2013 In Review

The majority of this post contains information that I blogged about throughout 2013. I may have included additional in real life tidbits that haven’t been mentioned previously.

January

I reviewed the Last Resort series finale. I still think it is one of my favourite television series from the 2012-2013 television season. I wrote a couple of blog posts regarding the #SaveBCFIlm campaign, here and here.

February 

I made predictions on who would win what for the Oscars. I got Best Director, Best Sound Editing and Best Original Score correct. I plan on doing them again.

March

The family adopted an Airedale Terrier named Archer (finally)! He’s my little rabble rousin’ shit disturber but I love him for it. Emmadale and him get along famously. I’ve nicknamed him Archer the Turduckendale. MMmmmm… Turducken…

I also went in to write my permittee exam for the director’s guild. I didn’t pass it on the first attempt.

April

I read my favourite novel of 2013, A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. I even wrote a review about it. I would also read the sequel and the series’ conclusion later in the year titled A Dog’s Journey. Both are really great reads. I have several other novels on my shelf by the same author that I haven’t gotten around to reading yet.

In April I began my annual Stanley Cup prediction series Stanley Is Coming. I think it’ll be making a return this year. Maybe if the Canucks even make the playoffs?

June

I wrote an opinion piece on posting spoilers on social media and what the etiquette should be. Someone even mostly agreed with me. If they fully agreed with me, the fabric of space-time continuum would have been torn into oblivion. Looking at you James!

I also wrote about who should replace Matt Smith as The Doctor on the hit television series Doctor Who. I suggested John Hurt, Wil Wheaton, Alex Kingston, Lenora Crichlow, but I really wanted Patrick Stewart (make it fucking so!). But ultimately the role went to Peter Capaldi.

I also made my second trip to Seattle, Washington to watch my Vancouver Whitecaps FC play the Seattle Sounders FC. Sadly the Caps would lose but I still had a great time with friends.

I also loss a schoolmate and good friend. I’ll miss him.

July

I was super busy with work but I got my first tattoo! Ready to see it? This is it! 

 

It represents the three things that I love: Airedale Terriers, Metro-Vancouver and the Vancouver Canucks. No regerts (hahahahahaha!)…

August

At the beginning of August I trekked to Portland, Oregon to catch the Vancouver Whitecaps FC on the road against the Portland Timbers. They would lose on the road but I had so much fun! I got to drink a lot of craft beer! See a dear good friend and meet his family. Also gotta see Star Trek in the Park! Sadly, I didn’t get to go to Voodoo Doughnuts or Big Ass Sandwich but my friend and I are going again in 2014, so I’ll make sure I get to check those places out. 

Also after the game, a moron from Calgary, Alberta (cheering for the Portland Timbers) came over to our table – my friends and I were minding our own business, having a couple pieces of pizza and he red cards us all. What a wanker! We all gave him a hard time from being from Alberta. What a tool.

I also blogged about the tattoo I got above. Oops, forgot about that. 

I rewrote that permittee exam for the guild and passed! Yahoo!!!

I also signed up for Extra Life 2013.

I also wrote a blog post about who should replace Christian Bale as the Dark Knight and not Ben Affleck.

I also went to Penny Arcade Expo 2013 and had a lot of fun! 

November

I more than doubled my $300 goal for Extra Life in 2013 and plan on doing it again in 2014. I am so pleased with myself and many other Extra Lifers who raised estimate $4 million USD for Children Miracle Network Hospitals across North America. Here in British Columbia we raised an estimate $57,000 for BC Children’s Hospital. I am so happy.

December

I got an Xbox One and wrote my second ever video game review for Ryse: Son of Rome. I think I may do it more often.

Christmas was good. It was small, just family. I miss my Granddad. Miss you Granddad. Christmas, just isn’t the same without you.

 

A Dog’s Purpose; A Book Review

I have recently read A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron. I saw A Dog’s Purpose on the shelf at a locally owned bookstore. I picked it up and read the backflip about the novel. Intrigued, I read the first chapter and instantly fell in love. I knew I had to own this book and purchased it right then and there.

People cannot be surprised that I’m a dog lover. They’ve been apart of my life from the very beginning. In my twenty-seven going on twenty-eight years on this planet I’ve had six dogs. Rex the Doberman, Samantha the German Shepherd Cross and of course our Airedales: Amie, Baylee, Emma and now Archer. Dogs have been a major part of my life as you all have come to know in my previous blog entries chronicling my love for the Airedale Terrier breed.

I’ve never had a ‘favourite’ book before as an adult. I usually read two books a year since they’re sometimes up over a 1,000 pages each. However, A Dog’s Purpose is my absolute favourite. It reminded me of my relationship with my canine roots, my family, my pack. It’s an emotional story: you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll love, you’ll experience joy — and if you don’t – you probably don’t have a soul.

Bruce Cameron does a great job in capturing the personification of a dog. The book follows a dog trying to find its purpose in four different lives through reincarnation. The stories are different and the dog’s purpose changes but ultimately it is to love their humans. The book was a refreshing read and I’m pretty excited to pick up the sequel A Dog’s Journey when it’s released in book stores in paperback.

Go read this book. I give it 5/5 stars.

Autumn

I’m summerborn. I’ve always enjoyed my summers since they included the annual family trip to visit my father’s side of the family. On the homestead my Great Granddad and my namesake Anthony Tyson sowed, planted and harvested. This morning I came to a sudden realization that my favourite season isn’t the summer after all nor is it for the memories I’ve shared with countless family and friends.

This morning I got up bright eyed and bushy tailed (I’m not a squirrel – Ms. Emmadale does not like squirrels). This weekend I’m looking after my Uncle’s Black Labrador Retriever Toby since they’ve gone out of town. I love it when he spends the night over at my place. You see, Ms. Emmadale isn’t the snugly type usually. She is the Lady Protector of the night and has to stand her watch upstairs to ensure her hewmons are safe. So I was up at 7:30 am, 6 hours cut from my regular Saturday routine…

It was worth getting up at that time. I fed the dogs breakfast and went about my morning routine. I usually take the dogs for their walk before around half past 10 o’clock in the AM. I put on my Doctor Who scarf that my best friend K knitted for me as a belated birthday gift and put on my fleece. Poured another coffee in my tumbler mug and I was off with the dogs.

I love that morning Autumn dew that freshens the day and how you take in a deep breathe to fill your lungs you can taste it. The leaves turn shades of many colours that give you a beautiful contrast. The leaves on the path that ripple underneath your feet. Seeing leaves fall to the ground giving you a new hope and for an early spring. I love how the temperature is a just right crisp cold.

What does Autumn mean to me? Family. Thanksgiving. Pumpkins. And of course something of significant importance: pie. I love pie but I also love my family. Also? Turkey. Turkey is like the best thing ever. It’s like a chicken but sooooo much better and it gobbles!

And that is what I love about Autumn. What about you?

My Airedale Heritage

I come from a very long line of Airedale Terriers… Of course I don’t think I’m one of them or am I? My love for Airedales stem from my Grandfather whom recently passed away. I miss him every day. It’s hard to heal from the grief over the loss of loved one. In his memory I want to reflect on one of our mutual loves: dogs. Specifically the clownish breed known as Airedale Terriers.

My Grandad growing up always had family dogs and if you’ve guessed it right: they were Airedale Terriers. Their names have faded from the history of time but he remembered their personalities. In his reflections I remember that they all had their own personalities. He always prided himself that they were the best all around breed of dog. They had a mind of their own.

My Grandfather served in the Royal Army (British) in the final closing year of World War II in Egypt as a dog handler. He trained German Shepherd Dogs and Airedale Terriers alike. I recall one story when we first got our Airedale Amie that he said “Airedales didn’t like the heat but their stoic creatures of habit and they’ll fight and guard through anything that throws at them.”

My Grandfather had a deep love for the breed that when he immigrated to Canada from the United Kingdom, married my grandmother and begun to start a family adopted their first Airedale Terrier named Bruce. They also adopted another later on named Raffles. I had memories of Raffles but they’ve faded away. I’m pretty sure it had to do with him not liking children unfortunately.

My Grandfather’s love for the breed was inherited by my mother who of course passed it down to me.  We got our first Airedale Terrier Amie in 1999. Baylee in 2001 and then Emma in 2007. My grandfather told my mother and I that Emma was the best behaved Airedale Terrier that he ever knew.

I miss you Grandad. I love you.

My Airedale Experience

Many people on social media and in real life know how much adoration I have for my four year old Airedale Terrier named Emma (“Emmadale” is her Internet Alias). Not a lot of you know my love for the breed in general. The Airedale Terrier breed has meant a lot to me. We’ve had three of them: Amie, Baylee and now Emma.

My mother had Airedale Terriers growing up. My grandfather had trained them as an auxiliary member of the Royal Army in the last legs of World War II. He was too young to enlist but there was an Royal Army Complex nearby with a kennel. His love, our family’s love for the breed stems from that moment.

Amie was our first Airedale Terrier we owned as a family. We got her the Christmas of 1998. December 18, 1998 to be exact  this bundle of joy that brought so much love to our family came into our lives. I was the only one that didn’t know we were getting a new dog. My siblings and parents knew. My siblings went with my mother to visit with the breeder and the newborn pups over the course of the last four months.

I remember when my mother and my siblings brought Amie home for the first time. I was the happiest of teenage boys. I was in a rot of depression since the Summer of ’98. We gave up our German Shepherd Husky Cross Samantha to one of my Uncle’s. She would later reside at my grandparent’s. I would get to see her every weekend but I was still torn that we had to leave her there. She was my best friend in the whole world but that all changed

Amie. One of the greatest dogs and ‘Dales I’ve ever known. She was the happy go-lucky sort of girl that absolutely loved and adored everyone. She gave the best wet mustache and beard kisses (a breed trait). She was also the most cuddliest out of all the ‘Dales we’ve had. I enjoyed our morning cuddles on my parent’s bed before I left to go school. One of my fondest memories of her is the Ameripeeonher Incident. A story for another time, perhaps.

I have some great memories of my beloved Amie dog. I’m tear jerking here as I try to write all these memories down. You see, it’s true: a boy and his dog are inseparable. In February 1999, I lost my Grandpa Tractor (a nickname I coined when I was about 4 and it forever stuck). I entered into a miserable rut. I remember one day I didn’t want to go out for supper with the family so I stayed home with the dog. She never for one moment left my side while I watched television. She cuddled next to me and licked away my tears. She knew what was up and comforted me. I knew in that moment that she was special.

Amie and I were inseparable afterwards. I had a newspaper route and my mom would tell me that she would whine and carry on the whole time I was gone. Since she was too small we placed her in one of my schoolbags on my back with her head sticking out but room enough to move around and the bag open enough that she could have fresh air but not fall out. She wouldn’t catch up since I enjoyed rollerblading it.

She didn’t like that too much because she wanted to go running! So I decided it was time that she got out of the bag after only two attempts. She had a BLAST of a time. She ran the whole way and still was eager for more! We continued doing this rain or shine until I gave up the paper route.

We lost her October 2009.  I was devastated. But I still had my Emmadale!

We got Baylee in the Spring of 2001. None of us knew at the time we were getting another dog. None of us. Well except for my mother. I found the pup known as Baylee in her kennel. I was happy when I saw her. She was asleep so I whispered in enthusiasm to my mother if she belongs to us. She said yes. You see, I’ve always wanted two dogs at the same time. This was a dream that became reality. Especially two Airedales under one roof! It took a while for Amie to get to use to Baylee but they got used to it.

Oh man, their personalities were so much different. Baylee was more of the rabble rousin troublemaker. She also was a “cave dog” and loved to lay underneath desks and coffee tables, especially the coffee table in the living room. She wasn’t as loving as Amie was. She didn’t like cuddling but she gave kisses when they were warranted. My favourite memories of her are all the times she escaped out the front door.

I was worried sick that she’d get hurt. Amie would tag along of course. I believe if Amie didn’t go we would have never found Baylee. Baylee was the little over protective sister of her older sister. So she slowed down to make sure Amie wasn’t too far behind. But luckily Amie was easier to see since unlike most Airedales her ears stuck right up!

Baylee passed away at the age of six in the Fall of 2007.

Emmadale is special to me as Amie and Baylee were. I like to say she’s one of my favourites. She has the best temperament out of the three of them. She’s not the cuddly type like Amie was or the cave dog as Baylee. Nor the run away come catch me kind either. She’s gentle around little children. She also hangs around with me A LOT. Always in my room. Always wanting to go for walkies. Always up for an adventure.

Have I ever said how much I love my Airedales? I do. I love my dogs.

Overdue: Best Weekend

I just had one of the best weekends I’ve had in quite a longtime. I have been blessed with the friendship of great friends. We got together on Saturday night and played Texas Hold’em. Great times (An evening of screwing around with a buddy’s Siri hahahahaha) even though I was out of the game forty-five minutes into. Let’s just say, if I gambled and had a spouse: I would totally be in the doghouse… Or maybe even twice divorced… (I’m not bluffing either (SHADDAP!))

However this wasn’t the highlight of my weekend overall. I love the fellowship of my best friends. I have known one for 12-15 years and the others slightly over or under a decade. I know many of you have been made quite aware on social media or even in person that I’m a dog lover. I’m enthusiastic and I’ll always try to talk people in getting a canine.

We had quite the weekend here at the Wittrock Estate. First, on Thursday to Friday we looked after a Chocolate Labrador Retriever named Maggie. She was totally adorable and delightful to look after. I think when her owners dropped her off the first thing I said was, “She looks like milk chocolate”. I’ll admit, I probably said this in comical voice causing my mother and them burst into laughter. She was a total sweetheart. Emmadale and her played for the whole time she was here.

God, I loved throwing the ball for her. She’s such the retriever when playing ball. Emmadale has that mentality not to retrieve and run around playing keep away. Maggie wouldn’t have any of this so luckily we have enough balls to keep her going back and forth (all day long if it was up to her!). Emmadale has tried to have two balls in her mouth but she just can’t. Yet hysterically to watch. My mom looks after two of her friend’s kids and they had a hoot with the dogs in the backyard. They even chased Emmadale around in the backyard! She enjoyed that but since she’s a great spirited dog she dropped it for them to throw it again. 🙂

On Saturday Ben the Collie came over. This dog of course is no stranger to me. In fact a few summers ago when my sister wasn’t living on the East Coast was dog-sitting him one summer. Since she also had a research assistant job at a local university she had to drop him off here. When the time came for him to go back to his house. He’d come running down to my bedroom, plop himself on the bed and look at me to hide him. I was his accomplice, his P-I-C, his partner in crime. I think one night I threw my blanket lightly on top of him. When my sister walked in asking where Ben was. I told her I had no idea. Then when she got suspicious of the moving ball under my covers and Emmadale barking. I exclaimed “ITS A TRAP” in my best (yet very horrible) Admiral Ackbar impression. Let’s say we were made. My sister in good humor chuckled (she probably didn’t get the reference) and they went on their way. It’s been a long time since I last saw Ben so it was a total treat! However his story was pretty uneventful this weekend (sadly). However I did enjoy many many snuggles with him and watched the dogs play in harmony together (like dogs do).

THE HIGHLIGHT OF MY WEEKEND WAS THE FOLLOWING:

I finally met Sunshade & Jaffa’s Mom (ghostwriter for her Airedale Terriers Sunshade THE SUPERDALE and Jaffman and Family). My mom and I along with a Superdale of our own (Emmadale, duh!) went on a road trip to the metropolis known as Vancouver Kitsilano (har-har). I have been following Sunshade until a fellow Airedale Terrier owner told me about the blog back in 2008 and I’ve followed them both ever since then. Sadly the SUPERDALE herself wasn’t in attendance but I got to meet the Jaffa! What a dog! Jaffa is quite the handsome boy and quite the character (typical for an Airedale). My mom, Sunshade & Jaffa Mom, the dogs and I discussed how lucky we all are about having these clownish critters in our lives. Sunshade & Jaffa Mom is the encyclopedia full of Airedale knowledge. While Emmadale was getting clipped we tried going down to Granville Island. We couldn’t find a parking spot anywhere so we found a White Spot to grab a bite to eat. We adventured the Kits area until we heard that Emmadale’s haircut was finished.

Then I fell in love.

Sunshade Mom’s friend Saphira Mom brought Sapphira. Sapphira is a very very cute three month old Airedale Terrier that I totally fell in love with. Sapphira is quite the dog and a smartypants for her age too! However, we were instantly in awe of each other. Since I’m a dogperson I sat down and while being ambushed by Jaffa (Emmadale was more interested in what my mom was doing – she’s a momma’s girl) I had a lap full of Sapphira. She INSTANTLY got comfortable. I have one of those laps where if a dog is a lap dog. They won’t leave even if I ask. She clung to me. My mom, Sapphira’s Mom and Sunshade and Jaffa’s Mom were all amused along with me. She was so sweet.

I want another one so badly but momma says no. “Dogs are a lot like potato chips, you can’t just have one.” (Unknown) So true!

I wished we could have arranged a play date with my two other favourite dogs, the Bernese Mountain Dog brothers Fenway and Bosley. However, I think Emmadale would have been tuckered out. And if we lived close probably even Maddie the Goldie!

Love Airedales? Please find your local Airedale Terrier Rescue Network and donate today! (And don’t forget your local SPCA too!)