New Media » MyLife http://jnarvey.com Essays and opinions on current affairs and politics. Published from Vancouver, Canada by new media writer Jonathon Narvey Tue, 07 Feb 2012 19:07:01 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Thoughts On Another Birthday http://jnarvey.com/2011/10/13/thoughts-on-another-birthday/ http://jnarvey.com/2011/10/13/thoughts-on-another-birthday/#comments Fri, 14 Oct 2011 06:29:06 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=3078
  • Happy 125th Birthday, Vancouver! Got this one in just under the wire. Been a...
    • Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]>     I’m a lucky guy.

    I’ve got a wonderful wife. A loving family. Cool friends. Business has been good.

    Now I’m about to return to New York City.

    36 was a good year. May the good stuff continue for 37. Cheers.

    And confusion to our enemies.

     

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2011/10/13/thoughts-on-another-birthday/feed/ 0     D&D and Me http://jnarvey.com/2011/08/11/dd-and-me/ http://jnarvey.com/2011/08/11/dd-and-me/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 05:57:09 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=3039 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Friends and colleagues in Vancouver already know I like to geek out. But not everyone knows that at one time, I was big into Dungeons & Dragons.

    (WARNING: For those who only like to read my political, technology, Vancouver-ific or social media blog posts, you may want to skip this one).

    I started gaming again with some buddies on the weekend (technically not D&D, but a simpler RPG called Savage Worlds in which I’m running a D&D-like fantasy campaign). The first time back was a blast, with the players facing off with brave dedication against terrifying squid-headed wizards and bloody-clawed Undead, trying all the while to avoid becoming pawns in a larger conflict by millenia-old vampiric kings. The fast-paced play was complemented by a robust portion of Singaporean noodles washed down with Granville Island beer.

    I used to play back in high school and university. Good times. I was always happier as a DM running the game than as roleplaying a character. Sort of like the difference between being a director and an actor in a drama, I guess. It’s not that I need to be in control — I just always thought it was more fun to create a whole world than explore a tiny section of it.

    Looking forward to continuing more adventures with friends. Until next time, here’s a great video one of my roleplaying buddies forwarded along that helps give both longtime D&D fans and people who have never played an idea of just what all the fuss is about.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2011/08/11/dd-and-me/feed/ 1     A Valentine’s Day Message http://jnarvey.com/2011/02/14/a-valentines-day-message/ http://jnarvey.com/2011/02/14/a-valentines-day-message/#comments Tue, 15 Feb 2011 04:51:43 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=2916 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Dear Super Lady,

    I love you forever.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2011/02/14/a-valentines-day-message/feed/ 0     This Blog Is Not Dead http://jnarvey.com/2010/11/17/this-blog-is-not-dead/ http://jnarvey.com/2010/11/17/this-blog-is-not-dead/#comments Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:42:51 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=2853 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> I’m just really, really busy. Aside from my Vancouver SEO web copywriter work, here are a few things I’ve been doing:

    • Writing a whole lot of fun political commentaries for The Propagandist
    • I wrote an article for BC Homes Magazine. The article’s only in the print edition. Get a copy and read it. It’s all about home renovations. (See? Not everything I write is political).
    • I wrote a story on mobile apps. Not published yet, but should be out soon.
    • Thanking the Conservative and Liberal parties for finally coming to their senses and proposing that Canada remain involved in Afghanistan, since as everyone knows, the job ain’t done yet.
    • Drinking coffee
    • Drinking Granville Island Winter Ale
    • Self-publishing a novel. It’s taking about ten times longer than I thought it would to get through the formatting and proof-printing and approval process. But I believe the end is in sight.
    • Working on another novel.
    • Watching hockey with my wife on the couch.
    • Not spending any time on Twitter or Facebook. If you’ve been trying to contact me via either of those social networks in the past two weeks or so, you’re pretty much out of luck.
    • Thinking about data visualization
    • Standing for ten hours a day. Really, it’s good for me. No more Jimmy leg!

    Thanks for checking in, readers! Be excellent to each other.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2010/11/17/this-blog-is-not-dead/feed/ 0     And Bob’s Your Uncle. No, Wait. I’m Your Uncle! http://jnarvey.com/2010/04/09/and-bobs-your-uncle-no-wait-im-your-uncle/ http://jnarvey.com/2010/04/09/and-bobs-your-uncle-no-wait-im-your-uncle/#comments Fri, 09 Apr 2010 18:56:20 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=2531 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> The Narvey empire expands by one.

    Welcome to the world, little one.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2010/04/09/and-bobs-your-uncle-no-wait-im-your-uncle/feed/ 0     Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired http://jnarvey.com/2010/03/28/sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired/ http://jnarvey.com/2010/03/28/sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired/#comments Sun, 28 Mar 2010 21:08:15 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=2513 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Readers of this site will have noted that blogging is light these days. No, I have not abandoned my website. I’ve just been sick.

    As such, I’ve had to prioritize my activities over the past few weeks. Sleeping, eating healthy stuff, doing just enough actual work to meet the regular deadlines of my copywriting clients and finally, attending to social media.

    A fog seems to have lifted from my feverish brain today. Looking forward to rejoining the universe once more. Cheers.

    I Should Have Taken Contact

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2010/03/28/sick-and-tired-of-being-sick-and-tired/feed/ 0     Party Like It’s 5770 http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/18/party-like-its-5770/ http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/18/party-like-its-5770/#comments Fri, 18 Sep 2009 22:52:50 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=1887 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Shana Tova, my friends. Rosh Hashanah 2009 (or 5770, depending which calendar you use) is here. Time to toot your own horn.

    Ram’s horn, that is.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/18/party-like-its-5770/feed/ 2     Wash Your Hands, Dirtbags http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/05/wash-your-hands-dirtbags/ http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/05/wash-your-hands-dirtbags/#comments Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:52:15 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=1803 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Forget swine flu. I just don’t want to catch whatever ordinary germs people are spreading around.

    Ladies, I don’t know what your experience has been, but I can tell you that in a men’s public washroom, I’m lucky to witness half of the guys washing their hands with soap and water after doing their business. The numbers get even worse in a bar or pub after 10 pm. By midnight, just assume that the guy who’s buying you drinks has trace amounts of human waste on his fingers.

    I know, it’s gross. But I’m sick of what I’m seeing at fine establishments around this city. Dudes, get your act together.

    Hat tip to Darren Barefoot for his insight on another point of etiquette in the context of flying low.

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/05/wash-your-hands-dirtbags/feed/ 1     I Would Also Like $64 Million Over 12 Years, Mr. Luongo http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/04/i-would-also-like-64-million-over-12-years-mr-luongo/ http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/04/i-would-also-like-64-million-over-12-years-mr-luongo/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:45:11 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=1799 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> Congratulations, Roberto Luongo. You have risen to the top of your profession and have been rewarded with compensation in keeping with the generous tradition of the hockey industry. Good for you.

    I’m sorry to have to say that I will never be able to watch Luongo play in a live Vancouver Canucks game (except when a generous friend of mine with season tickets lets me tag along), as I cannot justify the expense of $100 per ticket (minimum), plus $20 for a beer and hotdog — oh, and parking, too.

    I know, watching professional sport live has long since become the preserve of the upper crust (or those with maxed-out credit cards), so there’s little point in complaining about the correlation between athletes’ compensation and the price of sports entertainment. But I must admit, seeing headlines like the ones announcing mega-contracts like Luongo’s does still leave me with an unpleasant feeling in my gut.

    I will continue to cheer Luongo and the Canucks from the comfort of my humble living quarters, and on occasion on the big screen of a pub. Perhaps some day I’ll be so successful professionally that I won’t have to justify shelling out for tickets, but I wonder…
    The humble and personable Roberto Luongo, providing incisive commentary for the weather channel (It doesn’t appear that the reporter or camera operator realized with whom they were talking)

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    ]]>     http://jnarvey.com/2009/09/04/i-would-also-like-64-million-over-12-years-mr-luongo/feed/ 0     Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhghgh!!! http://jnarvey.com/2009/08/16/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhghgh/ http://jnarvey.com/2009/08/16/aaaaaaaaaaaaaaagghhghgh/#comments Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:51:46 +0000 jnarvey http://jnarvey.com/?p=1566 Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.]]> It is easy to be brave from a safe distance – Aesop

    Rock on, Shane Birley. You’re a braver man than I will ever be.

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