submarines, blowing in the wind, and the amazing race...

submarine tragedy...

i once bought a slide projector. i found it in the bargain finder. i didn't know much about slide projectors. i forked over 175 bucks. inexplicably, after the 3rd time i used it, the carousel holding the slides wouldn't advance. there was no recourse. well, not in a practical sense.

i very rarely buy used goods anymore. stung by the projector fiasco, i learned that you cannot ever know their history, good or bad. another well known example involves buying a used car. you don't know how a car was driven/maintained by it's previous owner.

that brings us today's tragedy where a canadian submariner lost his life when a fire broke out in a used submarine while submerged in the irish sea. the submarine in question was part of $750 million dollar deal (4 submarines) that the canadian government couldn't resist. it was a bargain alright. from the get-go, these submarines have been outright lemons. the canadian government has never acknowledged this. saving face took priority in this case.

back to the used car example. prudence would say if you consider purchasing a used vehicle, you should at least have a mechanic look under the hood. i don't think the government properly inspected these rust buckets.

you get what you pay for... we should get the navy (or any branch of the arm forces) some top notch (new) equipment or get out of the national defence business altogether.

lowry gardens...

another beautiful day. naturally i went for another long bike ride. this day's objective: lowry gardens located on the southern slopes overlooking the bow river, adjacent to the shaganappi golf course. i heard good things from dave and gina about the park. it was nice. i followed a single gravel path (out of bounds to bikes! ha!) that followed the contour the embankment, winding through the forest. really beautiful views of the river and downtown. i certainly recommend it.

i ran into my friend, sal, on the bow river path. he was biking to his home in the hamptons. i've known sal for along time, ever since second year zoology. he works for parks canada and is officially on strike (ha!). we exchanged pleasantries. he said i should get a bike 'puter. that would take the fun out of biking, eh. i'd rather use pain and fatigue to figure out my progress...

i was lucky all day long. i had a tail wind on the way up. then at 1645h, a cold front rolled in from the north, pushing me all the way home along the deerfoot/bow river bike path. that was fun except for the dust storms.

dream interpretation...

i had a weird dream last night. i was a contestant on the amazing race. i must have been one of the final 3 teams. before the mad dash, i found myself searching for a 7-11 (maybe for a slurpee). i kept looking. the race was about to start. i tried to run for the start line but it seemed i was running on quicksand. i never made it to the start...and woke up.

i have my theories, but can anyone out there interpret this dream...?