August 2023 Monthly Entry
The warm summer weather continues, but it hasn't been too hot. We even had a day of rain on Wednesday, which was needed. From what I heard, the rest of August will be sunny and temperatures in the 23-29C on average. After 25 shifts, I've reached my vacation time for the rest of the month. I'll be back to work August 31st and September 1st before Labour Day weekend.
Scaling back what I was able to do last year in the United States, here is this year's travel itinerary:
August 12-15 in Austin, TX: Daddy Eric will be returning to Austin to attend their Coronation weekend and also celebrate his 60th birthday. I'll be staying with him at the Holiday Inn Midtown, the host hotel.
August 15-16 in Dallas/Irving, TX: I'll be taking an Amtrak train to Dallas. It departs at 9:31am and arrives 3:20pm CST. I'll be staying at La Quinta Inn & Suites DFW Airport South/Irving for one night. I'm hoping to visit a couple of leatherbear buds.
August 16-25 in Madson/New Glarus, WI: Flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Madison 3:18-5:34pm CST. Visiting my leather family in New Glarus. August 17-20 we will be going to the Argonauts Northwoods Leather Run. August 20-25 will be spent with the family mostly in New Glarus and Madison.
August 25-27 in Fresno, CA: Depart from Madison at 6:17am to return to Dallas-Fort Worth for a layover, then arrive in Fresno at 12:55pm PST. Seattle Knight Eugene of Spokane will arrive about 40 minutes after me. We will be staying together at the Hotel Piccadilly. We will be visiting Kevin and hopefully other Fresno Knights too.
August 27: I fly from Fresno to Seattle from 2:45-4:55pm. I'll be taking a Quick Shuttle Bus at 6pm back north to Surrey, hopefully arriving just across the border by 9:30pm and getting picked up by my father.
I believe I will break my upcoming entries on the above trip into three parts. My goal is to get them uploaded before I go back to afternoon shift.
After doing some work at Cariboo Hill in last month's entry, I was next sent to Cameron for the July 24-28 week. We wiped down and scrubbed every single classroom in the main building during the week. I'm not sure what was done when I took the 31st off - coming home from San Francisco. I assume they finished the main building and perhaps went and did some of the portables. When I returned August 1st, I was sent back to Burnaby Mountain where I stayed up to today. But from the 1st to the 4th, I was partnered with Mark and we did nothing but move furniture and shampoo the majority of the school's carpets together. It was just us all week, but he would be taking his vacation time by the end of last Friday. For this week, I was paired with Mike and we finished the carpets on Tuesday as summer school was over and we could access the offices. For the rest of the week, we mostly worked together scrubbing the lower floor's cooking and art rooms. He wasn't in today as he and and his wife are expecting the birth of their daughter. I spent today partnered with Junior instead, washing the second floor hallway walls and floors. I hope by the time I return from vacation, that Montecito was truly completed in my absence!
My parents celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary last Sunday with my younger sister, niece, and I. Their actual wedding was on July 28th, 1973 but we couldn't celebrate the weekend before as I was in San Francisco. After the Pride parade, I met up with the family at The Keg on 32nd Ave and 152nd Street in Surrey. My older sister and brother-in-law didn't attend. It was a wonderful meal and our server did an exceptional job. I got my folks a 50th Anniversary card with a scripture reference to Matthew 19:6: So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let man not separate. I do hope my folks will go on a Anniversary trip someday when they can afford it. Congratulations Mom & Dad!
Like in late-2016 when I got the Ultimate Edition of Final Fantasy XV, I ended up purchasing the Collector's Edition of Final Fantasy XVI for PS5. The game was released June 22 worldwide and I reserved the most expensive edition from Square Enix earlier in the year. It cost about $411 US with shipping. I had it shipped to my younger sister's mailbox in Blaine to save on shipping costs to Canada. I quickly went across the border last Friday afternoon not long after I got home from work. I was prepared to take the longer Aldergrove border but the nearby Pacific Crossing was surprisingly decent given it was the beginning of the BC holiday weekend. I took the NEXUS lane, which was only about a 10-minute wait. When I arrived, it only cost $3 US to get my package from the mail service in Blaine. Taking the NEXUS lane back into Canada, I got a nice customs officer who let me in without paying duty! He asked what I picked up in Blaine and I said it was the collector's edition of a video game that was released in June. He asked which game and I replied, "Final Fantasy XVI". He says "Cool! Go ahead!" I thanked him and drove off. I'm guessing he might be a gamer too lol! Since I didn't ship to Canada and pay duty, I saved over $100! I took it home and carefully looked at what the Collector's Edition had. The box had beautiful artwork from series painter Yoshitaka Amano. The game was included, of course, plus a steelbook case. A cloth map, a collection of 8 pins, a bonus digital code for an in-game weapon, and a statuette of Ifrit battling Phoenix! You can see the entire list from an IGN article here. The obvious problem is that I don't have a PS5 yet and even if I did, I probably cannot play this game for another three or four years! Next year, I plan to play Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition as it's been a long time coming.
Saturday afternoon I watched the 2019 film Joker on 4K Blu-Ray. Set in 1981, it follows Arthur Fleck, a failed clown and aspiring stand-up comic whose descent into mental illness and nihilism inspires a violent countercultural revolution against the wealthy in a decaying Gotham City. Arthur is played by Joaquin Phoenix, I remembered him and his great performance from The Master a decade ago (quick 2012 review here) and thought his casting as the future Joker would be fascinating. He always does a great job playing psychologically fragile men. There is no Batman in this film but we do see Bruce Wayne as a child. The cinematography and sets of early 80's New York/Gotham City is done well here. Throughout the film, you feel sorry for Arthur and understand why he ends up as the Joker. I am very interested in seeing how things continue in next year's sequel, especially since Harley Quinn will be featured.
I haven't started Suikoden II yet and I may not start until sometime after my trip. I plan to play The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and Oracles of Ages during my trip as I'll be bringing 2DS with me. I've seen some episodes of Star Trek: TOS, but still a ways off from finishing season one. I just started the second season of Lower Decks and did a little of Sailor Moon recently.
Last Movie: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.3 (Theatrical), Joker (4K Blu-Ray)
Last Book: The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics - The Screwtape Letters
Last Game: The Last Story (Wii)
Current Book: The C.S. Lewis Signature Classics - Miracles
Current Games: Suikoden II (PSN - PSone) & The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages (3DS Virtual Console - GBC)