Blog du Wren

Post Number 100!

Huzzah! Huzzah! Blog du Wren has reached a milestone. This is the 100th post. It warms my heart to see how far it has come since it's humble beginnings. Together, we've shared announcements, travels, food, and double comments out the wazoo. In honor of this momentous occasion, I thought it might be fun to have a look at some of the statistics behind BdW.

Number of posts	100
Days of BdW existence	201
Average days per post	2 (!)
Number of comments (including double comments)	585
Average comments per post, excluding double comments and test comments	5.6
Most prolific commmenter, excluding anonymous or otherwise misattributed comments	Saxtor
Number of comments by said commenter	73
Other major commenters with number of comments	Jule, 56; Mom, 45; Trista, 42; Andrew, 40; Horge 31
Approximate number of images posted (excluding externally hosted images)	190

Thanks to everyone (readers, comments, beta-testers) who has helped make this the success that it is.

Thursday March 8 2007

File under: blog, stats

Toggle Comments (11)

comment?

Scoot scoot scoot!

I bought a scooter. I've been toying with the idea ever since I got back from Asia (and well before (*cough* Honda Spree (twice))). After spending a lot of time looking through craigslist and the classified, I wasn't finding what I wanted. Through persistence, however, I found a place in Bellingham that had what I wanted: low(ish) size and power, non-automatic transmission but no clutch, decent gas mileage, and decent top speed. All of these came together in the Yumbo C110.

As the dealer tells it, this an replica of the old Honda Cub now made by some Chinese company. The speedometer and odometer are both in kilometers and the owner's manual is obvious translated, but both are no hill for a stepper. Now all that's left is for me to get a motorcycle endorsement on my license and I'll be good to go.

(Oh, and don't worry. I got a good helmet too.) For those gearheads out there, here are the specs:

Tuesday March 6 2007

File under: transportation

Toggle Comments (9)

comment?

What a Weekend

As a non-member of the working world, the concept of a weekend is almost lost on me. Tuesday is Friday is Sunday. About the only differences between a Wednesday and a Saturday are the hours the stores are open and who is around to hang out with (oh, and Jeopardy is alway a rerun on Saturdays.) This weekend, however, felt different. Activities abounded. I'm aware of the fact that tomorrow in Monday. I almost even have a schedule to fall back into. But I digress.

Saturday was the Great Rubber Ducky Escapade, a geocaching event with an elaborate premise, treasure hunt, and pot luck. While the event required more driving and less hiking than I like in my geocaching adventures, it was neat to see so many other geocachers. Oh, and the free cookies didn't hurt either.

Sunday morning presented the opportunity to visit the Summit Park Grange for a fund raising pancake breakfast. The food was pretty alright, but the experience was top notch. Nothing makes you feel more appreciative of being young than spending a couple hours surrounded by people 40 years your elder.

To wind up the weekend, I ended up at a place I've driven by a hundred times and always wanted to visit, but never have; the Old Edison Inn. Talk of the epic table shuffle boards have almost made me pull off the road on many passes. Tonight, those shuffle board tables were conquered! Along with shuffling, there was live music, great friends, and good pub food.

I think I could really get used to this weekend thing.

Sunday March 4 2007

File under: geocaching

Toggle Comments (5)

comment?

Guest Post du Mom

Since I have just returned to BdW headquarters from a month in New Zealand I have been invited to do a guest post to share my travels. See, I leave my children for a month and they suddenly get interested in me. I could wax poetic (if I could wax or be poetic) about the breathtaking beauty of New Zealand and the kindness of her people but I'll save the sappiness for the uncut version and try to hit some highlights. Flying into NZ gave me a sense of its awesome geology, eons of continental bumps and shakes are condensed into this small country-spiny-ridged mountain ranges; vast, lush, glacial valleys; lunarscape volcanic craters and plateaus with picture-perfect farms nestled in here and there. I hooked up with Kiwi native and good buddy Judith and we became far more intimate with this terrain on our 4-day tramp in the Marlborough Sound region of the South Island. We tramped the Cape Campbell Walkway following a goat track through grassy hills and sheep farms out to the eastern most point of the South Island. Lunch huts along the track were setup for proper tea and a chilled bottle of the local Sauvignon Blanc awaited us at each day-end farmstead. It was a challenging hike but fun and rewarding too.
Read more...

Thursday March 1 2007

File under: travel, New Zealand

Toggle Comments (18)

comment?

BdW 2.0

I'm proud to announce the release of BdW 2.0. Upgraded features are:

*New(ish) look!
*New domain name (www.blogduwren.com)
*Quicker load times and no lagging comment loads
*Recent comments tracking
*Pagination for easy access to archives
*Better browser compatibility (yes, even for Macs)
*IP logging on comments (for all those anonymous commenters)
*New comment logging code (now with a 60% less chance for double posting!)
*Perma-link (because one of these posts is bound to make it to digg)

Because I coded everything myself (woot!), there might be some glitches in the switchover process. If you come across any bugs, please let me know (via the contact page). Otherwise, please update your bookmarks and RSS feeds as the nwlink address will no longer be current. I hope you enjoy!

Monday February 26 2007

File under: blog

Toggle Comments (14)

comment?

Taste of Anacortes

Does any body remember the good old days in high school when we used to go to Mt. Vernon/Burlington on eating excursions where we'd visit 3 or 4 different restaurants and just indulge ourselves? Okay, for a lot of you, you prolly don't. And anyway, it's not important.

Last night, however, I was reminded of just such good old times while I was hopping from restaurant to restaurant during the Taste of Anacortes. Granted, the food and establishments were much nicer than the Taco Bell, McDonald's, etc. of those old, uninformed days. I caught myself somewhat hyperbolicly[sic] commenting, "This is the best night ever."

The deal was we cruised to 5 different restaurants (out of a possible 15) and had a little nosh at each. Listed below are the ones we chose and what each served.

Flounder Bay Cafe		Choice of shrimp or chicken caesar salad or clam chowder
Aloha Bar and Grill		Sampler plate of BBQed pork(?), chicken, pasta salad, rice, pineapple, and passion-orange-guava juice
El Jinete		Chili con carne with onions, cheese, and chips
Adrift		Taco with sweet potato and lots of other goodness
Penguin Coffee		12oz. drink of choice and cookie

The verdict: what a great way to spend a mid-week evening. I can't wait until next month to sample what other restaurants in the area have to offer.

Thursday February 22 2007

File under: food, Anacortes

Toggle Comments (13)

comment?

Any Excuse for Potstickers

Chinese New Year was this past weekend, in case you missed it. From my sources still over in that part of the world, I hear it was a wicked good time. But just because I can't join in the authentic festivities over there doesn't mean I can't have a celebration of my own.

For my own little celebration of the Chinese New Year, I decided to make potsickers. Potstickers have been my favorite food ever since I was a wee lad, but it wasn't until lately that the family secret of how to make them was passed down to me. While over in China, I [extensively] studied how they were made and served (remember?). I didn't incorporate any of the eastern techniques this attempt, but I tried a few new approaches.

For the innards, I used a shrimp filling and a faux-sausage filling. (This year is the year of the pig, so I thought I might give those porkers a break.) Along with a somewhat non-traditional filling, I tried a varied of folding methods. The grocery bag, which the family recipe calls for, seemed to work best, although the triangle fold led to a crispier dumpling. Having the multiple fillings and multiple folds made for a great finished product. I was also able to freeze a bunch uncooked for next time. Yum!

Tuesday February 20 2007

File under: food

Toggle Comments (5)

comment?

Geocaching in Port Townsend

In the interest of revelling in the beauty of the place in which I live, further explore public transportation of the area, and to catch up with an old friend, I headed down to Pt. Townsend on Friday for a day of geocaching. The trip down was a relatively unnoteworthy consisting of a 4 mile bike ride, 2 bus rides, an hour and a half layover, and a ferry ride. Door to door time, 3.75 hours. (This is, as I said, unnoteworthy, but make note because it comes into play later.)

Because I was taking a relatively new cacher out on the hunt, I tried to pick some fun caches. It turns out, I failed pretty miserably on that one. The first cache escaped our searching eyes, the second one was buried beneath a pile of beauty bark, and the third was in a park that was closed for some mysterious reason. Luckily, we bucked that trend with the 4th and 5th attempts of the day. We were quite pleased with ourselves. The last of the day was at Fort Warden State Park and offered this lovely view of the light house (left) as well as this one. Also at the park, I attempted to scare some explorers in the Kinzie Battery, but instead of being rewarded with screams of fright, I was met with a completely disinterested glare. Where are people's sense of fun these days?

To soothe the ache of a mediocre day of caching (and scaring), we sought solace in one of the many fine eateries PT has to offer. After a spectacular lunch earlier at the Thai place (Thai food is good. Maybe I should go to Thailand.), we upped the ante with pizza. It served as the perfect solace for me while some found solace elsewhere.

Because of thwarted caches, good food, and low tides, I missed the ferry I was shooting for coming back. By the time I got to Keystone, it was dark and public transportation had long since ceased. With a little ingenuity, I fashioned a sign and stuck out my thumb. Two rides later, I was back at my bike for the quick jaunt home. Total travel time on the return trip: just under 2 hours. Hmmmm....

Sunday February 18 2007

File under: geocaching, pics

Toggle Comments (6)

comment?

And the Winner Is...

First, let me thank all the participants in the recent Roses Are Red... poetry contest. They were all great submissions, and we are all winners just for having participated. Also, thanks to those who submitted votes. That way, I can't be held accountable for the outcome. But without further ado, I would like to announce the winner as... Andrew with his deeply insightful (although slightly rule bending) poem about the darker side of the giving of flowers. I look forward to doling out the prize. Speech! Speech! Speech!

It is heart-warming to see that BdW democracy functions just like American democracy; just because a candidate chooses to bend the rules a little doesn't mean that he/she can't win the support of the people.

Anyway, thanks again to all contributors. (Next poetry challenge will be a sonnet written in iambic pentameter form. Study up!)

Saturday February 17 2007

File under: contest

Toggle Comments (2)

comment?

Updates

I'm pleased to announce that the puzzle is complete. (I know you were all dying to hear about it.) The big surprise is there wasn't a piece missing even after buying it used (for $0.50). The sense of accomplishment in putting that last piece in its place is great (greater than it should be, it could be argued, as a jigsaw puzzle is rather inconsequential). Many thanks to all those that helped out. I'm hoping to do another one in the waning time I have the dining room table to myself, so feel free to stop by and lend a hand.

Being that we are halfway through February, I thought I would report on how the movie marathon is going. Thanks for all the suggestions, both in the comments and via e-mail. Also, thanks to all those who have joined in FMM, so I haven't had to go it alone! So far, I've seen Zoolander, Little Miss Sunshine, Rumor Has It, Pirates of the Caribbean II, Royal Tenenbaums, Because I Said So, Clerks II, Garden State, and The Departed. (I know, it kind of looks pathetic with them all listed like that. That's okay though.) Two thumbs up for Royal Tenenbaums and Garden State. Two thumbs down for Because I Said So (How could you, Diane Keaton?). Still on the list are Celestine Prophecy, Syriana, and Howl's Moving Castle.

Lastly, don't forget to vote on the recent Roses are Red... poetry contest. Submit your vote via the contact page or by e-mail.

Friday February 16 2007

File under:

Toggle Comments (6)

comment?

< Previous Page Next Page >

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 .............25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109

Name:
URL: (optional)
Comment:
speak yer peace

Name:
URL: (optional)
Comment:
speak yer peace

Name:
URL: (optional)
Comment:
speak yer peace

Name:
URL: (optional)
Comment:
speak yer peace

Name:
URL: (optional)
Comment:
speak yer peace