Toronto Raptors Game

Yesterday Jan. 26th has been planned and paid on my agenda for a month to go with a few people from my church to go and watch a basketball game at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto.  We went to watch the Toronto Raptors play against Cleveland Cavaliers.  Toronto lost against Cleveland 98 to 99.  Too bad.  I've never been at a basketball game and didn't understand all the rules so I didn't know what to expect.  For the first half I couldn't really enjoy the game because I didn't understand the scoring and the reason for the fauls and we were on the balcony so in this huge statium which in itself was very impressive to me, the basketball field and players were so small and far away.  I didn't understand that the game was divided into 4 quarters each being 12 minutes long and after the first two quarters the break was 16 minutes long. Each Team was allowed 6 timeouts in each half of the game for a total of 24 timeouts if they use them all which usually they do, and during the timeouts and 16 Minutes break and everywhere else in between the game there was cheering and hyping up of the crowds and the fans were loud.  There was just as much or more entertainment and making a big show out of it to say the least with more breaks and comercialism than actual just playing the game staying at it and get it over with.  Especially toward the end.  It frustrated me more than anything and I don't know if given the chance I'd go to a game again, unless now maybe I know what to expect.

One thing that impressed me the most is the fact is that the Air Canada Centre I was in they use both for basketball playing and hockey playing.  In otherwords they convert the basket ball field into a ice rink, and back again, depending on what's being played.  What also impresses me is how huge those stadiums are and that I was in the actual statium that manytimes I watched on TV with my dad watching hocky with him.

Overall I was a bit disappointed, but I'm glad I went and experienced something new, and know more about how basketball works.  The rules, the atmosphere, and everything inbetween.

Canadian Quarter Collection

So yesterday (Saturday) I had the whole day off, and I really enjoyed that.  One thing among many things I worked on was my Canadian Quarter Collection.  It was my friend Ben Dettweiler who encouraged me to do so.  He e-mailed me a list of 80 different Commemorative Quarters that are out there and over the period of a month and a half I found 34 of them in my change.  It's very interesting.  I figure the longer I go along the harder it will get to find the missing specific quarters in my change, but I'm proud of what I have.  Ben even gave me 40 coin envelopes as you will see below to put the quarters in.  My staple gun was just a little to weak for the carton envelopes it barely managed to punch a stable through, but eventually over time I managed.

Talking Swiss-German

Hi All

As some of you know from Tuesday after work at the Office working for Christian Horizons, Ursi picks me up to go to the Liebenzell Center to spend the night with Ursi, Jeff, Katie & Maya, and volunteer the next day (Wednesday).  There are two German volunteer's there too all Tuesday and Wednesday.  The rest of the week they live in Milton.

Anyways, on Tuesday evening this week as we were all sitting together having supper, Katie strongly insisted:  "Dad from now on I want you to speak Swiss-German only.  So after a short while of Katie bugging Jeff, I decided to talk to Katie in Swiss-German and in Swiss-German basically explained to her:  "Okay, how about from now on we just talk swiss-german.  That sound like a really good idea to me."  I don't remember what else I said in Swiss-German.  However Ursi joined in and said in Swiss-German that this sounds like a good idea, from now on on Tuesday night at the supper table we can only speak Swiss german.  Then Jeff joined in with whatever words he could remember from being exposed to the language.  I was supprised of the extra phrases in Swiss-German that Jeff knew when challenged.  Good for you Jeff!  How much Swiss-German the two volunteers from Germany understood I don't know.  However, in the end, Katie all frusrtated said:  "Would you please stop talking in that Bla Bla Bla Bla language I can't understand anything you're saying."  I guess Katie didn't want Jeff to Speak Swiss-German only all the time after that anymore.  It was a really fun time.

Christmas Time

Hello All.

I thought it's time to update you on what my Christmas and New Year was like before it's too far in the past.  Time just seems to fly so fast and next thing you know we're already well on our way in the new year.

Well it all started out that I was going to go home on Friday, December 21/12 with the bus from Kitchener to Listowel and mom & dad would pick me up in Listowel.  I took Friday to tie up loose ends here in Kitchener and pack my things (and by the way when I pack I pack way more than I need), and go to the bus terminal in downtown Kitchener.  I already had a ticket in hand from September but thought I'll confirm anyways that the bus is running only to find out that the busline (ABOUTOWN) shut down for the Kitchener, Listowel, Harriston, Hanover, Chessley, Owen Sound Run because it most likely wasn't profitable enough anymore and it shut down on December 14th right before Christmas.  Now the only way to get up North is to take a bus from Kitchener to Toronto and another one from Toronto to Owen Sound.  How Crazy is that!!!

Now Mom & Dad as I suspected already went to Listowel a few hours earlier to go Christmas Shopping and when I collect called them from the bus terminal I couldn't get a hold of them, so I had to go back to my apartment and wait it out till mom & dad called either from Listowel (whhich they did or back home.  Mom called really soon after I was suppose to arive in Listowel because we had that kind of glitches before and they drove all the way to Kitchener to pick me up.  Thanks again mom and dad for that.

I went home from December 21 - 27 and had a really good refreshing time with mom & dad to talk about things, laugh and just hang out as well as go to Church.

Christmas Eve

On December 24th dad had the idea to go and have a Swiss Cheese Fondue down in the Trailer by the river - "Waldkaffi".  To me that was the highlight of staying with mom & dad.  We also played a game of Golf as in the Card Game, not golf as in what you don't play in Winter.

I don't know yet how well the video turns out, since I'm doing this for the first time and I'm experimenting with it, but following are also some pictures.

Some pictures are a bit blurry because I didn't know how to use the flash yet on my camera (which I had for a year now).  I never needed the flash at 16 megapixels.  Dad told me to just turn the flash off during the regular day shooting pictures.  After we got back to the house I asked dad to help me figure this flash thing out, it turns out it is actually very simple.  But yes for most of the time I'm in a situation where I don't need a flash.

Christmas Day

The next day December 25th, Mom, Dad and I went after church to Clinton to a Soup Kitchen where they invited as I understand it a lot of people (homeless and otherwise in need and maybe even disabled)  I'm not sure, for a Turkey Dinner and entertainment.  Dad signed us three (mom, dad and I) up to go and eat there and sit with people that come there and talk with them and eat with them.  It was good experience.

In the evening Mom, Dad and I sat around the Christmas Tree, sang some song and listened to mom read a story.  It was a good one too.  Then we opened presents.  One of the things I got that's important to me is a book along with a work book called: :  "The Way of the Wild Heart" written by Jon Eldredge  It's a very encouraging book written for men.

New Years Eve & New Years

It is the second year now that I went back to my apartment between Christmas and New Years, and the first  year that I worked two days (4 hours per day only really) between Christmas and New Years.  I used up almost all my vacation time, lieu time, and stat holiday hours in the summer when I went around Georgian Bay with Mom, Dad and Moritz for almost a week, and then 3 weeks to Switzerland.  And I have to say I truly enjoy the independence of not staying at Mom & Dad's between Christmas and New Years.

Now for New Years Eve and New Years, Mom & Dad who were already at the Liebenzell Center, visiting Jeff and Ursi and the girls, came to pick me up on Monday, December 31st, and I stayed all the way till January 2, since that was a Wednesday and Tuesday Evenings and Wednesdays I'd be at the Liebenzell Center anyway on a weekly basis volunteering and helping out with the family

Now Ursi was busy organizing her cubby hole and some shelves while mom & dad were baby sitting/keeping busy Katie and Maya.  Mom and dad took them to pick me up and even kept them busy on January 1st.  on December 31.  We unwrapped, presents, cooked and ate Fondue Chinua (Spelling???) and played Carcassone  the rest of the evening.  The next day we wen tobogganing and building fires.  I preferred not to go tobogganing, but took pictures and video clips instead.

Here I have to explain that Jeff got a really cool winter hat from Sarah and a carving chainsaw from Dad for Christmas.  This were his presents.

I got to try out Jeff's Winter hat of a "Wild Schwein" too.  It was awesome.

January 1, 2013

Winter tobogganing:

January 2,2013

It's Wednesday, and as I said it's volunteer day.  The two other  German volunteers were not here this week so it was just Jeff and I and since it was still just at the very beginning of the year we were taking it easy.  Moving and oiling and greasing the snow blower, putting air in the tractor tires, and after a while Jeff just said:  "Let's go for a drive".  and off into the bush with the tractor we went.  After lunch already I went back home to Kitchener.  I enjoyed the rest of the day off.

I hope this blog wasn't too long.  I wish all of you a very happy New Year 2013!

Markus