Powering the Human Body

In the electrical world we talk a lot about how much power it takes to run things. But have you ever wondered how much power it takes to run YOU? I did the math.

1. Find out the Caloric intake for an average person (number of Calories of energy consumed per day). Say around ~2200 Cal (depends on a LOT of stuff but let's pick a number).

2. Convert to Joules (the standard unit of energy). This gives us 9204800 J.

3. 1 Watt is 1 Joule per second, so divide the number of joules consumed in a day by the number of seconds in a day. 9204800 / 86400 = 107W

So how much does it take to run you? Around 100W.

That's pretty good efficiency, considering what little you can do with 100W of electricity. You could run a light bulb, but little else. In my computer the CPU alone takes 95W. It really makes you think about how amazing our bodies are. Have a great day.

Fighting the Packrat

I come from a line of packrats on both sides of my family. Over the years our family has bought stuff and been given stuff. But as packrats, we do not get rid of old stuff. This leads to eventually packing it away in spare cupboards, drawers, shelves, closets or putting it in boxes and storing it in my parent's crawlspace.

A packrat's motto is "I can't throw it away because I might need it someday." Experience dictates this is true, but you will never need it UNTIL you get rid of it. My grandfather also had to deal with an additional problem: "Hey it's on sale, I better buy two."

I spent my early years accumulating stuff and "saving it for later" without realizing what it would eventually lead to.... clutter!! I would save things like it was being taken off the market. Our crawlspace always had room for one more box. Nothing really brought this issue to light...until I had to move. Oh MAN!!! Years and years of stuff is not easy to downsize, so I never did. But after moving I was determined that I would sort through all my stuff rather than just store it, because I had just moved into a condo with no crawlspace. And if I wanted a roommate, I would have to move my stuff out of the spare bedroom.

Thirty one years old and I decided to fight the inner packrat. Some people have a one year rule (if I haven't used it in the last year, it goes). I think I needed to set a 10 year give-or-take rule. Not great but it's a start. I sorted my post secondary education notes and threw out a stack of notes 3 feet high (and I still kept eight 3" binders of notes). There were boxes of comic books, wires, $26 in pennies, brand new packages of oragami paper from when my dad taught Japanese exchange students in the '80s, more wires, floppy discs, pictures, miscellaneous electronic junk, and boxes and boxes of miscellaneous trinkety stuff. Everything was sorted to one of 4 places: garbage, recycling, MCC or a new box of sorted stuff. I have never gone through that much stuff
in my life. It is VERY time consuming, so I might add that my recent job termination was very timely.

After all the sorting that I've done I've come to realize that life is too short to hoard stuff. We need to be generous and give it away or else we end up with more stuff than we know what to do with. If I haven't used it in 5 years, 10 years, 15 years, 20 years then I probably never will. And if I really need it again, I can always buy a new one.

I got a JOB

Mere hours after I announced to the facebook world that I lost my job, my friend Michael informed me of some engineering positions opening at his company in Victoria. I had visited this place last year and I was very impressed by what I saw. It really looked like they had their act together as a company, and I really wanted to work there. But that never panned out, and I ended up landing a job in Langley. Uh, then I was let go (see previous post).

I immediatelly applied to the place in Victoria, and after two rounds of interviews, they offered me a position in engineering!

So looking back, I see that God has a plan. Working at the job in Langley was a great stepping stone. It gave me confidence in my abilities, and enabled me to buy a place in Abbotsford and live away from home but not far from home. Had I moved to Victoria last year, it would have been a lot harder on me. Now I'm ready to take on living farther from my friends and family. That's God's timing. Ya gotta love it.

Canned

Well, after 10 months of faithful service, my employer decided to trim the fat off an already lean staff, and eliminate some positions. Mine was one of them. This termination had nothing to do with my performance, as I was relieved to find out. It was the weak US dollar that is mostly to blame since most of the products are sold to the states (and paid for in US dollars--all of a sudden it was very unprofitable to accept payment in US currency). Perhaps my jumping up and down yelling "in your face America" (as per the previous post) was a little premature.

Nobody likes getting canned, and I had just bought a condo in Abbotsford a mere 5 months prior. But I've totally felt at peace, and have been confident that God had something else planned for me.

Ya Dollar

I typed "1CAD in USD" into Google today and got this...


1 Canadian dollar = 1.006948 U.S. dollars


Booya! Take THAT United States of Not-Worth-As-Much-As-The-Canadian-Dollar!
I should probably take this opportunity to buy something from the US.

Roadtrip 2007

So I took a week and a half off of work and went on a roadtrip halfway across Canada to visit some friends that I hadn't seen in a while. The "while" ranged from a couple of months to 10 years. Thank you facebook. I've posted some pictures here, and facebook has more.

I discovered how devestating the pine beetle is. The green forests are turning red, as mountainsides of trees are dying. eeek!I drove through a lot of prairies....they're still flat.


As soon as I got to Winnipeg Myron, Don and I left on a camping trip on the Mantario trail.
The logistics required that we would have to do some night hiking.
The only thing about that is the trail is less obvious at night. So we got lost.
Actually it wasn't our fault. A beaver flooded the trail. Thank you beaver. Oh well, it was late so we hiked up a hill and camped on a giant mossy rock. It even had a half decent view (the other half was not a decent view--trees). AND as a bonous, we saw some awesome northern lights!!

What was not obvious at night was the fact that the trail did a jog and then crossed the beaver dam.
After a couple more hours we reached our destination, and our source of water, Caribou Lake.
When I asked about water purification before the trip, Myron and Don told me they had a "system". What I didn't know was part of their system involved using a sock as a filter--which later I found out was a sock that Myron had been wearing all day. But it was ok, Myron assured me, because he only used the leg part of the sock.
The second part of their system was adding 2 chlorine tablets to the water, which put the flavour somewhere between swimming pool and hot tub. But I wasn't complaining, I was too thirstly for that.

Our lunch attracted attracted whiskeyjacks. And so to affirm their presumption that humans=food, we fed them.
We had perfect weather. A wonderful hike.
-----
I visited the Lussier Hot springs on my way back. On the way out I met some mountain sheep on the road. The experience didn't have a very natural feel to it though, since all the sheep were wearing giant tracking devices around their necks. Must we tag everything?

When I think back on this trip...
This was the first time I had a place to stay every night of the trip. I'm so glad I went to Bible school, cause it's great having friends all over the place! Thanks to Fat Tony, Lyndon & Anita, Don & Steph, Steve, and Cory & Lisa for putting me up for the night. And honourable mention to Myron and Cyndi who fed me (steak!). It was good seeing you guys, and Michael, Andrew and Joel too.

I think it will be a long time before I take the crowsnest highway again. By my watch, it took me 15 hours from Lethbridge to Abbotsford. It's only 10 from Calgary to Abbotsford. So when travelling West from Lethbridge, as counter-intuitive as it seems, it's faster to go North to Calgary, then West, then South, than it is to go straight West. I think the problem lies in the fact that the crowsnest highway is anything but straight West.


Roadtrip Stats:
Total distance: 5800km
Total fuel bill: $337.68
Farthest destination: the Mantario Trail (on the MANitoba-onTARIO border).
Most expensive gas: Golden, BC 115.9
Cheapest Gas: Abbotsford, BC 91.4

Sandcut Creek

Despite Bronwyn's obvious pregnancy, Peter, Bronwyn and I went camping. We were trying to get into the interior of the southern island backcountry, but the logging companies have completely gated off the area (BOOOO!!!) citing it is too much of a liability to have people in there. (I say it's crown land and you can't sue for hurting yourself on crown land.) So our only alternative was to camp at the beach, which isn't a bad alternative.

Sandcut creek is named for the creek that has carved it's way through relatively flat sandstone. There is a waterfall onto the beach (which I forgot to photograph) and then it flows into the ocean. A great getaway for a quick camping trip.

Our cat is on the pill

Ok, well not THE pill, but a pill, about the size of a capital O. Our cat is a teenager in human years, and in his declining years he was diagnosed as having Hyperthyroid. I don't know exactly what that means. But basically, if he doesn't get his pill twice a day, he starts meowing a LOT, and that becomes very annoying. So we must feed him this little pill to keep him from going crazy. I call it his sanity pill.

A tip for those who have to medicate their cats: My brilliant mother, determined that our cat likes strawberry yogurt. So twice a day we crush the pill and mix it into the yogurt (a very small amount of yogurt mind you, it barely covers the surface of the spoon). The cat thinks he's getting a treat and we know that he will be sane for at least 12 more hours.

Reg

A tribute entry to my good friend Reg (don't worry, he's not dead).

Reg has been good friend and buddy since Myron went to Bible school back in 1995. We all went to the same high school, but I only knew Reg through Myron up to that point, but with Myron gone, I decided to make an effort to get to know this guy. A move I have never regretted. Reg has been a close friend, a confidant, and a guy I can do stuff with. Reg and I both like an adventure. We both like hiking and camping. We both like to do stuff spontaneously and it has been SO nice to always have someone to be able to get together with, either to go mountain biking or to just to kick back and talk about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. We have been able to challenge each other in our Christian walks.

Indeed our personalities are as different as night and day. Our interests only intersect in a few key areas. No doubt there have been difficult times of conflict (road trips :-P ), but fortunately the conflicts are short lived and we are able to move on and keep our friendship going. The fights are forgotten and the memories of good times live on. I have learned a lot from Reg. The things he values are VERY different than the things I value. He sees the world from a completely different point of view. I struggle to understand that point of view and struggle even harder to accept it. But it has taught me patience and endurance as we keep our friendship going despite our differences.

As I write, Reg is in Thailand. He is now a full time missionary, currently studying the Thai language. He is a gifted people person, and missionary work fits him like a glove. This is one place that I can't join him. He was called to Thailand, I was called to... well...Abbotsford I guess. His people skills and leadership skills have impressed me. It's one thing that he does naturally that I struggle to do. For crying out loud, he can be program director for an entire camp with one hand tied behind his back. I wouldn't even know where to start. It is those skills that God is going to utilize, to win souls to Christ in Thailand.

I miss ya man.

Why I haven't Blogged

Well it has been a time times half a time* since I last blogged. It's not as if my life has been so dull that there has been nothing to blog. Quite the opposite, which is actually one of the reasons why I haven't. As Stephen Colbert once said "Being me is a full time job, and I haven't missed a day."

I have blogged very little since I got home from Thailand, mainly because I talk to a lot of people in person. So those who really need or want to know what's happening, already know. Not to mention that it is a burden to know in the back of your mind that everytime you do something fun, you need to write about it (with pictures). Blogging can start to feel like homework.

I'll admit that facebook (a.k.a. "crackbook") has taken up some of my precious blogging time. And when there is the choice of sitting on the couch watching Simpsons, or blogging, well...Simpsons takes less effort, and therefore wins. TV is indeed a blessing and a curse. Not to mention that most of my adventures were with Reg, who is a very faithful blogger. No point in double blogging. (for more of my adventures see regisonamission.blogspot.com)

Another reason I slowed down on blogging is that it is no longer the latest craze, and in my opinion, it is slowing down (there are several blogs that I have read who's last entry was in 2006). Now people just use facebook.

BUT now more than ever, I have a lot of my friends are not within arm's reach. I don't see them on Sunday anymore, and timezones make phoning an exercise in coordination. My friends are peppered across Canada, and now the world. So suddenly blogging is actually an easier way to keep them up to date.

So I'm back in the blog world. And for the sake of chronologically documenting my life (for those that care), I will be retroblogging (writing about some past events).

*A biblical phrase, found in Daniel 7:25, Revelation 12:14 (NIV)

Kenyon Lake

I took a trip to Kenyon Lake on the August long weekend. This lake has an island on it, and it has a couple of campsites. Unfortunately a family was using it for the entire weekend and pretty much took over the entire island (grrrr). I was left with one small corner. But a private corner with a view, so I was happy. The one thing I've noticed about Kenyon lake at night is that it is QUIET. Dead quiet. The lake is in the bottom of a valley, so there is plenty of room for noise. But at night I'm sure I could have heard a pin drop from across the lake. There was not a whisper of wind, not a cricket, bird, frog or bear. So quiet it makes your ears ring. Yes I'm going on and on, but it's just amazing to think that a place that large can be that void of noise.

In the morning I went boating around the lake. Good times had by me.

Hillsong United

My new favorite Christan band is definitely Hillsong United. Their music is well written both musically and lyrically. And all their song's are worship songs and very singable. I realized the other day why I like their music so much. The musical style actually reminds me of Matthew Good's music (my favourite secular artist). So I was thrilled when I found out they were coming to Vancouver.

In May they had an outdoor concert. It was awesome. Great music, and a great message. These guys are all about praising God and seeing people come to Christ. Earlier this year I was at a Jars of Clay concert. That concert was very much about Jars of Clay, who acted like they were all that and a bag of chips, which they weren't. The Hillsong people do not have that arrogance. It was cool to see that.

Sumas Mountain

Reg and I conquered Sumas Mountain with our bikes. Ya we walked up most of it, but the way down was awesome!

BTW you can't drive up the whole thing like you used to. The gate at the bottom is open but they put a second gate half way up, which is before the lookout (in the picture) and is WAY before the old parking lot for Chadsey lake. (Booo!!)

Jon's Web Junk

There's just too much crazy stuff on the internet. But that's the internet, not my life. So I've created another blog just for the stuff I find on the internet.

Visit Jon's Web Junk and waste some time watching the best videos that I have found.

Oh. You may notice that the first posts were a few months ago. I retro-posted them so they show up in my blog around the time I SHOULD HAVE posted them.