Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Namaste ~ William

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Pictures from Disneyland & Legoland

Mobile me gallery

These are unedited, it’s a work in progress :))) hope you enjoy !
Thank you for stopping by – Namaste – William

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Home sweet home …

Well , it’s nice to be back 🙂 It was an amazing trip filled with fun and adventure but in the end it’s always nice to get back and unwind. The unpacking complete, laundry , catching up on mail, dreading the bills to come … Hehe
I’ve uploaded all the pictures and video, ready for editing , well.. Almost… I did hit one little snag. It’s this cute little camcorder I picked up from Sony (DCR-SX43) , it seemed just perfect at the time, it uses an SD card to record and according to the box it works with iMovie … Unfortunately I am still trying to figure this one out. I’ve tried iMovie on my iPad, iPhone, Mac and to no avail. So off to the Sony website I went in search of clues… Sorry this software does not support OSX ! You have to be kidding ! Ok, I’ll try a few other sites such as the discussion forums at Apple.com, well, I found more people searching for the same answers…
If anyone knows how I can somehow convert the files so I can download my eight GB of video it would be hugely appreciated and I will be sure to pass on the advice to the other people faced with this problem.
My son & I were somewhat overloaded with gadgets on this trip ; 2 cameras, an iPad , iPhone , iPod , Nintendo DSi & the Camcorder , it was fun watching the people at customs marvel at the xray screen when our carry on went through. The funniest part was that the one thing that baffled each one of them was the novel my son had with him, I guess it looks like a big solid blob in the xray 🙂 the only pain with all these little gadgets is all the power cords and accessories that have to come along for the ride …
While we were away, a friend had a little baby girl (Congrats Ruby , welcome to this wonderful adventure called life ! 🙂 ) I couldn’t resist picking up a little Minnie Mouse outfit at Disney for her, I hope they like it.
My son’s first day back at school consisted of a Science field trip, kind of a cool way to get back into the swing of things. He’s doing so well at school, I am a very proud & lucky parent. Being a single parent has had it’s fair share of ups and downs but I wouldn’t give it up for anything .
On the trip back David was all ready talking about what we should do next year, and yes , you guessed it : Disney World in Florida ! Personally my preference would be exploring Castles in the UK, or a West Coast outdoor adventure involving kayaks, whales , mountains and massive old growth trees , but I think that should probably wait until he’s a bit older. David is 11 and right now it’s all about roller coasters , Harry Potter & Pirates 🙂
The great part about going to Florida , is that we have a place to stay and friends to visit along the way. We have an Aunt & Uncle who spend the winters in St. Petersburg and the summers up here in Canada. It’s a nice central location for exploring the state.
Now that we are back and I’ve completed my basement renovation, it’s time to hit the garden and get to work on the other outside work that needs to be done. This weekend we are going to refinish our deck and put together a gazebo. It will be nice to get the yard cleaned up and the garage emptied out, hey , I will be actually able to park my car in there again hehe…
I hope everyone’s spring is going well , I should get going on some sleep , work comes early …
Nite all , thanks so much for stopping by
– Namaste – William

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A day at Legoland

We spent a leisurely Sunday at Legoland in San Diego, California. I probably took more pictures there than any other place. It’s amazing what they can create with those little blocks ! My son’s big favorite was the new Star Wars exhibits, there is so much detail to everything.
There is a few cool rides for older children but for the most part the park is geared towards younger children. We had plenty of fun just the same. There is a very cool water park at Legoland but the hours were short (10-5) and there weather was not the best for swimming.
We stayed at the newly renovated Sheraton hotel right next to the park. It is a very modern and gorgeous hotel and Spa. David spent most of the evening in the heated pool and jaccuzi.
San Diego has so much to offer people looking for fun and fabulous food. Next time I would prefer spending a couple of days here. A car is a big plus as everything is somewhat spread out.

Legoland
SeaWorld
San Diego

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Disney Vacation continued …

Today was spent at Disney’s California Adventure. We had such a blast with the shows and attractions. There are quite a few new ones under construction at the moment so next year the place will almost double in size it seems. We’ll have to come back and check it out again 🙂
I took quite a few pictures and video footage using the iPhone and a Sony camcorder. (my digital camera is broken but I am going to try and fix it for the trip to Legoland tomorrow)
One problem I encountered was, although I took the time to get the iPad all set up for our trip, I did not test the camera kit (SD card reader & camera connector) oops, apparently the camcorder doesn’t work with this version of iMovie & my USB cable for the camera is no where to be found. Oh well, these small problems are fixable as soon as we get home.
The World of Color debuted at Disney tonight, a fantastic mix of fountains, lights, lasers, video and fire all combining to make an incredible show. It was really amazing to watch. If you have a chance , book a fast pass really early to try and get in the blue section with the best views.
The main Disney park closed earlier today for a premiere of the new Pirates of the Caribbean show they have made, it is to officially open later this month.
My son has become completely hooked on roller coasters and can’t wait to try the one in West Edmonton Mall when we get home. Until now it freaked him out seeing people go upside down numerous times at crazy speeds 🙂
All in all, an amazing day ! I had better get my butt to bed , we are off to San Diego in the morning to check out the new LegoLand !
Best wishes and have a peaceful Mother’s Day tomorrow, be sure to spoil her if you can or call and send your love if you can’t . Mom’s are incredible and deserve all the best
– Namaste – William
P.s. So sorry to hear about the Canucks loosing tonight , we were cheering them on from afar and I was getting a million compliments on the Canucks jersey today 🙂 and a special thank you to my wonderful friend who kept me posted on the game !

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A day at Disneyland , California

The day is winding down here at Disney. The place is packed solid this friday night and everyone is talking about the big premiere of Pirates of the Caribbean that takes place here tomorrow evening.
It’s been a fantastic adventure so far, we’ve done every major ride that is open , watched a cool show, parade, etc. The line ups in the morning were not bad at all which was a pleasant surprise. The afternoon became much busier yet the longest line up we’ve hit was space mountain which was 45 minutes.
There sure is a lot to do for all ages here. My son whom is 11 & myself are here with my sister & here 2 year old son as well a Grandma. We’ve all been busy and have had a lot of fun.
The fireworks are about to start and the street is filling up. The place is really magical at night 🙂
We’ve been trying out the camera on the iPad and I am going to give the movie camera a try for the fireworks. We’ll see how the shots turn out. Tomorrow I am bringing my digital camera with me to take some better shots and hopefully catch some nice ones of the premiere.
One thing I like about these theme parks is the all inclusive tickets. One pass works for both parks and all your rides. This is a nice change from the amusement parks and carnivals we’ve been to in canada. It seems we are always running to buy more tickets for rides and games or paying extra for the cool rides…
We did a bit of shopping at the main street located in between the two parks. There are some really cool shops and restaurants. I’ll be sure to post some links and pics of the whole adventure once we return.
It’s almost fireworks time , have a great weekend people and thank you so much for dropping by !
Namaste from Disney – William

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The countdown to fun … Disneyland & Legoland !

Well , it’s almost here , the vacation we’ve been waiting for for a few years now 🙂 One more day to go and we’re off ! My son is so excited, he is at the age where he can now go on all the cool big rides and still young enough to enjoy the magic. As for myself , well, I am a big kid at heart and love doing fun things with him all the time. This trip should be a blast .
We went through the planning and booking of everything online using a number of different websites including the main Disneyland website , Legoland website, Westjet & Elite Parking
There are a lot of cool packages available and the sites were filled with a ton of info on where to stay, what to do, what to expect , etc.
Once our new iPad came in last week , I downloaded a few apps to help plan things out as well. A few of my favorite ones are :
Parktastiq for the iPad

It has a great map and tons of info on what is happening while your there.

Anaheim Vacation Guide

This has been a ton of help but leaves me wanting to stay for the entire summer 🙂

Disneyland iguide – Walkee

This is a Fun & useful guide for the iPhone ( which is much easier to carry around the park )

It should be quite an adventure. We’ll be sure to post some pics !
For those of you that have been there any suggestions would be appreciated or perhaps share a fun story from your adventure 🙂

Best wishes and thank you for stopping by – Namaste – William

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What better way to escape for little breather than a great movie …

Dim lights, comfortable seating , your favorite snacks at the ready , everything’s set ; it’s movie time ! So what are your favorites ? A thought provoking drama, a sitting on the edge of your seat thrilling horror, a visual masterpiece filled with eye candy or a story that grips the heart and pulls it in every direction ….
Personally I love a wide variety, there is always something good to fit the mood. After tonight’s nail biting hockey game between Vancouver & Nashville a chilling horror seemed like the perfect fit 🙂
I tend to hate commercials so most of my movie comes from either DVD/BluRay, Apple TV or Netflix It’s handy having different sources for different devices. Apple TV has a few huge advantages such as saving the drive to the local video store and allowing people to store movies on hard drives which sure beats the ever expanding shelves of discs …
I have to admit I am a sucker for special editions though. LOTR keepsakes, my son’s Harry Potter wands, cards , books, it’s the little extras that can add some fun to a home theatre / games room.
I am 95% finished building one such room in my basement. It is all up and running , just a bit of paint touch ups and wiring to finish with the last of the furniture arriving on Wednesday 🙂
My son loves having a nice place to hang out with his friends on a cold rainy day. It sure is a nice change from the dingy old concrete room that occupied this space previously. We went with light colors for the most part to help give it a bright airy feeling. The laminate flooring was very easy to install and seemed like the perfect choice for easy cleanup, an important feature with kids and messy big kids 🙂

Well , it’s getting late , the movie is coming to an end, it’s bed time…
Good night all , thanks for stopping by , come again or say hi on twitter ( the fun alternative to Facebook )
Be sure to suggest your favorite movies in the comment section 🙂

Namaste – William

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The perfect travel companion : ipad2

Photo above found at the Apple website Apple.com

I was delighted a few days ago when a fedex driver showed up at my doorstep a week early with my new ipad2 🙂 The timing was perfect as we are set to go on vacation next week and this gave me time to set up the device and become familiar with it.
So far my experience with Apples newest toy is amazing. Not to sound cliche but it truly is magical. Easy to use , versatile and so very portable, the iPad is a perfect travel companion.
I already own an iPhone so getting this set up and learning the basics was a breeze. The initial sync is time consuming depending on how much you are loading up onto it. I quickly filled the iPad’s memory to the brim and then went through and deleted apps and extras that I thought were better suited for just the iPhone. It’s a good idea to leave yourself a good chunk of available memory for the programs and media that you will undoubtedly add as you use it.
The app store on the iPad shows you which of your apps can be upgraded to the larger versions. It is really handy although I found that it didn’t quite find everything that it could have. A little browsing around quickly remedied the situation though. I am still using a number of iPhone apps on the iPad which fill a portion of the screen unless you hit the magnify button which enlarges the app. This is handy but results in some blurriness which is workable on some apps and not so much on others. Hopefully most apps will be available in both sizes quite quickly, the numbers seem to be growing rapidly 🙂
I have approximately 150 + apps loaded on the iPad at the moment ; and yes , I am an app addict hehe . This is my first post using WordPress on the iPad, it sure is much handier than the computer I find. The built in keyboard works like a charm and if you prefer the wireless keyboard from Apple is available. I have one set up with a dock and speaker. It took all of a minute to get it up and running which was nice and it’s great to have the option of using either input method.
I also tried a few other accessories such as the camera kit and hdmi adapter. The camera kit is easy to use and small enough to fit in any camera case easily . It’s great that so many companies are now using SD cards, the plethora of card readers in the past was getting insane. My son’s Wii, DSi and camera all use the SD cards as well as a Sony camcorder I picked up at Christmas time. The HDMI connector which allows you to hook up the iPad to a big screen tv is a lot of fun. Lego Harry Potter and Infinity Blade sure look cool on a 52″ LCD ! One drawback is that a long HDMI cable will cost as much as an Apple TV, so hopefully in the future Apple will add AirPlay functionality to apps like it does with movies and other iTunes media.
I put a screen protector on the iPad today , after learning my lesson from the iPhone. My poor phone gets quite a beating at work and without some sort of protection the glass gets completely destroyed after a while which is a very expensive fix. Of course with kids a screen protector also helps tremendously, especially when they are playing a game and have munchies at hand… Think peanut butter and / or Doritos 🙂 Of course we adults can be just as bad at times !
I was shopping around for a protective cover today. The local stores seemed to have plenty of iPad cases but mostly for the 1st version, it might be best to shop online for now until retailers catch up with this new device. There are tons of options available out there to suit every style and use. Some cases even come with built in keyboards for those who do a lot of typing.
I have been reading a lot of articles regarding the new iPad and how it marks the beginning of the post PC era. Personally I agree somewhat. If you sit down and list the types of things you’ve done on a computer in the last month, you’ll probably find that there is very little that can’t be done on this little touch screen. Around the house and at work , the iPad can be a great alternative to a big bulky desktop or rather expensive high powered laptop. Sure , I was drooling over the newest MacBook Pro when it was released but now that I think about it , do you really need one ? Don’t get me wrong, we haven’t quite reached the point where home computers are obsolete, my many photographer friends can attest to that. There are still a number of things that tablets such as this can’t do yet and that’s where a higher horsepower computer comes in handy . There is also the little problem of syncing all of these devices which is something you still need a computer for. Personally I think for home use, the perfect set up is an iPad for every day use, a Mac mini with a few external drives to act as a iTunes server and syncing device and an Apple TV to stream media to the home theatre. This is our present set up and it works beautifully . If I do decide to get back into professional Photography again one day then I will probably look at an iMac or MacBook but unless a person has a specific use in mine those computers seem more like overkill these days….
Well a few more days and we are off to Disneyland & Legoland 🙂 we can hardly wait to get away, it should be a blast ! We will be sure to be posting a few pics , videos and greetings during the trip .
Have a great weekend everyone ; best wishes , and don’t forget to keep smilin’ ( they’ll wonder what you’re up to hehe )
If you are looking at purchasing a new iPad and are curious about them here is the link to Apple website : http://www.apple.com/ca/ipad/
Namaste – William , thank you for stopping by , be sure to come again and stop by and say hi on twitter any time 🙂 twitter

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phone & internet readings

We’ve been busy updating my fiancee’s website lately. Guardian Angels Consciously. It’s great to see her business grow 🙂

Our newest addition is adding the paypal service to make readings online and by phone so much easier. It was quick and easy to do and has opened her business up to the world which is a great addition to local work she does.

Another new page is Guardian Angels Consciously on Facebook. This seems to be a natural addition to the site because she is a very social person and uses facebook regularly. To help announce to the launch of the facebook page , we’ve added a contest to win a free reading as well as an itunes gift card as a little bonus. Simply visit the page and give it a thumbs up , we’ll draw a winner Oct. 1st 2010

Her work is very interesting and she loves helping people.

be sure to stop by and say hi ~ Namaste ~ william

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