Here’s a short video filmed yesterday during the hike:

We didn’t receive as much as they have lately in some parts of the U.S.A. (April’s relatives in Colorado have been stuck inside for quite a while) or across the Canadian prairie provinces, but we’ve received enough to make one really start thinking twice about living here.

Of course, it makes the outdoors look somewhat clean and magical, and it’s great to ski and play around in, but at these amounts (and temperatures), it’s definitely no fun to shovel or work in! Thankfully, the snowblower is able to clear out large portions before we get down to the actual shoveling – which is one of the most physically exercises one can do. We’ve had snow since November 2006, so we’ve already gotten accustomed to it this season, but compared to last year’s mild (even warm) winter, this one certainly is one of the more frigid ones.

I was outside about 2.5 to 3 hours getting the sidewalks, driveway, and road portion clear enough to drive cars through.

We spent our time decorating the house here in Edmonton (April decorated our place in Iowa before she traveled up here), visiting friends and family, watching movies at home and the theater, playing board and video games, shopping for and wrapping gifts, cooking and eating plenty of good holiday meals, and having a generally pleasant time.

We wrapped up 2006 by attending a get-together at our friends place in Edmonton. It has become a yearly tradition and this year, as always, there was plenty of great food and festivities. Between Taboo, Jenga, Jeopardy, and the Bookers’ Nintendo Wii (pronounced ‘wee’) and Nintendo DS, nobody was sitting around bored.

After spending more time with the the Wii, I am even more convinced it will help attract non-gamers into the world of video games and pry those “couch potatoes” up off the sofa. It’s revolutionary control system (Revolution was the unit’s development codename) requires the player to perform movements just like the real action. Well, in truth, you can still sit down and use wrist motions to do all of the action, but it’s more fun, and more exercise if you’re standing up and playing the game with the Wii Remote. Wii Sports, which ships with the system, includes baseball, bowling, boxing, tennis, and golf. Of all the games, we found bowling to be one of the most fun (your movements are comparable to holding a real bowling ball and sending it down the lane), and boxing to be a fascinating way of using the Remote and ‘nunchuck’ accessory. April’s Tae Bo skills certainly came in handy during that Wii game! And no, there weren’t any Remote straps breaking or controllers flying into the big screen TV, lamps, or artwork.

Look for photos to be posted in the Flickr album soon.

A big thanks to all the great people who have kept in touch, who have been checking out the blogs and projects I work on, and for providing feedback. Stay tuned for more blog postings this year and follow what is sure to be an eventful, and hopefully positive, year ahead.

Cheers!
Chad

My specialties are in the creative fields but include:

• Film/Video Shooting, Editing, and Motion Graphics (Final Cut Pro, After Effects, Motion)
• Copy Writing and Project Planning
• CD and DVD production
• Graphic Design and Web Design (Over 11 years using software like Photoshop and Illustrator)
• Concept Design and Art Production
• Creative Direction and Staff Management
• Hardware and Software Upgrades

You can find my resume at the following links. Please pass them around to those you know might be looking for a creative, hard working, and amiable worker.