[Written on Tuesday]
-Another cool, clear day in Montreal. I believe that we started the day with a temperature below -20. Amazingly, we haven’t had much snow this year, only one semi-major snowfall so far.
-Work was incredibly busy last night. We had many more people than normal for a Monday, as well as a speed-dating event in the basement. Fortunately one of my co-workers stayed on for a few extra hours to help close, if she had not done this I think I would have been there until 1:00 AM, or later.
-Assignment season is fast approaching. I am really not ready for it this term, especially because of the various visits that are taking place over the coming weeks.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Texas sheet cake 2
Yesterday was Rebecca's birthday. As part of our spending quality time together during the evening, she helped me make a texas sheet cake. I first tried to make a texas sheet cake in the fall and it didn't work out as well as I had hoped; I have entitled this post to indicate this (and/or to copy Cameron's numbering). In the fall I deemed that one of the problems was the pan, so I bought a new one; I also decided doing dishes while making the icing and thus burning it was a bad idea. This time it mostly worked out well. The cake is rather flat, so it works best with a level oven, however (using my magnetic level from Santa Claus) I determined that my oven is off-level in multiple directions. Hence, my cake is taller on one half, but it still tastes good.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Work tonight
Once again, I have to go to work tonight. Mondays don't seem to be the busiest night of the week.
The up side of this is that I may do a bit more training on the bar. On Friday I sold a Guiness and a Smirnoff Ice.
The up side of me knowing a few of the basics is that I can then relieve the bartender when they are working alone.
The up side of this is that I may do a bit more training on the bar. On Friday I sold a Guiness and a Smirnoff Ice.
The up side of me knowing a few of the basics is that I can then relieve the bartender when they are working alone.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Trivia in Halifax
It's been far too long since I last posted. I haven't done much, but that's more than nothing. A couple Wednesdays ago DAGS held a trivia night at the Grad House, which they own. DAGS was looking to grad students out socializing with each other, so it organized trivia by academic affliation. As I'm always up for a competition, and because it is my deputy as DAGS rep to tell the mathies, I put together a team. In the end it wasn't too hard to put together a team even on only 2 days notice (even though I'd known for 2 weeks). Rebecca was only able to come to the second half, because she had to work in the Math Learning Centre until 10.
Trivia started late, but not too late considering it was there first time. There were 12 teams there, which is more than was expected. As a result, they ran out of chairs. Just before we started they circulated a registration sheet ?! They wanted us to write down our names and student IDs to make sure we were all grad students. I thought this was a little ridiculous. They also wanted us to use our department names as our team names, and specifically not to make up new ones. We went ahead and made up our own anyway, the Dalhousie Derivatives, and most of the other teams did too. At my prompting, the marking was done as per the Bitters way.
We bombed the first round, but we did better over the next 9 rounds than any other team. In the end, we came 3rd. The evening was enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next one.
The rest of the mathies enjoyed it too. We're planning on hosting our own trivia night at the Grad House and inviting the profs to come out. It should work out well because booking the Grad House is free. We only have about $350 to spend for the rest of the semester. Rebecca will probably be the host.
Trivia started late, but not too late considering it was there first time. There were 12 teams there, which is more than was expected. As a result, they ran out of chairs. Just before we started they circulated a registration sheet ?! They wanted us to write down our names and student IDs to make sure we were all grad students. I thought this was a little ridiculous. They also wanted us to use our department names as our team names, and specifically not to make up new ones. We went ahead and made up our own anyway, the Dalhousie Derivatives, and most of the other teams did too. At my prompting, the marking was done as per the Bitters way.
We bombed the first round, but we did better over the next 9 rounds than any other team. In the end, we came 3rd. The evening was enjoyable and I'm looking forward to the next one.
The rest of the mathies enjoyed it too. We're planning on hosting our own trivia night at the Grad House and inviting the profs to come out. It should work out well because booking the Grad House is free. We only have about $350 to spend for the rest of the semester. Rebecca will probably be the host.
A Few Quick Notes 57
-Another winter day in Montreal today. There are a few flurries falling as I write, though nothing all that serious. It is also still about -10, though I must say that this seemed warm when I was walking around this morning. If it keeps snowing maybe I will go for a walk this afternoon.
-My father flew into Montreal this morning. He was on his way to Kingston. The original plan was that he would arrive yesterday and spend the night. Because of the “weather bomb” this did not happen, his flight was switched to this morning. The modified plan was that he would take the bus into town and we would meet for breakfast. Unfortunately, the plane was late leaving the airport, the gate was iced up on arrival, and then the luggage failed to arrive. With about 15 minutes before his train was to depart we met at the airport. Several items were quickly transferred to my bag, some hot drinks and a cinnamon roll were purchased, before we made our way to the gate.
If all goes according to plan, my father and uncle should be in Montreal as of this Wednesday evening. I am really hoping that things aren’t quite as rushed as they were on this trip. On the other hand, this is the fourth time that my father has been in Montreal since September.
-Last night Nithum and I went to a party. An open invitation was issued by one of my classmates so I asked Nithum if he was interested. After a little bit of vacillation he decided to go for it, his second party of St. Joseph in two days.
Though I was worried that we might be late, it turned out that we were really on the early side. It must have been about 30 to 45 minutes before anyone else showed up, and then another 20 before the first real group.
The heart of the party was made up of friends and classmates of my classmate’s roommates. As these people began to arrive Nithum started to recognize some of them as attendees of Friday night’s party.
It turned out that the party was infested with people that had connections to Newfoundland. Aside from Nithum and I, there were at least two and possibly four other people who grew up in Newfoundland. There was also a pretty large Nova Scotia contingent. Nithum actually seems to have wangled us an invite to the upcoming “East Coast Kitchen Party” that will be held in the same location in the coming weeks.
[Author's note: I forgot to say that I had an excellent time, sometimes I assume that everyone already knows the good things. I also forgot to thank Nicole for the invitation, it was nice to party with such a wide variety to attendees. It was also nice to hear those bawdy songs as sung by Oscar Brand.]
-As I arrived at McGill today I was reminded that today is the winter Open House. If I had a bit more energy I could probably manage to get a hold of some free stuff.
-Today needs to be a big study day. I have done most of the prep work already, I have the reading materials, the caffeine, part of the mental preparation, and the knowledge that it really needs to happen.
-Yesterday was the first day that I have not had ginseng in about four days. I am not sure I noticed much of a difference, but maybe the old stuff is not out of my system. Anyway, I definitely did not notice any downsides, and I feel as though I could even accept just a placebo affect right now.
-My father flew into Montreal this morning. He was on his way to Kingston. The original plan was that he would arrive yesterday and spend the night. Because of the “weather bomb” this did not happen, his flight was switched to this morning. The modified plan was that he would take the bus into town and we would meet for breakfast. Unfortunately, the plane was late leaving the airport, the gate was iced up on arrival, and then the luggage failed to arrive. With about 15 minutes before his train was to depart we met at the airport. Several items were quickly transferred to my bag, some hot drinks and a cinnamon roll were purchased, before we made our way to the gate.
If all goes according to plan, my father and uncle should be in Montreal as of this Wednesday evening. I am really hoping that things aren’t quite as rushed as they were on this trip. On the other hand, this is the fourth time that my father has been in Montreal since September.
-Last night Nithum and I went to a party. An open invitation was issued by one of my classmates so I asked Nithum if he was interested. After a little bit of vacillation he decided to go for it, his second party of St. Joseph in two days.
Though I was worried that we might be late, it turned out that we were really on the early side. It must have been about 30 to 45 minutes before anyone else showed up, and then another 20 before the first real group.
The heart of the party was made up of friends and classmates of my classmate’s roommates. As these people began to arrive Nithum started to recognize some of them as attendees of Friday night’s party.
It turned out that the party was infested with people that had connections to Newfoundland. Aside from Nithum and I, there were at least two and possibly four other people who grew up in Newfoundland. There was also a pretty large Nova Scotia contingent. Nithum actually seems to have wangled us an invite to the upcoming “East Coast Kitchen Party” that will be held in the same location in the coming weeks.
[Author's note: I forgot to say that I had an excellent time, sometimes I assume that everyone already knows the good things. I also forgot to thank Nicole for the invitation, it was nice to party with such a wide variety to attendees. It was also nice to hear those bawdy songs as sung by Oscar Brand.]
-As I arrived at McGill today I was reminded that today is the winter Open House. If I had a bit more energy I could probably manage to get a hold of some free stuff.
-Today needs to be a big study day. I have done most of the prep work already, I have the reading materials, the caffeine, part of the mental preparation, and the knowledge that it really needs to happen.
-Yesterday was the first day that I have not had ginseng in about four days. I am not sure I noticed much of a difference, but maybe the old stuff is not out of my system. Anyway, I definitely did not notice any downsides, and I feel as though I could even accept just a placebo affect right now.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Friday
Thursday night was a pretty good night. I was able to take care of some studying, though not as much as I would have liked, and then head over for Thomson House for a night of socializing. Based on my knowledge that the Archives stream had a class and my knowledge that they tend to go out for a beer afterwards I thought it would be pretty safe time to show up and meet some people that I know. It turned out that my timing was just about perfect; most of them were in line as I arrived.
I jumped in line behind them and order a pitcher of a blond locally brewed beer. While it is not my favourite drink I believe that it was what I was drinking all night.
In about an hour most of the archives people had left, but a few general GSLIS students remained. Gradually the first pitchers turned into second and third pitchers. It seemed that most people were having a very good time. One particularly enjoyable part of the evening, at least from my point of view, was the discussion I had with a separatist. I think that she didn’t quite know where I was coming from or what to expect as feel I took a pretty pro-Quebec stance, though was solidly against isolationism. Later in the evening we were swamped by Manitobans, there must have been 4 or 5.
At about 1:30 I finally realized what time it was time to head home. I was back in my room before 2:00, only a little worse for wear.
On Friday I awoke at about 11:00. For about 15 minutes I just stayed in bed listening to the radio. Eventually I got up and started doing the morning internet rounds (weather, news, email, blog, etc.). At about 11:23 I realized that I had been planning on attending the Faculty of Education Faculty Council meeting, which was to start.
After a few quick mental calculations I realized that I might have just enough time to take a quick shower and still make it. Unfortunately when I arrived at the bathroom I found it occupied, and with this my plans were ruined. I went back to my room and tossed on some clothing and got ready to go. Within about two or three minutes I was on my way, slight hangover and all.
As the meeting was to be in the Education building that was where I went. The only problem is that I couldn’t find the designated room, even though it was supposed to be on the main floor. After asking about 3 people and spending 10 to 15 minutes looking for it I was about the second person there. One of the only non-support staff there ahead of me was my cataloging professor. I continued to sit alone, talking to no one, as the others began to file in over the next few minutes. By the beginning of the meeting most of the library school faculty were sitting within a five-seat radius of me.
Eventually the Dean showed up and things began. As Friday was Australia Day we started with a brief themed slide show and Vegemite sandwich tray. Soon enough we were down to business.
The heart of the meeting had to do with Faculty of Education space allocation. It seems that the university is engaging in a major planning exercise of which we are a consequential element, particularly the library school. Unfortunately a few squeaky wheels dominated a fair bit of the meeting, even though the issues that they were raising weren’t really relevant to the current discussion. I was even able to ask a few questions, both of which I feel were quite reasonable.
Attending this meeting was quite good as it gave me a much greater understanding of several issues, including; departmental staff dynamics, faculty staff dynamics, McGill administration, strategic planning, and university committees.
After the formal meeting, with most of the faculty from the library school, I went on a tour of a potential relocation site. I, as with several of the faculty members, were pretty impressed with the potential of the building that we toured.
It was a damn good thing I didn’t back out just because I didn’t have time for a shower.
I jumped in line behind them and order a pitcher of a blond locally brewed beer. While it is not my favourite drink I believe that it was what I was drinking all night.
In about an hour most of the archives people had left, but a few general GSLIS students remained. Gradually the first pitchers turned into second and third pitchers. It seemed that most people were having a very good time. One particularly enjoyable part of the evening, at least from my point of view, was the discussion I had with a separatist. I think that she didn’t quite know where I was coming from or what to expect as feel I took a pretty pro-Quebec stance, though was solidly against isolationism. Later in the evening we were swamped by Manitobans, there must have been 4 or 5.
At about 1:30 I finally realized what time it was time to head home. I was back in my room before 2:00, only a little worse for wear.
On Friday I awoke at about 11:00. For about 15 minutes I just stayed in bed listening to the radio. Eventually I got up and started doing the morning internet rounds (weather, news, email, blog, etc.). At about 11:23 I realized that I had been planning on attending the Faculty of Education Faculty Council meeting, which was to start.
After a few quick mental calculations I realized that I might have just enough time to take a quick shower and still make it. Unfortunately when I arrived at the bathroom I found it occupied, and with this my plans were ruined. I went back to my room and tossed on some clothing and got ready to go. Within about two or three minutes I was on my way, slight hangover and all.
As the meeting was to be in the Education building that was where I went. The only problem is that I couldn’t find the designated room, even though it was supposed to be on the main floor. After asking about 3 people and spending 10 to 15 minutes looking for it I was about the second person there. One of the only non-support staff there ahead of me was my cataloging professor. I continued to sit alone, talking to no one, as the others began to file in over the next few minutes. By the beginning of the meeting most of the library school faculty were sitting within a five-seat radius of me.
Eventually the Dean showed up and things began. As Friday was Australia Day we started with a brief themed slide show and Vegemite sandwich tray. Soon enough we were down to business.
The heart of the meeting had to do with Faculty of Education space allocation. It seems that the university is engaging in a major planning exercise of which we are a consequential element, particularly the library school. Unfortunately a few squeaky wheels dominated a fair bit of the meeting, even though the issues that they were raising weren’t really relevant to the current discussion. I was even able to ask a few questions, both of which I feel were quite reasonable.
Attending this meeting was quite good as it gave me a much greater understanding of several issues, including; departmental staff dynamics, faculty staff dynamics, McGill administration, strategic planning, and university committees.
After the formal meeting, with most of the faculty from the library school, I went on a tour of a potential relocation site. I, as with several of the faculty members, were pretty impressed with the potential of the building that we toured.
It was a damn good thing I didn’t back out just because I didn’t have time for a shower.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Da Bomb
According to an email that I received from Memorial University of Newfoundland earlier this afternoon, St. John's is supposed to be experiencing a "weather bomb."
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Short clip of snow falling in Montreal
This clip was taken on January 15, 2007. It was snowing a fair bit in the early morning and afternoon (as you may recall if you read the posts from that day). I had to head over to Thomson House to drop off a key I had accidentily taken home with my on Friday. As usual, I took the short cut from the main campus across the resevoir. Just after reaching the resevoir I decided that it would be a good time to film some of the snow falling, as I did in St. John's.
Pay attention to the first few seconds if you want to see the action sequence, though it was completely unplanned and likely painful. This fall occured because the snow covered pre-existing ice, creating a rather dangerous situation. As soon as I saw this I figured out the problem and walked along the road next to the field.
If you are interested in viewing video clips that have been posted on this blog in the past use the label "YouTube" in the lower right hand corner of this blog to access these posts. If you do this my number of views for each clip will rise and I will feel satisfied.
Pay attention to the first few seconds if you want to see the action sequence, though it was completely unplanned and likely painful. This fall occured because the snow covered pre-existing ice, creating a rather dangerous situation. As soon as I saw this I figured out the problem and walked along the road next to the field.
If you are interested in viewing video clips that have been posted on this blog in the past use the label "YouTube" in the lower right hand corner of this blog to access these posts. If you do this my number of views for each clip will rise and I will feel satisfied.
Train entering Mont Royal Metro Station
Earlier today, as I was on my way home from Val's apartment, I was in the Mont Royal subway station waiting for my train. While there I decided to see if I could get a shot of the train entering the station, something that have enjoyed watching in person. After several false starts, the train did arrive and I was able to film it until it stopped.
A Few Quick Notes 56
-Another clear and cool day here in Montreal. Looks as though this should be the standard for the next little while. This weather isn’t really that bad as we haven’t had too much snow to deal with (though I personally wouldn’t mind a bit more snow).
-For dinner tonight I hope to eat one or two bratwursts that I purchased a few days ago. Hopefully I won’t forget to eat dinner as I did last night.
-Yesterday I tried some ginseng. Nithum purchase some a few days ago and offered a few vials as a sample (am I living with a pusher?). As of yet I am not really sure what I think, or if I even felt an effect. Shortly, I will try my second vial and see how I feel.
-I was able to do some laundry this morning. Doing laundry in public cities has caused me to wonder why it is people seem to almost never empty the lint trap. I find it one of the best parts of the entire laundry experience.
-For dinner tonight I hope to eat one or two bratwursts that I purchased a few days ago. Hopefully I won’t forget to eat dinner as I did last night.
-Yesterday I tried some ginseng. Nithum purchase some a few days ago and offered a few vials as a sample (am I living with a pusher?). As of yet I am not really sure what I think, or if I even felt an effect. Shortly, I will try my second vial and see how I feel.
-I was able to do some laundry this morning. Doing laundry in public cities has caused me to wonder why it is people seem to almost never empty the lint trap. I find it one of the best parts of the entire laundry experience.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 55
-Environment Canada is indicating that it is several degrees below zero, though I am having a hard time believing this assessment. Maybe it is a little cooler now that it is a touch more overcast.
-I learned that someone in my class found out about this blog from a friend. Apparently the friend was searching blogs and came upon this one. From information that she was able to gather she figured out that I must be in the same program as her friend. The relevant details, the URL, were passed along. I have been meaning to ask my classmate if she managed to read very much, or any, of our blog.
-I am thinking about taking a nap. This will give me a bit of a break before I dig into some pretty heavy reading that I need to take care of.
-Food would also be good, but I can’t say that I am that hunger at the moment.
-Today in class one of my classmates approached me about joining her group for a project. This was pretty good as I didn’t know what I would be doing for this project. I had been hoping that someone would just come up and ask me, which they fortunately did. The only bad thing is that we are still one member short of the required four, and we haven’t been able to finalize a project topic (preparation for this is why I have so much reading).
-Work was pretty dead again last night. It seems that Monday nights are not the big party night at Thomson House.
-I learned that someone in my class found out about this blog from a friend. Apparently the friend was searching blogs and came upon this one. From information that she was able to gather she figured out that I must be in the same program as her friend. The relevant details, the URL, were passed along. I have been meaning to ask my classmate if she managed to read very much, or any, of our blog.
-I am thinking about taking a nap. This will give me a bit of a break before I dig into some pretty heavy reading that I need to take care of.
-Food would also be good, but I can’t say that I am that hunger at the moment.
-Today in class one of my classmates approached me about joining her group for a project. This was pretty good as I didn’t know what I would be doing for this project. I had been hoping that someone would just come up and ask me, which they fortunately did. The only bad thing is that we are still one member short of the required four, and we haven’t been able to finalize a project topic (preparation for this is why I have so much reading).
-Work was pretty dead again last night. It seems that Monday nights are not the big party night at Thomson House.
Sunday, January 21, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 54
-Another cold day in Montreal today. When I woke up it was almost -20, nearing -30 with the wind chill. This is actually the first day that I have noticed frost on my window. For the next few days it is supposed to be below zero but not quite this cold.
-Yesterday was they day of my first intramural soccer game. We pulled out the win, though only because the other team defaulted. We then played a pick-up game with the two refs filling in on the other team. Though we lost the pick-up it was generally a pretty good experience. Possibly the best thing is that we learned that one of our players is pretty good in net, something I am not. I guess we will have to wait and see how our first real game goes.
-Yesterday while at the grocery store I decided to by a trans-fat laced raspberry pie. In addition to the pie I had normal purchases (frozen green beans, frozen concentrated orange juice, etc.) and a dozen bottles of beer.
When it came time to carry all of these items home I realized that I had a bit of a problem. I had to find a way to keep the pie relatively level and manage to carry a few bags as well as a dozen beer.
The solution I came to would be to cradle the beer in my arms and rest the pie on top. The remaining bags were then in my right hand. At times I drew my right hand up to assist with the cradling. This process quickly wore me out. Just as I was reaching home I was at the end of my limit.
Fortunately, another group was entering my building at the same time as I so they were able to hold several doors for me. I then had the pleasure of dealing with making my way up to the fourth floor. This was somewhat awkward as the groceries and beer were in front of me, just where my legs where each time they took a new stair. Without too many problems I made it to the top.
Possibly with my first step onto flat ground the pie slid from the box of beer and landed upside down on the floor, I was somewhat disheartened. All this effort to keep the pie in good shape, just to drop it 15 feet from my door. I proceeded to my apartment and put all of my groceries down and then went back to check on the pie, expecting the worst.
As I flipped the pie over I learned that it hadn’t really been damaged all that much. None of the filling was any more exposed than it had been before. In some ways this kind of worried me about the quality and nature of my pie. I think that in I would normally expect a pie drop from four feet to take a bit of a beating, not look the same as before it was dropped. Maybe that is what trans-fats can do for a pie, because this one certainly has a lot of those.
-Another comment about the pie was that as I was examining it I looked at the best before date. It indicated that the pie would be best before January 21. I thought to myself this would be plenty of time, literally days away. It was not until I returned home and started to unpack my groceries did I realize I had purchased this pie about 6 hours before its expiry date. Good job.
-There was a pretty long article on Stephane Dion in the Focus section of the Globe and Mail yesterday. Hopefully I will get a chance to read about it in the next few days.
-We had a staff meeting yesterday at Thomson House. Hopefully some of the suggestions I made, as well as those of other staff members, will be acted upon to help increase business. It seems that one major problem is the administrative structure of the PGSS council, it appears to be unwilling to properly delegate authority to regular staff and management.
-Yesterday was they day of my first intramural soccer game. We pulled out the win, though only because the other team defaulted. We then played a pick-up game with the two refs filling in on the other team. Though we lost the pick-up it was generally a pretty good experience. Possibly the best thing is that we learned that one of our players is pretty good in net, something I am not. I guess we will have to wait and see how our first real game goes.
-Yesterday while at the grocery store I decided to by a trans-fat laced raspberry pie. In addition to the pie I had normal purchases (frozen green beans, frozen concentrated orange juice, etc.) and a dozen bottles of beer.
When it came time to carry all of these items home I realized that I had a bit of a problem. I had to find a way to keep the pie relatively level and manage to carry a few bags as well as a dozen beer.
The solution I came to would be to cradle the beer in my arms and rest the pie on top. The remaining bags were then in my right hand. At times I drew my right hand up to assist with the cradling. This process quickly wore me out. Just as I was reaching home I was at the end of my limit.
Fortunately, another group was entering my building at the same time as I so they were able to hold several doors for me. I then had the pleasure of dealing with making my way up to the fourth floor. This was somewhat awkward as the groceries and beer were in front of me, just where my legs where each time they took a new stair. Without too many problems I made it to the top.
Possibly with my first step onto flat ground the pie slid from the box of beer and landed upside down on the floor, I was somewhat disheartened. All this effort to keep the pie in good shape, just to drop it 15 feet from my door. I proceeded to my apartment and put all of my groceries down and then went back to check on the pie, expecting the worst.
As I flipped the pie over I learned that it hadn’t really been damaged all that much. None of the filling was any more exposed than it had been before. In some ways this kind of worried me about the quality and nature of my pie. I think that in I would normally expect a pie drop from four feet to take a bit of a beating, not look the same as before it was dropped. Maybe that is what trans-fats can do for a pie, because this one certainly has a lot of those.
-Another comment about the pie was that as I was examining it I looked at the best before date. It indicated that the pie would be best before January 21. I thought to myself this would be plenty of time, literally days away. It was not until I returned home and started to unpack my groceries did I realize I had purchased this pie about 6 hours before its expiry date. Good job.
-There was a pretty long article on Stephane Dion in the Focus section of the Globe and Mail yesterday. Hopefully I will get a chance to read about it in the next few days.
-We had a staff meeting yesterday at Thomson House. Hopefully some of the suggestions I made, as well as those of other staff members, will be acted upon to help increase business. It seems that one major problem is the administrative structure of the PGSS council, it appears to be unwilling to properly delegate authority to regular staff and management.
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 53
-Today was a fair bit warmer than yesterday. Actually, since the low of about -24 things have been warming up. My understanding is that we are supposed to plateau at about this temperature and then dip again. Over the next few days we are also supposed to get a little bit more snow, though nothing to really worry about.
-A few days ago I heard a rumor that McGill would be switching to all e-subscriptions for it journals (presumably keeping the paper version if that is all that is available). This would certainly be a bit of a change. It is a rather thought provoking suggestion. My initial worry is that people will get out of the habit of going to the print version, thereby basically negating the existence of print-only volumes and journals.
-Yesterday I was able to fly through about 100 pages of a management textbook. It was some of the fluffiest/fastest reading I have ever done. On the whole much of the content was very superficial, not really going into any degree of detail.
-Apparently Domtar will be coming out with a anti-microbial paper in the near future. I am curious what affect this might have on the archival world as things like mould are problematic for preservation.
-For the past two nights I have had the pleasure of hearing many back-up sirens as the municipal government removes Monday’s snow. Though I know that they are working hard I can’t quite figure out where it is they are working as many of the streets surrounding my apartment building seem to still be snow filled.
-Apparently Royal Bank mis-interpreted some of the US rules relating to the US currency accounts it was issuing. Residents will be able to open US currency accounts. To me it still seems that there is a bit more to the story that has still not come out. I have yet to see the text of the regulation that Royal Bank is supposedly following.
-Tomorrow is another workday. This one should be a bit quieter than last Friday as there won’t be a large party. On the other hand, I hope that it is busier than the first week of the term.
-Apparently the Park Avenue issue is not yet dead. The commission of last resort has been issuing cryptic statements about some kind of compromise, though I have no idea what this might be. At one point it was suggested that the street be given a dual name as occurs in New York. I guess in the next few days we will have a better handle on what will happen.
-A few days ago I heard a rumor that McGill would be switching to all e-subscriptions for it journals (presumably keeping the paper version if that is all that is available). This would certainly be a bit of a change. It is a rather thought provoking suggestion. My initial worry is that people will get out of the habit of going to the print version, thereby basically negating the existence of print-only volumes and journals.
-Yesterday I was able to fly through about 100 pages of a management textbook. It was some of the fluffiest/fastest reading I have ever done. On the whole much of the content was very superficial, not really going into any degree of detail.
-Apparently Domtar will be coming out with a anti-microbial paper in the near future. I am curious what affect this might have on the archival world as things like mould are problematic for preservation.
-For the past two nights I have had the pleasure of hearing many back-up sirens as the municipal government removes Monday’s snow. Though I know that they are working hard I can’t quite figure out where it is they are working as many of the streets surrounding my apartment building seem to still be snow filled.
-Apparently Royal Bank mis-interpreted some of the US rules relating to the US currency accounts it was issuing. Residents will be able to open US currency accounts. To me it still seems that there is a bit more to the story that has still not come out. I have yet to see the text of the regulation that Royal Bank is supposedly following.
-Tomorrow is another workday. This one should be a bit quieter than last Friday as there won’t be a large party. On the other hand, I hope that it is busier than the first week of the term.
-Apparently the Park Avenue issue is not yet dead. The commission of last resort has been issuing cryptic statements about some kind of compromise, though I have no idea what this might be. At one point it was suggested that the street be given a dual name as occurs in New York. I guess in the next few days we will have a better handle on what will happen.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Royal Bank, the US Government and the almighty dollar
Yesterday I briefly heard about Canadian dual citizens who had their American funds bank accounts closed by Royal Bank. It was suggested that the customers only found out afterwards. Furthermore, it is being reported that US government policy is the impetus for this activity, though I can’t quite understand why any reasonable person or institution would follow along (partly because none of the stories I have read have given any details about the US policies).
Mainly I am not quite sure why the US cares about this practice right now so much that they are causing banks to take this action. Many foreign nationals have been using US currency for years, without the consent of the US government. I would guess that many individuals will continue to do so in the future, even with the implementation of this crack down. Additionally, I am not quite sure how a country can control what happens to its currency once it leaves its borders. If Royal Bank, or any other bank for that matter, would like to offer accounts in foreign currencies it would seem to be up to the bank and the institution issuing their charter, not the country from which the currency originates (though maybe the international and inter-connected nature of the current banking system has caused this to change).
It would be interesting to know if the same rules are being followed in the US. In many ways I would find it hard to believe that the US is able to disallow dual citizens (people who are full US citizens) access to banking services, even if they wouldn’t want them to access these services. It seems somewhat hypocritical to expect more from banks located in foreign nations, though I guess they can boss these banks around without worrying about the constitutionality of the whole thing.
It seems that there is also an element of sloppy reporting in all of this. It was not initially reported that not all dual citizens were not having their US funds accounts shut down. The implication was that it was affecting everyone, something that is clearly not the case (as I haven’t had mine shut down). In stories that came out today it was reported that individuals would be able to have these accounts if they could demonstrate that they resided in Canada (a potentially temporary and possibly meaningless measure).
Mainly I am not quite sure why the US cares about this practice right now so much that they are causing banks to take this action. Many foreign nationals have been using US currency for years, without the consent of the US government. I would guess that many individuals will continue to do so in the future, even with the implementation of this crack down. Additionally, I am not quite sure how a country can control what happens to its currency once it leaves its borders. If Royal Bank, or any other bank for that matter, would like to offer accounts in foreign currencies it would seem to be up to the bank and the institution issuing their charter, not the country from which the currency originates (though maybe the international and inter-connected nature of the current banking system has caused this to change).
It would be interesting to know if the same rules are being followed in the US. In many ways I would find it hard to believe that the US is able to disallow dual citizens (people who are full US citizens) access to banking services, even if they wouldn’t want them to access these services. It seems somewhat hypocritical to expect more from banks located in foreign nations, though I guess they can boss these banks around without worrying about the constitutionality of the whole thing.
It seems that there is also an element of sloppy reporting in all of this. It was not initially reported that not all dual citizens were not having their US funds accounts shut down. The implication was that it was affecting everyone, something that is clearly not the case (as I haven’t had mine shut down). In stories that came out today it was reported that individuals would be able to have these accounts if they could demonstrate that they resided in Canada (a potentially temporary and possibly meaningless measure).
A Few Quick Notes 52
-The temperatures did drop to about -24 this morning, possibly the coldest temperatures that I have ever lived through. In a while I will be heading out into the cold.
-Last night I cooked a huge meal for Val and myself. I made some black beans, potatoes, vegetables, and a picnic roast. It was all pretty tasty and left me with plenty of leftovers. We then went to Thomson House for a short while and had a very enjoyable evening.
-I should get back to some readings that I have to do for class this afternoon.
-In the next few days I will try to add some of my books without ISBNs to Library Thing, though this may not be of that much interest to much of you.
-Last night I cooked a huge meal for Val and myself. I made some black beans, potatoes, vegetables, and a picnic roast. It was all pretty tasty and left me with plenty of leftovers. We then went to Thomson House for a short while and had a very enjoyable evening.
-I should get back to some readings that I have to do for class this afternoon.
-In the next few days I will try to add some of my books without ISBNs to Library Thing, though this may not be of that much interest to much of you.
Comments on Blog functionality
While many of the new features provided by Blogger make the upkeep and arrangement of a blog much easier it would be nice if a few complementary elements were also added.
I guess in particular I am thinking about the ability to add cross references (x-refs) in the label section, though this may just be a library student bias.
X-refs allow two things, referral to additional, possibly relevant, information or to the location where the location where the desired information is actually stored. The first type of x-ref is call a ‘see also’ reference while the second type is called a ‘see’ reference. In the days of the card catalogue these were quite common, and in some ways are still quite common in the world of indexes.
A ‘see also’ reference would be good when related information would be filed under two or more distinct terms. One example might be that a items relating to George Bush would be filed headings related to his position as President, as well as his position as Governor, and as a private citizen.
A ‘see’ reference might indicate that instead of information being filed under ‘Dubya’ it is instead filed under ‘Bush, George W.’ In other words, it directs the user to the authorized form of the heading.
With our current level of programming skill these references can typically be made available to the use in a very easy fashion. ‘See also’ references might be made available as a note with the label, while a ‘see’ reference might even be done automatically.
Some form of controlled vocabulary, or list of available labels, might be nice. Unfortunately, given the circumstances of the blogging world I don’t think that this is yet possible, though Neil and I could work on one for ourselves, though this would be aided by the ability to use the x-refs that I mentioned above.
I guess in particular I am thinking about the ability to add cross references (x-refs) in the label section, though this may just be a library student bias.
X-refs allow two things, referral to additional, possibly relevant, information or to the location where the location where the desired information is actually stored. The first type of x-ref is call a ‘see also’ reference while the second type is called a ‘see’ reference. In the days of the card catalogue these were quite common, and in some ways are still quite common in the world of indexes.
A ‘see also’ reference would be good when related information would be filed under two or more distinct terms. One example might be that a items relating to George Bush would be filed headings related to his position as President, as well as his position as Governor, and as a private citizen.
A ‘see’ reference might indicate that instead of information being filed under ‘Dubya’ it is instead filed under ‘Bush, George W.’ In other words, it directs the user to the authorized form of the heading.
With our current level of programming skill these references can typically be made available to the use in a very easy fashion. ‘See also’ references might be made available as a note with the label, while a ‘see’ reference might even be done automatically.
Some form of controlled vocabulary, or list of available labels, might be nice. Unfortunately, given the circumstances of the blogging world I don’t think that this is yet possible, though Neil and I could work on one for ourselves, though this would be aided by the ability to use the x-refs that I mentioned above.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
More tinkering
As some of you may have noticed, I have also tinkered with the blog a little today.
I have been able to restore the Library Things widget, giving all our readers a view into my personal book collection (I am hoping to get some of my pre-ISBN books up soon).
A new addition is a listing of all of our labels (or as I would call them 'identifiers'). If you want to follow a particular topic that we have continued to cover, presuming that you don't want to go too far back, this should now be easier. Hopefully within the next few weeks will will be able to index all of our posts (keep in mind we have school and are fundamentally lazy).
Please pass along any comments about the changes (particularly relating to funcationality) or any suggestions that you might have about ways that Montifax could be improved.
I have been able to restore the Library Things widget, giving all our readers a view into my personal book collection (I am hoping to get some of my pre-ISBN books up soon).
A new addition is a listing of all of our labels (or as I would call them 'identifiers'). If you want to follow a particular topic that we have continued to cover, presuming that you don't want to go too far back, this should now be easier. Hopefully within the next few weeks will will be able to index all of our posts (keep in mind we have school and are fundamentally lazy).
Please pass along any comments about the changes (particularly relating to funcationality) or any suggestions that you might have about ways that Montifax could be improved.
New template/layout
Blogger wanted us to upgrade from having a template for our blog to having a layout. I have now done just this. As a result we've lost the FeedBurner and the LibraryThing. Since Cameron added these at the beginning I'll let him re-add them now. You might also notice the blog fits your browser window now and that you can see the title bar, these are both things that didn't happen to me before (it could be browser based too, especially with the title bar). Personally, I like the new layout better.
A Few Quick Notes 51
-We finally got a real snowfall, according to CBC it was in the range of 20 cm. On top of this the temperature has remained below -10 and is supposed to stay there for at least today and tomorrow. Actually, tomorrow it is supposed to go even lower, though not quite as low as was predicted a few days ago.
-The snowfall meant that while I was at work last night I had to do a few shoveling checks. By the time I was at work the main problem was not new accumulation but rather blowing and drifting. Fortunately, much shoveling had been done during the day so that my rounds were really just clean up jobs.
-Today is laundry day. Since I returned from my trip home I have had more clothing and been able to allow myself to go a longer period of time between washes. In the long run this isn’t really a great situation. My ideal is to have about 7 or 8 days of clothes and then wash what I am not wearing on the last day. Right now I have much more than this and have been able to go a good number of days without doing any laundry.
The big problem with this practice is the storage of dirty clothes. My apartment is so small, and made smaller by having my bike inside, that I don’t really have the extra room that this habit is taking.
-The free book box is back.
Already this year I have been able to pick up a half dozen or so books.
-There should be another YouTube clip coming in the near future. This one was taken yesterday during the midst of the snowfall. As I was filming the snow falling a woman in front of me, and in the frame, wiped out on some snow covered ice. I felt a bit awkward but as far enough away that I couldn’t have been of any real help even if I hadn’t been filming it (as you will see in the video).
-Aside from the previously mentioned shoveling, my night at work was pretty dead. The snow seems to have driven all of the customers away. For the last hour or so of the evening we didn’t have a single customer. Hopefully it will be a bit busier in the coming weeks.
-The snowfall meant that while I was at work last night I had to do a few shoveling checks. By the time I was at work the main problem was not new accumulation but rather blowing and drifting. Fortunately, much shoveling had been done during the day so that my rounds were really just clean up jobs.
-Today is laundry day. Since I returned from my trip home I have had more clothing and been able to allow myself to go a longer period of time between washes. In the long run this isn’t really a great situation. My ideal is to have about 7 or 8 days of clothes and then wash what I am not wearing on the last day. Right now I have much more than this and have been able to go a good number of days without doing any laundry.
The big problem with this practice is the storage of dirty clothes. My apartment is so small, and made smaller by having my bike inside, that I don’t really have the extra room that this habit is taking.
-The free book box is back.
Already this year I have been able to pick up a half dozen or so books.
-There should be another YouTube clip coming in the near future. This one was taken yesterday during the midst of the snowfall. As I was filming the snow falling a woman in front of me, and in the frame, wiped out on some snow covered ice. I felt a bit awkward but as far enough away that I couldn’t have been of any real help even if I hadn’t been filming it (as you will see in the video).
-Aside from the previously mentioned shoveling, my night at work was pretty dead. The snow seems to have driven all of the customers away. For the last hour or so of the evening we didn’t have a single customer. Hopefully it will be a bit busier in the coming weeks.
Winter is here
Yesterday evening, according to Environment Canada we had a "winter storm". I believe a winter storm is a blizzard like occurence with ice pellets. There was enough snow to completely cover grass and it looks to be cold enough today so we won't lose it. Also, we have a freezing rain warning today. What seems very odd to me, is that in Halifax in the winter to seems to very consistently get warm overnight and cool during the day. Yesterday evening the temperature was about -7. This morning the temperature has risen to 0. The forecast predicts the temperature will fall to -6 by afternoon. The temperate is predicted to fall more in the evening, down to -18. I hope it warms up tomorrow night.
Unfortunately, Dalhousie is open this morning. It would seem that Dalhousie sends out an email outlining their closure policies if a storm is predicted that might close the University. This really has the potential to get my hopes up if it keeps happening.
Unfortunately, Dalhousie is open this morning. It would seem that Dalhousie sends out an email outlining their closure policies if a storm is predicted that might close the University. This really has the potential to get my hopes up if it keeps happening.
Monday, January 15, 2007
Winter might finally be here
Today I awoke to find that Montreal was finally having a real snowfall. In the few hours that I have been up already the rate of snowfall has been maintained. The predictions are that we will have between 15 and 30 cm of snow. On top of this snowfall, the temperatures are actually below freezing. I must say that I am finding the entire thing quite beautiful.
The main downside to this snowfall is that I will have to deal with keeping the steps at Thomson House snow free this evening at work. I guess that is why I am hoping that the accumulation wraps up sometime this afternoon.
The main downside to this snowfall is that I will have to deal with keeping the steps at Thomson House snow free this evening at work. I guess that is why I am hoping that the accumulation wraps up sometime this afternoon.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ph.D. application
At least in the math world, this is the time of year for grad school applications. As I'm in a 1-year Masters programme, it was time for me to start applying to schools. This year I'm only applying to Dalhousie. This is where I would like to go/stay and I believe to be a shoo-in. I was told to have my application in my the end of the month so that I could potentially be nominated for a Killam Predoctoral Scholarship. If I were to receive one of these it would be worth more than an NSERC (the lower level NSERC). Late last week I submitted my application. The reference letters are still en route to the department. Hopefully this will all work out. I should find out almost all of this by the end of March.
Weekend activities
This weekend I was able take a trip to the part of Quebec called, in French, the Laurentides (in English the Laurentians). It is a pretty beautiful part of the world. When one drives there on a clear night in the winter the many illuminated ski slopes appear to be floating in the sky. The daylight scenery is also quite impressive.
Though most people go there for skiing we only did a bit or pretty standard sight-seeing, at one point managing to splash a lone pedestrian.
The following clip was taken just outside the town of Brebeuf. It is pretty short and just shows some ice flowing down a river.
This clip taken while driving through a covered bridge (as well as the time just before and just after). Just before we located the bridge is when we splashed the pedestrian, which was rather incredible because there weren't any visible puddles up to that point.
Though most people go there for skiing we only did a bit or pretty standard sight-seeing, at one point managing to splash a lone pedestrian.
The following clip was taken just outside the town of Brebeuf. It is pretty short and just shows some ice flowing down a river.
This clip taken while driving through a covered bridge (as well as the time just before and just after). Just before we located the bridge is when we splashed the pedestrian, which was rather incredible because there weren't any visible puddles up to that point.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 50
-The temperature dropped rather rapidly between early this morning and about 11:00 AM. As I was walking home from work it was still above freezing and by the time I went out to pick up my paper it was well below freezing. With my window open just a crack my room is freezing. A quick glance at the forecast indicates that this trend is supposed to develop with temperatures going as low as -28 by Wednesday. If this prediction comes true this may be the coldest temperature that I have ever experienced, and possibly a sense of the Montreal winter that I was promised by so many.
-Last night’s version of the House Warming party at Thomson House was pretty busy, though not quite comparable to Halloween in terms of numbers and energy. While there were DJs and dancing the numbers participating in these activities was somewhat disappointing. It seemed that much of the action happened in the main lobby and that people failed to even spill over into the adjoining rooms.
One odd element of the night is that there 5 or 6 people from Newfoundland there, including one person with whom I went to high school and had heard was in Montreal. I was actually able to hook two of these groups up, something that lead to an extended discussion.
-The bookstore still does not have one of the books that I need. Shortly after this discovery I decided that I would head over to the library and start using the reserve copy, which has only recently been made available.
-Our shower is definitely an odd experience with the new showerhead. It is pretty powerful and manages to move a huge amount of air.
-Last night’s version of the House Warming party at Thomson House was pretty busy, though not quite comparable to Halloween in terms of numbers and energy. While there were DJs and dancing the numbers participating in these activities was somewhat disappointing. It seemed that much of the action happened in the main lobby and that people failed to even spill over into the adjoining rooms.
One odd element of the night is that there 5 or 6 people from Newfoundland there, including one person with whom I went to high school and had heard was in Montreal. I was actually able to hook two of these groups up, something that lead to an extended discussion.
-The bookstore still does not have one of the books that I need. Shortly after this discovery I decided that I would head over to the library and start using the reserve copy, which has only recently been made available.
-Our shower is definitely an odd experience with the new showerhead. It is pretty powerful and manages to move a huge amount of air.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Yum
I just ate a serving of very tasty scrambled eggs. The next phase of my pre-work meal is a fine looking serving of radishes. Maybe I will find something sweet with which I can finish the meal.
Soccer
Several days or weeks ago I mentioned that I would be playing on an intramural soccer team with other individuals from my school. Today we had our first “practice.”
What I had imagined to be getting together to kick the ball around in the gym turned out to be having our “team” join a revolving game in which the losing side switches out. Once we eventually figured things out and assessed our troops (we only had 4 of the needed 6 to play) we put our name on the list of challenging teams. It should also be noted that many of the individuals present clearly play regularly and well.
After about twenty minutes it became our turn to play. Unfortunately just moments before our turn came our captain decided to do a quick two laps around the field. As he was making the first turn we were in place on the field.
Almost instantly the game began and as goalkeeper I was quickly under fire. With a groping slide/dive I managed to stop the first shot and bring my team honour. Our team was able to get the ball down to the other end but it was quick to come back.
The second shot was not as nice to me as the first. Without even coming close to stopping the ball it entered the net. The rest of the game was pretty much like this. The ball would be put in play and then we would lose possession and be scored on. The only difference is that on the last shot I managed to tip the ball into my own net.
As we were coming off the field our captain returned from his two laps and couldn’t quite figure out how it was over already, but it was.
On improvement that I can already spot is my attitude. I don’t think that me thinking that we suck is really helping us. While I don’t know that I will be able to delude myself in thinking that we are the best team I might be able to keep the negative thoughts to a minimum. This might be hard when I consider that one of our players doesn’t have sneakers and will be playing in dress shoes.
Our first game is next Saturday. I will let you know how it goes.
What I had imagined to be getting together to kick the ball around in the gym turned out to be having our “team” join a revolving game in which the losing side switches out. Once we eventually figured things out and assessed our troops (we only had 4 of the needed 6 to play) we put our name on the list of challenging teams. It should also be noted that many of the individuals present clearly play regularly and well.
After about twenty minutes it became our turn to play. Unfortunately just moments before our turn came our captain decided to do a quick two laps around the field. As he was making the first turn we were in place on the field.
Almost instantly the game began and as goalkeeper I was quickly under fire. With a groping slide/dive I managed to stop the first shot and bring my team honour. Our team was able to get the ball down to the other end but it was quick to come back.
The second shot was not as nice to me as the first. Without even coming close to stopping the ball it entered the net. The rest of the game was pretty much like this. The ball would be put in play and then we would lose possession and be scored on. The only difference is that on the last shot I managed to tip the ball into my own net.
As we were coming off the field our captain returned from his two laps and couldn’t quite figure out how it was over already, but it was.
On improvement that I can already spot is my attitude. I don’t think that me thinking that we suck is really helping us. While I don’t know that I will be able to delude myself in thinking that we are the best team I might be able to keep the negative thoughts to a minimum. This might be hard when I consider that one of our players doesn’t have sneakers and will be playing in dress shoes.
Our first game is next Saturday. I will let you know how it goes.
New Power Shower
Yesterday we had a plumber examine our shower, though I am not really sure why. The main result of this visit was that the flow restricting devices seem to have been removed. Showering is now a very different experience.
One of the first things that I noticed is that there is much more air displacement. The shower curtain appeared to be blowing in the wind, or more accurately sucked into the stream of water, once it was turned on. The downside of this pressure increase is that it is harder to keep the curtain next to the wall and therefore the water inside the shower area.
One of the first things that I noticed is that there is much more air displacement. The shower curtain appeared to be blowing in the wind, or more accurately sucked into the stream of water, once it was turned on. The downside of this pressure increase is that it is harder to keep the curtain next to the wall and therefore the water inside the shower area.
Thursday, January 11, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 49
-Today has been on the cool side but with temperatures rising all day. It seems that we should peek tomorrow and then drop again. The daily temperature change is quite impressive.
-Tomorrow is another work day for me. I am not really sure what to expect as Thomson House will be hosting the beginning of term party. Apparently this party last year was a dud, but the equivalent party last term was packed. I guess it is some about which I will just have to wait and see. If it is well attended I hope that I won’t have to stay too late as I don’t want my sleep schedule to be too far out of whack.
-Today I did something that I have not done in a while. I set my alarm incorrectly, off by 12 hours, causing my to sleep in and wake up after class had started. Fortunately because of my proximity to McGill I was able to miss less than 25 minutes of class. On the whole it was a less than pleasant experience, one that I hope not to repeat in the future.
-So just a minute ago I was digging around Blogger and I found out that Neil has started his own blog, a competitor to this masterpiece of creativity. We will see to which blog Neil manages to post more. So as not to lose readers I don’t think that it would be appropriate to pass along the URL at this time.
-I still have not been able to get a hold of the books that I need for my courses. I replied to several messages were sent by senior students indicating that they had books for sale but have still heard nothing. None of them seem to be on reserve and the bookstore does not have two of them and a third that they do have is not quite correct.
Contrary to a decision I made yesterday, I ended up purchasing the course pack for one of my courses. While I could get most of the contents on my own it is not all that much more expensive and I believe my time to be worth something. I think that it is also likely that I will read more if it is in a bound format in my room that somewhere on the web waiting to be downloaded.
-Tomorrow is another work day for me. I am not really sure what to expect as Thomson House will be hosting the beginning of term party. Apparently this party last year was a dud, but the equivalent party last term was packed. I guess it is some about which I will just have to wait and see. If it is well attended I hope that I won’t have to stay too late as I don’t want my sleep schedule to be too far out of whack.
-Today I did something that I have not done in a while. I set my alarm incorrectly, off by 12 hours, causing my to sleep in and wake up after class had started. Fortunately because of my proximity to McGill I was able to miss less than 25 minutes of class. On the whole it was a less than pleasant experience, one that I hope not to repeat in the future.
-So just a minute ago I was digging around Blogger and I found out that Neil has started his own blog, a competitor to this masterpiece of creativity. We will see to which blog Neil manages to post more. So as not to lose readers I don’t think that it would be appropriate to pass along the URL at this time.
-I still have not been able to get a hold of the books that I need for my courses. I replied to several messages were sent by senior students indicating that they had books for sale but have still heard nothing. None of them seem to be on reserve and the bookstore does not have two of them and a third that they do have is not quite correct.
Contrary to a decision I made yesterday, I ended up purchasing the course pack for one of my courses. While I could get most of the contents on my own it is not all that much more expensive and I believe my time to be worth something. I think that it is also likely that I will read more if it is in a bound format in my room that somewhere on the web waiting to be downloaded.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 48
-The temperature is now down to about -12, which is quite chilly. Though it is cold we still don’t have any snow or frozen water to talk about. It seems that it might be generally colder in the next few days than it has been over the past few weeks.
-Today before class I went to the bookstore to purchase a book for the class that I had yesterday. Though the book available was not the one that was originally ordered I decided that I would splash out for it. After the purchase I went over to school and started to read a few of the first pages.
What initially struck me about the book was that it was absolutely nothings special, just another textbook dealing with social science research methods. To me the greater than $80 price tag did seem special.
After class I decided to head back to the bookstore to pick up the course pack (collection of reading for the class) for the course that I had just had. While in the store I ran into three of my classmates. The discussion quickly turned to books that had been recommended. It quickly became clear that I didn’t really need to purchase the book that I had already purchased and likely didn’t need to purchase the course pack that I had gone to buy.
My plan is to use the library copies of the books and then get a copy of the table of content from the course pack and get each week’s articles.
This decision meant that I would have to return the already purchased book. So I went up stairs and attempted to do this. At first the process seemingly went smoothly. The book was handed over to the clerk and an amount of money refunded to my bank card.
Just before the process was over the clerk realized that he had refunded me too much money. This kind of threw him a little off kilter, he didn’t seem to know quite how to deal with it. Eventually he was able to figure out a way to get me to pay pack the money, though he insisted that I used my bank card.
As I have a limited number of free transactions a month I wasn’t really interested in paying for this $3 on my bank card. I suggested that I might be able to pay in cash, which at the end of the day would leave their till balanced.
This suggestion wasn’t all that welcome. The clerk eventually went to find an answer. Though it took a few minutes and didn’t seem to be a big deal to his supervisor, I was able to pay back the $3 in cash.
-Unfortunately none of the books that I would like to read for my courses is available from the library. It seems that they have all been checked out and recalled, though they might not be back for more than a week. This doesn’t really seem acceptable.
-My classes have been pretty good so far, though some of them could be a little spicier. Tomorrow’s class will finally give me a final view of my term.
-The free book box is back again this term. So far I have been able to pick up three free books. Score.
-Today before class I went to the bookstore to purchase a book for the class that I had yesterday. Though the book available was not the one that was originally ordered I decided that I would splash out for it. After the purchase I went over to school and started to read a few of the first pages.
What initially struck me about the book was that it was absolutely nothings special, just another textbook dealing with social science research methods. To me the greater than $80 price tag did seem special.
After class I decided to head back to the bookstore to pick up the course pack (collection of reading for the class) for the course that I had just had. While in the store I ran into three of my classmates. The discussion quickly turned to books that had been recommended. It quickly became clear that I didn’t really need to purchase the book that I had already purchased and likely didn’t need to purchase the course pack that I had gone to buy.
My plan is to use the library copies of the books and then get a copy of the table of content from the course pack and get each week’s articles.
This decision meant that I would have to return the already purchased book. So I went up stairs and attempted to do this. At first the process seemingly went smoothly. The book was handed over to the clerk and an amount of money refunded to my bank card.
Just before the process was over the clerk realized that he had refunded me too much money. This kind of threw him a little off kilter, he didn’t seem to know quite how to deal with it. Eventually he was able to figure out a way to get me to pay pack the money, though he insisted that I used my bank card.
As I have a limited number of free transactions a month I wasn’t really interested in paying for this $3 on my bank card. I suggested that I might be able to pay in cash, which at the end of the day would leave their till balanced.
This suggestion wasn’t all that welcome. The clerk eventually went to find an answer. Though it took a few minutes and didn’t seem to be a big deal to his supervisor, I was able to pay back the $3 in cash.
-Unfortunately none of the books that I would like to read for my courses is available from the library. It seems that they have all been checked out and recalled, though they might not be back for more than a week. This doesn’t really seem acceptable.
-My classes have been pretty good so far, though some of them could be a little spicier. Tomorrow’s class will finally give me a final view of my term.
-The free book box is back again this term. So far I have been able to pick up three free books. Score.
Tuesday, January 09, 2007
Weather
Today was a pretty normal day. Then all of a sudden it started to snow. After about half an hour it stopped and it is once again a nice clear day.
Just after it started to snow the group with which I was skating (Val and a friend of her's from France) decided to take a warm beverage break. By the time we returned to the ice it was covered in a few centimeters but no longer snowing. It was a pretty impressive show.
Just after it started to snow the group with which I was skating (Val and a friend of her's from France) decided to take a warm beverage break. By the time we returned to the ice it was covered in a few centimeters but no longer snowing. It was a pretty impressive show.
A Few Quick Notes 47
-Today has been a little cooler in temperature than other days, though still by no means as cold as it normally would be at this time of year. Amazingly, Environment Canada has a record high temperature for this day that is about 8 degrees higher than today. This source does indicate that the normal temperature range would be between -5 to -15.
We will see if the temperature drops as it has been predicted to do.
-Classes started yesterday. The down side so far is that I will have group projects in both classes that I have had. Hopefully I will get some good partners, making the whole process much better.
The first class, Collection Development, was quite nice. The instructor introduced the class and the topic and finished in an hour and a half, not pushing the limit of what was capable on the first day.
-The free copies of the Gazette are back at the gym. This should save me a few dollars a week. It is actually going to be a bit odd getting back into Montreal news after being away for a few weeks.
-McGill has failed to release all of my grades still. Apparently someone forgot to upload the last set of grades, only noticing yesterday. For some reason even though this problem was noticed yesterday yet it will not be corrected until today at the earliest.
-Last night, just after 5:00 PM, I received a call from my boss. He was wondering if I would be coming in to work. My response was that I didn’t think so as I wasn’t on the schedule the last time that I checked. With him on the phone I checked again and again found that he I was not on the schedule. Somehow he had intended to give me the shift but actually put someone else on the schedule. The other person didn’t show up for the shift (as they had class) but likely had already run the change by our boss.
As I already had plans for the evening I wasn’t able to go in and work. I have been wondering what happened. Who ever they got to work must have started on the late side of normal, hopefully this didn’t cause too many problems though.
Anyway, it sounds as though this will now be my normal shift in addition to my Friday shift.
We will see if the temperature drops as it has been predicted to do.
-Classes started yesterday. The down side so far is that I will have group projects in both classes that I have had. Hopefully I will get some good partners, making the whole process much better.
The first class, Collection Development, was quite nice. The instructor introduced the class and the topic and finished in an hour and a half, not pushing the limit of what was capable on the first day.
-The free copies of the Gazette are back at the gym. This should save me a few dollars a week. It is actually going to be a bit odd getting back into Montreal news after being away for a few weeks.
-McGill has failed to release all of my grades still. Apparently someone forgot to upload the last set of grades, only noticing yesterday. For some reason even though this problem was noticed yesterday yet it will not be corrected until today at the earliest.
-Last night, just after 5:00 PM, I received a call from my boss. He was wondering if I would be coming in to work. My response was that I didn’t think so as I wasn’t on the schedule the last time that I checked. With him on the phone I checked again and again found that he I was not on the schedule. Somehow he had intended to give me the shift but actually put someone else on the schedule. The other person didn’t show up for the shift (as they had class) but likely had already run the change by our boss.
As I already had plans for the evening I wasn’t able to go in and work. I have been wondering what happened. Who ever they got to work must have started on the late side of normal, hopefully this didn’t cause too many problems though.
Anyway, it sounds as though this will now be my normal shift in addition to my Friday shift.
Planning a trip to Montreal
For several months now I've been making mental preparations for a trip to Montreal. Actual preparation started when I became aware of a Viarail promotion which was selling train tickets from Halifax to Montreal and back at half price. My plan then became to travel to Montreal during my February "reading week". The expiry date for the promotion was December 31st, 2006. My plan had been to book these tickets some time before the end of last year. On the last day of the year I realized that the discounted tickets were only marginally cheaper than the going Air Canada $124 plane ticket cost (after surcharges) and that the travel time was about 1/10th as much if going by plane.
As such I decided my trip would still be over the reading week, but would have to be by plane (the reading week decision is mostly independent). My problem with the $124 ticket to Montreal is that the distance between Montreal and Halifax is about 1250 km, whereas the distance between St. John's and Halifax is about 1500 km and that ticket goes for $94. You can probably come up with some reasons for that (if you have any substanciated reasons, let me know), but what really gets me is that it costs more to go to Montreal than it does to go to Toronto. On my last two trips on Air Canada the price has dropped after I booked (even though there were good reasons to assume prices would go up from there out), so on Sunday when I saw the price drop to $117 I figured I had better not rush into anything. However, today I find myself regretting waiting as the price is already back up to $124.
The current plan based upon when the cheap tickets are available on Air Canada is to go to Montreal early on Tuesday the 20th of February and to return to Halifax on the evening of Saturday the 24th. To make my trip any longer I either have to miss class or pay more. Considering that I have 11 days in a row without class, I figure I should be able to avoid missing class. It conceivable that I would shell out the extra $20 to change the dates though, especially if the price drops. I could also save $35 by selling my soul to Air Canada and declining Aeroplan miles, the option to check bags and by forfeiting any ability to change my flight plans.
So far my schedule in Montreal is pretty open. At McGill I would like to see the math building, library and graduate student's bar. I would like to see Cameron's preferred grocery stores and have some of his famous beans. Although I own a Canadiens hat, I'm not likely to do anything remotely hockey related.
Side note: At 12:00 AM it was 10 degrees Celsius at Halifax International Airport (HIA). I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that it's warmer in my apartment than I remember it being ever before.
As such I decided my trip would still be over the reading week, but would have to be by plane (the reading week decision is mostly independent). My problem with the $124 ticket to Montreal is that the distance between Montreal and Halifax is about 1250 km, whereas the distance between St. John's and Halifax is about 1500 km and that ticket goes for $94. You can probably come up with some reasons for that (if you have any substanciated reasons, let me know), but what really gets me is that it costs more to go to Montreal than it does to go to Toronto. On my last two trips on Air Canada the price has dropped after I booked (even though there were good reasons to assume prices would go up from there out), so on Sunday when I saw the price drop to $117 I figured I had better not rush into anything. However, today I find myself regretting waiting as the price is already back up to $124.
The current plan based upon when the cheap tickets are available on Air Canada is to go to Montreal early on Tuesday the 20th of February and to return to Halifax on the evening of Saturday the 24th. To make my trip any longer I either have to miss class or pay more. Considering that I have 11 days in a row without class, I figure I should be able to avoid missing class. It conceivable that I would shell out the extra $20 to change the dates though, especially if the price drops. I could also save $35 by selling my soul to Air Canada and declining Aeroplan miles, the option to check bags and by forfeiting any ability to change my flight plans.
So far my schedule in Montreal is pretty open. At McGill I would like to see the math building, library and graduate student's bar. I would like to see Cameron's preferred grocery stores and have some of his famous beans. Although I own a Canadiens hat, I'm not likely to do anything remotely hockey related.
Side note: At 12:00 AM it was 10 degrees Celsius at Halifax International Airport (HIA). I have a feeling this has something to do with the fact that it's warmer in my apartment than I remember it being ever before.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 46
-Today was another beautiful day in Montreal. Though it was a little cool and slightly windy, the sun was out and shining nicely. It seems that over the next few days were are forecast to have some cooler temperatures.
-I was able to make it out today, the main reason was to head to a local office supply store to pick up things for my classes. At about 10:30 I arrived in the train station, the location of the store, and learned that it was still closed and not scheduled to open until 12:00.
After this initial disappointment I returned to my part of town and went to the library and returned a movie I borrowed the day before. I spent a few more minutes checking my email and eventually thought that I had blown enough time so that the store might be open.
When I returned to the train station the store was still closed, though the clock was showing that it was scheduled to open in a two minutes, I decided to stick it out. While they were a few minutes late in their opening the wait was not bad. I was in and out with the desired products in just a few minutes.
-My term starts tomorrow. One very nice part of this term is that not all of my classes are early in the morning. The downside is that the two morning courses that I do have are the ones that I am not as interested in. It would be nice to have these courses in the afternoon when I would be able to do a better job paying attention.
-The more I deal with it the less I like the McGill computer accounting system. As far as I can tell it is not really automated and up to date. Hopefully everything will be fine with my account by Monday, though I should likely give them a call before class.
-Hopefully my free papers will be back this year. I will have to check tomorrow morning before class.
-I was able to make it out today, the main reason was to head to a local office supply store to pick up things for my classes. At about 10:30 I arrived in the train station, the location of the store, and learned that it was still closed and not scheduled to open until 12:00.
After this initial disappointment I returned to my part of town and went to the library and returned a movie I borrowed the day before. I spent a few more minutes checking my email and eventually thought that I had blown enough time so that the store might be open.
When I returned to the train station the store was still closed, though the clock was showing that it was scheduled to open in a two minutes, I decided to stick it out. While they were a few minutes late in their opening the wait was not bad. I was in and out with the desired products in just a few minutes.
-My term starts tomorrow. One very nice part of this term is that not all of my classes are early in the morning. The downside is that the two morning courses that I do have are the ones that I am not as interested in. It would be nice to have these courses in the afternoon when I would be able to do a better job paying attention.
-The more I deal with it the less I like the McGill computer accounting system. As far as I can tell it is not really automated and up to date. Hopefully everything will be fine with my account by Monday, though I should likely give them a call before class.
-Hopefully my free papers will be back this year. I will have to check tomorrow morning before class.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
The pigeons were back again
Shortly after I awoke this morning, while I was sitting at my computer checking my email, I noticed my favourite neighbourhood pigeons on the roof across from me. As my camera was handy I decided to once again film them to show that their behaviour is really quite regular.
Friday, January 05, 2007
So I am back in Montreal
Much of my time back in town has been spent catching up on sleep or relaxing, though I was able to do a bit of skating last night. This has been quite nice as my trip to St. John’s didn’t really lead to too much sleep.
Aside from this sleep matter I have had the displeasure of dealing with McGill’s proto-automated system for students. While it appears automated I feel it has a few kinks to work out. One of the more noticeable problems is that they issue e-bills that don’t reflect the amount that is actually owed by the student, particularly if the student is receiving money from the University. Additionally, if money is to be credited to the account, say because of a refund, it is not reflected how this money is used on the bill. I just don’t recall having this problem at MUN, my account was just updated automatically and things were easy.
Another issue with McGill is the inability to use a credit card to pay, though they are quite willing to take credit cards for application fees or deposits. Students have to use online banking features, which might be pretty easy if one does this frequently. I have the problem that I keep forgetting my banking details so I can’t even access my account (though this could be solved by a telephone call to the bank).
The other McGill issue is accessing one’s grades. While most North American universities that I am familiar with seem to post grades within a few days of the exam period ending. This is not the case at McGill. I finished my exams in mid-December and still don’t have access to my grades, though I had expected that they would be up yesterday. It would seem that knowing whether students have passed or failed before the term begins might be of use to both students and administrators as it might cause changes to course loads (a problem that I am not expecting to affect me).
Aside from this sleep matter I have had the displeasure of dealing with McGill’s proto-automated system for students. While it appears automated I feel it has a few kinks to work out. One of the more noticeable problems is that they issue e-bills that don’t reflect the amount that is actually owed by the student, particularly if the student is receiving money from the University. Additionally, if money is to be credited to the account, say because of a refund, it is not reflected how this money is used on the bill. I just don’t recall having this problem at MUN, my account was just updated automatically and things were easy.
Another issue with McGill is the inability to use a credit card to pay, though they are quite willing to take credit cards for application fees or deposits. Students have to use online banking features, which might be pretty easy if one does this frequently. I have the problem that I keep forgetting my banking details so I can’t even access my account (though this could be solved by a telephone call to the bank).
The other McGill issue is accessing one’s grades. While most North American universities that I am familiar with seem to post grades within a few days of the exam period ending. This is not the case at McGill. I finished my exams in mid-December and still don’t have access to my grades, though I had expected that they would be up yesterday. It would seem that knowing whether students have passed or failed before the term begins might be of use to both students and administrators as it might cause changes to course loads (a problem that I am not expecting to affect me).
A Few Quick Notes 45
A Few Quick Notes 45
(From Wednesday, obviously before my departure)
-It seems that my prediction that the rain would eliminate all of the snow was incorrect. While the rain did eliminate much of the snow, the remaining snow has iced up quite nicely because of the temperature drop that we experienced last night and today.
-Today I was able to complete an online check-in for my flight home tomorrow. As I did not have an assigned seat this was a comfort providing exercise. Amazingly, I was even fortunate enough to have a window seat. As I should be flying in daylight I may actually be able to see a bit of Montreal as I arrive.
(From Wednesday, obviously before my departure)
-It seems that my prediction that the rain would eliminate all of the snow was incorrect. While the rain did eliminate much of the snow, the remaining snow has iced up quite nicely because of the temperature drop that we experienced last night and today.
-Today I was able to complete an online check-in for my flight home tomorrow. As I did not have an assigned seat this was a comfort providing exercise. Amazingly, I was even fortunate enough to have a window seat. As I should be flying in daylight I may actually be able to see a bit of Montreal as I arrive.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Back in Montreal
A few hours ago I made it back to Montreal. Hopefully within a day or two I will be back on some kind of normal schedule.
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
A&W now TFF (including fries)
Trans fats are now all but gone from A&W in Canada. I'm not sure about the US company of a similar name that isn't affliated.
Could this mean Neil and A&W are now BFF? We'll have to wait and see if the new french fries still taste good. At least until I get to try the new A&W burger and fries I'll have to claim it is my favorite burger and fries joint. Wendy's has made progress in this area in the US, but they have yet to clean up their menu in Canada.
Could this mean Neil and A&W are now BFF? We'll have to wait and see if the new french fries still taste good. At least until I get to try the new A&W burger and fries I'll have to claim it is my favorite burger and fries joint. Wendy's has made progress in this area in the US, but they have yet to clean up their menu in Canada.
Back in Halifax
As Cameron has informed you I arrived safely back in Halifax yesterday. The city appears to be fine and also happens to be totally snow-free. Both Rebecca's and my apartments are still here and in good shape. The maintenance guys came in and left one of Rebecca's lights on costing her what I estimate to be $2. I have a new roommate whose name I believe to be Mark. He's a fourth year mechanical engineering student from Cape Breton. He seems like he'll be a fine roommate. Our apartment now has a TV and George Foreman grill. The downside of this is that Rebecca can't borrow one of the two couches from my room.
I don't really have any new year's resolutions, but I am going to try to blog more. To paraphrase my Uncle, "my blogger was busted" in December (and maybe longer).
My school schedule is pretty open as of yet. I am taking one class, Functional Analysis, from 8:35 - 9:55 TR. I am again working in the Learning Centre for seven hours. Those hours will be set tomorrow. After that I'll do up a nice .pdf schedule and post it for all to see. This semester I'm really supposed to be going hard at research. I'm looking forward to it, but I'll really need to buckle down because I want to have lots done by the end of the semester.
My most prized Christmas gift is the Canon PowerShot A630 (digital camera) I got from my parents (I mention the model mostly for Graham's sake). For the average Montifax blog reader, this just means you are likely to see an increase in pics from me.
We all know the bread and butter is this blog is mundane details and stories of thriftiness, so I feel I should let you know I'm planning a trip to the mall (Halifax Shopping Centre) here very shortly, so that I can hit up the calendar store for discounted games (especially a Go board). I've been planning this since early December. I'm mostly sure that if Go is there it will be cheap because the store is probably packing up after this weekend.
Now I'm off to clean up and head to school. My first DAGS meeting of the semester is today. Yay free pizza!
P.S. After finishing the previous line I spellchecked to see if I had typed roomate instead of roommate (as I tend to do). I had done so once, but more importantly Google flagged the word blog and the word blogger. I can't believe they haven't added those yet. I don't think I'll send them an email about it because I know they are reading what I've typed anyway.
I don't really have any new year's resolutions, but I am going to try to blog more. To paraphrase my Uncle, "my blogger was busted" in December (and maybe longer).
My school schedule is pretty open as of yet. I am taking one class, Functional Analysis, from 8:35 - 9:55 TR. I am again working in the Learning Centre for seven hours. Those hours will be set tomorrow. After that I'll do up a nice .pdf schedule and post it for all to see. This semester I'm really supposed to be going hard at research. I'm looking forward to it, but I'll really need to buckle down because I want to have lots done by the end of the semester.
My most prized Christmas gift is the Canon PowerShot A630 (digital camera) I got from my parents (I mention the model mostly for Graham's sake). For the average Montifax blog reader, this just means you are likely to see an increase in pics from me.
We all know the bread and butter is this blog is mundane details and stories of thriftiness, so I feel I should let you know I'm planning a trip to the mall (Halifax Shopping Centre) here very shortly, so that I can hit up the calendar store for discounted games (especially a Go board). I've been planning this since early December. I'm mostly sure that if Go is there it will be cheap because the store is probably packing up after this weekend.
Now I'm off to clean up and head to school. My first DAGS meeting of the semester is today. Yay free pizza!
P.S. After finishing the previous line I spellchecked to see if I had typed roomate instead of roommate (as I tend to do). I had done so once, but more importantly Google flagged the word blog and the word blogger. I can't believe they haven't added those yet. I don't think I'll send them an email about it because I know they are reading what I've typed anyway.
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 44
-Another overcast and rainy day in St. John’s. Though the evening’s raindrops were not that large they did seem to be effective, soaking me on a short trip. It seems that any snow that we did have will be gone in the very near future.
-Montreal is scheduled to be nice and warm, 11 c, by the time I get back. I am not really sure what to make of this warm weather. It seems that this may be even warmer than what I experienced in England. I may have to bring my bike down again.
-Several days ago I was finally able to have some penetrating oil purchased on my behalf. This product in conjunction with a proper wrench should help me remove my peggle once I return.
-Just moments ago I read a newspaper article by a professor of mine that indicated that Newfoundland and Quebec poorest funded public library systems, at least as of 2005 or so. Having lived in both provinces I don’t find this surprising, and it is even less surprising when learned that a small Saskatchewan town of 500 has a public library with more than one employee (I know that I should be providing a full citation but I don’t have the energy at this juncture, if anyone wants I can get them the details).
-Neil arrived back in Halifax today. It seems that he has not had the time to make a post alerting his faithful readers of this fact.
-Someone in my house seems to have misplaced my copy of Saddam’s obit. This is rather unfortunate, I had been hoping to read it as well as examine the associated pictures.
-My pigeon video keeps getting viewers for some reason. Each day I find that it has one or two new views. While it isn’t quite at the top of the YouTube charts it is clearly my most popular video with over 40 views.
-Hopefully the Christmas hiatus will be coming to an end with my return to Montreal. It is my hope to create some kind of quarterly report, though I might find that I won’t have the time for such frivolous pursuits once the term starts.
-Montreal is scheduled to be nice and warm, 11 c, by the time I get back. I am not really sure what to make of this warm weather. It seems that this may be even warmer than what I experienced in England. I may have to bring my bike down again.
-Several days ago I was finally able to have some penetrating oil purchased on my behalf. This product in conjunction with a proper wrench should help me remove my peggle once I return.
-Just moments ago I read a newspaper article by a professor of mine that indicated that Newfoundland and Quebec poorest funded public library systems, at least as of 2005 or so. Having lived in both provinces I don’t find this surprising, and it is even less surprising when learned that a small Saskatchewan town of 500 has a public library with more than one employee (I know that I should be providing a full citation but I don’t have the energy at this juncture, if anyone wants I can get them the details).
-Neil arrived back in Halifax today. It seems that he has not had the time to make a post alerting his faithful readers of this fact.
-Someone in my house seems to have misplaced my copy of Saddam’s obit. This is rather unfortunate, I had been hoping to read it as well as examine the associated pictures.
-My pigeon video keeps getting viewers for some reason. Each day I find that it has one or two new views. While it isn’t quite at the top of the YouTube charts it is clearly my most popular video with over 40 views.
-Hopefully the Christmas hiatus will be coming to an end with my return to Montreal. It is my hope to create some kind of quarterly report, though I might find that I won’t have the time for such frivolous pursuits once the term starts.
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