

Now I haven't heard from Brad since before Easter. I have since heard that the ice has been an issue this year. With all the snowstorms in central and eastern Canada and now the melting causing flooding, such as in Ontario, I am sure that the resulting melt water is affecting the current outflow into the Atlantic. This and the wind would cause issues with the sea ice. More on this later. - Volker

Lease application approved

It is official: the lease for the apartment has been approved. This is a one bedroom apartment for Brad and I. Once he is here, settled and we know his monthly income, we have the option to upgrade to a two bedroom apartment. The lease is for one year. Now my real work begins contacting the mover to get my stuff out of storage plus contacting Telus regarding phone and internet service. More on this later. - Volker