Today is Canada Day and I celebrated by going for a nice long bike ride. I rode my bike downtown and took in some of the festivities at Princess Island Park. They were giving out free flags and as you can see they make quite the fashion statement. I must say I had more than one person (two people exactly) compliment me for my statement on fashion. Well if you count people honking at you, complimenting me…
Here’s a photo of the main stage on Princess Island.
This mascot is representing the World Skills competition that is being held in Calgary later this year. I don’t know why they decided to go with a horse but I guess it seemed like a good idea to them at the time!
I enjoy a good burger as much as the next guy and so the other day I decided to head down to Calgary’s Peters’ Drive-In. Peter’s has been in business since 1962 and I don’t think its changed much since then either. In fact, some might even say it’s a Calgary institution!
I believe the place is under new management but they still offer pretty decent food at a reasonable price. My personal favorite are the milkshakes since you can have nearly every flavor imaginable and then some since they will even mix up to three flavors for you.
One other thing about Peters’ is that you’re unlikely to go hungry. The portions are pretty big. I ordered small fries and almost couldn’t finish it.
Peters’ has a picnic area around the restaurant. Perfect on a warm summer evening.
The Drive-In right on the main highway not too far from the centre of town. The address is 219 – 16 Avenue NE.
I’ve been to Japan 6 times now. 3 times were for work(teaching English in various schools) and 3 times for vacation. The last time I was there was in April of 2008. After I came back from that trip I blogged about it for the next few months and then I stopped because well, I think my readers (Nick and Keith) were getting tired of hearing about Japan. That’s really saying something, since both of them have lived there for well over a decade!
Well more than a year has passed and I’ve rediscovered some of my pictures from that trip.
My buddy lives right near the beach in one of the best beach side towns in all of Japan! Shimoda, Shizuoka-ken. Shimoda is about a 3.5 hour train ride from the Tokyo metropolitan area and so this means that it’s within reach of only about 35 million people! Oh, the seclusion!
Here I am doing my best impression of David Hasselhoff with my beautiful pale skin… As they say, “don’t hassel the Hoff!” Oh yeah, and just in case you’re wondering why there are no actual photos of me surfing… well, let’s just say it’s a lot harder than it looks.
I’m going to Japan for my summer vacation and as a result there will be much tomfoolery, shannanigans, and most certainly hi jinx. However, in order to make all of these things happen you need to have a “party squad.” What’s a “party squad?” I’m soooo glad you asked….
A “party squad” is defined as follows: a gathering or assembling a crew of friends, acquaintances, and/or socialites in order to party. I don’t know any socialites but I do have a couple of friends and acquaintances and with many thanks I am able to form a “party squad.” In addition, since this will all be happening in Japan, it will be known as the “Japan 2009 Party Squad.”
If you are going to be in Japan this summer and would like to be in my “party squad” then please feel free to contact me through the contact form on this blog. The contact form on the “About Michael McKinlay” paragraph to the right of this post. Just click on “more” link and you will find the contact form. Once you do this, I can e-mail you the time, date, and location of the Japan 2009 Party Squad initialization sequence.
Finally, every “Party Squad” must have music. This year’s “party squad” anthem comes from my favorite new band, Phoenix. Phoenix happens to be from France, but don’t let that scare you. They are actually quite friendly which is crucial to any “party squad’s” success and ability to party. Phoenix will also be in Japan this summer. They are going to be playing at the SummerSonic 09 music festival in Tokyo and Osaka. Check out this video of them playing the best new song of 2009, “1901.”
The above title says it all folks, but just who is Paul Penton??? Nobody really knows but here is the info that I’ve collected on this rascal, or vagabond as I like to call him..(Actually, I don’t really know what a vagabond is, I just thought it would make me sound cool.)
Anywho, Paul, or “Señor” Penton is a co-worker of mine. He likes “Taco Tuesdays”, neatly pressed dress shirts, fine linens, and a sensible dinner. His dislikes are, non-functioning electrical circuits, motorcycle vandals, and last but not least, businesses that do not accept debit card transactions totaling less than a $1.97.
Paul recently challenged me to a “golf off.” A “golf off” can be any number of things involving the game of golf but on this particular day it involved trying to sink a shot in to a propped up rain barrel about 100 yards away.
Here’s Paul taking his best shot. Take a closer look and you can actually see his golf ball flying through the air.
Sadly, this challenge ended in a draw as both of us had a bit too much to drink, before the challenge. The downside is that the alcohol took away some of our already limited physical coordination, on the plus side we had a much happier time attempting it.
My name is Michael McKinlay and I live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Although I was born here, I have lived in a few other places in Western Canada such as, Saskatoon, Regina, Medicine Hat, and Edmonton. I also spent time in Hong Kong and Japan. [More]
My name is Michael McKinlay and I live in Calgary, Alberta Canada. Although I was born here, I have lived in a few other places in Western Canada such as, Saskatoon, Regina, Medicine Hat, and Edmonton. I also spent time in Hong Kong and Japan. [
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