Sugar, We're Going Up

A week ago today, I took a flight from Washington, DC, back to the familiar plains of the North, leaving behind the U.S. capital after 13 months of living and working in the city by the Potomac river.

It was a touch difficult to leave; afterall, 13 months in a city, some form of connection or even affection begins to take root and mature.

But as the Air Canada plane soared above the electric green National Mall and its stunning monuments and the behemoth Pentagon over there in Arlington County, Virginia, I waved farewell to the city that had become my home away from home.

To avoid stumbling into any further cliches, I'll leave it at that since I figure most of you reading--yes, the two of you--probably know the feeling.

Back now on Canadian soil, I am not sure what the future holds. As usual. But perhaps when the future seems unclear or blurry, it is best to enjoy and be grateful for the present. And that is what I will, or at least try to, do.

Brush with Washington Famous, Part 5

Since this installement of the hugely popular and successful Brush with Washington Famous took place shortly before I moved from Washington, DC, this is indeed the final Brush with Washington Famous episode. Yes, I know. All good things must come to an end.

So who did I encounter this time? Which famous Washington personality did I bump into on the street corner or in the grocery store line?

Like the encounter I had with ex-Alberta premier Ralph Klein, this personality was not Washingtonian per se, but he happened to be passing through the neighborhood, to say the least.

I saw His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI inside his white Popemobile ride down Pennsylvania Avenue amidst a crowd of the cheering faithful and curious onlookers surrounded by a motorcade of security trucks and police cruisers and motocycles.




It was an intense and unique moment seeing the Shepherd of a billion Catholics wave to the crowd from his customized, bullet-proof windowed Mercedes Benz.

Well, what a way to end this entire series. The Pope, no less!

Until next time!

Well, I've Been Busy...

The usual excuse I give whenever I have not posted anything new on The DIGITAL Archive is the old reliable: I was/am very busy.

In many ways, I suppose, that excuse is still applicable. But that is not the entire story, I admit.

While I am busy (beyond belief in some cases), wrapping up work and tying up loose ends before the end of my contract, I have been having many mixed feelings about the future of this blog.

I send out plenty of tweets using Twitter (come follow me, if you like), but this blog remains both a powerful platform and a burden.

What to say? What to write about? Not so sure anymore.

Many of my favorite bloggers seem to have no shortage of ideas (or time) to blog daily.

To tell you the truth, I am even having a hard time right this minute to compose a few short sentences about what has been stirring in my mind.

So, the big decision: The DIGITAL Archive will go on a sabbatical, much like its primary author. It is the right time for it to find its way, its voice, and return once again. When? Dunno.

I realize in making this decision I might lose a whole bunch of constant readers (yes, all two of them), but that is a risk I am willing to take. Blogs, blogging, media, new media, social networking, etc have evolved so rapidly even during the short time that I have been blogging. For my blog not to change in some shape or form, or at least consider change, would be unrealistic.

Hard to believe, but on March 4, 2005, I started blogging! An eternity in blog years. 3 years!

Hey, folks, stay tuned.