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I was was working in Ottawa a few weeks ago and had a chance to visit the new Canadian War Museum. As far as museums go, it was quite excellent with lots of great exhibits and tons to see, read and watch. I went with my sister and her boyfriend and we spent about four hours there yet only managed to cover about half the museum. I guess we read too much.

The museum strikes a nice balance between honouring the sacrifices made by those who went to war and celebrating Canada’s role as a peacekeeping force. Everything was thoughtfully put together and the number of artifacts on display was quite impressive. Many of the “big picture” displays were interspersed with personal stories of individual soldiers, which was a nice touch.

If you’re ever in Ottawa, this is definitely worth a visit (along with the usual suspects, course).

My knees are completely shot. So are my ankles. My shoulders and upper arms have become a tangle of knotted muscles. You’d think that I just completed an adventure race or climbed a mountain or something equally demanding. But no, all I’ve done is take a canoe instructor course over the weekend. And there are still two weekends to go.

It seemed like such a great idea a few months ago. A three-weekend lakewater instructor course — a chance to brush up on old skills, learn a few new ones and become an instructor to boot. Three enjoyable weekends spent out on the water. Carey Robson, the master instructor running the course, is a fantastic teacher but the curriculum is intense and the pace is grueling. And did I mention that there are still two weekends to go? (more...)