Here she is. Public opinion poll #1. Ditch the awnings or keep them? The house faces south.

No more rent

I bought a house. If all goes well, I'll be moving in over Christmas. I get the house on the 22nd.
It's exciting and surreal.

Update:
I bought the house from a coworker. He just accepted a job in Alberta. He's actually leaving tomorrow, so it all came together relatively quickly. It's located on Sherbrooke St, just west of Monoghan, across from Prince of Wales school. Fun times...

The Dilbert Blog: Comic Asses

Apparently there are certain standards you must adhere to when you're a serial cartoonist. Scott Adams lets us in on his little word of how much of an ass can be drawn in a Dilbert comic. Very enlightening.

WWI War Vets

Apparently there are only three surviving Canadian veterans of WWI who are still with us. There's been some debate in the news lately about whether to honour the last one with a State Funeral when his time comes. I think it would be a profound moment in Canadian history, and that whoever that veteran is, he's worthy of the honour.

The Rainbow

"I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth." Genesis 9:13.

For the second day in a row I'm looking at a rainbow outside my office window, thinking about God and his promises.

The Nativity Story

I went to a screening of the film "The Nativity Story" last night in Toronto. The film is the story of Mary and Joseph in the year leading up to the birth of Jesus. The film is well done, in most ways. I didn't walk out of it thinking it was the best movie I've ever seen, but I do recommend it.

I often forget that the Biblical characters were real people, enduring daily struggles. Seeing the story play out on a screen develops the characters. We are taken through the faith journey of Mary, during a year in which she is given to be married to Joseph, a man she barely knows, and then is told by an angel she's pregnant, has to face the ridicule of a village for not remaining pure, is almost abandoned by her fiance, and finally has to travel some 100 miles on the back of a donkey while burstingly pregnant, only to give birth in a small cave which serves as a barn.

The movie has its villians as well. One of the story lines is oppression of Israel by the Romans. The other is the fear that King Herod has of loosing his throne to a new king. The wise men from the east are portrayed very well, with a certain element of humour as well.

The screenplay was written by Mike Rich, who's other work includes 'Finding Forrester', 'The Rookie', and 'Radio'.
He was at the screening last night, and we had a Q&A session in the theatre following the film.

The opening date is December 1st, 2006. It'll be a good family film during the Christmas season.

Patrick Roy

Patrick Roy is the reason I'm a Habs fan. He was the greatest goaltender to ever play the game. He played with skill, heart and passion. He was an innovator, a champion, and seemed to play his best when it really counted. I remember watching a couple games from the '93 playoffs in a hospital bed (recovering from the 'getting shot' in the arm) enroute to yet another Stanley Cup championship.

Patrick Roy was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday, and rightly so. He holds numerous records which I suspect will not be broken for some time, if ever. I wouldn't be surprised to see him coaching in the NHL sometime soon as well.

Last night at my small group meeting (Every other sunday night, a bunch of us from Church get together at someones house for discussion, dessert, and generally some good laughter) we were talking about what it means to Trust in God, and not ourselves. The scriptural instigator for the conversation was when Peter walks on water with Jesus.
Generally, in my life, I don't intentionally 'Trust in God' for too much on a day to day basis. There are certain routines that life follows, I wake up, have breakfast, go to work, go home, and go do evening things (meetings, social stuff, vegging in front of the TV, sports, etc.). Rarely do I consciously 'Trust in God' that he will provide a meal for me, or provide gas for my car, or work to do at my office. These things all happen, and they're routine. God has proven faithful in them (I acknowledge that he provides it all).
However, time to time, something out of the ordinary happens. Something unexpected interupts the routine of normal living. A relationship is strained, someone I know gets sick, I read something or hear something that challenges me (the way I live, the way I see the world) - and the routine is broken. A crossroads is reached, where a decision must be made, and that decision has consequences, both good and bad.
I'm faced with one of those right now. I'll spare the details, I'll just mention that the decision is big, and a bit scary.
I'm intentially 'Trusing in God' on this one.