We launched the new Radio 2 campaign this week called the Great Canadian Song Quest and I have to say, I am pretty excited about the social media tool kit we provide on the site.

I [hope] I will never call myself a Social Media Expert or Social Networking Expert (I use the tools, but I drive a car too, and I’m not going to start pretending to be an auto mechanic either), but I think we are providing some pretty neat tools for CBC Radio 2 listeners to start their own campaigns for locations in Canada they would like to have a song written about… now I just really hope they use them!

The pieces I like best about the ‘Share your quest with the Rest‘ page are the templates we have provided for people to create their own Blogger OR WordPress blogs and the new UGC photogallery that CBC.ca is now using.

The twitter hashtags are a bit of an experiment.. I don’t use them that much myself, so we will see if that gets a lot of pickup and uploading a video about your favourite place in Canada also might be too much to hope for.. but you never know right?

Could be cool, could not take-off, no way of knowing. What I do know is that I like how far we’ve taken these tools we are providing, and I like where we stopped. I don’t think we went over the top, or tried to take on too much, this is just going to be an interesting experience to see what Radio 2 listeners WANT to do on the site.

So I just got into this online show when julien tweeted about their new music video on Youtube called ‘Do you want to date my Avatar?”

Couldn’t stop laughing, therefore had to blog about it. I’m on episode 3 of The Guild, and if you’ve ever played an MMO or any online game with friends, I recommend trying it.

This is the itinerary for France at Yahoo Trips

Google Map: http://maps.google.ca/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=ca&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=108951359976613231692.00046f87a07726995af7e

PARIS:

RSS Feed for weather in Paris: http://weather.yahooapis.com/forecastrss?p=FRXX0076&u=c
Map of Paris with hotel, Louvre, Eiffel Tower and Notre Dam
Dad stayed at Chateau les Halles

RSS Feed for weather in Reims: http://weather.yahooapis.com/forecastrss?p=FRXX0080&u=c

RSS Feed for weather in Dijon: http://weather.yahooapis.com/forecastrss?p=FRXX0036&u=c

RSS Feed for weather in Lyon: http://weather.yahooapis.com/forecastrss?p=FRXX0055&u=c

We FINALLY made our way to the new Indian Restaurant in our hood last night.

The restaurant is called Savera and is located here:


View Larger Map

It was some of the best Indian food I have eaten in this city, really well spiced, tasty, and in perfect quantities. The service was quick, and the ambiance  lovely. I would highly recommend this restaurant, and will be going again soon.

We (two adults + 1 seven-year-old) ordered:

• Lamb Roganjosh
• Channa Masala
• Butter Chicken
• Naan+ Rice + Raita
• House Wine (Jackson Triggs Merlot)
• TOTAL COST= $70

IT IS DONE!!!!
Ok, it needs to be waterproofed, but really IT IS DONE!!!

Joists, taken from my back door

We spent last week finalizing the joists (which are the REAL backbreakers on this project). They all needed ‘Hurricane clips’ and various other Ninja-star-looking metal bits screwed into them, and we had to keep checking levels and stuff, plus adding joist-hangers… it was the hard work I tell ya.

They need to have deck kits that include joists… because its a completely unsatisfying part of the project. They are ugly, you spend the entire time stepping THRU them, and tripping OVER them, and did I mention all the metal hangers you have to screw in to place to HOLD them there?!?!?

Crappy crappy crap. Joists suck. I get that they are the skeleton of my lovely new deck, but they suck anyway. So there.

Laying the cedar deck boards over the evil joists

After three weeks of working with the pressure-treated-chemical-filled 2×4s that became the evil joists, we made the decision to go with the cedar boards for our actual deck.

A very good-but-expensive choice (cedar was double the cost of pressure-treated deck boards) – but at least we got them on a weekend with a special no GST/PST!

So we started screwing them into place on Saturday afternoon.

And despite the rain on Sunday, we mustered on through, screw after screw.

Our deck, as taken from the west side

Finally resulting in this beautiful finished cedar deck!

We only have about half the screw in place, but that is probably going to change <groan> tonight.. and then we Thompsons-waterseal the sucker and HELLLOOOOO Summer!!

I’m totally thrilled, it makes the backyard look so much bigger, and the cedar is gorgeous.

Two of the three 15' beams we laid.

We set in the beams as you can see, and squared the ’skeleton’ of the deck this weekend and a little into this week.

Next we will be doing joists which have these evil metal hangers called joist hangers attached to them. I say evil ’cause they cut you really easily and could be substituted for Ninja Stars in a pinch.

Off to PAB2009 this weekend, so don’t expect an update until next week this time (unless the hubby actually manages to both watch the little monkey AND get some work done, but I am not holding my breath).

Mixing and pouring cement

As predicted, we were knee deep in cement this weekend.

Got three of the holes filled with the sticky goupy stuff (which it turns out, when mixed to the right consistency, sounds vaguely like cow patties leaving the cow and hitting the ground.. lovely).

Both of our backs are really sore, but once again The Claw totally came thru for us (I feel a little like a Canadian Tire ad or something)… we poured about a third of the cement into the white bucket pictured to

The post hole with a brace on top

So, three of the nine posts are poured.

Next week, more concrete, and we’re widening the center post to accomodate a 12″ sono-tube instead of a 6″… so more digging and more shop vaccing! YAY!

And the digging continues. Another weekend goes by and we are three more post-holes closer to… well… more work. [sigh]
Supposedly, the dirt we have scraped off the backyard will be picked up tomorrow, at which time the area where the last three postholes have to be dug will be exposed.. and THEN… well THEN.. we will dig the three more post-holes. [sigh]
This is the most time-consuming project EVER!!!!
Ok, no, pregnancy and THEN THIS.
Anyways, that is the update.
Next Week stay tuned for when the hubby says “Honey, its time to pour concrete!”

So, we are working on a deck my friends, OH YES.

Posting pics as we go, we are currently at the phase I like to call “hole digging hell!”
We have an innovative way to dig holes in which to put these Sono tubes that you then fill with concrete (don’t ask me, I am the grunt-work on this project). The holes have to be two feet deep to go past the frostline (so the deck’s foundations don’t wiggle during the winter).

We are loosening up the dirt with my cool new twisty tool (no idea what it is called.. The Claw maybe?) and then sucking up the loose dirt using our Shop Vac. It doesn’t seem like it would work but it really does!

iTouch lists

I don’t know if it is the time of year, or what, but I’ve been feeling like I am just getting less done these days.
Less ACTUAL work done at work, less QUALITY time with my family, just less things ticked off that massive list everyone carries around in their head of stuff-to-do (or is that just me?).

Now though I take everything I read with a grain of salt, I liked The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People because it did make me THINK about my approach to that massive list in my head.

I thought a run-through of the habits quoted by author Stephen Covey might be pertinent:

Habit 1 – Be Proactive
Habit 2 – Begin with the End in Mind
Habit 3 – First Things First
Habit 4 – Think Win Win
Habit 5 – Seek First to Understand (then be Understood)
Habit 6 – Synergize (Synergise)
Habit 7 – Sharpen the Saw

I especially like Habits 2 and 5. I feel like way too often, especially on larger projects at work that we lose sight of the goal. Its like it should be posted on the wall to remind people why they are there. And Habit 5, is another vital step that I myself skip far too often… pushing my point across sometimes at the expense of understanding another’s point.

I’ve written my list on the my whiteboard, I’ve written the 7 habits next to them, and I am going to get something done, I swear it.