A Few Quick Notes 216

-Today, just like yesterday, has been a little sub-par. In this case, unlike yesterday, the swings between good and bad weather have been more drastic. The good periods have been filled with sunny skies while the worse periods have been filled with thunder showers, lightening, and heavy rain. If things go as they are predicted to, this type of weather may carry over to tomorrow.

-For dinner tonight we had oven roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, cauliflower, and barbecued pork chops. Not only was it tasty, I am of the belief that it was also on the nutritious side of things (though I could be wrong about that).

-For the third day in a row Neil and I made our way over to the automotive/homeware/hardware store on Quinpool. The goal of the trip was return the lamp that we had acquired through exchange yesterday. And aside from the long wait at the customer service line the process was smooth and straight forward. I was particularly pleased that they employee didn't hassle me about wanting to return an exchanged item (as it is pretty clear to me that the item is poorly designed).

-Unfortunately, just as Neil and I were entering the aforementioned store we noticed that there were some threatening clouds not all that far away from us. Soon after entering the store it started to rain heavily. This lead us to decide to stay in the store for a while to try and wait out the rain. When it became clear that it was likely to rain for at least a while longer than we were prepared to stay in the store we decided to head over to the nearby fast food joint for lunch.

Fortunately, by the time we finished our meal it had stopped raining. This meant that we didn't have to move on to our next steps on the rain avoidance program which would have included going to the grocery store and the video rental store.

-There have been a surprisingly large number of lightening flashes as I have been sitting here typing this message.

-In part because of the continuing bad weather and in part because of other reasons Neil and I made our way to the local used video retail outlet to acquire some low-cost second hand DVDs. In the end we walked away with five movies, some of which we had heard of before and some of which we hadn't. Hopefully they will be pretty good, though I would think that out of five such movies we might get at least one dud.

-Last night we watched the New Zealand film Eagle vs. Shark. There were a surprising number of particularly funny lines and moments. I think that we were all pleasantly surprised with this film, particularly as none of us knew much about it before we rented it.

-This morning, much to my surprise, I found that many of the seeds that I planted just a few days ago have started to sprout. About 10 radishes have come up, and I wouldn't be surprised if a few more are visible by tomorrow. One of the bean seeds has sprouted quite visibly while three or four more have sprouted but are only visible if one really looks for them. It also seems that two of the types of herb seeds that I planted have also sprouted. Unfortunately I didn't mark the pots so I don't know which pots contain which seeds, so I don't know which have sprouted and which haven't.

I am hoping that more growth will be apparent tomorrow.

A Few Quick Notes 215

-Today Halifax, just like the recent past, has been particularly humid, though not particularly hot. Sadly, the humidity, even without the heat, seems to create conditions ideal for one to sweat excessively. Hopefully things will turn around soon and I will actually be able to see the sky and sun.

-It seems that Keith Urban is playing in Halifax. Though we saw the set-up for this concert the day before yesterday I was completely taken by surprise when I heard and saw the ordeal today during one of our many shopping excursions. Not only was the concert quite audible from several blocks away, the music (presumably the opening acts) was much more unpleasant than I would have imagined. Hopefully the people in the surrounding areas aren't to affected by the show.

-I am in the midst of making chicken noodle soup for dinner. I am really looking forward to this as it will be my first food of the day. Somehow I keep managing to forget to eat.

-Maybe after dinner I will get around to making bread, something I have been wanting to do since I arrived. I think what may have prevented me from doing it already is that I forgot my large stainless steel bread bowl. This has really thrown me off kilter more than I would have expected.

-Not surprisingly I have already managed to run into someone from St. John's. It happened this morning while Neil and I were doing some shopping at the Farmer's Market. More impressive than running into an acquaintance from town was that he was only in town for a short period of time and that this was just a short stop on his way home. Anyway, I expect such things to continue to happen in Halifax as that is the type of city that this place seems to be.

Halifax Apartment Update 1

When I arrived in Halifax several days ago I was pleased to learn that the apartment was as prepared and stocked as I had lead to believe. With only a little work I was able to ready my room for my arrival. This mostly entailed unpacking some of my things that had already arrived as well as moving a few things that Neil and Rebecca had been storing in my room.

The largest single project was the re-assembling of my Ikea shelving unit. Prior to my arrival Neil and Rebecca aborted an assembly attempt after two of the parts self-destructed and the rest of the unit lost its structural rigidity. Fortunately to get the shelf up and running all we need to do was square it in a corner, add some included cross braces, fix the location of one of the bolt-screws, and tighten the bolt-screws. In all I think it only took us about 20 minutes to get everything in order. Since that time I have been able to move the unit into my room and start stocking it with my clothing and belongings. I am even thinking about installing a bottle opener on the front, though this would really only be because I don't have anywhere else for the bottle opener.

Since my arrival we have acquired a few things for my room and for the apartment in general. Fortunately these purchases have been limited and largely only from one or two stores.

One of the first purchases was a pillow, which we found in the grocery store on my first night here. So far I am quite pleased with my $5.00 pillow, it seems to be getting the job done (and is certainly doing a better job that my makeshift bed).

Eventually we made our way over to the near-by hardware/house-ware/automotive store and picked up a shelving unit, a rug, a lamp, and some plant related supplies.

We have since used the shelf as a plant storage facility, and it seems to be doing a passable job so far. We have since returned to the store to buy two more such shelves to use as storage facilities for the other plants. One benefit of these units is that they are stackable, meaning that we can use them to take advantage of the light from the living room window more effectively than if we had only short shelves or tables.

The rug and the plant supplies seem to be working, though their value will really become apparent in the longer term rather than immediately. Who can really see plant food working in a day or so? Also, the benefit of standing on a rug while washing dishes likely builds up over time and isn't particularly apparent in the short term.

The lamp has been the most problematic of the purchases. Not only was the above sink installation a little cumbersome, the item seemed to crap out after only about 20 minutes of use. This meant that today we had to make a trip back to the store to exchange the item for a replacement. Sadly, within about twenty minutes of use the new lamp also crapped out (though not before becoming worryingly hot). Hopefully we will find the time to head back to the store tomorrow to get our money back (though I imagine that things will be a bit more complicated as it will be the second iteration).

Hopefully, aside from a bed, I won't have to buy too many more things for the apartment. If this is the case, and I don't need to buy too much more, maybe it will finally feel as though I have stopped bleeding money.

On the ground in Halifax

Though one may not have been able to tell based on Montifax related activity, I have arrived safely in Halifax. Amazingly, I managed to travel on a beautiful day and make it to downtown Halifax just a few hours after leaving St. John's.

So far things have been going well with Neil and Rebecca and the new apartment. Aside from acquiring apartment related things and some food I have been making an attempt to get to know Halifax. This venture was aided by my meet up with Jess, a Nova Scotian friend of mine from Thomson House. Jess and I were able to walk around the downtown area and then take the ferry over to Dartmouth.

Anyway, I should have more time to keep Montifax updated in the coming days. Such updates will be much easier once I have a desk, which could actually arrive as early as this evening.

A Few Quick Notes 214

-Today is another nice day in St. John's. The skies are clear and the
temperatures comfortable. I have even heard that such weather is
supposed to continue for the next several days.

-As I was walking to work this morning I noticed a van with
police-like lights drive past. As the van was quite clearly not a
police van I was a little curious about why it had the light set-up.

Moments after these thoughts passed through my head I noticed that the
van had pulled over just ahead of me and that two uniformed men were
helping a third man from the van. Once I got a better look at the
uniforms and the third man I realized that I was observing some kind
of prisoner transfer. Eventually I was able to see the shackles that
were being used to restrict the man's movement.

My first thought was the group was likely going to the local law
office, though they walked right past the door. Soon after reaching
the next door they turned around and returned to the law office. Once
the reached the door of the law office they found that it was locked.

Just as they were learning that they wouldn't be able to make it into
the law office I was far enough along that I could no longer see what
was happening. Though it isn't really all that important, I really
wonder what the two guards did with their prisoner until the law
office opened, particularly as the van had driven away, thus taking
away the possibility of a return to the van.

-Mike and Josh hosted trivia at Bitters last night. To continue my
run of close calls I convinced the team to help me go for a tie for
second. Luckily, in the last moments of several rounds, we changed
our answers so that they would be incorrect, thus enabling us to
successfully achieve our goal.

-On Wednesday I woke up with a vicious sore throat. It seems that
this sore throat has now transformed itself into a full-blown cold
(with free cough). I guess this shouldn't really surprise me as I
have been keeping busy and getting less sleep than I would like.
Hopefully this won't last too long and will clear up by the time I
head to Halifax.

-Our Ultimate team has another playoff game tomorrow morning. We will
be playing a team that we defeated several weeks ago. The only
problem that we might face, aside from the other team, is that we are
going to be missing a pretty large number of players. Not even having
enough to field a full team is a possibility.

Oh no, I just blogged all over your internet

In today's Globe and Mail Christie Blatchford has an article commenting on the current trend of journalists, particularly those covering the Beijing Olympics, being expected to create large amounts of content, especially in the form of blog posts and other web based content. Ms. Blatchford seemed particularly upset that a moment of relaxation she shared with a colleague was blogged about (or that such a moment would be blogged about). In a more general sense, she just seemed upset at the direction in which the creation of news related content was heading, particularly that it was heading away from the tradition in which she was trained.

One concept introduced in the article that I found particularly shocking was that a reporter or writer might only be able to write a limited number of words per day. While I don't mean to suggest that one can produce an unlimited number of quality words per day, or even that most people can produce several thousand words a day of high quality content, the idea that there is some kind of invariable hard cap on the number of words one can write a day is somewhat ridiculous. It seems to me that a more reasonable to suggestion would link the number of possible words with available content and skill, and that this, rather than a somewhat mechanical limit, is the limiting factor when it comes to most journalistic output.

A more pertinent point raised by the author is that much of what is written about on blogs is somewhat unimportant, maybe even mundane and unworthy of attention. While I agree with Ms. Blatchford on this point (as this blog is no exception), the reading of such content is completely voluntary and in the hands of the reader. No one is forcing blog content on anyone. Readers are free to read my posts or not read my posts, and, as I am not being paid for such content no employer is being ripped off when I produce sub-standard content (though a few of you may waste a few seconds skimming my drivel).

What Ms. Blatchford completely neglects to mention in her anti-blog rant is the important role that blogs play when it comes to disseminating views and information. In many cases blogs have started to play a vital role in contemporary political discourse, frequently providing a venue for views and opinions that might not be found in more traditional news sources. Furthermore, and this can sometimes be a problem, the ability for blogs and digital content to skip many traditional production processes allows for quicker transmission of information. In some cases those who have experienced an event are then able to provide their own reports on events before such events are covered by traditional media (if they events ever would have even been covered by traditional media). That most of this content is created by unpaid individuals makes it all the more impressive.

Anyway, maybe I missed the author's point, but I don't really think that is the case as the title "I'm not blogging this, mark my words" is pretty explicit. Unfortunately, I imagine that the views expressed in the article likely sum up the sentiments of a large number of individuals. As long as this view is widely held we will fail to gain the full benefit of these powerful new media.

A Few Quick Notes 213

-Though we started the day with heavy rain we have now settled into a
pattern of overcast skies and moderate temperatures. While I have
heard that things are to clear up I am not going to hold out too much
hope.

-This evening I have an Ultimate game, the first in our play-off run.
I will be playing Mike and Andrew's team, a team that we did not face
during the regular season.

My understanding is that win or lose we will have at least a game or
two on Saturday, though I don't know where the Saturday games are to
take place.

-Last night Gina and I attended Rose and Thistle trivia. Though we
only had a two person team we managed to do relatively well (2.5
points out of first). As usual the place was packed. It seemed that
every available seat was taken, some people were even forced to stand.

-I might have to bake some bread on Friday. On the other hand, I
could just decide to make due with what I have as I will be heading
out of town on Tuesday.

-My move is approaching quickly. I still haven't quite figured out
what I am going to pack. Maybe I will have to try to dedicate some
time to this matter tonight (though what are the chances that this is
actually going to happen?).

-On Saturday night I spent a few hours at Eastern Edge's annual 24
Hour Art Marathon. As I was entering the facility and waiting to pay
the admission cost I was noticed by one of the participants. He was
quite taken with the suspenders that I was wearing. He couldn't stop
feeling them, though he was kind enough to ask if his touching my
suspenders bothered me. He went on to inquire about whether I would
be performing any music as he seemed to think that anyone with such a
set of suspenders should be making music (clearly musical
qualifications are based on clothing choices).

While I didn't perform any music I did elicit a number of comments
because of the suspenders. It seems that as the only person at such
an event in a suit and suspenders I kind of stood out. Presumably
there are even photos of me in my suspenders floating about the
internet, though I don't know in which direction they might be
floating.

Suspender comments aside, I had a good time walking around talking to
people and checking out the variety of projects that were being
undertaken or that had previously been completed. In one case I went
so far as to place a silent auction bid on one of the items (I know,
crazy me).

Anyway, not that I will be in town next year (at least I don't think I
will be in town next August), I would consider attending the event
again. Maybe next time I would try to show up early enough to
actually partake in some of the organized events and activities rather
than just wandering around the building aimlessly for a few hours

Activities that someone could do while in New York

People go to New York all the time, sometimes I even know some of
these people. Typically I don't tend to make too many suggestions
about what these people might consider doing while there because I
feel as though it is an easy place to find things to do. In this
case, as a co-worker got me thinking about the topic I feel as though
I should toss a few such suggestions out.

-Ride in the front window of a front car of a 7 train as it travels on
an elevated section of the track in Queens. This is a pretty neat
experience as you get to see the scenery approaching directly. The
only problem with this is that I think that they have finally removed
all of the old red cars from this line, these had particularly good
viewing set ups.

-Visit the famous branch of the New York Public library on 42nd
street. The main reason for me wanting someone to visit this site is
so they can tell me about it, I only ever got around to visiting a
special exhibit and didn't once see even so much as a reading room.

-Pick up a free copy of the Onion from a curbside distribution box.
This is both free and fun. If things are as they were in 2003 one has
to be quick to pick one of these up for they will all be taken by the
NYU hipsters. If I recall correctly this publication actually had
pretty good event listings and reviews in the A/V section.

-Eat some street meat (or at least a pretzel). One just can't find as
wide a range of street foods in most Canadian cities. Even more
impressive that the breadth of menu selections is that many of the
dishes are both complex and tasty.

-Sink a boat in the Central Park model boat basin. Most people try to
sail boats in this facility, to sink a boat is much more unique (and
somewhat more challenging).

-Visit the business section of the Citicorp building Barnes and Noble.
In 2003, and presumably through to today, this section was the
store's specialty area and one of the strongest collections of
business related publications in any bookstore in the city.

-Walk around in complete silence while surrounded by millions of
people. This has long been on my of favourite ways to spend a fall
afternoon in New York. My preferred route is along fifth avenue from
mid-town to the Central Park region.

-Head to the Pathmark on 125th to find great grocery deals. Not only
does this store have better prices than those stores in the mid-town
area, they also tend to have a much better selection.

-Go to the opera. Why go to a Broadway show when you could see the
real thing at the Metropolitan Opera? If I recall correctly, going to
the opera is significantly cheaper than going to a Broadway show, why
this is I have no idea.

-Attend an off-off-Broadway play that you found through the Village
Voice. While it is possible that you might pick a dud, this approach
does guarantee that you will end up with a story of some sort. In the
one instance that I did this I had a great time. My cousin Laura and
I ended up seeing a version of Moby Dick for about $10 in a 70 person
theatre.

-Listen to WNYC. While one can listen to WNYC online it is a much
more satisfying experience to know that while you are listening you
are in the core listening area and listening through the transmission
of radio waves.

I guess there must be other things to do while New York, but I
certainly didn't spend time doing them (aside from the occasional trip
to the grocery store).

I guess I should start preparing for this move

In the past few days it has finally hit me that in the very near future I will be moving to Halifax. More importantly, I have finally started to realize that I really need to start preparing for this move. In particular this means gathering the items I am hoping to move as well as acquiring those items that I need to acquire before I move.

Fortunately, starting some number of months ago, I set aside a shelf in a closet for things that I am hoping to have in Halifax. So far this shelf has accumulated a few books, some clothing, and a few kitchen related odds and ends. Unfortunately, most of the things that I will eventually pack are not anywhere near this shelf and are more likely scattered around my room or the rest of the house.

Even more problematic than the fact that my belongings are all over the place is that I no longer recall exactly what it is that I already have in Halifax. Though even if I did have a complete list of my belongings that are in Halifax I know that I would still be likely to take too many things with me. (Part of this is because I always like to have back up items, just in case I am in a situation where I can't use the item that I would normally want to use).

On the more pro-active side of things, I actually managed to make it to a store today and buy a few packages of seeds for plants that I hope to grow while I am in Halifax. While some of the seeds are admittedly foolhardy, I think that I will at least have fun with the attempts.

The six types of seeds I purchased are:

Beets - Detroit Dark Red - While I don't know that I have had beets in the past 15 years I was thinking that I would try to grow a few and then make borscht. Fortunately I should have between 50-60 days from the time of planting to actually have to figure out what it is I might want to use the beets in.

Beans - Improved Golden Wax - I think these were a good choice because I know that I really like yellow beans and I know that it is possible to grow beans inside in less than ideal sun conditions. As with all of the plants, I see space being a particular problem as I will likely need a number of pots to grow more than a handful of plants.

Corn - Early Golden Bantam - This is clearly the seed that is most unlikely to succeed of those that I purchased today. While I know that this is a long shot under the best of circumstances I am somewhat hopeful only because I witnessed the relatively remarkable growth of some corn at one of my house-sitting houses this summer. While the corn was certainly behind schedule and likely to never produce an edible ear of corn it was nonetheless a clearly identifiable corn plant, which is about all I might be able to hope for with my seed packet.

Dill - Anethum graveolens - This is something that I think might actually grow well and require only small to moderately sized pots. So I guess this means I think that this is a safer bet than some of the other seed choices I made, and of course some success would be nice. Furthermore, I think that I will actually be able to use dill, though it isn't my favourite herb.

Thyme - thymus vulgaris - This is a plant that I know can do quite well in a pot inside, and I am relatively certain that it should even be able to handle the smaller amounts of sun that it will receive in the winter. This one, like the dill, would be in the safer bet category.

Radishes - Cherry Belle - I purchased these because I am a big fan of radishes and it would seem that they are only supposed to take about three weeks to reach maturity. This means that I might even be able to grow these on the balcony before the cold weather sets in, though this might be wishful thinking.

Peppers - Yellow Hot Wax - This purchase was made with Neil in mind as I know that he is a fan of hot peppers (or at least he was in his youth). A further consideration is that I was able to germinate pepper seeds in Montreal indoors in the spring under less than ideal conditions. Presumably these will be as allow growing as the bell peppers that I planted in Montreal, meaning that I shouldn't even hope to have anything before Christmas.

I have also made plans to take clippings from a few of my mother's plants just before I leave. I am particularly looking forward to growing a succulent plant that has green rain-drop like leaves on branches that gracefully hang from the side of the plant's pot (assuming that the plant is large enough to extend beyond the sides of the pot). More recently I have been looking forward to taking a papyrus clipping, though my excitement has been somewhat tempered by my relative lack of success when it came to making papyrus from the shoots of this plant earlier this summer.

Of course none of these seeds or plants will work if I don't manage to acquire pots and potting soil, something I haven't yet arranged with Neil or Rebecca. Another concern might be my desire to fill the apartment with an unmanageable number of pots and planters, something else that I have not really discussed with Neil or Rebecca.

A Few Quick Notes 212

-Today the people of St. John's have had the pleasure of experiencing period of sun and clear skies as well as longer periods of rain and wind. Fortunately, as the day heads towards evening things seem to be better and not giving too many signs of a return to the conditions that we experienced earlier in the day.

-I have an Ultimate game on Wednesday. This game will mark the beginning of the play-offs for our team. If we lose we will be sent to some kind of consolation pool while if we win we will have a chance to play for the tier championship. Assuming I am reading thing correctly, we will be playing Mike and Andrew's team, a team we have not yet played. Hopefully things will go well and we get passable weather and a good turnout.

-My parents went out for dinner this evening. This meant that I was able to have dinner along with Kirsten. This afternoon we decided that we would have bratwursts, cauliflower, boiled carrots, and perogies.

While I prepared the sausages and cauliflower on the grill and boiled the carrots Kirsten took care of the perogies.

Things turned out remarkably well. I enjoyed all of the dishes that we prepared. I was particularly impressed with the grilled cauliflower as it was both flavourful and crunchy. Unfortunately, I don't think Kirsten sampled the cauliflower before I put the leftovers in the fridge.

-This afternoon I started to pack up my belongings at my house-sitting house. I think that, for the most part, I have managed to round most things up, with the obvious exception being those things that I will still need to use between now and my departure.

What surprised me was how much I have managed to cart over to the house in the past two and a half weeks. Clearly I still need to work on reducing my reliance on things as they seem to still have my number and follow me where ever I go.

-My beans are still showing very few signs of progress, actually I might go so far as to say they are actually looking worse than they were a few weeks ago. The reason for this depreciation is some kind of plant eating organism that seems to be eating the blooms and leaves of the plants. Some of the plants have been turned into twig like structures in just a few days.

The only exceptions to this trend are the scarlet runner beans, several of which seem to be in passable condition. Some of these plants even have a few blooms, something that will hopefully lead to them bearing fruit in the coming days.

-On Friday night my friend Peter returned a Vinyl Cafe CD set that I had loaned him some number of months ago. In the time since he returned the discs my sister has started listening to them rather aggressively. I think that she actually managed to plough her way through the entire set in about a day and a half (which is pretty good considering she was doing other things during the day and night).

Just this evening I remembered that I had another such set. As we prepared dinner we listened to a few of the stories. As I type this she is listening to the remaining stories. The only problem with this aggressive listening style is that it means that in the very near future she will have no more new content to listen to, though this is presumably a consequence that she understands.

A Few Quick Notes 211

-When I awoke this morning I was shocked to find that the skies were
clear and the sun was shining. Apparently I missed the early morning
showers, which is just fine with me. Unfortunately, this great
weather is not expected to last, torrential downpours are predicted
for tomorrow (though Saturday is supposed to be nice).

-We played a very fun game of Ultimate last night. After a slow start
we managed to pull ahead and take a commanding lead. It was quite a
nice way to finish off the regular season.

Though we managed to win our last two games we are still solidly in
the middle of the pack in our tier. As I am not sure how final
rankings are to be determined I don't really know in which position
we will finish, though I am not sure that it really matters too much
as there are a few teams with similar records. I guess in the coming
days this will all be worked out.

-It seems that there is a most for Bitters trivia tonight. If I
manage to attend, as is my plan, I will have a two trivia night week.
This is something that hasn't happened for me since last summer.

-I am out of lunch food at my house-sitting house. I will need to
acquire some of this before I try to prepare my lunch for tomorrow.

-On Saturday I have a wedding to attend. Since I first received the
invitation in April I have been really looking forward to the event.
Hopefully all will go well.

Improbable and fun recipes

Recently, I ended up cataloging a few cookbooks, most of which were
prepared by government and focused on traditional Newfoundland dishes
and ingredients (the one on Microwave cooking being a notable
exception). During the cataloging process I had a chance to look
through these books and stumbled on several improbable and strange
recipes, edited versions of several such recipes are included below.

Broiled Grapefruit

2 large grapefruit, halved
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 Tsp. cinnamon

Halve grapefruit. Melt butter and then add sugar and cinnamon, pour
on grapefruit halves. Microwave on high for 6-7 minutes. Garnish as
desired.

A co-worker and I were how readily available grapefruit was at the
time this book was published.

Dandelion Wine

3 quarts Dandelion blooms
1 gallon boiling water
3 lemons
1 orange
3 pounds sugar
1/2 cake yeast
1 slice toast

Pour boiling water over dandelion blooms and let stand overnight.
Strain bloom mixture and add the juice of the lemons and orange and
the sugar. Boil for half an hour then cool. Spread the yeast on
toast and add to cooled liquid. Allow fermentation. Bottle
appropriately when fermentation ceases.

If there were any dandelion blooms around right now I would be very
tempted to try this. Maybe I will remember next spring and try to
make some dandelion wine then.

Does anyone know where I might find yeast in cakes?

Blueberry Wine

2 quarts blueberries
4 quarts boiling water
6 cups sugar
3 cups prunes

Add berries to the pot of boiling water, keep the pot on the stove
until the water returns to a boil before straining. Add sugar and
boil for 5 minutes. Cool and add prunes. Place liquid in a jar and
let it stand for 2 months before bottling.

I keep wondering what causes the fermentation is this recipe as it
doesn't call for yeast. Is it possible that the prunes are the key?

Salt Pork Buns

1 cup salt pork, finely chopped
4 cups flour
8 tsp. baking powder
1/4 c. margarine
1/2 c. molasses
1 1/2 c. water

Fry out salt pork to make scrunchions. Add margarine to combined dry
ingredients. Add scrunchions to mixture and mix well. Combine
molasses and water before adding to flour mixture. Mix. Roll the
dough to a ½ inch thickness. Cut desired shapes and place on floured
baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 15 minutes.

As off-putting as salt pork might seem in a desert, I might be
tempted to give these a try. A salt pork Christmas cake that I made
last year worked out quite well, even if the ingredients were a little
hard to come by.

By the way, if anyone tries any of these I would be interested in
hearing how they turned out. I am particularly interested in getting
a report on the Broiled Grapefruit.

Printing in Firefox 3: Where is Mozilla?

It seems that a number of people have been having problems printing with Firefox 3. I know that I started having problems today when I was automatically upgraded to 3.0.1. The problem that I experienced, and that others seem to be having, is that instead of the text printing it is transformed into a multitude of seemingly randomly organized characters.

Not surprisingly this has been a hot topic in the Firefox support forums since June, 2008. Some such threads have had almost 3000 views and many replies.

More striking than there being a problem with a new piece of software is that this particular problem is not noted by Mozilla in the "Known Issues" section of their Firefox 3.0.1 Release Notes. I find it peculiar that something of this magnitude would slip by without note, particularly when it has the ability to drastically diminish the
productivity of users.

While there seem to be patched-together fixes that have been discovered by users (and that work for some users) I have yet to see any evidence that Mozilla has issued a formal fix, or even officially acknowledged the problem. Though it may not be called for, this situation is making me a little more hesitant when it comes to whole-hearted support for Mozilla and their products (as good as they may seem at first glance). Hopefully they can get on this problem and regain my confidence (something that could largely be accomplished by an acknowledgement of the problem.

A Few Quick Notes 210

-Though we started the day with overcast skies and high humidity,
things seemed to have turned around. Instead of the mid-day
thundershowers that were predicted we seem to have the clearing skies
that were called for later in the day.

I just hope that this holds until about 8:30 this evening.

-I have my second Ultimate game of the week this evening. Tonight we
will be playing at the slightly sloped Brother Egan field. As it
happens, this is our last game of regular season play. At some point
in the coming days we will have to figure out our play-off position
and schedule.

-Last night, for the first time this summer, a few of us went to the
Rose and Thistle for their weekly trivia night. While we didn't win I
think we put in a respectable showing, and I know that I had a very
good time.

As much as a fan of Bitters' trivia, I am becoming more convinced that
the Rose and Thistle format is better. Having only questions allows
for a more relaxed pace. Additionally, the starting hour can be later
and the finishing hour earlier. Also, by counting down from 30 until
a winner is found is a very effective way of creating suspense among
the participants.

-According to the 1982 Report on the Births Marriages and Deaths in
the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador the rate of illegitimate
births (per 1000 births) rose from 113.0 to 196.1 between 1973 and
1982. It seems that this is the last year that these statistics were
included in this particular report.

-Last night Mike made a comment about wanting to sign up to a personal
newsletter, if I actually had one. I was then able to remind him that
I do have a blog, and the blog is set-up in such a way that it will
send subscribers daily email updates. While I think he found the
comment amusing and informative, I am not sure if he was persuaded to
sign up for the daily email (even though it is a great way to keep up
with all the goings on at Montifax).

Detroit Rock Bottom City

Somehow I recently came upon a blog post that discussed the depths to which the housing market in Detroit has sunk in recent times. Near the end of the post a link to real estate listings in the area was included. If you take a look through these listing you will see a number of houses in the $1.00 range, and many more in the less than $1000.00 range.

While some of the descriptions included in the listings suggest that some of these might be 'investment' properties I have a hard time believing this. For this to happen not only would one have to eventually construct a new house on the lot, but the neighboring lots would also have to have new or newish houses. I guess ones odds of picking a winner for $1.00 are likely better than the lottery, but that doesn't mean that the odds are particularly good.

A Few Quick Notes 209

-While the temperature has remained moderate these past few days the
fog has certainly not been even close to moderate. At the moment it
is hard to see from one end of a moderately sized parking lot to the
other. Amazingly, only a few flights seem to be delayed.

-In the most recent issue of the Scope it is reported that with the
addition of a new Tim Hortons there will be 11 such stores in the
city. As soon as I read this I was taken aback, without more than a
minute or two of thinking I was able to come up with at least 12 such
stores (and that wasn't including the new one). To confirm my hunch I
checked the phone book and confirmed that there are certainly more
than 10 such sites. The Tim Hortons website goes so far as to suggest
that there are close to thirty sites in the St. John's metropolitan
area.

-Last night we had our first Ultimate game of the week. The game was
a make-up for a game that was originally scheduled some number of
weeks ago. Though we were winning by several points for much of the
game the opposing team did gain a fair bit of ground in the second
half. Fortunately, we were close enough to 15 that even with our
diminished rate of scoring we were still able to hold on for the win.

We have another game this Wednesday. After our second game this week
I am not sure how many more games we have as part of the regular
season, this might be the last one.

-While my bean plants seem to still be alive they don't seem to be
growing at the same rate they were in July. Presumably the lack of
sun and heat that we have been experiencing has negatively impacted
their development.

At this point I am pretty sure that if they ever do manage to produce
beans it will be well after I have departed for the summer. Actually,
the one bean that I did spot seems to have vanished.

-In the past few days I have had some good celery. This is a nice
change as the celery that I have been able to get up to this point
this summer has been somewhat inferior. Both texture and flavour have
been problematic and not up to my exacting standards (and that is not
to mention that the price tends to be triple what I am used to paying
at Lobos in Montreal).

-I recently learned that some Google Alerts also cover blog posts.
This means that people could be accessing Montifax, or any other blog
for that matter, because of their interest in a word or set of words
that Neil or I use in a post. While I guess this capability is
something that I should have expected it has thrown me for a loop
(though this may be because I know that this feature has likely drawn
a particular person's attention to this blog at one time or another).
Anyway, I guess I guess I should be used to this concept, maybe I
should even start throwing in words that will likely draw traffic (as
high readership is clearly one of our overriding goals with this
blog).

A Few Quick Notes 208

-Today has been another cool, overcast, foggy day. Fortunately the fog hasn't turned into drizzle or rain, nor has the temperature dropped into the freezing range (though I can't believe that we are that many degrees away from this state).

-This morning, as is my practice, I stopped by Georgetown Bakery for bagels. Two aspects made this trip a little different. Firstly, though she is in town, I was not joined by my sister, who instead decided to go to a sleep-over at her friend's house. Secondly, this was my friends first day as baker's apprentice at the bakery.

Though the bagels were ready a little later than usual they were just as good as I have come to expect.

-A few minutes ago I decided that I would try to watch a few minutes of the coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Though I looked for such coverage on a high definition channel, I eventually settled on the CBC coverage. Once I arrived at the channel I had to sit through about 5 minutes of adds and promotional content before I actually was shown any coverage of the event.

Once the coverage started it was men's gymnastics and all the commentary was phrased in terms of how these performances would impact the medal chances of a particular Canadian athlete. So not only was it painfully biased (and towards someone without much of a chance of winning), but it was also just poorly done.

In coverage that was clearly tape delayed all kinds of wait time was left un-cut, but then abrupt cuts between athletes made it hard to follow what was going on. It seemed as though they taped a number of non-Canadian athletes and then just spliced them together without any particular concern for continuity or flow.

After just a few minutes of coverage we were back to another long commercial break. After the commercial break they went to come kind of athlete interview segment.

A Few Quick Notes 207

-Though overcast, today has been relatively dry. Though I haven't
spent too much time outside, it also seems as though the winds are not
particularly high. While this is still not perfect weather it is
certainly an improvement over what we have been experiencing these
past few days.

-Though we are without rain and wind the Regatta was again postponed.
My understanding is that the committee is hoping that today will be
better (as we are actually supposed to top 14 degrees and get at least
a little sun). I fear that by not taking this opportunity we risk
facing even longer delays, particularly as we know that forecasts are
not particularly valuable here.

-My sister returned home from a month long trip last night. During
her time away she visited Halifax and a few communities in Ontario.
From what I can gather, she had a good time and seem to enjoy most of
the activities in which she participated.

When she returned home she was able to open a 'gift' that I had
prepared for the occasion. As she began to unwrap the item she was
clearly quite excited and curious. The ribbon and wrapping paper were
both taken off very carefully and with a great degree of respect.
Once she opened the box and pulled out the bubble wrapped item things
seemed to move more quickly. She quickly unrolled the bubble wrap to
reveal a can of Vienna Sausages.

As expected, she was somewhat disgusted with this 'gift,' but I think
her reaction made it worthwhile. Unfortunately, I don't think that
she has the guts to actually sample a Vienna Sausage (especially now
that she knows that they contain mechanically separated meats and have
'added smoke flavour'). Since she isn't going to seat the sausages
herself I suggested that she take them to Austria with her when she
departs later this month. She could even try to get someone from
Vienna to sample them and tell her if they are in any way comparable
to real Vienna sausages.

-I have an ultimate game tonight. The team we are playing is
relatively high in the standings.

What is frustrating about the game is that it is at 5:30 at Kitty
Gaul. This means that I really have to get moving after work to make
it to the field in time. The best part is that I have to put all of
this effort in just to play a game on a sub-par field.

Newfoundland Caribou

A few days ago my I took a trip with parents to Mistaken Point. Along the way to our final destination we happened to spot a few caribou along the side of the road. When we first spotted them they were quite close to the side of the road. Eventually, as can be seen in this short clip, they eventually moved a little further away.




[Embedded video]

A Few Quick Notes 206

-We have had rain and overcast skies again today. My understanding is that this type of weather is to continue tomorrow.

-The Royal St. John's Regatta did not go ahead today because rain and wind were forecast. The idea is to have it tomorrow, but that could be postponed again if the weather is as bad as forecast.

My understanding is that the Regatta would then be held next week, skipping Friday, so that a long weekend wouldn't be created.

-Last night I went to a friend's place of residence just outside of town. Once in the building I learned that it had previously been used to film a local television show. Apparently what is now the workshop was one set while the kitchen was used as the kitchen on the show. To my great disappointment, my suggestion to turn the building into a museum dedicated to the show likely won't be acted upon.

-I wonder if I should start reducing the number of carrots that I consume each day. I worry that if I don't drop down to below 3-4 a day I will burn out and be unable to eat carrots again for a number of years.

The problem that I am facing is that I don't have access to a reasonably priced replacement vegetable . Furthermore, the other vegetables that are available tend to be of a lower quality.

-As of about half an hour ago the Memorial University of Newfoundland Libraries webpage changed drastically. The new scheme is much more reminiscent of the main MUN page than the old library webpage was. Hopefully I will be able to easily find all of the things that I use on a regular basis.

A Few Quick Notes 205

-Today, just like yesterday, has been overcast and wet. It seems that
the trend may continue until tomorrow, which will likely cause the
postponement of the Royal St. John's regatta.

-Though I went to bed quite early last night I still feel quite tired.
Maybe I will need to get more than just one night of good sleep to
overcome the several weeks of poor sleeps that I have recently had.

-On Wednesday, Kirsten will be returning from her summer trip. I am
hoping that she can provide me with a few details about my apartment
and neighbourhood in Halifax.

-The cats at place where I am presently house-sitting don't seem as
vindictive as the last cat I took care of. Not only do they not wake
me up in the night, they haven't yet dropped loads on the bathroom
sink (though they have missed the litter box at least twice already).

-About two days ago I read that in the late 1970s the PLO, then under
the leadership of Yasir Arafat, had a pipe band. I wonder if the band
wore kilts when they performed?

-Though I should have done this several weeks ago, I have started to
more actively think about my upcoming studies. Unfortunately, at
least one of the people I need to contact is out of town. I guess I
will have to work around this problem and eventually contact someone
else.