Author Archives: mathan

MINI: I stand corrected!

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Today I brought the KUMAKART to the dealership to get it’s summer tires put on and to get a software upgrade for a rattle on cold engine start.  Gotta love that a software update now fixes stuff like that!

That said, I decided to retry the Countryman.  My review was somewhat scathing, for me, and I really wanted to see – was it the car or was it me?

Turns out it was me.  Well, maybe the person who sat in the vehicle before me.  See, the back seats are adjustable.  Super adjustable, and well, I didn’t adjust the seats.  I didn’t think of that because, well, I’ve never been in a car where the back seats are adjustable.

So there you have it – The Countryman IS back on our list for vehicles to consider in the future.

 

MINI, BMW… Choices

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While I was in Portland last week, I got an email from American Express – Test drive a BMW and get  $100 Starbucks gift card.

I couldn’t pass up getting $100 to spend at Starbucks.  Seriously.  Test driving a BMW to get it?  Oh pull my arm, please!

Scott and I are not in the market for a new car.  We have at least 2.5 years left on the lease of Stormer the Kumakart, our MINI Cooper.  That said, the MINI, while such a fun and amazing car, is a bit too small for us.  Scott does have some difficulty getting in, and Scott’s mum had ‘fun’ getting in and out of the back. Not the most practical car, but hey, if we had to live with it for a long time, we could.

I do not regret the lease of our MINI in anyway.  I’ve always wanted one, and if we had not got it when we did, we would probably have never had experienced the joy that it actually has brought us while driving.  I still grin when I see it and say, “This is the most ridiculous car I have ever owned”  I jump at the chance to drive it when I can.

If we had the space, I’d buy it and get a second car. – despite it’s flaws – mainly, the size.  I adore that MINI so much, after all, we designed it and ordered it.  It’s OUR car.  I’ve never felt such passion about a car – maybe our first car.

Four vehicles were on our list to test drive today, with six total to sit in:

  • BMW X1
  • BMW 530i
  • MINI Countryman
  • MINI Clubman
  • BMW 3-Series
  • BMW X3

I am going to group together sizes of cars in my comparisson.

BMW X1

The X1 was, I think, the perfect height for an SUV.  It was very nicely appointed and drove smoothly.  It’s what I was expecting in a typical BMW – responsive and could be a lot of fun to drive.  I really liked the HUD – Given we have an HUD in our MINI, I’m a big fan of the technology, and even more so on the BMW line.

The back leg room was okay.  It felt a little cramped, but we may have also had the seats back a bit further than we normally would put them to drive.

BMW X3

We sat in the X3 and didn’t test drive it.  Between the X1 and the X3, the X3 would be prefect for us in terms of back seat room, and it’s not so high up you’re having to really reach up and step up to sit in the vehicle.  The prefect size for an SUV for us, and I know it would be a quality drive.

The X3 is getting a refresh soon, so when the comes out, I look forward to test driving it.

MINI Countryman

The MINI Countryman is built on the same platform as the BMW X1.  We fit in the X1.  We didn’t fit in the Countryman.  A serious let down.

One of the most important tests that we do on any vehicle is sit in the front seat, adjusting the seat for where we would normally sit.  I then go sit in the back seat.

I couldn’t sit in the back seat.  There was no where for my knees. There just wasn’t any room!  I can sit in the back seat of my MINI Cooper 5-Door behind Scott.  I couldn’t sit in the backseat of a Countryman.  What kind of bonkers big MINI is this and based on the X1?

We had every intention of test driving the Countryman to see how it feels relative to the X1.  Sadly, it was a no go from the start.

MINI Clubman

Now, unsurprisingly, if I can sit in the back seat of a MINI Cooper 5-Door, I can definitely sit in the back seat of a MINI Clubman.  I knew this would not be a problem.  Successfully behind Scott as well.  It was a no-brainer, we took this for a drive.

The Clubman is definitely wider than the MINI Cooper 5-Door that we have and, probably appointed nicer with some nice design changes for the interior.

It drives the same way as our Cooper, just slightly bigger.  Not overbearingly so.  It was peppy and fun.

I am concerned that Scott did have some problems with the height of the door opening. He often hits his head getting into the car, and certainly did on the Clubman.

Betty, Scott’s Mum, would have no problem getting into the front of back of the car with big door openings.

We know the brand, we know what we want in the interior, and our friends would appreciate the room in the car.  We love the trunk space.  All taken into consideration, this car is, hands down, on our list to consider.

BMW 3-Series

A BMW 318i was the first car I attempted to drive.  In downtown Toronto on Harbord St, in a manual car I had no idea how to drive.  I was shitting myself at the time.  My uncle was a bit silly to have done that to me, bless his heart.  The next time, we took it to a parking lot.

We sat in a 3-Series just to see how we would fit.  The car was definitely too low down.  I felt like I was lying in it, maybe even more so than in my MINI.  That said, we fit and Scott said it would be acceptable, but would, “Just be okay”.  All in all, the 3-Series is a sport car, hands down and it exudes that.  I know they’re fantastic, I’d probably enjoy driving one just as I enjoy driving my MINI.

Back seat-wise, not too bad either.  BMW did a great job of raising the ceiling for us tall people in the back seat, and not in a noticeable way that Volkswagen has done in either the Golf or the Jetta – I can’t remember.

The 3-Series could be a consideration, though I’d say the 4-Series Gran Coupe would be more apropriate.

BMW 530i xDrive

If heaven were a car, then this must be heaven.  I can’t gush more about the most expensive car I have ever driven in my life.  The car we drove was easily worth between $64,000 and $71,000.

It was so smooth.  The HUD was amazing.  The glass dashboard.  The new gesture controls made me feel like Miranda Priestly telling the car, “No no, I want the volume up.”.

I let my foot off the brake, and I’m used to a car starting to move forward . The car was stopped dead, no rolling forward, no anticipating the light.  Whoa!  It was so smooth in it’s ride.  Switching modes, the pick up was quite something in Sport mode, and Eco Pro mode definitely didn’t feel like Green mode on my MINI.

The new entertainment system with BMW Connected Services – Just a joy to use, as one would expect from BMW.  I’m so glad they’re keeping the iDrive dial along with adding the gesture controls, and touchscreen.

Scott reversing the 5-Series, with the rear camera and obstacle detection system, it brought a degree of confidence in parking such a large vehicle.  Maybe, just maybe, Scott and I can own a large vehicle and be confident, that we wouldn’t hit the back passenger quadrant on a concrete pillar – like we did with both of our Prii.

I can say, hands down, I would buy this car in a heartbeat, and Scott would too.  What a gorgeous ride.  I cannot say I have sat in a more luxurious car, other than the classic Bentley that my cousins rented when they got married.  The level of technology – This is a serious geek car.

In Conclusion

The best words out of Scott’s mouth when sitting in a MINI after the BMW experience: “This looks kind of cheap!”  Oh dear, MINI.  I know you’re definitely a Premium brand.  You truly are, but… yeah there’s a certain degree that the interiors do have a degree of cheapness to them in some of your base models.  But hey, that’s why people upgrade the interiors.  Compared to other companies, alright they’re premium.

Our perceptions were definitely skewed for a brief moment by the sheer beauty of the new 5-Series for sure.

I can only imagine what the 7-Series is like to be driven around in.  Maybe I should leave that for the ride from Munich’s airport to BMW Welt in 2019 or 2020.  Can you say, European Delivery?  Oh yes.

A boy can dream, right?

Christmas 2016 Ornament – Using Arduino

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I created a Christmas ornament using an Arduino Uno and an 8×5 NeoPixel Shield.

In short it,

  • Displays one of seven messages randomly
  • Displays a set of bars that animates – Based on this thread
  • Displays a star that moves and cycles colours – Based on this tutorial

The code is, essentially, C and REALLY easy to develop, and the APIs from AdaFruit make this wicked fast to get code up and running quickly.  The language used for Arduino actually is based on Processing, but also accepts C and C++.

The Libraries used are:

  • AdaFruit GFX Library
  • AdaFruit NeoMatrix
  • AdaFruit NeoPixel

Here is the code:

#include <Adafruit_NeoMatrix.h>
#include <Adafruit_NeoPixel.h>
 
// MATRIX DECLARATION:
// Parameter 1 = width of NeoPixel matrix
// Parameter 2 = height of matrix
// Parameter 3 = pin number (most are valid)
// Parameter 4 = matrix layout flags, add together as needed:
// NEO_MATRIX_TOP, NEO_MATRIX_BOTTOM, NEO_MATRIX_LEFT, NEO_MATRIX_RIGHT:
// Position of the FIRST LED in the matrix; pick two, e.g.
// NEO_MATRIX_TOP + NEO_MATRIX_LEFT for the top-left corner.
// NEO_MATRIX_ROWS, NEO_MATRIX_COLUMNS: LEDs are arranged in horizontal
// rows or in vertical columns, respectively; pick one or the other.
// NEO_MATRIX_PROGRESSIVE, NEO_MATRIX_ZIGZAG: all rows/columns proceed
// in the same order, or alternate lines reverse direction; pick one.
// See example below for these values in action.
// Parameter 5 = pixel type flags, add together as needed:
// NEO_KHZ800 800 KHz bitstream (most NeoPixel products w/WS2812 LEDs)
// NEO_KHZ400 400 KHz (classic 'v1' (not v2) FLORA pixels, WS2811 drivers)
// NEO_GRB Pixels are wired for GRB bitstream (most NeoPixel products)
// NEO_RGB Pixels are wired for RGB bitstream (v1 FLORA pixels, not v2)

#define PIN 6
Adafruit_NeoMatrix matrix = Adafruit_NeoMatrix(6, 8, PIN,
 NEO_MATRIX_BOTTOM + NEO_MATRIX_LEFT +
 NEO_MATRIX_COLUMNS + NEO_MATRIX_PROGRESSIVE,
 NEO_GRB + NEO_KHZ800);


// Global Variables
// matrix_x, y used to drive the size of the LED matrix
// text_pass used to change text colours after each pass
// starpos used to position the star when switching to different colours
// starpos_incdec is used to move the star back and forth based on the boundaries of the matrix
// rand_messages is used to randmize the messge that is shown
// text_colours is an array of colours to use for the text, star_rgb used for star color values, star_colour used to drive the actual colour of the star
int matrix_x = matrix.width();
int matrix_y = matrix.height();
int text_pass = 0;
int starpos = 0;
boolean starpos_incdec = 1;
int rand_messages = 0;
unsigned int star_rgb[3] = {255,255,255};
uint16_t star_colour = matrix.Color(star_rgb[0], star_rgb[1], star_rgb[2]);
const uint16_t text_colours[] = {matrix.Color(255, 0, 0), matrix.Color(0, 255, 0), matrix.Color(255, 255, 0),matrix.Color(0, 0, 255), matrix.Color(255, 0, 255), matrix.Color(0, 255, 255), matrix.Color(255, 255, 255)};

 // Merry Christmas Message 
String myMessages[]={"Merry Christmas", "You've been naughty", "Krampus is here", "Ho Ho Ho!", "Happy Holidays","Meet me under the mistletoe", "Home for the Holidays"}; 
int myMessagesSizes[]={-98,-120,-98,-80,-95,-170,-140};
// Code
void setup() 
{
 Serial.begin(9600);
 matrix.begin();
 matrix.setTextWrap(false);
 matrix.setBrightness(6);
 matrix.setTextColor(text_colours[0]);
}

void update_star()
{
 // Future code fix - Make dynamic based on matrix_x and matrix_y
 // In short, if the star hits the Y boundaries, move back
 if (starpos+4 == 7) { starpos_incdec = 0; } 
 if (starpos == 0) { starpos_incdec = 1; } 

 // Clear screen, draw star
 matrix.fillScreen(0);
 star_colour = matrix.Color(star_rgb[1], star_rgb[0], star_rgb[2]);
 matrix.drawLine(0, starpos, 4, starpos+4, star_colour);
 matrix.drawLine(0, starpos+4, 4, starpos, star_colour);
 matrix.drawLine(0, starpos+2, 4, starpos+2, star_colour);
 matrix.drawLine(2, starpos, 2, starpos+4, star_colour); 
 matrix.show(); 
 delay(1);
}

void color_morph(unsigned int* value, int get_brighter)
{
 // Updates the colour through updating the refence. 
 // Get brighter flag increments/decrements
 for (int i = 0; i < 255; i++)
 {
 if (get_brighter)
 (*value)--;
 else
 (*value)++;

 update_star();
 }
 if (starpos_incdec) { starpos++; } else { starpos--; } 
}

void rowColorWipe(uint32_t c1, uint32_t c2, uint32_t c3, uint16_t wait) 
{
 // Borrowed code to draw green, white and red bars
 // Clear screen
 matrix.fillScreen(0);

 // Draw the bars
 for(int j=0; j<2; j++) {
 for(int q=0; q<6; q++){
 for(int y=0; y <= matrix.height() + 10; y=y+6) {
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-11, 5, y+q-6, c3);
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-10, 5, y+q-5, c1);
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-9, 5, y+q-4, c1);
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-8, 5, y+q-3, c3);
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-7, 5, y+q-2, c2);
 matrix.drawLine(0, y+q-6, 5, y+q-1, c2);
 }
 matrix.show();
 delay(wait);
 }
 }
}

void loop()
{
 // The main Arduino loop
 // Displays the christmas message, then the Christmas Wrapping bars, and then the star animation
 // Easier to have the message scroll here rather than using a separate method/function
 
 // Clears screen and sets message
 matrix.fillScreen(0);
 matrix.setCursor(matrix_x, 0); 
 matrix.print(myMessages[rand_messages]);
 // matrix.print(F("Merry Christmas")); // If using a single message

 // Enter this only if the message has been fully displayed. It's displayed by moving the cursor
 if(--matrix_x <= myMessagesSizes[rand_messages]) {
 // Reset message scroll
 matrix_x = matrix.width();
 matrix.setCursor(matrix_x, 0);

 // Christmas Wrapping bars
 rowColorWipe(matrix.Color(255, 0, 0), matrix.Color(255, 255, 255), matrix.Color(0, 255, 0), 500);

 // Cycle through the star colours
 color_morph(&star_rgb[0], 1); // transition to red
 color_morph(&star_rgb[1], 1); // transition to yellow
 color_morph(&star_rgb[0], 0); // transition to green 
 color_morph(&star_rgb[2], 1); // transition to aqua 
 color_morph(&star_rgb[0], 1); // transition to white
 color_morph(&star_rgb[1], 0); // transition to violet
 color_morph(&star_rgb[0], 0); // transition to blue
 color_morph(&star_rgb[2], 0); // transition to black (all off)
 
 if(++text_pass >= 8) text_pass = 0;
 matrix.setTextColor(text_colours[text_pass]);
 rand_messages = random(0,7); // Random number between 0 and 7 (n-1)
 } 
 matrix.show();
 delay(100); 
}

Gaming past

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I look at most of my younger friends going crazy for Pokemon Sun and Moon these days and realize, they don’t know anything outside the realm of Nintendo, Sony Playstation and XBox.  It’s like there wasn’t a gaming history prior to the time when the NES came out.

Given the videogame market crash of 1983, it’s somewhat not surprising.

For someone of my generation – yes I know how that sounds, there were a lot more options.  My collective group of friends not only were into NES and SNES, but we were also into our Amigas and Ataris – ST that is, not just the 2600.

Games like Worms (Team 17), Super Stardust (Team 17), Wipeout (Psygnosis) and pretty much anything out of Sony Studio Liverpool  (which was formerly Psygnosis) would be no where today without the Amiga.

There are some fantastic games such as Zool, The Lost Vikings, James Pond, etc. that came out during that time period.  Simply fantastic, that people seem to have forgotten and simply don’t seem to care about except for those of us who lived it.  Which is sad because there are some real gems.

I’ve owned, in my lifetime, two CD32s, picking up the latest one about two years ago, and I own a fully working Amiga CDTV completely with a hard drive. I’m slowly refurbishing the CD32, which at this point needs a replacement CD spindle to work.  Everything else on it seems perfect.

Which brings me to an interesting quandary.  I can perfectly emulate the CD32 on my Surface or MacBook. Do I really need the original hardware?  There is something to be said for owning a piece of iconic history, especially if you can keep it going.

Things I learned during a Disney Cruise

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The second in my series about cruising with Disney.  In the first blog, I talked about things we learned prior to going on our cruise.  We learned a lot more during and after the cruise!

Culture, Entertainment

  • There is definitely a unique culture on board, especially on the WBTA (West Bound Transatlantic) cruise.  People were so friendly and gregarious.
  • You have a lot of repeats cruisers who have done this cruise before, regardless of the destination, i.e. to Miami or New York City, via Canada or Castaway Cay, etc…  And they truly love it for various reasons.
  • For Disney, you did not see a lot of people wearing ears on board.  I was definitely not in the norm, wearing my Stitch hat I picked up at TokyoDisneysea, and my Stitch slippers.
  • I was expecting the cruise to be primarily just North Americans, and while Canadians and Americans did make up a significant number of passengers on the ship, there was a significant presence from France, Germany, Austria, The United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia; and all who appreciated Disney whether it’s the characters, the level of service, etc…
  • On the longer cruises, the are two must-dos (among many)
    • The Officers Deck Party – This surprised me
    • Do check out the kids areas when they have the open houses.  It’s your chance to experience what they experience.
  • Normally I am not one for shows on board and deck parties.  Have to say, I was pretty blown away by the shows and the deck parties.  Okay, some of the deck parties can start out a bit hokey, but there are some really really cool elements to each of them.  I don’t want to ruin the element of surprise, but you can definitely see videos of the experiences on YouTube.
  • Did I say, do the shows?  I say, do the shows. They are fantastic and the things Disney does with the stage is pretty amazing given we’re floating at sea.
  • Do see a movie in the Buena Vista Theatre.  Probably the best 3D screen I have seen.  When watching Finding Dory at an angle, we still had a prefect 3D image with the glasses on!
  • Characters will roam about the ship.  This one afternoon, I kept on running into Belle and we finally chatted about the book she was reading (Winnie the Pooh).  You can even get advice from Rapunzel on the conditioner she uses (Disney H2O for sure!).

Activities

  • As an adult, you will not be bored!  There is a lot to do:
    • Character meets – If that’s your thing
    • Chocolate and wine pairing, tastings
    • Cheese and wine pairing, tastings
    • Mixology classes
    • Karaoke in After Hours
    • Game shows in After Hours
    • Learn to draw characters
    • Bingo
    • Deck parties
    • Use the pool
  • The kids won’t be bored either, there is a ton of stuff for them to do.  Interestingly, on the Disney Magic all the kids areas are on deck 5.  There was a point where I had to go to Deck 5, stepped out of the elevator and wondered, “Where am I?  I don’t recognize this deck.”  Of course!  It’s the kids deck, where the Buena Vista There is also found.

The ship

  • Disney Magic is a gorgeous ship.  Upon walking on the ship, I was looking at the ship and, despite being from 1998, it is very very well maintained.  Now, it went through dry dock renovations in 2013, but the ship is constantly being repainted on the outside (saw this in Halifax and Ponta Delgada) and fixed where needed.  It’s all part of making magic and the high bars that Disney sets.
  • We got talking to a couple of contractors from an engineering company that were working on the ship.  They had told us that Disney had quite a few redundancy systems on the ship unlike any other cruise line they had worked with.  Think backup, to the backup, to the backup, to the backup.  Given the history of other cruise lines and the challenges the industry has had, it’s clear that Disney takes the safety of their passengers seriously, as well as the investment in their ships, the cruise industry and even their stockholders.
  • Not every ship in Disney’s fleet is the same.  Despite Magic and Wonder, Fantasy and Dream being sister ships and similar size categories, the design for each is different.

Dining, Drinks and Service

  • Dining is an experience on DCL.  Each dinner had some form of entertainment, so you want to stay until the end if you can.  Now Scott and I noticed that people would often leave before the entertainment began and wondered why, however I just realized, if you’ve seen it before…  For a first timer, definitely stay and experience it.  And often, they’re short surprises.
  • The serving team is fantastic and get to know you.  With Princess we had anytime dining, so didn’t get to experience that level of service.  With Royal Caribbean, we had specifically timed dining, and the degree to which the staff got to you know you wasn’t there.
  • Disney is also the first cruise line where our stateroom host specifically introduced herself and was quite visible.  If we needed anything, she was there.  Fantastic.  On Princess we never met our stateroom host.  We did on RCI but didn’t seem as approachable as they were on DCL.
  • On DCL there is no drink package required. Pop, water, coffee, tea and hot chocolate is included in your stateroom fees.  We did order a bottled water package as we missed having water on our cruise in February on RCI.
  • That said, if you want wine with dinner, there is a wine package available.  You can order this in advance or in one of the dining rooms when you board.
  • If you could not get that elusive Palo Brunch dining reservation, you can order it on board when you arrive.  In the case of Magic, go directly to Lumiere’s and line up.  The line does go quickly.
  • If you want premium coffee, for adults there is the Cove Cafe, and for Teens there is Vibe.  At Cove Cafe, you pay for these, I’m not sure about Vibe since I’m not a teen.
  • At Cove Cafe you get a buy 6 get one free card for coffee.
  • The coffee in Cabanas and at the drink station is kind of lacking in flavour. LOL.  It looks dark, but, yeah… I won’t say skip it as I need my coffee fix in the morning, but, yeah…
  • Tea offerings were from Twinings.  Awesome!
  • Get yourself a water bottle to fill during the cruise.  The cups at the drink station are small.
  • Disney has a rotational dining concept, so on Magic, you go between the three restaurants – Animator’s Palate, Carioca’s and Lumiere’s with their various themes.
  • The restaurants all serve different meals every night.  That doesn’t mean you’ll miss a particular meal because, again, rotational dining.
  • Palo is fantastic and the service is top notch.  You will be stuffed after so heed everyone’s advice – Do not eat at Palo for Brunch and Dinner in the same 24 hour period!
  • Palo beats out Princess’ Sabatini’s for best Italian at sea, hands down.
  • I can’t talk enough about the service we received from the staff on the ship.

Shopping, Photos, Excursions

  • If you are a Disney Vacation Club member you get 10% off at the stores on board for when your order is $50 or more, and they were offering spa treatments at a discount all cruise long, not just on port days.
  • Depending on the price of the excursion booked, we found Disney’s pricing to be a bit cheaper than some other cruise lines.  I figure you pay a bit more upfront, and hence excursions are a bit cheaper  That said, while you could pay for your own local excursion, you get the guarantees that you’ll be back on the ship on time and if there is an issue with an excursion, that the cruise line will help out.
  • There are a LOT of photo opportunities, every night with or without characters.  For the WBTA, the Photo package was $399 for digital photos only.  Add $100 for printed photos too.  We ended up with 163 photos and didn’t hit each of the stations each night.
  • Staff are more than willing to take photos with your camera just like in the parks, and do get into the spirit.

Personal Lessons Learned

  • I think three days is the longest I want to go without seeing/being on land.  We’ll have to see one of these days.  The WBTA 2017 we booked is only two days at sea at a time.
  • I don’t feel like I relaxed on the cruise.  There was just so much to do.  I did say after the first sea day that I did not want to spend my full cruise in lines waiting to meet characters. LOL
  • In terms of the WBTA, definitely spend time up front by the pool, in the sun, etc… It does get colder the closer you get to Canada.  That said, I was hoping the weather would have been a lot better so the last sea day on our way to New York was spent by the pool.  Nature had some alternative plans with rain.
  • I think my tactic for the Palo Brunch is to decline any of the cooked items from the kitchen and just have the buffet.  There’s just so much there that’s tasty and awesome.  But that said the pizza and the calzone is AMAZING and a must do.
  • For the Palo Dinner, one main is definitely enough.  Have the Calamari, it is AMAZING.  Did I say have the Calamari?  It’s a must do.
  • Having done my first Disney cruise, there are definitely those “first timer” opportunities I no longer have to do, especially when it comes to dining, so I think I can effectively manage my weight better.
  • Things I need to do on the next cruise
    • Buy a cigar and smoke it.  Anyone want to join me?
    • Go on Aqua Dunk
    • Determine if, as an adult, if I can go on the other waterslide and if so, go on it
    • Chill by the pool more often, and actually swim more
    • Paint an animation cell in the Mickey Mouse Club

Things I learned prior to a Disney Cruise

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Prior to this September, Scott and I have gone on two previous cruises.  I wouldn’t say we’re experts, but we pick up on things pretty quickly.

I can definitely say, cruising with Disney is quite a different experience from cruising with Princess or Royal Caribbean, who we cruised with previously. Here are some things I learned prior to cruising with Disney.  I will also be writing an entry on the things I learned while on a Disney cruise.

I’m going to write this from the perspective as an adult cruising without children.  A lot of people wonder why would adults want to cruise on Disney?  Well, it’s like, why would an adult want to go to Walt Disney World?  I think over the next two blog entries, you’ll see.

Some of these may also be unique to the longer Disney cruises just given the length and opportunities that you don’t necessarily find or have on a shorter cruise:

  • While on Cruise Critic, there are “Roll Calls” to connect with other passengers that are taking the same cruise, Disney cruises also create Facebook groups that allow you connect even more with other cruisers.
  • The longer cruises like a Transatlantic and Panama Canal definitely drive camaraderie.
  • Through the Facebook group, there are all kinds of events created
    • Group get together
    • Mixology classes
    • Chocolate and wine tasting sessions, and many more…
  • There is definitely a tradition of decorating your stateroom door.  We had seen it on other cruise lines.  For example, when we celebrated our honeymoon, Princess posted a congratulatory magnet on our door.  Disney cruisers take it to the next level, sharing all kinds of artwork and designs that you can print ahead of time, and post on your door.
  • We learned about “Fish Extenders: – being part of a group and trading small gifts throughout the cruise, is definitely a tradition.  People will make hanging pockets to receive mail and gifts hanging from the fish at each door where you would normally receive mail from the ship.
  • There was a recipe exchange arranged prior to the cruise that we were part of.
  • There are cruises that definitely have more adults on them, versus kids.  The Transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises are definitely more adult oriented due to how long they are, and the length of time.
  • There are several events you may want to book ahead of time
    • Princess Meet & Greets
    • Character Brunches
    • Palo Dinners
    • Spa Treatments
    • For the kids, booking the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique
  • Disney sets up Adult-only excursions/tours, so if you don’t want to be around kids (we had no problem with kids), you don’t have to be.
  • There will be a way to book a Palo Brunch and wine package once on board.  Head straight to Lumiere’s on Magic once you board.  As mentioned above, you can book Palo Dinners.  Supposedly you can book Palo Brunches online, but they go very quickly.

That’s probably it when it comes to what we learned.

Twenty Years of Pride

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2016 marked my 20th year of attending Pride in Toronto.

Pride was different this year. Quite the different beast from 20 years ago, and certainly in more recent times.

The one thing that was missing was, what I would consider, community representation. It’s been happening for years. I’m not talking about the parade, but booths for community groups, and even small vendors.

Sure they existed, but NOT in the numbers they used to. And it’s extremely sad to see. Remember when you’d run out Saturday to go see your mate’s at your local Bear club booth, then you’d see what new pride beads there were, and then go see what sport clubs were representing, etc…

Prices have been going up way too high. It’s great that the Toronto Pride committee wants to top entertainment every year, but at some point the kind of growth cannot be sustained. You really lose out on the point of the weekend.

I think it’s time to go back to and to re-find some of our roots. I’d love to see more clubs and gay-owned businesses represented.

From a parade perspective, it was really neat, essentially realizing that probably 50% of the people marching were allies of our community. As long as their hearts and understanding of what Pride represents stands, I have no issue with this. If you’re in it for the big party and not much more substance? For me, this isn’t the party or parade for you.

Toronto Pride, Black Lives Matter and my take

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My take on the #BlackLivesMatter protest – In principle I support their cause, I support the protest.  After all, the GLBT community has done similar things to raise awareness and attention to the cause.  Not unlike ACT UP demanding support for people living with HIV/AIDS in the late 80s.

Silence=Death.

Think of that.

#BlackLivesMatter not queer?  Did you know that it was started by two Lesbians? #TheMoreYouKnow

Now about those demands.  I read the list, and I have no issue with the demands – though we’ll talk about the police one in a few points.  That said, they’re not that radical:

– Spaces for people of colour have been dwindling for years.  I’ve noticed it for a while.  This does need to change and I agree with continued space for Black Queer Youth, Blockorama, the South Asian Stage and funding.

– Self Determination – Has been a cornerstone of Canadian ideology and our community, yes.

– Increasing representation from marginalized communities within the gay community?  Absolutely

– Public Town Hall – Why not?  I don’t think this is a bad idea.

Now, regarding the demands that police not be involved with Pride.  I’ll be honest, I’m mixed about this one – hear me out.

On one hand, this year, I actually felt okay and somewhat thankful with police active patrolling on the streets.  It was weird to see, but given what’s happened in Orlando and other situations for violence I welcomed it.

On the flip side, you can understand my reluctance to trust police when they raid establishments (Pussy Palace anyone?), when they turn up the heat on gay establishments (The Toolbox, The Eagle, Woody’s and other bars).  I’ve had friends beaten up by police for being a faggot – and yes, I choose my words carefully there.  I’ve got friends in the force, as I’ve mentioned in the past, afraid to come out because regardless of the displays of affection to our community shown on the weekend, behind the scenes it’s still a different matter.

I can guarantee that there are many a queer person who at one point or another, from at least pre-2005 who would to tell the police to take a flying fuck – Again, I pick my words carefully because THAT is certainly what has gone through the minds of every gay person of my generation or earlier.

I can understand the desire to see considerably less to no police presence as requested by Black Lives Matter.  If we think the GLBT had it bad, we all know that Black and people of colour get it logarithmically worse with racial profiling and everything else that goes with being a person of colour.

Back on the flip side of the flip side, you have gay people, people of colour and people who represent both within the police force.  There are people who, I believe, are trying to make change happen.

All things considered, I choose to go with being reconciliatory, and I believe in kaizen.  Ultimately though, reverse discrimination doesn’t work for me.

I don’t consider this a hijacking.  It’s a group with some valid concerns that needs answers and real change. A whole lot of people need change, this change.  Considering it was a relatively short delay versus the several hour delays we’ve had in past years, there’s no reason to get all bent out of shape about that.

MINI: It’s first software update

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IMG_0683So the MINI has gone through it’s first software update. And by software update, I’m not talking about the head unit aka the entertainment system, iDrive, etc…

I’m talking the main computer of the car, the one that keeps the engine running smoothly, etc…

Why did it need to be updated?  Well after getting an oil change done, some MINIs get a Drivetrain Malfunction error.  It comes on and then it goes off if you restart the car.  Concerning, but it’s a well known issue with 2014+ MINIs.  So I called the dealer up, setup and appointment to get it checked out.  I already knew the resolution was more than likely a software update.

I’ve noticed some interesting things since the software update.  Firstly, definitely the car is running smoother.  Not just as a result of the oil change, which certainly did make the car run smoother after 15,000 km – and the oil change is included in the cost of the vehicle for 3 years or 55,000km.

The software update does seem to have made some other changes

  • I’m perceiving acceleration and such to be smoother.
  • The one that seems more interesting is the green counter, when in Green Mode. In short, it tracks how much further you’re going as a result of good driving habits.

I have never been able to get above, maybe 22km per tank of gas in terms of “gas saved”. Meaning, I went 22km further because of the way I’ve been driving.

Over the past two days of driving back and forth between KW and Toronto for work… It’s now reporting that I saved 100km on the current tank.  I might be accelerating a bit smoother, but I don’t think I’m being any more fuel efficient in my driving techniques than I had in my past when I squeezed out 22km.

So I am thinking that software update is either reporting the green count properly, where it wasn’t before.  Or a combination of that and the fact that software can potentially make cars more fuel efficient to a degree.

Even more interesting is that based on the expected range left in the car, and how much I’ve driven, it looks like I might squeeze out at least 725 km this tank. That would be a first. Better than my Prius in the past.

It’s healthy to be skeptical that software could make a car more fuel efficient.  Case in point: Volkswagen.  It does make me wonder – Why isn’t MINI installing this software update from the factory, or when a car arrives at a dealership just apply it?

It’ll be a few more tanks before I can really confirm that yeah, the software update is contributing to better mileage.  I can say that I have been impressed before the first oil change and this software update, and I will be very impressed if I am getting the mileage I am thinking I am getting.

Now here’s a thought: Imagine if they bricked my car during the update, by accident!