Random Ramblings

I picked up my passport today. I don't have to think about it until 2028, assuming we're still on the planet by then.

I need a passport.  The wife wants to take the kids to Canada sometime since it's only 4 hours away.

Well worth the visit, I think, although you'd be crossing into the Golden Horseshoe, where all the self-important people are. Out here, we're much more humble, and proud to be.

If any of you ever end up in Quebec or even in Ontario for some reason, I'd love to meet and hang out. (Detroit-Windsor is a bit far, though.)

messiaen77 wrote:

I need a passport.  The wife wants to take the kids to Canada sometime since it's only 4 hours away.

What?!? We need pasports to go into Canada? It's been a while since I have been but we used to just waltz right in with no problems. Last time I went was around 2004 and I didn't need a passport then. Maybe things have changed.

I guess not technically, but it is supposedly easier than carrying a birth certificate and photo ID.  I'm not sure how, but "they" say so.

Driven wrote:

I picked up my passport today. I don't have to think about it until 2028, assuming we're still on the planet by then.

Be careful though!  I forgot to renew mine until two days before Veronika and I were supposed to fly to Europe for her to defend her thesis.  There was stress.  However, despite all the crap the US government gets for its ridiculous bureaucracy, their emergency passport division is awesome.  We drove up to San Francisco (the nearest location) in the morning and by the afternoon I had a brand spankin' new passport and was able to fly out the next day as planned.  It was only $80 extra too which for that kind of service is totally fine!  All that to say though, always check your passport long before you need to use it!

I didn't have any particular travel plans between the time it expired (last summer) and now. I had to turn down one or two spontaneous trips to the border, only about 45 minutes from here, but apart from that no major inconvenience. Just about everyone here has a passport, since somehow it's cheaper to travel abroad than locally.

I Winned!

Bill at Roxx records decided to have a live facebook drawing to give away several autographed copies of a Malachia publicity shot (from back in the day).  He drew names from the people who preordered the upcoming reissue of Malachi's recordings.  And little old me won one of them!  I'm actually kind of excited about it (mostly because I seldom win anything, and it is actually something I will enjoy).  Here is a copy of the promo shot along with the winners that Bill drew earlier today.

Congrats!

Wow, super cool!!!  That is rad.  Congrats!

Congratulations Gary, that's vet gaaf.

That is WAY cool StayB ! Good deal man ! 

Congratulations!

The rest of us win, too, as the Malachia CD has shipped.  We will be getting the Malachia and Stryper discs this week if we preordered!

I didn't preorder the Stryper disc.  I think I'm going to Spotify the entire album first just to make sure there isn't too much "Chicken in the Crust" weirdness on it.

I heard that WalMart is refusing to stock the new Stryper cuz of the GD in the title. Is walmart "that" family friendly ?

I'm going to pull the plug on Facebook today.  Going to leave it up until I go to bed then it's lights out.

We will miss you there, Derek!

Thanks!  I'm glad we can keep in touch here.  I like the old forums better.  The conversations are organized.

Facebook is evil.  It's the best way for me to keep track of which bands are touring where, releasing albums when, etc. so I hang on to it.  I don't use it for socializing hardly at all.  (Though the "marketplace" has helped us sell some of our stuff pretty well.)  One of these days I'll be getting rid of mine as well.

Xid wrote:

Thanks!  I'm glad we can keep in touch here.  I like the old forums better.  The conversations are organized.

I agree.  The organization of facebook groups/forums stinks.

You'll be missed on FB Xid.
Yep, good to keep in touch with you here.

Yesterday it was "sister day" for us.
I've one sister abroad and three sisters who live close to me.

First we went to the beach and made a long beach walk.
Then it was time for lunch.
After lunch we took to train to Haarlem.
Our grandmother was born there.
It was cool to be there.

Next year I hope we'll have the next "sister day".

Sounds like a fun day!

rockerVu2 wrote:

Yesterday it was "sister day" for us.
I've one sister abroad and three sisters who live close to me.

First we went to the beach and made a long beach walk.
Then it was time for lunch.
After lunch we took to train to Haarlem.
Our grandmother was born there.
It was cool to be there.

Next year I hope we'll have the next "sister day".

That sounds great. I'm glad you're all still in touch and having a good time

That does sound like a lot of fun.

The weather has started to get nice enough to walk outside again.  I walked almost two miles again and I my legs feel like butter...man I am really out of shape.