The Engleson Files

First thing I want to say now that I am back in action is a big thank you to Gramma Judy and Papa Joe for all their wonderful hospitality over the summer months. All of us absolutely love coming to Victoria and spending time with you and always feel sad when we leave. The house is always full of laughter, big drinks and good times! We all miss you guys dearly and can’t wait to come back next year and see you again.

Love,

Craig, Kristin, Ge Ge (The Circus Boy) and, of course, Svea

Ladies and gentlemen, I am terribly sorry for the long delay in posts but true to form the Great Firewall of China is proving to be a giant pain in the ass! The level of fear the Chinese government continues to have with internet sites is beyond ridiculous and doing simple chores on your computer over here requires a great deal of patience and a lot of savvy with proxy things and all that kind of crap - to which I have very little. Anyways, slowly we are getting everything adjusted and will be ready to continue at our normal pace very soon. Stay with us folks!

When I got up this morning I had no idea how monumental of a day it was going to be. For years I have been under a spell that has left me paralyzed in sea of ignorance and corporate coercion - I was brainwashed and no amount of reasoning could sway my allegiance. For as long as I can remember I have always worn Levi’s jeans and have never given one thought about changing brands. “Nope, Levi’s is all I wear,” would be common phrases I would say. Why such devotion? I have no idea. Growing up in Princeton certainly played a factor because during my high school years wearing anything else would have been grounds for a good beating - I can remember getting laughed out of the school for just wearing orange tabs! But today, for whatever reason, Levi Strauss’s 20+ year stranglehold over my choice of jeans has come to an end. Today I went down to Simpson Sears to go shopping and went right to the Levi’s section like a zombie but then something changed. My mind expanded to whole new levels of consciousness and I looked over at another section of jeans. I may never know why I decided to go over to that new section and try on a different brand but I did and I am happy for doing it. The new jeans fit great and when driving home it was as though I was seeing the world again for the first time - the birds were signing beautiful tunes, the sky was a spectacular blue and the trees were all stunningly green. I have finally grown up and I am taking my new jeans with me!

I have said it before and I will say it again: I like baseball but I am not a huge fan - it’s too long of a season but come October the game is as good as it gets. But, as I sat and watched the Seals game live I realized that I like baseball more than I thought I did; being outdoors, the sound of the wood striking the ball, the heckling fans, the manager kicking dirt at the umpire - it’s great! And as I contemplated my enjoyment for the game I realized that I do not have a true team that I cheer for in the Majors. As a kid I liked the Expos, jumped on the Blue Jays wagon in their glory years and will always have a soft spot for my geographic brethren in Seattle - but for a long time I have been searching for a team that I can get on board with for life - my team, but I have not found one that has solidified itself yet. So, this is where all of you come in - I want you to help me find my team. I have a very strict set criteria that I want you incorporated into your research and see if you can find me my team - this criteria is set in stone and is non-negotiable.

Here is my criteria:

- The team must be in the NL - no stupid AL designated hitter crap!
- The team must have traditional roots - we’re talkin’ 80+ years in the league here people.
- The team doesn’t necessarily have to be good, or even have a winning tradition.
- And, the back catcher on my team cannot wear the new stupid mask - it has to be old school - even this preferably!

So, there you have it folks. Your job now is to take all of these factors and find me a team that I will cheer for for life - this is serious business! I will get the hat, research the team’s history, learn everything I can and get on board! Good luck!

Well, it’s official: I have lost my annual summer problem of becoming a fat pig. Every summer since I have moved over to China I come back to Canada and gain (at least) 15 pounds. I told myself to be careful this year and watch how much I eat and drink and try to not gain so much weight - I even brought over a bike to ride to try and help keep the body moving. However, the summer of socializing has trapped me in once again and all the snacks and rum and cokes have caught up to me. My comfort weight is usually around 185 pounds and I am already somewhere around 195 lbs! I am completely embarrassed of myself and just feel like bloated, fat slob - bring on more Hawkin’s Cheezies and another rum and coke you stupid idiot!!

It’s got the 10.2 megapixels, it’s got the real image engine, it’s got the increased control with expanded dynamic range and the full backward lens compatibility; the Pentax K200d even comes with rack and pinion steering and dual overhead cams - this baby has it all! And last night Kristin and I purchased one. This is obviously way too much camera for the photographic skills I posses, but I am very excited to learn what I can and grow with it. I became intrigued with the Pentax when a friend of mine, Blake Defieux, purchased the k10d version and told me all about the bells and whistles it possessed; and one of the strongest assets of the Pentax is its ability to interchange lenses from the past 60+ years, which I think really helps make it into a neat little hobby. This camera is also easy enough for Kristin to use for those everyday shots when needed. I have much learning to do but I am very excited and eager to learn the k200d’s capabilities and see what kind of fun we can have with it.

Today is the 191st day of the year which also happens to be a very big day for yours truly. Yes, today thirty-seven years ago in the sleepy northern Alberta township of Grande Prairie I was born. While the events of my birth do not make even the slightest ripple in the annals of July 10th history, here is some news of interest for this great day of the year:

988 – The city of Dublin is founded on the banks of the river Liffey.
1212 – The most severe of several early fires of London burns most of the city to the ground.
1789 – Alexander Mackenzie reaches the Mackenzie River delta.
1859 – Big Ben rings for the first time.
1938 – Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
1973 – The Bahamas gain full independence within the Commonwealth of Nations.
1989 – Mel Blanc, American voice actor dies (b. 1908)
1991 – Boris Yeltsin begins his 5-year term as the first elected President of Russia.

One day for an estimate on fixing my bike??!! Are you kidding me? I was absolutely dumb-founded after I walked into a local bike store and asked them to fix a couple of minor problems with my bike and was told to wait a day for them to check it out. The work that needed to be done was literally 10 minutes worth once all the proper pieces were purchased. I couldn’t believe it! I brought the bike into the store, told them what was needed to be done, purchased the small items, waited, watched these people walk around the store and do everything in their power to try and prove they were busy (which they were not), waited some more, and then watched them come back and tell me that they would look over the bike and get back to me with an estimate by tomorrow - and it is still not even fixed yet!! Unbelievable! Now, I realize that I have been in China for a long time and that I am a little out of the loop, but geez people, what is going on over here where you cannot get same day service for services required. Why could these people not look at my bike as soon as I walked in? No one else was in the store and no one was doing anything. I am absolutely beside myself right now and can’t believe how backwards we are with regards to the service industry. Back in China, I would have taken my bike down to my bike guy, told him the problem, waited 10 minutes, paid him 5 rmb and then went on my merry way on my repaired bike. Now, I realize that sometimes it takes time to get things fixed but what I brought in today to these bike people should have been done right in front of me. Whether it be a quick fix for your vacuum cleaner or bike, this type of service needs to be re-instituted back into our society because I know there was a time in Canadian history when it was prided upon. Automatic phone messaging systems, one day estimates for minor problems: people, this has gone on too far! Canadian service sucks and I am officially fed up - and I also want my bike back!!

For the next 16-20 hours this will be all that I see. Yes, today the Engleson clan heads for home for 7 wonderful weeks of vacation! We will be spending some time in Victoria, Vancouver and Penticton - and I can’t wait! We will see you all very soon on Pacific Standard Time.

Happy Canada Day people! I hope everyone had a great day and helped celebrate our wonderful country!

So, what do you think…does the Sasquatch truly exist? Does he really roam the dense forested soil of western Canada and United States? While I am like most who debunk this mythical beast, I do wonder how and why these types of creatures have become so ingrained in our collective consciousness if, in fact, the vast majority of us do not believe in them. Is it that we want to believe? For as long as I have been alive I have the heard stories of the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti, Ogopogo and, of course, the Sasquatch; and for hundreds of years people have believed in these myths and have dedicated their lives in the search for them. Why? Science and technology has done a lot to refute these creatures but the remaining .0001% chance of them actually existing seemingly continues to overshadow science (which I love!) Is it just human nature to want to believe in these types of beings, or do they actually exist? Discuss…

Click here for a great little clip from CBC Archives about a guy who has spent his entire life searching the illusive Sasquatch - this is beauty!

Ever since I hit my 30’s and really started to get into the value/charm of a good old fashioned sweater, I have thought about attaining a real deal Cowichan Sweater; simply put, I think they are beauty! Now, my plan is to try and infiltrate a location on Vancouver Island sometime this summer and try and find a person who makes these things so I can attempt to have one customized. I have always loved the moose and want it to be the main focus of the sweater - not too sure of what other themes I can go with (please send me some ideas if you have any.) So, until then, as my days pass me by until our summer vacation I sit and think about Cowichan sweaters and how I would like to get one with a moose on it made.

I am not too sure how much coverage this story is getting in Canada but the on-going debacle in Myanmar surrounding Aung Sun Suu Kyi is an absolute joke. For the past 15 years this woman has been locked up in her home because of her family connection to Myanmar (her father was the hero of independence and head of the nation who was then assassinated) and also because of her pro-democratic stance. She was due to be released from house arrest within three weeks time, but then completely out of the blue, a stranger swims up to her home and is caught and now Suu Kyi is up for trial which could see her thrown into prison for yet another 5 years. The timing and set up of this whole sham is so painfully obvious and ridiculous that it makes my blood boil. I find it hard to believe that this day in age such amateur and blatant theatrics can be achieved with no repercussions. The SLORC government is an absolute disgrace and I hope their time comes to a painful and abrupt end! They do not represent the people at all and I hope that justice can prevail and Aung Sun Suu Kyi, and the people of Myanmar, can live in peace for once in their lives!