I was going to start this post on a more positive note, but I attempted to use the GPS unit and now I'm in a lousy mood. Don't ever, ever buy a Delorme PN-40 GPS. I have had nothing but problems with this thing, and now it won't even turn on. I don't think I care any more, time to write it off as an expensive mistake.

Glad that's over.

Wow, itunes seems to be stuck on a Madchester kick I guess that is my fault for owning all that music.

Kat had her first day of school for massage therapy. She was excited about it. I could tell because she was telling me all about it with the fervor of the newly

converted and I'm glad for it. It is good to see her wound up for something, I think she'll be really really good at it. How bizarre is that shot of a school bag? How often do you need to bring your own sheets to school? Oh, and as Kat reads this, she informs me that they are called "linens", not sheets. And students learn the habit of saying "disrobe", not "get naked" or "strip, please."

They told her that she should be practicing things they teach because they don't go over what was taught in previous classes. It is a forward march from day one and they leave the slow and witless behind. I made the witless bit up, they'd never call somebody who paid for the classes witless, but it seems they are more than willing to leave you behind. I like that in a training environment. Looks like my fears of not getting any side benefits of the course were ill conceived. She is supposed to practice, practice, practice. The fact that she is supposed to practice helping somebody sit up is a little odd, but I guess that is a skill that may come in handy if I have a sudden and unexpected decline. I'm thinking of playing goalie for another soccer team so the idea may not be that far-fetched.

She's not allowed to miss many classes, which is good for training, but not so good in other areas. Kat had to explain that she already had tickets to go on a cruise, so she may be early leaving one class and late arriving at another. That's right, cruise baby! Our friend, Kevin, messaged me early last week with a deal on a cruise ship that leaves San Diego Thursday night, pulls in to Catalina Island for Saturday, then down to Ensendada (Mexico) for Sunday, and back to San Diego Monday morning. It was only $175 each for a ocean view ... of course that price will probably put us beside the engine room, but with an ocean view. The boat is MASSIVE I've always wondered what a cruise ship is like and now I'll find out. We are going with Kevin and his fiance, Kristina, which is nice: relaxation with friends. I am planning on almost zero 'extras', meaning organized shore leave. I'll let the plebs go ashore, which will leave more mini golf for me. We'll be heading out late October. Yay! I'll let you know what it's like. I'm going to try and remember to take some picture with the cell phone and see if the GPS unit works in geo-tagging the shot. I'll have to load that in to Google to see where on the ocean I was when the shot was taken.

One of the organized tours you can do is to go swimming with dolphins. Bah, I did that last Friday. Two of them swam by me while I was in the ocean. Okay it was around 20 feet away, but still, dolphins! Free! Ocean! Plus dolphins=no sharks.

Good god, I followed that link to the ship and looked at some of the virtual tours, the decor looks like a designer on valium just finished watching the little mermaid. I was hoping for classy mahogany and tux-and-tails ambiance. I'll have to refrain from drinking too much or I'll think I've fallen in to a bad disney nightmare. On the plus side I could look at the decor as bordering on Bioshock levels and enjoy a possible dark side to it. Kevin will get that, he's played Bioshock. If you haven't played Bioshock think art deco, undersea and Ayn Rand gone horribly, horribly wrong. Woo, now I have an entire sub-text for the cruise!

October will be a busy month, cruise aside, the Tragically Hip is coming to play at the Belly Up tavern. The Belly Up is a good spot to see bands, better than 4th and B where we saw them last time. It isn't as good as Barrymore's in Ottawa, which still stands out as one of the absolute *best* places to see a band. I expect that it will be full of expat Canadians. Last time we saw the band here, we were sitting beside a couple from Yellowknife who just happened to be down here on vacation when the Hip came. Considering how many times the guy had seen the Hip I found it very fishy that he just happened to be be in San Diego AND knew that they were playing at a local bar.

I'm heading out Sunday to hopefully pick up a surfboard. Wish me luck figuring out how to get that attached to the smart car. If I do I'll upload some shots.

On a last note I saw a reference to Gander The Dog somewhere. I read it to Kat and we both got the shivers, but now I cannot recall where I saw it. It isn't in any of the Mclean's I have and it isn't in the Economist. It still makes you wonder:

For saving the lives of Canadian infantrymen during the Battle of Lye Mun on Hong Kong Island in December 1941. On three documented occasions, Gander, the Newfoundland mascot of the Royal Rifles of Canada, engaged the enemy as his regiment joined the Winnipeg Grenadiers, members of Battalion Headquarters "C" Force and other Commonwealth troops in their courageous defence of the island. Twice Gander's attacks halted the enemy's advance and protected groups of wounded soldiers. In a final act of bravery, the war dog was killed in action gathering a grenade. Without Gander's intervention, many more lives would have been lost in the assault.Ω