Dear Diary...

Every once in awhile I like to share a little bit about myself, so here's a few things that have been happening in my life lately...

1. My New Scoby

I was recently inspired to start making my own kombucha. I don’t even know if I like kombucha or not, but the thought of making something weird at home is just too compelling to pass up. The first thing I needed was to get my hands on a scoby (a scoby is basically a blob of bacteria and yeast that aids in fermentation; yes, I know it sounds gross). Ideally I would have liked to have done a Mission Impossible style scoby heist, but instead I found a free scoby on Craigslist (yes, I know that sounds sketchy).

Serious question: would anyone be interested in a children’s book called Toby the Scoby? It’s about a scoby that gets sold on Craigslist, and then sits a jar of tea for two weeks as he slowly ferments and then gives birth to a twin brother, and then repeats the process over and over agin (that’s pretty much how kombucha is made).

2. Five Toed Shoes

I friend of mine recently gave me a pair of slightly used five toed running shoes. For those of you who don't remember, these were all the rage for about two weeks a few years ago. Yes, I know they look ridiculous, but I always wanted to try them, and I don’t really care how I look when I’m running anyway. I took them out for a trail run, and it's like they were made for me. I love being able to feel the shape of the ground beneath me when I run. If you ever see a guy running in the woods with five toed shoes, it's probably me; feel free to say hi.

3. My First Book

I just sent my very first book to a small stack of publishers, and I've already received my first two rejection letters. It's a pretty cool book, so I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it gets published. In the meantime I've already started on my second book.

4. Ireland

My wife and I recently spent a couple of weeks in Dublin without our daughter. The most common question I get is 'how was Ireland?'. The truth is I don't really know - we spent most of our time sitting in pubs drinking Guinness. It was pretty good. 

5. Masha and the Bear

My daughter used to be obsessed with a tv show called Masha and the Bear - we've watched every episode together about three hundred times. I was excited to see that there is finally a new season of Masha and the Bear on Netflix. The problem is that I can't wait to see the new episodes, but Maddy doesn't seem to care about the show anymore. I don't really want to watch them on my own, so I might have to force her watch them with me.

Dear Diary: Chapter 4

In the past I have called this segment '6 Things Happening in My Life Right Now'. Obviously that doesn't exactly roll of the tongue, so I decided to find a new name for it. After countless minutes of brainstorming (one name that I wisely rejected was 'A Peek Behind the Beef Curtains'), I finally found one. These segments are sort of like a visual journal, so the new name, 'Dear Diary' seemed fitting. Anyway, without further ado here is a peek inside my personal diary:

1. At age 1, my daughter has become infatuated with a Russian kids show called Masha & the Bear. It's about a young girl who hangs who spends her days pestering a bear that lives in the woods. We don't know why she loves it so much, but my wife and think it's because she sees a lot of herself in Masha; she sort of looks like her, and she also loves harassing fury creatures.

2. I bought a new pair of boots recently to prepare for the coming Vancouver winter. They're rugged, stylish, and they make my feet feel like they're receiving a warm hug.

3. Once again I am currently back in Hong Kong for a few weeks for work (it's not easy being an internationally famous photographer). This will likely be my last trip to Hong Kong for a little while, so I will be stuffing myself with as many dumplings as possible while I'm here.

4. I make a special point of not crying on airplanes. Usually this is very easy - sit there, don't cry. On my recent flight however, I happened to watch a movie that made me break down in tears next to bunch of strangers . The movie was 'Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl'. It was actually a really funny movie, and overall well done. I recommend it. I also cried when I received the plane food, when my seat wouldn't recline, and when there was a line-up for the washroom.

5. I'm been busy working on this year's Land of Le Beef Advent Calendar, and I'm really excited for it. If you're new to the Land of Le Beef, every year I post a series of festive Christmas cartoons everyday from Dec 1 - Dec 25. This year it has a Hollywood theme, featuring elves re-enacting famous movies lines. I predict that it will go viral and sweep the nation. By Christmas day I should be pretty famous.

6. While in Hong Kong I'm staying with friends who own two cats, whom I refer to as the grey one and the brown one (this is what I call the cats, not the friends). They grey one really likes me.