The Engleson Files

Holidays are over and tomorrow we go back to work for real - enough said…

Just had a huge falling out with Bike Guy #1 and have now moved on to Bike Guy #2. Over the past few visits it was becoming abundantly clear that #1 was a shiester at heart. He was over-pricing for everything by a large amount and could only see short term profits instead of a long term goal, which I tried to educate him on: “Why not make 2000 rmb more in a year rather than 200 rmb in a day?”, but there was no talking any sense to him. So, I have moved on and I now just hope my #2 guy is good with the bikes and wants to build a long term working relationship - I have my fingers crossed.

In my pursuit for graphic novels in the classroom, I stumbled upon the popular Hellboy series and bought a few issues for perusal - and I have to say that I have enjoyed it very much! The books have great story lines, very witty dialogue and wonderful artwork. I have not watched the movies as of yet and I am trying my best to avoid it all together. Look out grade 12’s, Hellboy is coming!

Well, the games have come to a close and it is safe to say that they were a huge success for all involved. I think China put on a hell of a show and have raised the standard for all to follow. As for Canada, I am very proud of our athletes performances in Beijing. For me, anyone who makes it to the Olympics is a very special person and from what I saw many of our athletes achieved personal bests and/or broke Canadian records while performing at the games - and really, what more can we ask for. I do not aspire to the ideal that “a 1000 silvers do not equate to one gold,” I am proud of every medal our athletes earned. With that said, it is clear that we still have a lot of work to do on the world stage, but for now, we should all celebrate our achievements and get ready to do it all again in Vancouver.

I need to get a few things off my chest here: I think Air Canada as an airline and a company is an absolute joke and I am embarrassed and ashamed of them. This airline used to have world wide standards and now they are as bush league as it gets. For 6 years we have been doing the same routine flying from Victoria to Vancouver (and then onto China) and for 6 years I have basically just witnessed a reduction in services and an increase in fees; I also think their customer service is disgraceful and should not be tolerated by paying customers. I simply cannot believe how horrible this entire airline has become and that we as Canadians have allowed it happen - shame on you Air Canada you are as pathetic as it gets and I hope your company crumbles and burns in hell!!

If you were to go and rent this movie you would see that me and my family play the starring role. Due to high humidity and neglect, our house and clothing were infested with mold and everyone is still tired and cranky from the flight - this is not fun people!

Well, we are back. The journey home was, in my opinion, the worst one to date with the kids bouncing off the walls the entire time. The actual flight was non-eventful (thank god!) but no one was able to sleep and/or rest and now our internal clocks are all screwed up. We had a great summer vacation but it feels good to be back in our own home and our normal routines - thanks again to everyone for a great time!

And finally today we sadly leave Pappa Joe behind for another year. It was great hanging out with Joe and watching the kids latch on to him like never before - be sure to have a nice rest Pappa, you have earned it! Take care and we’ll see you in China.

Love,

Craig, Kristin, Magnus and Svea

Well, sadly, yesterday Gramma Judy had to leave us to go away for her annual work retreat with Abebooks. The family misses her dearly in our last few days and we all had an absolutely wonderful time with her this summer. Drinks, laughs, movies and great debates at the dinner table - we did it all! Thank you so much for everything Gramma and we hope to see you in China this coming May!

Love,

Craig, Kristin, Magnus and Svea

Sorry, I just like this picture I took down at Victoria harbor the other day - I hope you enjoy it too!

I just finished watching the Men’s triathlon race where Canada’s Simon Whitfield took the silver medal. It was an absolutely brilliant performance by Simon and I could not be any more proud of his outcome - his silver is a gold in my opinion! I watched this race with a little extra interest because last year during Magnus’s swim lessons at the Crystal Pool in Victoria Simon Whitfield was also there training for Beijing. Some days when I took Svea down to the pool he would come over after his swim and ask many questions about her. He had just recently had a child as well (or at least his wife did) and was very excited about sharing early child rearing stories; and when I told him that we lived in China it peaked more conversation as well (I would like to think my insider scoop(s) is what did it!) He was just such a nice guy and so sweet to Svea that it made such a huge impression on me. Congratulations Simon, you raced one hell of a race and have made us all very proud!

I am getting very sick and tired of this routine. The past few days have been chalk full of shopping and packing for an entire year’s worth of Canadian goods. We leave to go back to China on Wednesday but until then it will high stress and lots of chores.

Last night Joe and I stumbled upon this fantastic little NFB film called “Paddle to the Sea”. The very second we started watching it we were totally captivated and have not been able to get it out of our minds since. This half-hour film was made in 1966 and was nominated for an Academy Award and is an adaptation of a children’s book (of the same name) by author Holling C. Holling. Today I went and purchased the book and words cannot describe how beautiful it and the story is - this is pure Canadiana at its finest, people! Anyways, take some time and have a quick look at this cool little film and get then race down to your local book store and pick up your copy today - you will be glad you did.

Click here for a sneak peak at the book.

Yesterday the four of us went down to the inner harbor and went on a little ferry ride out to the Fisherman’s Wharf for some fish ‘n’ chips. The kids just love tootling around on these things and it is a great way to kill off a few hours in Victoria. The weather was great and so were the fish ‘n’ chips (even though they cost us a fortune!)