Why I do [don't] read your blog?

Where are the pictures????

I’m pretty picky when it comes to the blogs I read. There are a ton of bad ones out there, but also quite a decent number of good ones. I won’t name any in particular since I don’t want ninjas attacking me in my sleep!

Here is what I like in a blog:

• topics I am interested in
• minimum of a photo with every post ideally lots of photos
• high quality photos
• decent writing
• reasonable spelling [I'm not perfect - you don't have to be, but quick isn't spelled kwik!!]
• blog template/layout/colours that are comprehensible and easily readable
• regular updates [less than once a week and I lose interest]
• on going stories/topics I can follow

Here is what turns me off:

• no photos = no reading on my part
• few and/poor photos = less reading and maybe I’ll stop visiting
• terrible spelling and poor writing = I’ll give up trying to understand what you are on about
• post your heart rate/power meter data frequently and my eyes glaze over
• post endlessly about trips and bike builds you are planning, but never complete either and I lose interest
• post less than 1/week and I stop coming by
• post erroneous info regularly

The key thing for me in a blog is that I get what I expect to get from it. I can accept infrequent updates if you are on a tour in a remote area. I can accept mediocre photos from a someone on a great tour who is able to write well. What I can’t deal with is randomly posted content that is never what I expect to see when I expect to see it.

As a blog author it’s very important to set the reader’s expectations to match what you are going to deliver.

Let me leave you with one tip to make your blog better [something that I learned the hard way] – post about things you have done – not things you hope to do. Especially if looking back you aren’t scoring about 90% on achieving your goals/projects. We have all read blogs that go on endlessly for months about gear selection, route planning, etc… for some major bike expedition that fails after the first week because they didn’t train or prepare well in real life – despite spending so much time on the blog. It’s lame, but not as lame as when the same person starts blogging about racing the GDR next year and spends a year going on about that only to fail to start or fail after day 3.

FAQ..

See new tab at top of blog...

I’ve added an “About” page at the top of this blog. It also says FAQ since in explaining what this blog is about I tackled some of the often asked questions. If you can think of more Q’s that should be answered in the FAQ let me know.

I’m back in Viktoria…

Need I say more?

Spider Porn…

The action outside my door...

Lunch...

Spider's version of a ziplock bag...

 

Sharon’s Canadian Now!

Sharon getting her Canadian Citizenship...

Sharon became a Canadian yesterday. She’s been in The Great White North for quite a few years, but started the process of becoming one of the team in 2010. A lot of paperwork and an exam later she’s a Cannuck…=-) Good job – just in time for our local mayoral election that has a pro-cycling candidate running!

I am not moving…

US Road Trip Gas Pump Tip…

Tired of having to go inside to pay with a Canadian credit card in the US?

I road trip in the US a lot. One thing that bugged me was having to go inside to pay for my gas with my Canadian VISA card because the pay at the pump machine wanted my US 5 digit zipcode – which I don’t have. Not only is it a hassle to walk inside to pay and then come back out to pump the gas you have to give them a fixed amount you want to pump. Not easy when your goal is to fill up your tank so inevitably you have to walk back in and stand in line a second time to get a refund.

Well there is a solution:

• my VISA card’s billing addy has the following Canadian postal code – V8Z3S3
• I swipe my card at a US pump and it asks for a 5 digit zip code
• I enter 83300 and it starts pumping
• Just use the 3 digits in your Canadian postal code and pad with 2 zeros at the end
• Works everytime

And now for something completely different…

After 15yrs in the UXO clearance industry it's time for something new...

For over 15yrs I’ve made my living in the UXO clearance industry, primarily as a consultant for one of the leading clearance companies. Due to tough economic times in a tiny niche industry with the Department of National Defense as the only client I’ve decided it’s time to move on to something new. What will I do now you might ask? I’m not 100% sure. I was an army captain for 10yrs and then worked in UXO clearance for 15yrs – both periods of my life were long enough that I was fully satisfied with accomplishing what I needed to do before moving on. I’d like a to pursue work that offers fresh challenges and that allows me to develop my skills further.

The three areas of expertise I have are:

1. Project Management
2. Quality Management
3. Change Management

All three are management roles which I enjoy because I am leader and I thrive on planning work, motivating people to help me implement the plan and successfully achieving our goals. I especially like change management and quality management projects because they are particularly challenging for most organizations to complete successfully, but they offer the biggest rewards in terms of money saved, new capabilities realized and customer satisfaction.

Here is a little about my background:

• I joined the Canadian Army in 1987
• I received a B.Eng [Computer Engineering] from The Royal Canadian Military College in 1991
• I served as a Canadian Military Engineering Officer [Captain] until 1997
• I pursued extensive graduate studies in GPS engineering and project management at University of Calgary 1997-1999
• worked as a technical consultant in the UXO clearance industry 1997 – present
• I hold 2 patents for a technical UXO safety process I developed
• I am a Professional Engineer [P.Eng] and a certified Project Management Professional [PMP]
• I am studying for my Certified Quality Engineer qualification through ASQ

I have been working remotely from my clients with visits to their offices and project sites as needed. I would prefer to remain on Vancouver Island and travel from here as required, but I would entertain moving for the right opportunity. I am happy to work on a contract basis full-time or part-time as required. Working part-time for a few clients is ideal as it allows me to flexibly schedule my work, work on a variety of interesting projects and allows my clients to leverage my skills for their priority tasks at a lower cost.

Since most people are unfamiliar with the UXO clearance industry here are the main activities I have been involved with the last 15yrs:

• planning and executing projects
• developing communications plans and engaging stakeholders
• developing and implementing quality systems and project quality plans
• risk analysis and mitigation
• leading strategic planning initiatives and the change management projects that resulted from planning sessions
• led field teams in challenging environments to complete project tasks
• acted as a corporate trouble shooter to resolve critical problems and implement time sensitive process improvement projects
• developed and negotiated contracts
• led dispute resolution efforts to resolve contractual disagreements
• project estimating and bid preparation
• technical report writing
• development of new processes and equipment for particularly challenging project conditions [ie. under water UXO detection surveys]

I’m not set on any specific industry that I would like to work in. In a perfect world my work and passions would combine, but I’m not sure the bicycle or kitesurfing/surfing industries are the right fit for me. Although I am totally open to exploring them as options. All my previous jobs and contracts have ended up being longterm and I like forming productive relationships with people I work with. Given that I am ending a 15yr run in UXO clearance I’d enjoy gaining experience in a wide variety of industries before I specialize in one field.

Here are a few more pertinent details:

• I hold Canadian and Swiss citizenships
• I can work in the European Union, Switzerland and Canada without any issues
• I can get US work permits/visas fairly easily and will deal with this for any US clients
• I am fluent in English, functional in French and understand spoken German

So why am I posting all this on my blog? Well I have never applied for a job or pursued a consulting contract the normal way. One opportunity has just led to another and since I am very good at adding value to organizations I work with they tend to want me to tackle other projects. So I work with the same people again and again. That’s been fabulous, but it does mean I’m not highly skilled at marketing myself – especially when I want to start fresh in industries I haven’t been involved in before. So I figured why not start the process by putting the word out on my blog? If you know of any opportunities that seem like a reasonable fit for my skills and experience please let me know or forward this post to the appropriate folks. I will provide a comprehensive resume upon request.

You can contact me by leaving a comment on this post or emailing me at vik.marbach “at” gmail “dot” com.

Seattle

Sharon at REI...

Sharon and I took the ferry over to Seattle this weekend to celebrate her 40th birthday. We didn’t bring bikes and I didn’t mention it on the blog because I wanted to give Sharon as much time to do what she wanted while we were there. We stayed at a hotel downtown and walked around the center of town…as far as Volunteer Park. The weather cooperated for the most part and we enjoyed the wide variety of things to do/see downtown. Sharon said she was going to REI for me, but since she came out with a big bag of clothes and I didn’t buy anything I may have been duped…=-)

We were a little worried our stay in Seattle would be extended an extra day due to a big storm that was coming in as our ferry was due to depart, but we made it home just in time before the worst of the storm hit.

Inside outside at REI...

All in all it was a fun trip and a good way to celebrate. Sharon’s already talking about going back for a full on shopping weekend with a girlfriend – thankfully I am being spared that ordeal…=-)

Cat Stop!

Ultrasonic Cat Deterrent...

I like cats. I have a cat. My cat shits in a litter box and I clean that up regularly. My cat stays indoors. So my yard should be free of poo shouldn’t it?

Sadly my backyard was becoming a favourite poo spot for neighborhood cats – not good…=-( When I had a dog I used to hate having to walk carefully around my backyard to avoid piles of dog shit. So my tolerance for having to watch out for crap is low when I don’t have an outside pet.

I tried mothballs which worked for a month and then the local cats got used it and resumed Operation Poop! I couldn’t scare them away myself because they came at all hours of the day/night. I wasn’t prepared to get/borrow a dog since it resulted in the same issues as the cats – just in larger quantities. I was resigned to fencing in any areas of my yard that cats could enter, but when I looked at how much effort and $$$ that would take I balked.

What to do?

Well I asked Google for a solution and it suggested the Cat Stop motion detecting ultrasonic cat deterrent. Normally I wouldn’t trust such a gadget and assume it was a gimmick, but I was desperate so I bought one.

To my surprise it has worked. No more cat poo where I place the Cat Stop. Cats still come into my backyard – which I don’t mind. Heck I can tell they are still shitting in my yard, but now they are staying off the grass and doing it in the tree line/brush which doesn’t bother me as I don’t walk there.

I suppose I could get a couple more Cat Stops to keep cats out completely, but now that my grass is safe for walking, playing frisbee and drying out my kites I’m satisfied. I get several months per battery and the unit has survived our wet climate just fine.

If you have a cat poo problem I can recommend the Cat Stop.

In case I’m ignoring you…

I've been busy!

The last few weeks have been crazy busy. If you emailed me or left a comment in need of a response and I haven’t replied I’m not ignoring you. I probably lost your message in the shuffle so please resend and I’ll get on it.

My superpower…

Got poison ivy?

The job site I just came back from was packed with poison ivy and many of my co-workers were affected. The ones that didn’t have any problems were very careful about what they touched and kept their gloves away from their faces and other sensitive regions. I was a bit worried at first, but after I while I just stopped taking all precautions and despite tromping all over the site to the tune of 40kms+ of walking I didn’t have any issues. I may be immune to poison ivy! I would prefer to be able to turn invisible, have x-ray vision or be able to fly, but heck I’d rather have any superpower than none at all…=-)

Ghetto Ergonomics…

Doing the best I can…

I seem to be cursed when it comes to hotels on my travels for work. Poor internet connections, noisy rooms, overactive heat or AC, etc… On this trip I’ve been moved 3 times in less than 2 weeks. My lastest room has no desk so I had to push aside the coffee maker on a low table and try and setup something I could work on for a few hours at a time. It’s primitive, but it’s good enough to carry me through to the weekend. I should be home on Monday afternoon. I’m looking forward to it….=-)!

Long Way Round Trailers…

I dug around and watched these trailers for Long Way Round and I can see how the TV show format would be a lot more entertaining than the book I reviewed.

Andy Warhol was right…

The usual...

Along with the normal stuff I do on most projects this time around we’ve got a TV camera crew on site documenting things for an upcoming show. I’m not allowed to say too much yet, but when I give up blogging to become a reality TV superstar don’t be surprised!

Lights, camera , action~!

I’ve been trying to sell them on the idea of a bike blogger sitcom, but so far they can’t wrap their heads’ around the concept. They also laugh when I suggest Will Smith play me on the show. I’ll keep trying…=-)

Hi Ho Off To Work I Go!

More of this...

I’m off to Ontario for a month of fieldwork starting this weekend. I’m not sure how much free time I’ll have or what the internet access will be like so my blogging will likely be spotty and brief. On the bright side it will be time to hit the waves when I get back and become [I hope!] a real surfer this winter…not just a kook messing about in the ocean…=-)

Lazy Update…

Up up and away...

It’s been such a busy summer that I feel like I have fallen behind on my blogging. I’ve got lots of stuff I want to post about, but the nice weather is keeping me from spending my time posting. I haven’t even been reading my usual blogs and forums regularly….*gasp*!…=-) With August now here there is only a few more weeks of summer madness before we settle into Fall’s more relaxed pace.

What’s been going on?

• Our weekend’s have been all about kiteboarding for us. Sharon has worked hard to get up and riding so she wants to get as much time on the water as she can before the season ends in early September and she takes a break until she can get to Baja this winter.
• Weekdays have been frequently spent mountain biking at Hartland MTB Park.
• I’m busy studying for my quality engineer certification and getting ready for various work projects.
• We’ve had Kurt’s brother Sean staying with us for a few weeks which means lots of hanging out and BBQing in the evenings.
• We’ve done a bunch of tandem riding including last Friday’s Victoria Critical Mass Ride/Swim.

What’s up next?

• I’m going to finish up the 26″ wheeled LHT build this week.
• We are getting Sharon a new Surly Cross Check fork.
• We have friends from Calgary visiting this weekend so we have a casual ride around town planned for Saturday and a drive out to Port Renfrew to picnic on the books for Saturday.
• We are going to install some NSI clear grip traction material on Sharon’s longboard since surfing season starts as soon as kiteboarding season stops.
• And of course more kiteboarding and mountain biking as long as the good weather lasts!

I love pulling that cart!

....okay not really, but it pays for all the bike bling...=-)

So true…

My GF wishes this was just a joke...=-)

My cat is in charge…!

The brains behind this operation...=-)

Sorry for the lack of posts lately. After being away all last week in SoCal for a full moon gathering in the desert I came home and had to leave the next day for a project. I’ve been working non-stop with breaks only to eat and sleep so I haven’t had time to do anything with my blog. I left Midnight [my cat] in charge back home, but she’s even lazier than I am!!!

I should be home this weekend and be back to posting next week.