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Royal Caribbean 7 night Southern Caribbean cruise on Oasis of the Seas Review

CRUISING THE CARIBBEAN

Something I haven’t written about before that I love to do is cruising. My wife and I have been on a number of cruises with quite a few different cruise lines. Each line has their own identity, standout features, and shortcomings. If you have cruised before you might have experienced the same feeling of awe that I had when your ship was docked alongside a Royal Caribbean Oasis class ship. If you are unfamiliar with these ships, all you need to know is that they are the largest cruise ships in the world.

When choosing a cruise there are a number of factors that contribute to your selection. For each person how much importance is placed on each factor is different. For me the factors in their order of importance are the location of the cruise, the length of the cruise, the ports the cruise will dock at, and lastly the cruise line. I just returned from my most recent cruise to the Caribbean, for one week, with stops in Labadee Haiti, Falmouth Jamaica, and Cozumel Mexico with Royal Caribbean cruise line. I would have preferred to have had one additional port but there aren’t many itineraries available that include a stop in Jamaica. My wife really wanted to see Jamaica because my mother is from there, and she had heard so much about it from me. Luckily for us Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas was the ship we would be on. Finally the opportunity to sail on one of these gigantic ships was ours. Needless to say that I was definitely excited.

The Oasis of the Seas has everything that you would expect to find on a cruise ship. It has pools, hot tubs, restaurants, bars, theatres, a casino, shops, a gym, a spa, and many many staterooms. It also has a few additional features that you might not expect like Rock climbing walls, a zipline, a miniature golf course, an ice skating rink, flowrider surfing simulators, and a carousel. Given it’s size it’s basically a floating resort town. With everything there is to do on ship the small number of ports didn’t concern me. Days spent at sea would be full of opportunities, or so I thought. For those of you that haven’t cruised before it’s important to know that each day has it’s own schedule of activities on board. The itinerary will usually include assorted shows, trivia events, karaoke, shopping events, sports, dance parties, scavenger hunts, seminars, and interactive game shows. Couple that with time spent on deck sun tanning, or in a pool, with all the other things to experience, and you are looking at quite a full day. At least that’s what you would expect.

Unfortunately what we expected was not what we received. Itineraries were uninspired, and poorly scheduled. During the early afternoon there was surprisingly very little of interest to do. Each day was divided into three distinct activity times. The mornings generally consisted of exercise, spa activities (at an additional charge) and simple kids games. Unfortunately my wife and I prefer to not work out while on vacation so we took our time having breakfast, and then walked the ship before going up on Deck 15 for miniature golf, or Deck 16 to relax in the sun. The afternoon activities were generally a barrage of sales that took place on the main promenade, and a series of sporting events like basketball, ping pong, or rock climbing challenges up on Deck 15. Neither of these really interested us so we would usually find ourselves at the Art auction during each day at Sea between 1:00pm and 3:00pm. It was actually supposed to run from 1:30pm till 2:30pm but registration begins at 1:00pm and it always ran late which caused some scheduling issues for a few people. My wife and I have attended a number of Park West auctions on other cruises, and generally found them to be informative, and interesting. Unfortunately on this particular cruise every auction we attended was filled with the same infomercial style information about the artist Peter Max. I get the feeling that Park West has so many works by Peter Max in their warehouse that they are desperate to develop an increased interest. Supply has definitely exceeded the demand. It didn’t matter how hard they tried, people just weren’t interested. From the very first time I saw a work by Peter Max I felt uninspired, and far from impressed. Art is truly subjective, and there are artists that have been regarded as masters that I have absolutely no interest in. Jackson Pollock, Andy Warhol, and Ed Ruscha would qualify as very successful artists that have absolutely no effect on me. Well you can add Peter Max to the list. After dinner the schedule usually included a trivia event, karaoke, and the main theatre show. We usually took advantage of one or two of these events depending on scheduling. What I quickly realized was that on a ship of this size (6490 passengers) you need to have a minimum of 30 minutes between events or there is no way you’ll be able to attend. It took me a few days to figure that out. You would think that the Cruise and Activities Director would have that figured out by now. If karaoke in the On Air bar ends at 8:00pm, then there’s no way you can make it to the Trivia night at the Schooner Bar at 8:00pm even though it’s only a couple minutes walk away because all of the seats would already have been taken 30 minutes ago. Another issue with a ship this size is that even the largest theatre can’t accommodate everyone so you are practically forced to reserve your spot in the main shows. On any other ship I’ve been on you just had to show up and find a seat, overcrowding was never an issue. Of course those ships only had around 3500 passengers. Which brings me to another observation. The Oasis of the Seas is huge. There’s no denying that. To be honest though, it doesn’t feel that much larger than any other large ship. There are times when we would have to make the long walk from our cabin which was at the very front of the ship to the American Icon main dining room at the absolute rear. It was a bit of a hike, but nothing overly strenuous. Although if you are out of shape, or mobility challenged I would suggest that you select a cabin in the middle of a ship this size, or avoid Oasis class sized ships altogether. The evening’s activities usually included a number of themed dance parties, live music in a number of the bars, and a late night club. Although some of these events interested me. Late night events are often too late to attend because we are going on a shore Excursion the next morning. The last thing you want to happen on a cruise is to be too tired or hungover to enjoy the amazing places you visit. So as great as their late night itinerary appeared to be. It was too late to really take advantage.

Now before you begin to think I had a terrible time on this cruise, let me stop you right there. My wife and I had a great vacation. Although it wasn’t because of the Oasis of the Seas, but in spite of it. I’ll begin with the three places we visited.

LABADEE HAITI

I have never been to Haiti before, and that shouldn’t come as much of a surprise to most people. Haiti isn’t high on most people’s preferred vacation destinations given it’s economic, and political issues. It wasn’t on mine either. Now I should clarify that a visit to Labadee isn’t at all like visiting Haiti. Why I say this is because although it’s attached to Haiti, the entire peninsula is owned by Royal Caribbean cruise line. There are advantages and disadvantages to this. If a realistic representation of Haiti is what you are looking for, well you are definitely going to be disappointed. If you would prefer beautiful beaches, Zip-lines, mountain coasters, and watercraft, well then you will absolutely love it.  Labadee is like being at an all inclusive resort only about 5 times the size. You don’t even really need to bring cash with you, except a few dollars to tip with because you can pay for any of the additional activities on shore with your Royal Caribbean ID card. To sum it up it was simply a day of relaxation, and fun in the sun.

FALMOUTH JAMAICA

I have been to Jamaica many times, and still have family that reside there. If you have ever been to Jamaica you’ll already know how beautiful, and unique the island is. This being my wife’s first time there I wanted to provide her with an experience that wouldn’t be overcrowded with tourists. This meant that typical excursions like Dunn’s River Falls, or visiting one of the many “private” beaches was out. Instead we booked a private bamboo raft ride down the Martha Brae river.

It turned out to be the perfect choice. We had a great tour guide in the bus on the way to the river, an excellent raft captain (Nelson) and a fantastic day for a relaxing ride through the jungle. The views, sounds, and feel of the ride were just fantastic. Luckily for us the excursion is only about 2 hours long, and shortly after we returned back to Falmouth the rains started. This is the Rain season in most of the Caribbean but other than a few showers we mostly avoided it. Some of the longer excursions did return to the ship soaked though so keep that in mind when planning your next trip.

COZUMEL MEXICO

My wife and I didn’t actually spend much time in Cozumel. Upon departing the ship we immediately boarded a Ferry over to Playa Del Carmen. We spent a short amount of time in Playa Del Carmen, and then boarded a tour bus for the ancient Mayan city of Chitchen Itza. By the time we reached Chitchen Itza we were closer to Guatemala than Cozumel. Chitchen Itza is of bucket list proportions to me, and it did not disappoint. This was actually one of those rare occasions where the experience exceeds the expectations. I was completely blown away by everything I saw. The main attraction is of course “El Castillo” the largest temple there.

The ancient sports stadium was equally as awe inspiring. Second only to the Roman Colosseum for me. Another attraction that exceeded expectations by the way. The history associated with the site is as interesting as the structures themselves. Our two tour guides did an amazing job of not only educating us about Chitchen Itza, but the Mayan history and culture as well. This tour was so amazing that I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.

OASIS OF THE SEAS

I’ve already discussed the scheduling shortcomings on the ship, but there are a few highlights that I’d like to mention as well. I’ll begin with the exemplary service we received from our staff in the main dining room American Icon.

AMERICAN ICON

From day 1 they were excellent. Not a fork out of place, attentive caring service, genuine interest in who we were, and a willingness to adjust things (even the menu) to insure our satisfaction. Although there are many people involved behind the scenes. I’d like to thank those few that took the time and effort to make every dinner special.

Thank you GLANE CARVALHO, GLENN RADA, and ADRIAN DALEY.

These three went above and beyond what should be expected. So much so that my wife and I had considered sampling some of the other specialty restaurants, but decided not to. We didn’t want to miss one dinner with exceptional service. This might actually be counterproductive to what Royal Caribbean is trying to achieve. Most nights we were brought additional sample dishes to try, or even offered meals that weren’t on that evening’s menu. ADRIAN DALEY went as far as purchasing some local treats while we were docked in Jamaica for my wife to try. If that isn’t going above and beyond then I don’t know what is. By the way she loved the coconut drops Adrian. On days at Sea that felt particularly lackluster, the American Icon Dining room still left us feeling satisfied.

OASIS DUNES

This is obviously a personal favourite of mine due to my love of Golf. This is, and probably will remain the only cruise ship I ever sail on with a Miniature Golf course. Given the amount of free time during the day while at Sea, my wife and I had ample opportunity to play the course. As miniature golf courses go it was more about reading the break, than navigating your way around gimmicky obstacles. It wasn’t easy by any means, and I wish I could have brought my Putter with me. My wife had as much fun as I did playing this course, and golf really isn’t her thing, so I feel confident saying that most anyone would enjoy a Round. Another bonus to having unlimited access to the course is that the majority of passengers seemed disinterested in Golf, so it was never too busy. Try your best to get around that course and finish under Par. It won’t be easy.

SMALL CAFES AND RESTAURANTS

On a ship of this size with almost 6500 passengers you need more than a buffet to keep people well fed. This is where the assorted cafes and restaurants situated all over the ship play an important role. Whether it was grabbing a slice of pizza a couple of hours before dinner from Sorrento’s, a bratwurst from the Boardwalk Dog House, or just a cup of coffee from the Promenade Cafe so you can sit back and people watch. These additional food and beverage locations meant we never had to walk very far to enjoy a snack. Smart planning on Royal Caribbean’s part.

SHOWS AND ENTERTAINMENT

I don’t really want to go into any detail about the shows. All I can tell you is that the majority of shows were amateurish, and only mildly entertaining. A couple of the shows were bad enough that I was relieved when they were over. The best of the remaining shows was the Headliner. Edge Effect is an acapella group with a truly great beatboxer as the lone standout. That show was worthwhile. I could have missed any of the others, and it wouldn’t have disappointed me.

CONCLUSIONS

Would I consider this trip a success? Yes I would. Was the Oasis of the Seas as spectacular as I had hoped? Yes it was. Did the places I visited live up to their expectations? Yes, in fact they exceeded them. Was my first Royal Caribbean cruise as wonderful as I had hoped? No unfortunately it wasn’t. Will I sail with Royal Caribbean or suggest sailing with them to others? Probably not. It would take an exceptional deal to get me back on one of their ships, and it definitely wouldn’t be an Oasis class ship. I simply can’t trust that I won’t encounter the same uninspired daily events, and poor scheduling I experienced on this cruise.

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FISHING Uncategorized

Fishing Grenadier Pond in High Park – The Right Angle RA-21

So Inviting

I will begin this by saying that there are many places to fish in and around the city.  Few are as inviting as Grenadier Pond in High Park though.  Easily accessible by car or TTC.  There is plenty of free parking available.  Restaurants on site in case you are hungry, or in desperate need of a bathroom.  Most of all Grenadier Pond has an abundance of fish.  With all that to offer you would probably assume that I fish here often, but I don’t.  Grenadier Pond does have one thing I’m not very fond of, an abundance of fishermen.

Sharing Space

Something I’ve never quite understood, and I’ve come across it many times in many places, is the attraction to fishing off of a dock or pier.  Don’t get me wrong, I understand why you would select that spot.  It usually has deeper water, a comfortable place to sit, creates a shaded safe haven of sorts for fish, and is easy to get to.  The issue I have isn’t with the actual location. It’s with the number of people that try and share it.  What makes anyone think that their bait will be the one selected when a fish happens to swim by.  I’ve seen relatively small docks with 20 people fishing from it.  The are practically sandwiched together shoulder to shoulder hoping to book the big one of the day.  It just seems ludicrous to me!  Keep in mind that I don’t use live bait either, and a lot of the people fishing from docks do.  I could have the newest lure on the market from Rapala, and it’s still less likely to be as enticing as a live bait.  No offence to Rapala, but they are called artificials for a reason.  Now as ponds go, Grenadier Pond isn’t a little one.  There is a lot of area available to be fished.  Due to it’s location in High Park there are some areas that are off limits to fish.  Those areas are clearly marked though so they are easy to avoid.  Still whenever I go there’s always a large collection of people casting their lines from the one pier of sorts available.

So where to fish?

Like I said Grenadier Pond is quite large.  IvI’ found a number of spots that aren’t to difficult to reach by foot that have yielded me some excellent catches.  The two best in my opinion are at the southernmost end alongside the Queensway Blvd, and the north end casting from the west bank.  Time of day plays a role as well.  If you plan on giving the northern tip a try, I would suggest early morning just before sun up.  Later in the day the predator fish tend to move south, although you can catch a variety of sunfish all day long.  In the evening the southern section of Grenadier Pond yields the best catches.  I’ve  pulled very nice sized Bass and Crappie in the evening from a spot just off of Ellis Ave.  There are a number of easily accessible places to cast all around Grenadier Pond, but it’s always best to pick a location less frequented by tourists.  Unless you enjoy constant questions about what you have caught that day, what you are using for bait, and don’t mind being photographed.  Now I’m quite photogenic (at least my Mom tells me so) but part of the reason I enjoy fishing so much is the solitude.  Fishing is a brief respite from the chaos of the city.  It takes a little bit of effort but you can even get a sense of being away from it all if you pick the right spot on Grenadier Pond.

 

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GOLF Uncategorized

Carruthers Creek Golf Review

A hidden gem in Ajax

If it wasn’t for my good friend Oliver moving to Pickering I would never have known about some of the great golf available just east of Toronto.  One such particular facility is Carruthers Creek Golf located in Ajax Ontario.  It has something to offer every Golfer no matter the skill level or amount of free time available.  Carruthers Creek Golf has a 9 hole Par 3 course, 9 hole Championship length course, and a driving Range.  Groups consisting of differing skill levels can all go together and find a suitable activity.  I’ve had the opportunity to play every part of Carruthers Creek Golf this year, and wasn’t disappointed with any of them.  The only criticism I have is with the Right handed layout of the 9 hole Championship course Lake Breeze.  I will get into that more later.

Carruthers Creek Golf Range

I’ve been to this particular Golf Range twice now.  Once was on a weekend, and once during the week.  Both times hitting bays were available, so I didn’t have to wait at all.  The mats were in great condition, and there are more than enough targets to take aim at from any bay location.  It wasn’t too windy on either of the days I went, but the Range is well positioned with a number of wind blocks so I’m sure that windy days shouldn’t be too much of a problem.  Bucket prices are more than reasonable.  Their “small bucket” is about the size of most Golf Range large buckets and significantly cheaper.  If Carruthers Creek was located a little closer to me their Driving Range would be my Golf Range of choice.  If you are located in the GTA East and are looking for a great place to practice your swing i would strongly suggest that you give Carruthers Creek Golf a try.

Whistling Wind 9 Hole Par 3

As far as Executive Par 3 courses go, Carruthers Creek is a long one.  This isn’t your typical Par 3 course where the challenges are determined by the bunker placement, speed, and break in the greens.  What Whistling Wind challenges you with is making long precise shots into traditional sized Greens. Five times I tee’d off with a Hybrid.  Now keep in mind that I have a 3, 4, and 5 Hybrid in my bag, and wouldn’t consider myself to be a particularly long hitter.  I hit my 5 Hybrid an average of about 155 yards so it could be a different situation for you depending on your skill level.  There were two holes that day that played over 180 yards to the Pin so that’s definitely a long Iron or Hybrid for most.  Due to the length my short game chipping, pitching, and hitting bunker shots around the Greens was truly tested.  Quite often on a traditional length course I’ll play a full 18 holes without landing in a bunker once.  The Whistling Wind course is cleverly designed to force you to contend with the bunkers, or lay up on a Par 3.  Lay up on a Par 3!  Yep you heard that right. I did it once on my second time around and saved 2 strokes over my first attempt on that hole.  Over the 9 holes you will deal with mild elevation changes, water hazards, tight shot lanes, well positioned bunkers, and of course the varying lengths of Tee shots available.  If you can navigate around this course successfully.  You will not only feel immensely satisfied, but you will also have greatly improved your approach shots into Greens on long Par 4s, or maybe even acquired the confidence to go for the Green in two on Par 5s.

Lake Breeze Championship 9 hole

When I had mentioned to a couple of my golfing buddies that I would be playing Lake Breeze at Carruthers Creek, they either hadn’t heard of it, or said that it was a fun but challenging 9 holes.  Fun but challenging is exactly the kind of course I’m looking for.  I’ve played a few courses where the Fairways are so wide, and the hazards are so few that the default play is Driver off the Tee for anything but a Par 3.  Courses like that don’t interest me at all.  I much prefer courses that dare you to pull Driver, but punish you for anything but a perfect strike if you use it.  Where the safe play is to hit a Hybrid or long Iron off the Tee, and leave yourself a controllable shot out of the Fairway to a specific yardage or the Green.  That way how you choose to play the hole can be effected by the situation. Say you were playing a Match play round against a friend.  If you were 2 holes up with 3 to play you would probably choose to play it safe. Adversely if you were 2 holes down you would reach into your bag for the Driver.  The Lake Breeze Championship 9 is exactly that kind of course.  Something I haven’t mentioned yet that applies to everything that Carruthers Creek Golf has to offer is excellent course conditions.  The Greens were in excellent shape, and rolled true.  The edge of the Fairway was easily identifiable, and hitting from the Fairway was a pleasure.  The light rough wasn’t so thick that it made locating your ball difficult, but still thick enough to affect your ball flight.  Just everything was top notch, and better than I expected considering the low price.

Now I do have one minor issue that a small few of you should be aware of.  If you are a Lefty like me the difficulty level on Lake Breeze is double that of a righty.  That may sound like a strange observation to make so let me explain myself.

First a few statistics that have particular relevance here.  Only 11% of Golfers are Lefties.  I can’t remember where I read that but it was from a reliable publication.  I could go on and on about why being a Lefty Golfer is unfortunate but I’ll leave that for another time.  As a result of this small percentage, courses tend to be designed with Righty Golfers in mind.  Now depending on how difficult the course architect intends the course to be for a Righty will determine how easy it is for a Lefty.  The most popular Driver miss hit in golf is the slice.  Over 70% of amateur golfers normal miss with the Driver is to slice it off the Tee.  There are a number of factors that contribute to this and I’ll be sure to go over them another time.  What’s important to this discussion is that it’s not a secret.  Everyone knows about the dreaded slice, and that includes course designers.  Now a Righty slice goes to the right, and a Lefty slice goes to the Left.  As a course designer if you intend to make a course a little easier for the majority of Golfers.  You will create Fairways that open up to the right.  You might even add a few holes that dogleg to the right, or dogleg left with a hazard on the left.  This way if a Righty slices a ball off the Tee they won’t be severely punished for it. Got it, now back to Lake Breeze.

Over the 9 holes at Lake Breeze their are two Par 3s and I don’t factor Par 3s into swing bias.  Out of the remaining seven holes; Holes 3, 4, 5, and 8 have the potential to punish a Lefty slice, while only Holes 1, and 6 could punish a Righty slice.  Obviously the course designer was attempting to design a course that requires good shots to score well, but wouldn’t leave you pulling your hair out in frustration if you made a bad one.  That’s if you are a Righty of course.  As a Lefty I realized that the smart play all day long was to leave my Driver in the bag unless my confidence level was extremely high.  Of course like I stated before I like challenging courses that provide you with Risk/Reward opportunities.  Still at times on Lake Breeze the Risk doesn’t feel worth it as a Lefty.

That being said I would highly suggest that everyone except the newest Golfers give this course a try.  There are a lot of water hazards on this course so a total hacker could end up losing far too many balls to enjoy themselves.

A great place to practice and improve your Golf game.

Carruthers Creek Golf is to me one of the best places to play often if you are serious about improving your Golf game.  You can develop your swing on the Range.  Take the time to learn your distances with your clubs by sniping targets.  Then when you are ready you can test your on course ability by playing the Executive length Par 3 course Whistling Wind.  If you aren’t a long hitter, play them as Par 4s to begin with.  Then once your swing is ready start going for the Greens.  If you can get around the Whistling Wind course in 40 strokes or less, give the full length Lake Breeze Championship 9 a try.  Trust me you won’t be disappointed.

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FANTASY Uncategorized

NFL Rookie Minicamps – Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-42

Don’t believe the hype!

It’s that time of year when interesting news about the NFL is at a minimum.  There’s no combine to get us speculating.  The draft is over so that means the 286 mock drafts you studied were all proved to be totally wrong.  Any of the Free Agents you were really interested in are already signed.  The only things happening at this particular moment are Rookie Minicamps.  As a result of this the NFL Insiders really have nothing better to do than exaggerate everything they see happen.  When you here someone speculate that Derrius Guice could be the next Marshall Faulk because he caught two passes during a drill in the Rookie Minicamp.  Do yourself a favour and don’t just take that statement with a grain of salt.  Take it with the whole damn salt shaker!  I came across an article that described Baker Mayfield as the second coming.  Not only did he complete three straight passes, but it was to two different Receivers!  I hope the Patriots had a spy close by to take notes so they can properly game plan for him.  What’s really disappointing about the information that industry Insiders choose to share with the masses, is that they only focus on the obvious stars!

What about the undrafted Free Agents?

If you are a true fan of NFL football, then you will know of at least a couple Undrafted Free Agents that went on to become Superstars.  I’m talking about the Tony Romo, Kurt Warner, or Antonio Gates type of Player.  Could there be a Player of that caliber picked up a few days after the draft?  Has anyone that we don’t already know about show some real promise in the Rookie Minicamp?  If there is I’d absolutely love to hear about it!  I’m going to go out on a metaphorical limb here, and say that we won’t hear about anyone.  You can be damn sure that by week 1 of the NFL Season there will be a few names of Players that you didn’t hear a peep about until they lit it up during the Preseason.  One day they seemingly don’t exist, then during the third game of the Preseason they make a highlight reel play, and every NFL Insider has full chapter and verse on them.  It happens in mere seconds.  Sure they have Player profiles in their database on every Player.  That’s not what this is.  They already saw the potential in the Rookie Minicamp, OTAs, and full team training camps.  They just never had the guts to go on the record, and make a real prediction.  Better to say absolutely nothing than to risk being wrong.

And that’s precisely why!

All you are going to hear about over the next couple of weeks are safe predictions about first or second Round draft selections.  You will get tidbits of information about Players that provide a suitable scandal, or human interest story.  What I can promise you is that anything you hear shouldn’t effect who you plan on keeping in your Keeper league, or selecting in your Fantasy draft.  Unless they get injured of course.  Well that’s just a part of football.  If you didn’t know that you probably shouldn’t be playing Fantasy.

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FISHING Uncategorized

Finally the weather cooperates! – The Right Angle RA-20

It’s about time!

It only took until late April for the weather to hold long enough for my wife and I to consider going fishing.  It honestly feels like a year has passed since the last time we went.  Winter feels like that in Canada at times.  Like the cold weather is neverending.  Well it finally did, and on a quiet Monday morning we decided to give the credit river mouth a try.  Fortunately for us access to the river is conveniently reached by transit.  Less than 20 minutes on the TTC, and then another 30 minutes or so by GO train, and you are only a few minutes walk from the river.  There are restaurant and coffee shops nearby, and an arena with public washrooms only a short walk away.  On a weekday it’s relatively quiet in the morning.  Only the occasional local taking their dogs for a walk come across us fishing.  In other words it’s a perfect spot to cast, and hopefully catch something on a weekday morning as the sun rises.

Pleasant company

This portion of the credit river is better known for rowing than fishing.  Periodically we would take a break from casting spinners and spoons to watch the rowers zip by us.  A couple of swans made their way to us out of interest but quickly moved on.  For about an hour we saw another gentleman fishing from the opposite bank with worms.  He had a folding lawn chair with him, and just cast out his line then settled in.  There was a cool breeze coming in off the lake, but the rising sun provided just enough warmth to keep us comfortable.  Early on it seemed as though our efforts weren’t going to be rewarded. For the first hour we hadn’t even got as much as a nibble on either of our lines.  Normally that would be enough to sour my mood, but with this being our first time out on what was sure to be a beautiful day I didn’t mind.

Would our luck change?

There’s always that moment when you have been fishing one area long enough that you struggle with moving on.  Especially when fishing from shore.  You wonder if there might be a shallow rocky pool, or tree that’s fallen into the river a little further upstream where the fish could be hiding.  Have you been endlessly casting into a section of the river that’s totally devoid of fish?  Well in this case that seemed impossible being so close to the river mouth.  There had to be fish there.  Stubbornly I stood my ground, and continued to cast until my shoulders and arms hurt.  Finally after about 3 hours my determination was rewarded.  Unfortunately for me the reward wasn’t mine.  It was my wife’s.

“I got one” she exclaimed!  I was in the middle of my retrieve so I looked over my left shoulder to see her rod severely bent, a look of pure determination on her face, and the fat body of a fish splash back into the river.  She had hooked a serious lunker!  Now we caught some pretty nice Bass last year, but just a glimpse of what she had on the line was enough for me to realize that this beauty was going to eclipse all of those.  The catch of the year might well be the first one we make!  I quickly reeled my line in as she fought to bring the lunker in.  To get to where my wife was I had to carefully traverse some rocks that made up the shoreline.  When I was merely 6 feet from her I saw the beast jump clear out of the river once more.  Almost definitely a lake trout, it’s scales reflecting the sunlight.  That last jump was so close to shore that my wife could have probably reached out and caught that fish.  She didn’t catch it though.  That last jump proved to be just what the beast needed to shake the lure loose. One last splash and the lunker was gone.  The only evidence that it was ever there was the look of astonishment on my wife’s face.  In the end we didn’t land anything that day.  Even so the urge to return to Port Credit and try our luck again couldn’t be greater.   On a day that we actually caught nothing, I doubt that I could have been more satisfied if we did.

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GOLF Uncategorized

Giga Golf TRX Power Slot Irons – An Ongoing Cobe Life Review

Is there a discernable difference?

Those of you that follow me across my many social media platforms.  You’ll know that I spend a fair amount of time researching any product I’m interested in purchasing.  This year one of the items I was most interested in acquiring was a new set of Irons.  My primary concerns were that they be fit to me.  By fit I mean bent to the correct lie angle, and cut to the correct length. I wanted something that was Game improving, but without the chunky topline. Lastly I didn’t want to have to break the bank to buy them.  I found a number of potential sets, but in the end the TRX Power Slot Irons from Giga Golf were the winners. But were they the right choice?

Why did they win?

What really made the difference was their custom design process.  I had been casually fit before at a Golf Town.  I hadn’t gone through their entire fitting process but a representative made suggestions based on my swing, and face contact.  Unless you live in Florida, Giga Golf is strictly a custom online order manufacturer.  Not being able to try the Irons before you purchase them is usually a non starter for me.  Giga Golf understands this and offers a 30 day test period.  That still wasn’t what swayed me.  What their custom design process allows you to do is not only have them bent to the correct lie angle, and cut to length.  You can also select which shaft, and grip combination you prefer.  The only thing that potentially increases the price is the shaft and grip selection.  They don’t charge you anything extra for the lie angle adjustment, and shaft length.  Every other set I had researched would have required an additional cost to get them fit.  The Giga Golf Irons were an absolute steal when you realize that they were anywhere from 40% to 60% cheaper than the OEM companies Irons.

Is quality determined by price?

The greatest fear when buying something that’s cheap is that it’s just that, CHEAP!  I received my set of Irons in the middle of Canadian winter.  So it wasn’t like I was going to get out on a course with them any time soon.  Instead I took them to the simulator for initial testing.  What I learned the first few times out to the simulator is this.  I’m 5’10” 200lbs athletic build so it didn’t require a lot of adjustment to fit the Irons to me.  They are half an inch shorter, and one degree more upright than my original off the rack set.  My swing didn’t feel all that different, but the strain on my body was significantly reduced.  I didn’t suddenly stripe every shot like some people hope will happen when you get fit.  My face contact was significantly improved though.  Was I pleased with my purchase at that time.  I definitely was!  After hitting 100 balls my shoulders weren’t sore.  I didn’t hit so many shots out of the heel.  My confidence with my Irons was greatly improved.  But would I feel the same way once the snow melted, and I finally got to play them out on a course?

Finally got to play a Round of Golf

The weather finally held for a few days, and on April 23, 2018 I finally got to play with my new Irons on a course.  I was pumped!  For those of you that live in warmer climates.  You have no idea what kind of personal torture Canadian winter can be to a dedicated Golfer. So you understand I’m going to preface this story with the knowledge that I didn’t play particularly well that day.  To say that I played like shit, wouldn’t be fair to shit.  For the first time out in a Season though it’s nothing new.  I go through it every year.  My Tee shots were so bad, that by the ninth hole I started to experiment with not using a Tee.  I’m sure some of you have been there.  Usually my second shot gets me out of trouble.  Not that day.  That whole Round of Golf would have been forgettable if it wasn’t for my approach shots from 150 yards and in.  In other words, my Giga Golf TRX Power Slot Irons made what was becoming a terrible day, at least bearable.  Two best clubs in the bag that day were my 6 Iron, and 9 Iron.  I did chunk a 6 Iron really bad once.  You know when you chunk it so bad that you feel the reverberation all the way down to your toes?  Well it didn’t actually hurt too bad.  I went with the True Temper Featherlight steel shafts, and that chunk shot could have been an advertisement for the quality.  It had snowed the week before so I was expecting a mushy course.  Full marks to Hidden Lake Golf In Burlington Ontario for having the course well ready for play.  There was some snow left in a few spots but it wasn’t a factor.  Still every club got dirty, and the TRX Power Slot Irons were as easy to clean as any of the rest.  I was playing Srixon Q-star balls that day and judging by the Pitch marks, and scuff marks.  The Giga Golf Irons were generating a lot of spin.  I had seen some good spin numbers in the simulator.  Until you experience the real on course results you never know.  I wasn’t disappointed at all.  Unlike the Super Game Improvement Irons I had before, I could really attack flag positions.   Hopefully my next time out I’ll be on my game, and take full advantage of the stopping power.

Durability concerns

The only negative thing i have to report is that after about 6 times in the Simulator, 1 trip out to the Range, and 1 Round of Golf.  The shiny toe on the face of my Pitching Wedge has a noticeable scuff mark.  Now for some people that’s an insignificant thing.  Irons get scuffed up.  It’s just a matter of time.  Still this was quick.  At this point I can’t tell if it’s the result of the steel Giga Golf uses, or if it was just a bad Range ball that caused it.  As the Season continues I’ll have more information for you.  I’ve read a number of reviews about the black steel Giga Golf Irons that raised concerns about the finish.  Maybe that’s all it is.  A thin finish will scuff quickly.  As long as the performance isn’t affected it won’t bother me.

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Categories
FANTASY

All Mocked out – Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-41

I’ve had enough already!

One week left to the NFL draft and I’ve probably seen 30 mock drafts by now.  It’s actually more than 30 but eventually you just stop counting.  It’s bad enough that every online NFL News website has at least 3 mock drafts posted by now.  When you factor in that the NFL Network has a show that’s been running all month that’s dedicated to analyzing each and every analyst’s personal mock.  The subtle differences become lost, and essentially meaningless when you’ve heard so many reasons why Cleveland should take Josh Allen, or maybe Sam Darnold.  Maybe  Saquon Barkley is the right choice, or Josh Rosen looked really good at his pro day.  Definitely one of those guys should be the first player taken in the draft.  Unless you are in agreement with the analysts that believe Baker Mayfield is the sure thing.

Hopefully I wasn’t being too subtle

Who knows how many more mock drafts I will have the unfortunate opportunity to experience before the actual draft puts an end to it.  If you actually believe that any one of the mocks you’ve had the displeasure of seeing is right?  Well then I have a mint condition numbers matching frame off restoration 1952 Chevrolet Corvette for sale that you might be interested in.

Really!  No not really.

In case you aren’t an afficionado of classic American automobiles.  It might interest you to know that the first Chevrolet Corvette was unveiled in 1953.  There’s no such thing as a 1952 Chevrolet Corvette.  Just as there’s no such thing as a correct mock draft.  That’s why they are called MOCK drafts!

MOCK adjective : not authentic or real, but without the intention to deceive.

In layman’s terms it means some totally made up crap.  It’s purpose isn’t really to educate.  The primary purpose of a mock draft is to entertain.   If that truly is the case then I just have to say.  The majority of analysts are doing a pretty poor job.

Don’t focus on the Player.  Focus on the situation.

When you are making predictions that you admit aren’t authentic or real.   It wouldn’t hurt you to make predictions like Baker Mayfield third overall to the New York Jets.  Then extrapolate that his youthful exuberance, and competitive spirit will win him the starting job.  Teddy Bridgewater will be cut, but signed almost immediately when Sam Bradford gets injured in the preseason.  Bridgewater goes from being the third string Quarterback in New York to leading the Arizona Cardinals back to the playoffs.  Now that’s a mock draft pick that I would be interested in hearing about.  Unfortunately that’s not going to happen because the NFL analysts are afraid of making mock predictions that are too far from being possible.  The irony is that none of their mock drafts really are.

Categories
GAMING Uncategorized

Rory McIlroy PGA Tour: Still the best PS4 Golf Game – The Gamer in me GL-28

As great today as it was at release

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That could be taken many different ways depending on your preferences.  If a feature packed game filled with multiple game modes, lots of unlockables, and a simulation feel is what you want.  Well then Rory McIlroy PGA tour won’t impress you much.  Since it’s initial release back in the summer of 2015 EA sports hasn’t added anything new to the mix either.  Now if an impressive looking golf game, that feels quite like the difficult challenge of the real thing appeals to you.  Well then you are probably very happy with Rory McIlroy PGA tour.  What it lacks in features, it gains in actual gameplay.  What i enjoy in a Sports Sim falls a little between the two so Rory McIlroy PGA tour is a little hit and miss for me.  Of course this being Masters week I couldn’t resist revisiting this game.

Career Mode

This is generally the mode I’m most interested in when playing Sports Sims.   Designing your golfer is a little disappointing.  Character customization is extremely limited so don’t expect to create a digital version of yourself unless you are the most generic looking person ever.  Instead of working your way up through the ranks on the amateur circuit.  You begin the game by playing in the amateur championship.  Finish high enough and voila!  You’ve earned your tour card.  Obviously you won’t become to attached to your avatar early on.  Fortunately every hole of golf you play earns you experience.  After a few Rounds you will be able to begin to shape your Golfer into the type of Player that you would like to be.   As your career advances you will unlock Player boosts that can dramatically alter your characters skills.  I found this to be one of the most interesting aspects of the game.  Would you like to bomb it like Dustin Johnson, putt like Jordan Spieth, or hit your Irons like Rickie Fowler?  Well select the right combination of boosts and you can mimic the play style of your favourite professional Golfer.  Just don’t expect to break into the Top 10 overnight.  It takes a lot of Rounds to develop into a top contender.  Although playing the tour is a blast.  Quite a few of the most famous courses are missing, and EA wasn’t able to secure the rights to the Masters so that’s left off the schedule as well.  Still I didn’t miss it nearly as much as I thought that I might.

The thrill of the game

What Rory McIlroy PGA tour does best is re-create the excitement of making the cut on Friday, and fighting for the win on Sunday.  Realizing that you are in contention gets your heart pumping.  Every shot becomes your path to victory, or reason for defeat.  You pay extra close attention to the leaderboard.  Recognizable names like Scott, Rose, and Kuchar are right there challenging you for the victory.  You suddenly realize that your two stroke lead might not be enough, and then just as quickly you remember that it’s only a game.  It’s at that moment that I realized that despite it’s shortcomings, Rory McIlroy PGA tour is a fantastic game.  It does the one thing that Sports Sims and all games are meant to do.  Allow you for the short time you spend playing it to feel like the character, not the person controlling it.

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Categories
GOLF Uncategorized

Looking ahead to The Masters – Part 1

There’s always something special

Whether you are a fan of golf or not?  The One event that everyone knows about is The Masters.  It’s one of those iconic events like the Superbowl, Daytona 500, or World Cup.  Everyone is aware that it’s happening.  There’s always something special about it, and this year is no different.  This Masters has the potential to be the most watched Golfing event in years.  Along with the usual suspects, there are a number of Players that are playing some great golf right now that are sure to attract even the most pedestrian of golfing fans.  Unless you have been living under a rock this year the most obvious attraction to this year’s Masters is…

Tiger Woods

That’s right Tiger is back, and what’s more important is that he’s been competitive.  With two Top 10 finishes including a second at Valspar.  Tiger looks poised to raise a Championship trophy soon.  Why shouldn’t that first win of his comeback happen at Augusta where he’s hoisted the Masters trophy four times before?  Some of the betting lines in Vegas have him as the odds on favourite.  Now I would assume that the odds have been reduced to balance out the expected amount of casual bets they expect to receive.  Still it would be wrong of you to discount Woods as a possible contender.  Another Player who should be seen as a fan favourite that’s been playing his best golf in years is…

Phil Mickelson

It took four years and seven months for Phil to end his winless drought.  With the quality of golf he has been playing this season it was definitely coming to an end.  Only Dustin Johnson and Rickie Fowler are posting Rounds of Golf below par at a higher percentage than Phil.  If you are a fan of Phil.  You know that his typical Round of Golf includes a few birdies, some bogeys, possibly a hole out eagle, and at least one double or triple Bogey.  At the end of it all he usually finishes a couple shots under Par, or even Par.  It’s a rollercoaster affair with just as many wayward Tee shots, as incredible flop shots.  If you hadn’t seen him play before it might look like luck to you.  It isn’t.  ItsI just the all or nothing, go for broke style of golf that he plays.  Love him or hate him.  It makes for interesting viewing.  Speaking of love him or hate him.  Another polarizing figure in the world of golf has found his swing is the very unique…

Bubba Watson

Relatively soft spoken, reserved, and so unlike the majority of his compatriots.  Bubba Watson isn’t what you would expect a Champion Golfer to be.  Totally self taught, he has one of the most unique swings on the PGA tour.  Most aspiring golfers spend years attempting to develop a swing that will allow them to hit the ball straight.  Bubba Watson did the opposite.  Learning to shape his shots left and right so that he could follow the exact contours of a golf course.  When he is on his game he makes shots that other PGA Players can only imagine making.  He recently won the WGC Match play in impressive fashion.  The combination of impressive shot shaping, and massive distance off the Tee was too much to overcome.  He is ready to unleash his skills on Augusta where he has already won twice before.

Categories
GAMING Uncategorized

End the isolation with A Way Out – The Gamer in me GL-27

The return of Couch Co-op

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I remember a time when the most popular video games were all shared screen, or split screen.  Whether competitive or co-operative they all shared one thing in common.  They were enjoyed as a group.  Everyone found a spot on the couch, or floor and prepared themselves for hours of video game domination.  I’ll never forget the ridiculous four port splitters required to play four player dungeon crawlers.  There were wires absolutely everywhere.  The graphics weren’t great, and the more players that played increased the likelihood of frame rate issues.  Games would freeze, or totally crash two hours in when the game consoles got too hot.  To prevent it from happening I purchased one of those external fans that clipped to the back of the game system.  Even with all those issues we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.  What made it special was the shared experience.

Developed by Hazelight, and produced by Electronic Arts – A Way Out is banking on the appeal of those classic Co-operative games.  They believe that the shared experience is what makes a game special.  Even if it has a few flaws.

Buy 1 get 1 free

Something that’s totally unique about how A Way Out is being sold.  A Way Out cannot be played solo.  It requires a second player.  Now you might have assumed that it was a crafty sales trick to get somebody who purchases the game to talk their friends into buying it as well.  Well that’s not the case.  When you purchase a copy it includes a fully playable download that you can give to your gaming partner.  It allows them to play the game as the other character online with you.  Of course you can always play couch co-op split screen.  I haven’t played the entire game, but ivI’ heard that it takes roughly 8 hours to complete.  So playing online might be the best way for many to complete the game easily.  Providing the additional download wasn’t necessary.  Electronic Arts could have just forced everyone to buy a copy.  I see this as a very smart marketing move though.  As a video game enthusiast and blogger I keep up on what’s new.  When I mentioned the upcoming release of A Way Out to some of my friends.  Not all of them were aware of it.  Those that were aware, were split between those that were buying it, and those that weren’t.  By providing the free playable download, Electronic Arts will effectively double the number of Players.  If the game is even moderately successful.  The next co-operative game they release will have a larger audience.  They have turned their customers into salespeople.  And who’s more passionate about the games they create than the people that play them?

Attractive Pricing

As a Canadian I’m getting accustomed to paying upwards of $80 for a single video game.  Feels like highway robbery to me.  I’m sure many of you feel the same way.  It takes a lot of hype, great reviews, and an interesting type of game to encourage me to buy it on Day one.  Well at only $40 for A Way Out the choice to purchase it was far easier.  Especially when it includes a partner copy.  Even if it ends up being a bit of a flop.  It becomes a little easier to stomach when it’s only half the price of most new releases.  Lets be honest, there haven’t been many marquee releases yet this year.  While you are waiting for something like the sequel to your favourite franchise to come out.  Why not give A Way Out a try.  It isn’t an exceptionally long game, and one of your friends will owe you one to boot.