-I was going to say that today was pretty nice then I realized that I couldn't really remember if that was the case. Upon a little more reflection I might have to say that today was passable, but not great. For the better part of the day it was overcast, though not really wet. At some points I recall feeling hot and sweaty, but that may not have had anything to do with the weather.
-What a weird night I had last night. After submitting my thesis to my committee and cracking into a few celebratory beers I got some unexpected (though it should have been expected) news. This, at about 4:00 AM, got me all hepped up and whatnot, completely removing any chance that I might be able to sleep in the next few hours.
I eventually decided that I would just stay up, go out to get a celebratory breakfast, and then head in to Dal to run an errand. Much to my surprise, I was actually able to do all of this, basically on the timeframe I set myself. I eventually made it back here and was ready to go to sleep at about 10:30 AM. I woke up at about 2:30 PM, feeling surprisingly refreshed.
Since then, much to my surprise, I have continued to feel rather alert and full. Actually, since about 6:00 AM I haven't had anything to eat, and I am not particularly hungry.
The more I think about it the more I think that I should probably just eat something.
-This evening, while running some errands, I was able to ride my bike. It was great to be out on the road, even though the trip was quite short. I wish I was a little more motivated to bike regularly.
-Today while at the grocery store I purchased for bags of discount corn chips for 99 cents a bag. As far as I can tell they appear to be completely fine. I wonder if they might be discontinuing the product. I guess I might try some tonight and determine whether they were worth my 99 cents.
-A few times in the past few days I have mentioned that I am trying to reduce my red meat consumption for kidney stone related reasons. Much to my surprise, this has been going remarkably well. Over the past week I have consumed almost no meat. Not surprisingly, my bean consumption (in various forms) has skyrocketed. Not only have I been having refried bean nachos, but I have been eating quite a bit of humus, and also some of my standard pressure-cooker bean dishes. I wonder if I will be able to keep this up once Neil and Rebecca return?
Monday, August 31, 2009
Just what we needed, more space for plants
Shortly after moving into this apartment I realized that if we really wanted to fill the place with plants we would need a number of shelving units on which to store the plants to maximize their access to what limited sunlight we have in the apartment. This plan was partly realized last fall when Neil and I purchased a number of shelving units for plants that we have subsequently placed in the living room.
At some point I realized that if I had something in my window I would really be able to take full advantage of the light that my room gets, and not just be restricted to what I can fit along the bottom of my windowsill. For many months this was largely just an idea, how I might go about realizing it was not even something I really thought about.
More recently, the past few weeks or so, I have really been thinking more about how I might go about creating or acquiring such a shelving unit. Eventually I settled on a basic concept, though the specific of the design were still up in the air.
A few days ago I started in earnest looking for the necessary wood and trying to think about some of the specific elements of the design. Gradually the detail started to come together.
Yesterday I found a sign post and I knew I was in business.
Later in the evening I walked by a construction site and found another piece of scrap wood (it was clearly scrap and not part of the project). With the wood in hand the shelf really started to take shape in my mind. With relative ease I figure the rest of the design out. The only thing delaying my construction of the unit was that I was not in possession of the necessary hardware, which I got around to purchasing this evening. The supplies I picked up were 50 hooks and 13 feet of cheap chain.
After sunset, not that this is particularly important as far as the general narrative is concerned, I got around to sanding the wood and then assembling the various components. The most time consuming matter was cutting the chain into lengths with the same number of links. With a little bit of planning I was able to minimize the amount of chain I wasted. All in all I think I did a pretty good job as only two full links and some scraps were left from the original 13 feet when I was done.
Not long after I finished cutting the chain I was able to assemble and install the shelf. The feature I am most proud of is the differing length shelves, which should allow taller plants to fit at the edges of the window. At first I was worried that such a shelf might limit my ability to store taller plants in my bedroom.
For those of you who might be interested, this should give a slightly clearer image of exactly how the unit has been constructed.
Within moments of installing the shelf I was able to fill it with plants, most of which had been in the living room.
So for those residents of our apartment not interested in having a living room infested with plants this new shelving unit may actually be a good thing. Now I have the capability to store more of the plants in my room, where they will get better light.
At some point I realized that if I had something in my window I would really be able to take full advantage of the light that my room gets, and not just be restricted to what I can fit along the bottom of my windowsill. For many months this was largely just an idea, how I might go about realizing it was not even something I really thought about.
More recently, the past few weeks or so, I have really been thinking more about how I might go about creating or acquiring such a shelving unit. Eventually I settled on a basic concept, though the specific of the design were still up in the air.
A few days ago I started in earnest looking for the necessary wood and trying to think about some of the specific elements of the design. Gradually the detail started to come together.
Yesterday I found a sign post and I knew I was in business.
Later in the evening I walked by a construction site and found another piece of scrap wood (it was clearly scrap and not part of the project). With the wood in hand the shelf really started to take shape in my mind. With relative ease I figure the rest of the design out. The only thing delaying my construction of the unit was that I was not in possession of the necessary hardware, which I got around to purchasing this evening. The supplies I picked up were 50 hooks and 13 feet of cheap chain.
After sunset, not that this is particularly important as far as the general narrative is concerned, I got around to sanding the wood and then assembling the various components. The most time consuming matter was cutting the chain into lengths with the same number of links. With a little bit of planning I was able to minimize the amount of chain I wasted. All in all I think I did a pretty good job as only two full links and some scraps were left from the original 13 feet when I was done.
Not long after I finished cutting the chain I was able to assemble and install the shelf. The feature I am most proud of is the differing length shelves, which should allow taller plants to fit at the edges of the window. At first I was worried that such a shelf might limit my ability to store taller plants in my bedroom.
For those of you who might be interested, this should give a slightly clearer image of exactly how the unit has been constructed.
Within moments of installing the shelf I was able to fill it with plants, most of which had been in the living room.
So for those residents of our apartment not interested in having a living room infested with plants this new shelving unit may actually be a good thing. Now I have the capability to store more of the plants in my room, where they will get better light.
Finally, a flower
This afternoon when I went out to check on things I noticed that something seemed out of place, there was something of an orangish tinge where before there had only been green. Upon closer inspection I learned that what I was looking at was one of the thundbergia flowers.
After months of waiting, we finally have a proper flower in our balcony garden. There are a few more buds so it seems that we may have more in the coming days.
I was beginning to worry that we might pass through the entire growing season without a single flower. I can now sleep knowing that I not a total failure when it comes to the growing of flowers, though that it does take me a little longer than most people.
After months of waiting, we finally have a proper flower in our balcony garden. There are a few more buds so it seems that we may have more in the coming days.
I was beginning to worry that we might pass through the entire growing season without a single flower. I can now sleep knowing that I not a total failure when it comes to the growing of flowers, though that it does take me a little longer than most people.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 351
-After a rainfall approaching biblical proportions yesterday, I was quite surprised to wake up to find that today was almost perfect.
-After what seemed to be about two weeks, but must have only been three or four days, I finally finished off the batch of beans I made after Neil and Rebecca's departure. I guess the question now is whether I make another batch for the next few days or try to diversify my diet slightly.
-Moments ago I emailed my MA thesis to my supervisor and the other two professors who will be reading it. It is a strange feeling. It is possible that I may have to give a presentation on the topic on either Thursday or Friday, though this has not yet been scheduled, though I imagine I will hear about this shortly.
-Still no word from the Vegas vacationers. At this point I am starting to think that they are actively avoiding communicating with us as they don't seem to be reading the blog, emailing, or phoning. Jeez, if I don't hear anything soon I may have to start looking for people to sublet their room.
-Yesterday I went to one of the local Chinese grocery stores and purchased a 1.5 Kg bag of instant noodles (kind of like ramen but without the flavouring packets). Once I got the noodles home I took a look at the nutritional information and ingredients. While only three ingredients are listed (flour, salt, curcumin) the nutritional information seems to suggest that for every 100 grams of noodles contains over 20 grams of fat, 75 grams of carbohydrates, and almost 10 grams of protein. Though I don't know much about these things, something seems a little off with this information (and the list of ingredients).
-For the past few days I have been on the look out for some wood with which I hope to make a plant shelf for my window. Given that we are in the move-out portion of the month I decided to go for a quick walk this afternoon to see if I could find any discarded shelves or other furniture from which I could salvage some wood. While I did see a number of piles of crap left behind by people who had moved out, I didn't see any wood that matched the dimensions I was looking for. When I was about a block away from home I noticed that there was a old election sign with a wooden post lying in the ground. Though this was a little dirty and wet, I was able to separate the plastic from the wood relatively easily.
While I was taking the plastic sign components off I accidently broke the piece of wood. At first I was a little frustrated, but eventually I saw that the break actually gave me an easy way to improve my design and allow for some taller plants on the windowsill. As I need a little more hardware I wasn't able to complete the project tonight, though I hope to have a beta version by tomorrow.
-For those of you in Halifax, and the South End specifically, it seems that the Sobeys on Queen Street will once again be offering its 10% student discount on Tuesdays this year and is now open until 8:00 PM on Sundays. These items are both great news as far as I am concerned.
-Because of yesterday's heavy rainfall an Ultimate game that I was supposed to play today was cancelled. While I am normally quite keen to play, this cancellation worked out quite nicely as I was then able to stay at home and put in a few more hours on my thesis. I presume that that is it for our season, but I really don't know.
-After what seemed to be about two weeks, but must have only been three or four days, I finally finished off the batch of beans I made after Neil and Rebecca's departure. I guess the question now is whether I make another batch for the next few days or try to diversify my diet slightly.
-Moments ago I emailed my MA thesis to my supervisor and the other two professors who will be reading it. It is a strange feeling. It is possible that I may have to give a presentation on the topic on either Thursday or Friday, though this has not yet been scheduled, though I imagine I will hear about this shortly.
-Still no word from the Vegas vacationers. At this point I am starting to think that they are actively avoiding communicating with us as they don't seem to be reading the blog, emailing, or phoning. Jeez, if I don't hear anything soon I may have to start looking for people to sublet their room.
-Yesterday I went to one of the local Chinese grocery stores and purchased a 1.5 Kg bag of instant noodles (kind of like ramen but without the flavouring packets). Once I got the noodles home I took a look at the nutritional information and ingredients. While only three ingredients are listed (flour, salt, curcumin) the nutritional information seems to suggest that for every 100 grams of noodles contains over 20 grams of fat, 75 grams of carbohydrates, and almost 10 grams of protein. Though I don't know much about these things, something seems a little off with this information (and the list of ingredients).
-For the past few days I have been on the look out for some wood with which I hope to make a plant shelf for my window. Given that we are in the move-out portion of the month I decided to go for a quick walk this afternoon to see if I could find any discarded shelves or other furniture from which I could salvage some wood. While I did see a number of piles of crap left behind by people who had moved out, I didn't see any wood that matched the dimensions I was looking for. When I was about a block away from home I noticed that there was a old election sign with a wooden post lying in the ground. Though this was a little dirty and wet, I was able to separate the plastic from the wood relatively easily.
While I was taking the plastic sign components off I accidently broke the piece of wood. At first I was a little frustrated, but eventually I saw that the break actually gave me an easy way to improve my design and allow for some taller plants on the windowsill. As I need a little more hardware I wasn't able to complete the project tonight, though I hope to have a beta version by tomorrow.
-For those of you in Halifax, and the South End specifically, it seems that the Sobeys on Queen Street will once again be offering its 10% student discount on Tuesdays this year and is now open until 8:00 PM on Sundays. These items are both great news as far as I am concerned.
-Because of yesterday's heavy rainfall an Ultimate game that I was supposed to play today was cancelled. While I am normally quite keen to play, this cancellation worked out quite nicely as I was then able to stay at home and put in a few more hours on my thesis. I presume that that is it for our season, but I really don't know.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 350
-Today (Friday) was an absolutely beautiful day. The skies were clear, the temperature not oppressively hot, and there was even a nice breeze. This is exactly the kind of summer weather that I really like.
-Today I had to head into Dal to run to take care of some paperwork. Afterwards I made my way over to Quinpool to take care of a sale purchase I wanted to make. Last but not least on my list of errands, I made my way to a friend's apartment to pick up an aloe plant that she was giving me. My friend and I eventually decided to go get a coffee and ended up spending quite a while talking and having a good time.
Just after 4:00 we realized that it was after 4:00 and that we both had things to do and needed to get going. She made her way back to her place and I to mine.
Not to long after I returned home I noticed that the stove's clock was flashing. A little while later I was going through my RSS feeds and I learned that the South End had experienced a power outage for the better part of the afternoon. So it turns out that, inadvertently, I was able to use time that would have otherwise been unproductive to socialize. Slacking win.
-At a point this afternoon, while walking between Quinpool and my friend's apartment, I noticed a number of flashing lights and emergency vehicles ahead of me. In many ways it looked like the scene of an accident, but it appeared to be missing the requisite crashed vehicles. As I drew closer to the emergency vehicles it became clear that it was an accident with two vehicles, but that one of the vehicles was a motorized scooter (as might be used by individuals with problems walking) that appeared to be on its way across a cross walk. Talk about a downer of a scene.
Not too long after I found the story about the power outage, CBC also had a story about this incident.
-For some reason I wasn't able to go to sleep until about 5:00 AM this morning. Not surprisingly, this left me quite exhausted today. After returning from my errands and then having dinner I ended up crashing for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It turned out that it was one of the most intense naps that I have had in weeks. I was really out. The best part, of course, was that I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to work.
-At about 1:15 AM this morning, after several hours of work, I decided to take a break to make some humus. Though it isn't as nice as my last batch, it is still pretty tasty. I am eating some of it as I prepare this post.
-I have alluded to today's productivity already, but I guess I might make a more conclusive statement for the sake of posterity. Though I got a bit of a late start, I eventually managed to put in a few hours of good work. My plan for tomorrow is to do some tidying of footnotes and my conclusion. I can't wait to get the party started.
-The seems to be an overwhelming, almost deafening, e-communications silence coming from Las Vegas these days. Since shortly after their arrival in Nevada I have heard nothing from either Rebecca or Neil. Even more troubling is that our user stats suggest that no one in Nevada has been checking the blog.
This evening I realized that Neil could even phone his reports in if he wanted (we could use Google Voice and then post the messages) if typing is too trying. I hope that he at least remembers how he as been passing his days so he can eventually post a rather nice, well-researched travelogue that would outline what he and Rebecca did while they were in the proximity of such opportunities for sin, and winning money.
-Today I had to head into Dal to run to take care of some paperwork. Afterwards I made my way over to Quinpool to take care of a sale purchase I wanted to make. Last but not least on my list of errands, I made my way to a friend's apartment to pick up an aloe plant that she was giving me. My friend and I eventually decided to go get a coffee and ended up spending quite a while talking and having a good time.
Just after 4:00 we realized that it was after 4:00 and that we both had things to do and needed to get going. She made her way back to her place and I to mine.
Not to long after I returned home I noticed that the stove's clock was flashing. A little while later I was going through my RSS feeds and I learned that the South End had experienced a power outage for the better part of the afternoon. So it turns out that, inadvertently, I was able to use time that would have otherwise been unproductive to socialize. Slacking win.
-At a point this afternoon, while walking between Quinpool and my friend's apartment, I noticed a number of flashing lights and emergency vehicles ahead of me. In many ways it looked like the scene of an accident, but it appeared to be missing the requisite crashed vehicles. As I drew closer to the emergency vehicles it became clear that it was an accident with two vehicles, but that one of the vehicles was a motorized scooter (as might be used by individuals with problems walking) that appeared to be on its way across a cross walk. Talk about a downer of a scene.
Not too long after I found the story about the power outage, CBC also had a story about this incident.
-For some reason I wasn't able to go to sleep until about 5:00 AM this morning. Not surprisingly, this left me quite exhausted today. After returning from my errands and then having dinner I ended up crashing for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It turned out that it was one of the most intense naps that I have had in weeks. I was really out. The best part, of course, was that I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to work.
-At about 1:15 AM this morning, after several hours of work, I decided to take a break to make some humus. Though it isn't as nice as my last batch, it is still pretty tasty. I am eating some of it as I prepare this post.
-I have alluded to today's productivity already, but I guess I might make a more conclusive statement for the sake of posterity. Though I got a bit of a late start, I eventually managed to put in a few hours of good work. My plan for tomorrow is to do some tidying of footnotes and my conclusion. I can't wait to get the party started.
-The seems to be an overwhelming, almost deafening, e-communications silence coming from Las Vegas these days. Since shortly after their arrival in Nevada I have heard nothing from either Rebecca or Neil. Even more troubling is that our user stats suggest that no one in Nevada has been checking the blog.
This evening I realized that Neil could even phone his reports in if he wanted (we could use Google Voice and then post the messages) if typing is too trying. I hope that he at least remembers how he as been passing his days so he can eventually post a rather nice, well-researched travelogue that would outline what he and Rebecca did while they were in the proximity of such opportunities for sin, and winning money.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Oh yeah, I guess I should mention this
Yesterday (or the day before that, depending on how you count) I mentioned a new scheme by the Nova Scotia government to attract young adult immigrants to the province. I made fun of this scheme as it appeared that the government had overlooked the, at least as far as I am concerned, more important problem of current residents leaving.
Anyway, it seems that today they announced a new program to try to encourage young'uns to stick around Nova Scotia. Though the details in the CBC story are somewhat sparse, I get the sense that this may be directed towards the math and science types instead of the social science or humanities types.
I would suggest that the major flaw in the program relates to whether these 'interns' will be able to get jobs when they have finished their degree program or not. If jobs are available in Nova Scotia many graduates would be willing to stay even without this program, and if there aren't jobs even this program isn't likely to keep them. I worry that the likely overall effectiveness of the program may be approaching nothing.
Furthermore, at $25 000 a pop, these are not cheap four-month internship spots. I wonder if Nova Scotia might be better off just annually offering 20 $25 000 fellowships for grad students. If these were open to out of province students they might even get a few people to move here.
Oh yeah, presumably this means a four month delay in finishing one's degree, just what everybody wants.
I guess my overall assessment, based on a single news story, is that the goal and program seem muddled. I am not sure that they are going to accomplish what is they want to with this program. Additionally, it seems likely that there may be better ways of keeping youth here with $500 000 a year than what seems to have been planned with this program.
I am quite curious if they actually talked to any students about launching such a program.
Edit: I just read the news release and the program doesn't sound all that much better or different.
Anyway, it seems that today they announced a new program to try to encourage young'uns to stick around Nova Scotia. Though the details in the CBC story are somewhat sparse, I get the sense that this may be directed towards the math and science types instead of the social science or humanities types.
I would suggest that the major flaw in the program relates to whether these 'interns' will be able to get jobs when they have finished their degree program or not. If jobs are available in Nova Scotia many graduates would be willing to stay even without this program, and if there aren't jobs even this program isn't likely to keep them. I worry that the likely overall effectiveness of the program may be approaching nothing.
Furthermore, at $25 000 a pop, these are not cheap four-month internship spots. I wonder if Nova Scotia might be better off just annually offering 20 $25 000 fellowships for grad students. If these were open to out of province students they might even get a few people to move here.
Oh yeah, presumably this means a four month delay in finishing one's degree, just what everybody wants.
I guess my overall assessment, based on a single news story, is that the goal and program seem muddled. I am not sure that they are going to accomplish what is they want to with this program. Additionally, it seems likely that there may be better ways of keeping youth here with $500 000 a year than what seems to have been planned with this program.
I am quite curious if they actually talked to any students about launching such a program.
Edit: I just read the news release and the program doesn't sound all that much better or different.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 349
-Today was quite pleasant, though a little breezy at time. The most significant feature of today's weather, at least as far as I am concerned, is how much it has cooled down this evening. At the moment Environment Canada is suggesting it is 12, but that it may go to as low as 8. I guess I may soon need to start thinking about moving my plants in to avoid frost.
-Early this evening, or maybe it was late this afternoon, I went for my daily walk along the waterfront. The number of cruise ships then in port immediately stood out. Actually, maybe it was just that there were multiple, large cruise ships.
I had the feeling that quite a bit of the harbour front traffic was related to the cruise ships. My sense was that people were heading back to their ship after a day on their feet in Halifax.
As I was heading back one the ships was in the process of leaving. The departure was actually quite impressive as the ship had to do a 180 and then immediately navigate around George's Island. Maybe the most impressive aspect of the entire manoeuvre was that it all took place in only a matter of minutes.
-As I was returning to our apartment I passed through a small park. I was immediately struck by the apparent similarities between photos of tobacco plants that I have seen and these plants. Anyway, now that I have had a chance to look at the plants a little more closely, and also examine a few more photos, I am pretty sure that HRM is growing tobacco, or a related plant, in at least one of its parks as a decorative plant.
-My own tobacco plants aren't as large as those that I spotted this evening, though they definitely are making some progress. I am hoping that in a few weeks they may even start to look a little like HRM's crop.
-The thesis party is still going strong. I think I will have to put in another few hours tonight before I can pack it in for the day.
-So far we have received no word from the Las Vegas contingent. I presume that this means that they managed to lose just about everything on their first afternoon and are now frantically trying to win their life savings back so they can save face. If this is the case I hope Neil isn't so frazzled that he strays from Blackjack and starts playing the slots or some other loser game.
-Most of the bean plants took quite a beating during our recent Hurricane. Fortunately, I don't think any of them were killed. Most of the other plants, because they were indoors, seem to have managed to pass through almost completely unfazed.
As things have gotten a bit cooler growth really seams to have slowed down. I think it would be nice if in the next few weeks would could get one last spurt of growth that would allow for the production of all kinds of consumables so that the entire effort can be justified.
-Early this evening, or maybe it was late this afternoon, I went for my daily walk along the waterfront. The number of cruise ships then in port immediately stood out. Actually, maybe it was just that there were multiple, large cruise ships.
I had the feeling that quite a bit of the harbour front traffic was related to the cruise ships. My sense was that people were heading back to their ship after a day on their feet in Halifax.
As I was heading back one the ships was in the process of leaving. The departure was actually quite impressive as the ship had to do a 180 and then immediately navigate around George's Island. Maybe the most impressive aspect of the entire manoeuvre was that it all took place in only a matter of minutes.
-As I was returning to our apartment I passed through a small park. I was immediately struck by the apparent similarities between photos of tobacco plants that I have seen and these plants. Anyway, now that I have had a chance to look at the plants a little more closely, and also examine a few more photos, I am pretty sure that HRM is growing tobacco, or a related plant, in at least one of its parks as a decorative plant.
-My own tobacco plants aren't as large as those that I spotted this evening, though they definitely are making some progress. I am hoping that in a few weeks they may even start to look a little like HRM's crop.
-The thesis party is still going strong. I think I will have to put in another few hours tonight before I can pack it in for the day.
-So far we have received no word from the Las Vegas contingent. I presume that this means that they managed to lose just about everything on their first afternoon and are now frantically trying to win their life savings back so they can save face. If this is the case I hope Neil isn't so frazzled that he strays from Blackjack and starts playing the slots or some other loser game.
-Most of the bean plants took quite a beating during our recent Hurricane. Fortunately, I don't think any of them were killed. Most of the other plants, because they were indoors, seem to have managed to pass through almost completely unfazed.
As things have gotten a bit cooler growth really seams to have slowed down. I think it would be nice if in the next few weeks would could get one last spurt of growth that would allow for the production of all kinds of consumables so that the entire effort can be justified.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 348 (Addenda)
-Shortly after my last post I realized that there were a few more pressing items that I meant to include.
-For the past few weeks I have been thinking that I don't wear ties frequently enough. Yesterday I decided that to day would be the day I would try to slip back into the habit. By evening I finally got around to putting on my shirt, tie, pants, and jacket.
Basically as soon as I was dressed I decided to start preparing dinner. Of course boiling water and then eating food made me uncomfortably warm and I had to remove the jacket and tie. Later in the evening, when everything had been returned to its proper place on my body, I went for a walk. By the time I got back was incredibly hot and uncomfortable. I had forgotten that my neck would get sweaty while wearing a tie. I may try this again in the near future, but the neck sweat issue may be the deal breaker.
-A few weeks ago I mentioned I acquired a Twitter account. For the most part I don't really post much or have any inclination to post. Occasionally I am struck with ideas for a post and am unable to focus until they have been tweeted. Anyway, I had such an idea today.
While in retrospect it may not be as funny as I originally thought, I still think it merits a RT here. Anyway the post was: S brk h cn't ffrd vwls.
Do people get it? I feel that I should give people a chance to try to get it before I explain it.
-For the past few days I have been trying to reduce my beef consumption. Unfortunately this has been rather difficult as there are all kinds of beef-based left-overs in the fridge.
-A few days ago I learned about a CBC application for iPhones/iPod Touches that allows users to listen to streaming versions of Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, and television audio. The problem with this service, rather than the idea, is that the available streams are incredibly limited. St. John's, Halifax, and Montreal are all unavailable. Amazingly, Goose Bay, Inuvik, Iqaluit, Whitehorse, and Yellowknife are all available (though I imagine that their combined population may not be as large as even St. John's). More great attention to listener's interests by the CBC. Isn't it great that they provide the signals that are of the most interest to people with the least access to wireless/iPhone service?
-For the past few weeks I have been thinking that I don't wear ties frequently enough. Yesterday I decided that to day would be the day I would try to slip back into the habit. By evening I finally got around to putting on my shirt, tie, pants, and jacket.
Basically as soon as I was dressed I decided to start preparing dinner. Of course boiling water and then eating food made me uncomfortably warm and I had to remove the jacket and tie. Later in the evening, when everything had been returned to its proper place on my body, I went for a walk. By the time I got back was incredibly hot and uncomfortable. I had forgotten that my neck would get sweaty while wearing a tie. I may try this again in the near future, but the neck sweat issue may be the deal breaker.
-A few weeks ago I mentioned I acquired a Twitter account. For the most part I don't really post much or have any inclination to post. Occasionally I am struck with ideas for a post and am unable to focus until they have been tweeted. Anyway, I had such an idea today.
While in retrospect it may not be as funny as I originally thought, I still think it merits a RT here. Anyway the post was: S brk h cn't ffrd vwls.
Do people get it? I feel that I should give people a chance to try to get it before I explain it.
-For the past few days I have been trying to reduce my beef consumption. Unfortunately this has been rather difficult as there are all kinds of beef-based left-overs in the fridge.
-A few days ago I learned about a CBC application for iPhones/iPod Touches that allows users to listen to streaming versions of Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, and television audio. The problem with this service, rather than the idea, is that the available streams are incredibly limited. St. John's, Halifax, and Montreal are all unavailable. Amazingly, Goose Bay, Inuvik, Iqaluit, Whitehorse, and Yellowknife are all available (though I imagine that their combined population may not be as large as even St. John's). More great attention to listener's interests by the CBC. Isn't it great that they provide the signals that are of the most interest to people with the least access to wireless/iPhone service?
A Few Quick Notes 348
-The past few days have been great, at least by my standards. Things have been comfortably cool, but not cold. Furthermore, while the skies have been overcast rain hasn't been a problem. This type of weather is so much better than the 30 degree heat we had just a few days ago.
-Wow, some excitement near Dal.
-Neil and Rebecca seem to have safely arrived in Las Vegas. Sadly, I haven't heard anything else from them, nor have I seen any blog related activity from them. Presumably if I badger Neil enough he will just give in and start to post more?
-This is hilarious. I would have thought the they might have tried to put more effort on retaining the young adults that already live here before looking abroad. On a related front, I can't imagine that having some of this highest tuition rates in the country is helping attract youth from the rest of Canada to Nova Scotia.
No jobs and expensive tuition really doesn't seem to be a winning strategy to attract young adults to a region, but to each their own.
-I made a big batch of beans yesterday. I am hoping that they will last me for a few days and allow me to cut down on my food prep time. I can then invest these time saving directly in my thesis (or naps).
Actually, the thesis party has been getting a fair bit of my attention, more than I might have expected when I decided to throw the thesis party. I guess having the place to myself has been surprisingly good for my productivity. Now if I could just get the internet to eliminate streaming video content I could really focus on this thesis.
-For the past day or so my wireless connection has been horrible. Every few minutes it cuts out and I have to fool around to get it back. This is really starting to get on my nerves.
-The woman who has been taking her dog to urinate on the green space in front of my window has finally started to use plastic bags on a regular basis. I think it is safe to assume that this change was due to my public shaming on this blog.
Tonight she decided to play with her dog in front of my window. That I see her on a regular basis makes me feel like a bit of a creeper. I keep having to remind myself that I am in no way altering my behaviour to try and observe her, but rather that she is actively deciding to keep coming back the area across from my window. I never imagined it would be so easy to feel like a weirdo by doing nothing more than sitting at my desk and staring at a cement wall.
-Wow, some excitement near Dal.
-Neil and Rebecca seem to have safely arrived in Las Vegas. Sadly, I haven't heard anything else from them, nor have I seen any blog related activity from them. Presumably if I badger Neil enough he will just give in and start to post more?
-This is hilarious. I would have thought the they might have tried to put more effort on retaining the young adults that already live here before looking abroad. On a related front, I can't imagine that having some of this highest tuition rates in the country is helping attract youth from the rest of Canada to Nova Scotia.
No jobs and expensive tuition really doesn't seem to be a winning strategy to attract young adults to a region, but to each their own.
-I made a big batch of beans yesterday. I am hoping that they will last me for a few days and allow me to cut down on my food prep time. I can then invest these time saving directly in my thesis (or naps).
Actually, the thesis party has been getting a fair bit of my attention, more than I might have expected when I decided to throw the thesis party. I guess having the place to myself has been surprisingly good for my productivity. Now if I could just get the internet to eliminate streaming video content I could really focus on this thesis.
-For the past day or so my wireless connection has been horrible. Every few minutes it cuts out and I have to fool around to get it back. This is really starting to get on my nerves.
-The woman who has been taking her dog to urinate on the green space in front of my window has finally started to use plastic bags on a regular basis. I think it is safe to assume that this change was due to my public shaming on this blog.
Tonight she decided to play with her dog in front of my window. That I see her on a regular basis makes me feel like a bit of a creeper. I keep having to remind myself that I am in no way altering my behaviour to try and observe her, but rather that she is actively deciding to keep coming back the area across from my window. I never imagined it would be so easy to feel like a weirdo by doing nothing more than sitting at my desk and staring at a cement wall.
Internet scammers might be after your money
In a break with tradition, I am going to try to include a post that may actually be of interest to people other than my friends and family.
This morning as I was checking my email I found that I had received a message from my father. He was forwarding me a message from a mutual acquaintance that looked a little suspicious. As soon as I read the message I noticed that it was almost identical to messages associated with new scam I recently read about.
The scam works by obtaining access to an email account. Message are then sent to the person's contact list. The message suggests that the account holder is traveling and run into trouble overseas. The idea is that you send the person money to help them get out of a bind. In this case, they were looking for about $2000 dollars, supposedly to cover hotel costs so the person could have their travel documents returned to them.
Of course all of this was a lie.
The person from whom the message was supposedly sent was not in trouble (though the matter was confused because the person was traveling, giving the message an air or reality).
Fortunately, in this case, the family of the person in whose name the scam was being committed figured out that it was a scam almost instantly. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to determine if any of the person's contact's were duped as the family doesn't have access to his email account.
Anyway, just thought that you might want to be on the look out for such email or at least know that they are circulating, seemingly with some frequency (later in the day a similar scam was reported upon by CBC Newfoundland).
I think what disgusts me about this particular scam, unlike the Nigerian money scam, is that this one plays on people's goodwill towards their friends (instead of personal greed). Sadly, such a scam is likely going to make it more difficult for people to get money while overseas when they actually need it.
This morning as I was checking my email I found that I had received a message from my father. He was forwarding me a message from a mutual acquaintance that looked a little suspicious. As soon as I read the message I noticed that it was almost identical to messages associated with new scam I recently read about.
The scam works by obtaining access to an email account. Message are then sent to the person's contact list. The message suggests that the account holder is traveling and run into trouble overseas. The idea is that you send the person money to help them get out of a bind. In this case, they were looking for about $2000 dollars, supposedly to cover hotel costs so the person could have their travel documents returned to them.
Of course all of this was a lie.
The person from whom the message was supposedly sent was not in trouble (though the matter was confused because the person was traveling, giving the message an air or reality).
Fortunately, in this case, the family of the person in whose name the scam was being committed figured out that it was a scam almost instantly. Unfortunately, it may be difficult to determine if any of the person's contact's were duped as the family doesn't have access to his email account.
Anyway, just thought that you might want to be on the look out for such email or at least know that they are circulating, seemingly with some frequency (later in the day a similar scam was reported upon by CBC Newfoundland).
I think what disgusts me about this particular scam, unlike the Nigerian money scam, is that this one plays on people's goodwill towards their friends (instead of personal greed). Sadly, such a scam is likely going to make it more difficult for people to get money while overseas when they actually need it.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Let's get this (thesis) party started
So Neil and Rebecca will be heading off to sunny Las Vegas for a week in a few hours. The main consequence for me is that I am now free to throw a week-long thesis party while I have the apartment to myself. For the most part I plan on hopping between a few quick shots of supplementary reading and some slow, sensuous editing. It is going to be a week-long thesis party like no other. I can't wait for the fun to start. Actually, in case I am being watched, I should acknowledge that I have actually already started the thesis party, though it isn't quite as happening as I would like it to be (maybe I should do a few a few quick lines of writing to speed things up).
To free me from my blogging obligations and responsibilities, which will allow me to focus all of my energies on the thesis party, I have asked that Neil try to make regular posts from Nevada. While he has suggested that this may be difficult as he doesn't expect to have regular internet access, I am hoping that Rebecca will be able to guilt him into at least a few posts (which will hopefully contain photos).
If he doesn't make the requested posts, I hope that he at least the legal limit of cheap American beer or a few bottles of MD 20/20 (or some Wild Irish Rose).
For those of you wondering, it seems unlikely that Neil and Rebecca will have the chance to engage in legal prostitution related activities, or even just see a brothel as, at least according to the Wiggy, prostitution appears to be illegal in the Las Vegas area.
To free me from my blogging obligations and responsibilities, which will allow me to focus all of my energies on the thesis party, I have asked that Neil try to make regular posts from Nevada. While he has suggested that this may be difficult as he doesn't expect to have regular internet access, I am hoping that Rebecca will be able to guilt him into at least a few posts (which will hopefully contain photos).
If he doesn't make the requested posts, I hope that he at least the legal limit of cheap American beer or a few bottles of MD 20/20 (or some Wild Irish Rose).
For those of you wondering, it seems unlikely that Neil and Rebecca will have the chance to engage in legal prostitution related activities, or even just see a brothel as, at least according to the Wiggy, prostitution appears to be illegal in the Las Vegas area.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Hurricane Bill: live update 8
Neil and I just returned from our walk. Though it probably wouldn't have been advised, we ended up walking along the waterfront, just to check out what was happening. As we were walking along the waterfront we encountered a surprisingly large number of individuals, given the conditions. A number of the people we saw were much less safety conscious than we were and were on the edges of wharfs jutting out into the harbour. Neil and I were both particularly taken with one guy who simply seemed to be riding a section of floating dock (as might be clear in this short clip).
As we continued our walk we were a little surprised to see what appeared to be a wharf support beam floating in the water. Neil held on to part of the wharf structure to examine the debris.
As we were making our way back we passed the Split Crow and saw that it was open. As it was still raining heavily and as neither Neil nor I had been there before we decided to go in to get of the rain for a while. As we were sitting there we noticed that they were showing the Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Bill. After a while they cut to a live shot of a reporter in downtown Halifax. Neil recognized the location and commented that one could likely enter the shot if they were so inclined.
The second time the same reporter from the same location Neil decided to see if he could make it. Unfortunately he got a bit of a late start and did not make it to the location before they cut away to another aspect of their coverage.
As soon as this reporter came on for a third time Neil ran out of the bar and towards the shot. Moments after he ran out of the bar the bartender asked if he was running to get in the shot. Moments later he appeared on screen as a yellow flash. When he returned he received applause from one of the customers but sat down and continued eating his meal as if nothing had happened.
By the time we were ready to leave the Split Crow things had really calmed down. Actually, I might go so far as to say that they had almost completely calmed down. Aside from a few leaves on the ground it would even be hard to tell that we had been subject to high winds and rain for the better part of the morning.
One of the few signs of strange wave activity that we did see was on part of the waterfront wharf, where some seaweed and debris had been washed ashore.
Anyway, as things seemed to have wound down I will probably wind down my live storm coverage. If things pick up again, though I don't expect them to, I may try to recommence Montifax's coverage. If possible I may try to get Neil to submit a re-cap report from his perspective (though I can't imagine that my likelihood of success if particularly high).
Hope you enjoyed our live coverage.
As we continued our walk we were a little surprised to see what appeared to be a wharf support beam floating in the water. Neil held on to part of the wharf structure to examine the debris.
As we were making our way back we passed the Split Crow and saw that it was open. As it was still raining heavily and as neither Neil nor I had been there before we decided to go in to get of the rain for a while. As we were sitting there we noticed that they were showing the Weather Channel coverage of Hurricane Bill. After a while they cut to a live shot of a reporter in downtown Halifax. Neil recognized the location and commented that one could likely enter the shot if they were so inclined.
The second time the same reporter from the same location Neil decided to see if he could make it. Unfortunately he got a bit of a late start and did not make it to the location before they cut away to another aspect of their coverage.
As soon as this reporter came on for a third time Neil ran out of the bar and towards the shot. Moments after he ran out of the bar the bartender asked if he was running to get in the shot. Moments later he appeared on screen as a yellow flash. When he returned he received applause from one of the customers but sat down and continued eating his meal as if nothing had happened.
By the time we were ready to leave the Split Crow things had really calmed down. Actually, I might go so far as to say that they had almost completely calmed down. Aside from a few leaves on the ground it would even be hard to tell that we had been subject to high winds and rain for the better part of the morning.
One of the few signs of strange wave activity that we did see was on part of the waterfront wharf, where some seaweed and debris had been washed ashore.
Anyway, as things seemed to have wound down I will probably wind down my live storm coverage. If things pick up again, though I don't expect them to, I may try to recommence Montifax's coverage. If possible I may try to get Neil to submit a re-cap report from his perspective (though I can't imagine that my likelihood of success if particularly high).
Hope you enjoyed our live coverage.
Hurricane Bill: live update 7
Still no power.
We are going to turn off the battery back-up soon so you may not hear from us for a while.
Storm is still going strong.
We are going to turn off the battery back-up soon so you may not hear from us for a while.
Storm is still going strong.
Hurricane Bill: live update 6
We just lost power.
Things are still gusty and rainy.
Neil and I are likely going to go our for a walk shortly.
I will have to keep these short as we are on battery back-up now.
Things are still gusty and rainy.
Neil and I are likely going to go our for a walk shortly.
I will have to keep these short as we are on battery back-up now.
Hurricane Bill: live update 5
We just had our first power flicker a few seconds ago.
It also seems that there are a few power outages cropping up across Nova Scotia according to Nova Scotia Power's Live Outage Map.
Not surprisingly, the wind and rain have continued and are relatively intense.
Neil and I have been passing some of our time by watching quality YouTube videos. I was hit with a flash of nostalgia when Neil and I watched the Man vs. Beast clip of a bear competing in an eating contest against Kobayashi.
[Embedded video]
We are now in the midst of watching the YouTube classic Battle at Kruger.
[Embedded video]
It also seems that there are a few power outages cropping up across Nova Scotia according to Nova Scotia Power's Live Outage Map.
Not surprisingly, the wind and rain have continued and are relatively intense.
Neil and I have been passing some of our time by watching quality YouTube videos. I was hit with a flash of nostalgia when Neil and I watched the Man vs. Beast clip of a bear competing in an eating contest against Kobayashi.
[Embedded video]
We are now in the midst of watching the YouTube classic Battle at Kruger.
[Embedded video]
Hurricane Bill: live update 4
While I was able to get back to sleep for a while, eventually the somewhat regular blasts of wind got to me and I had to admit to myself that I was no longer really asleep, or likely to be able to go back to sleep.
Anyway, we are definitely in the midst of it now. There are gusts of very strong wind accompanied by pretty heavy rain.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
This is a quick video clip taken from our balcony.
[Embedded video]
Those of you who have been following my posts may recall that in my last post I mentioned that we were then between two sections (not the technical term) of the storm, which explained why it was calm but had been storm-like. It seems that neither Neil nor Rebecca had read this post and made their way out for breakfast while I returned to bed. While things were calm and dry on their way there, on their way back home they were nailed. To be fair, I am not sure that the knowledge that we were between two sections of the storm would have changed their behaviour.
I guess I should go and get something to eat.
Anyway, we are definitely in the midst of it now. There are gusts of very strong wind accompanied by pretty heavy rain.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
This is a quick video clip taken from our balcony.
[Embedded video]
Those of you who have been following my posts may recall that in my last post I mentioned that we were then between two sections (not the technical term) of the storm, which explained why it was calm but had been storm-like. It seems that neither Neil nor Rebecca had read this post and made their way out for breakfast while I returned to bed. While things were calm and dry on their way there, on their way back home they were nailed. To be fair, I am not sure that the knowledge that we were between two sections of the storm would have changed their behaviour.
I guess I should go and get something to eat.
Hurricane Bill: live update 3
At about 5:40 AM I was woken up, presumably, by noise caused by the storm. At the time it was quite windy and raining (though it was clear that it neither were likely to be sustained for any period of time). It was strangely comforting to know that something had arrived, maybe only because it shed light on what would be happening to the Ultimate tournament.
When I awoke a few minutes ago to check on the status of the Ultimate tournament I found that the city has closed the fields for today, though they didn't make the call until 6:53 AM. Our Ultimate league has not, as far as I can tell, posted this information on their website.
Presently we seem to be in a lull. A part of the storm seems to have passed over us, but we have not yet been visited by the main section of the storm. This image shows the situation pretty clearly.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
The newest chart from the National Hurricane Center seems to suggest that while it will be close by, the eye of the storm won't exactly hit Halifax, which is good for us.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
Anyway, now that I know I don't have Ultimate today I will be heading back to bed for a few hours. I guess we might have a better handle on things at that point in time, though I guess even by then the eye of the storm may not have passed us completely.
When I awoke a few minutes ago to check on the status of the Ultimate tournament I found that the city has closed the fields for today, though they didn't make the call until 6:53 AM. Our Ultimate league has not, as far as I can tell, posted this information on their website.
Presently we seem to be in a lull. A part of the storm seems to have passed over us, but we have not yet been visited by the main section of the storm. This image shows the situation pretty clearly.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
The newest chart from the National Hurricane Center seems to suggest that while it will be close by, the eye of the storm won't exactly hit Halifax, which is good for us.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
Anyway, now that I know I don't have Ultimate today I will be heading back to bed for a few hours. I guess we might have a better handle on things at that point in time, though I guess even by then the eye of the storm may not have passed us completely.
Hurricane Bill: live update 2
We should now be another hour or so closer to the storm but things are still quite calm in Halifax. Actually, the complete stillness of the night is quite impressive.
I am really going to be screwed when I have to get up in less than 5 hours.
I am really going to be screwed when I have to get up in less than 5 hours.
Hurricane Bill: live update 1
So maybe this is a little premature seeing that Hurricane Bill hasn't actually started to negatively impact Halifax yet, but I thought that I should maybe log one or two pre-storm entries just to provide a baseline against which the severity of the storm might be judged.
So I guess I should describe the current conditions. At the moment it is in the low twenties with a slight to non-existent breeze. My sense of things is that the humidity is pretty high, though it is definitely not raining. All things considered, I am quite surprised that it is this warm so late in the day. Normally it cools of a little more. It certainly doesn't feel as though doom is just a few hours away. (The same can't be said for other parts of Nova Scotia)
Anyway, things seem to be on track for a Hurricane Bill's arrival mid-day on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center charts seem to suggest that the eye of the storm will be passing not too far from the South coast of Nova Scotia, which is where I happen to live. Furthermore, it seems that the storm is a few hundred kilometers wide, which means that even if it doesn't make landfall in Nova Scotia we should still be able to feel its effects.
This is the most recent predicted path from the National Hurricane Center, as you can see, things don't look particularly good for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
The Environment Canada satellite imagery also doesn't paint a particularly appealing picture.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
As it is now approximately 1:00 AM on Sunday morning I don't think I will be able to pick up any more emergency supplies before the storm hits, if it is to hit, but I may try to fill up a few bottles with water.
A few hours ago I did move a few more of my plants inside. I am a little worried about those plants still on the balcony but I am not sure that there is much I can do at the moment. In the morning I will have to assess the situation and see if anything needs to be taken down or moved inside. Hopefully we are all overreacting and I can leave everything where it is.
I guess I should also mention that Neil and I are presently scheduled to have our Ultimate play-offs tomorrow on the Commons. My guess is that they will be cancelled either before they start or not too long after they start. Unfortunately, I am likely going to have to get up at 7:00 just to learn whether or not I then have to make the walk over to the Commons just to learn that I will have the pleasure of walking home. As you might have been able to sense, I am not to enthused about the prospect of the games going ahead tomorrow.
For those of you who intend on following our live coverage of Hurricane Bill you may be interested to know that most of the posts likely won't be this long. It is my intention to try to include visual content, either photos or storm images, throughout the day.
So I guess I should describe the current conditions. At the moment it is in the low twenties with a slight to non-existent breeze. My sense of things is that the humidity is pretty high, though it is definitely not raining. All things considered, I am quite surprised that it is this warm so late in the day. Normally it cools of a little more. It certainly doesn't feel as though doom is just a few hours away. (The same can't be said for other parts of Nova Scotia)
Anyway, things seem to be on track for a Hurricane Bill's arrival mid-day on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center charts seem to suggest that the eye of the storm will be passing not too far from the South coast of Nova Scotia, which is where I happen to live. Furthermore, it seems that the storm is a few hundred kilometers wide, which means that even if it doesn't make landfall in Nova Scotia we should still be able to feel its effects.
This is the most recent predicted path from the National Hurricane Center, as you can see, things don't look particularly good for Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
The Environment Canada satellite imagery also doesn't paint a particularly appealing picture.
(Source: Environment Canada, Satellite Images)
As it is now approximately 1:00 AM on Sunday morning I don't think I will be able to pick up any more emergency supplies before the storm hits, if it is to hit, but I may try to fill up a few bottles with water.
A few hours ago I did move a few more of my plants inside. I am a little worried about those plants still on the balcony but I am not sure that there is much I can do at the moment. In the morning I will have to assess the situation and see if anything needs to be taken down or moved inside. Hopefully we are all overreacting and I can leave everything where it is.
I guess I should also mention that Neil and I are presently scheduled to have our Ultimate play-offs tomorrow on the Commons. My guess is that they will be cancelled either before they start or not too long after they start. Unfortunately, I am likely going to have to get up at 7:00 just to learn whether or not I then have to make the walk over to the Commons just to learn that I will have the pleasure of walking home. As you might have been able to sense, I am not to enthused about the prospect of the games going ahead tomorrow.
For those of you who intend on following our live coverage of Hurricane Bill you may be interested to know that most of the posts likely won't be this long. It is my intention to try to include visual content, either photos or storm images, throughout the day.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 347
-Today (Friday) was another scorcher, though maybe not as bad as some of the 30 plus days of early this week. Actually, if one managed to stay out of the direct sun and find some of the breeze things weren't too bad. As the day has made its routine transition to night things have become a little moister. Given that the breeze has died this means relatively unpleasant/humid conditions.
-As bad as the weather has been for the past few days it seems ready to get a little worse. Hurricane Bill appears to be heading towards the south coast of Nova Scotia, which obviously includes Halifax with it. The National Hurricane Center seems to be suggesting that the storm will hit sometime on Sunday and then move on to Cape Breton by Sunday evening.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
-Dalhousie was kind enough to send me an email with suggestions about how to prepare for an event. Though we aren't particularly worried about the storm nailing us to heavily we have taken a few precautions. We made sure to head to the NSLC to pick up some beer before there is a run on it tomorrow afternoon. Additionally, we have thought about how we will go about storing water in the off chance we lose power and water. Fortunately, just a few days ago we purchased 24 litres of carbonated water, which should put us in a good place for drinking water if we manage to lose power. Aside from food, which we would be buying anyway, the only additional purchase we might make is a little more propane, just incase we lose power and are forced to use our grill for a few days.
As of yet we haven't decided whether we will try to live blog the hurricane or not, if we do it should be pretty obvious that we are, and if not, it should be pretty obvious that we aren't. Anyway, the only confusion might come if we are trying to live blog the hurricane but then manage to lose power and internet part way through. If we aren't live blogging the storm and are curious about power outages and whatnot, you may want to check out Nova Scotia Power's live outage map (which is of little use if you lose power).
-This afternoon, after Neil and Rebecca did some preliminary scouting, Neil and I went to a soon-to-be-closing bookstore and purchased a used table for $20 and used cooler for $10. The table is about as wide as our current dining room table, but about an inch and a half shorter. It is the same height as our card table, but about 2 inches narrower.
The table and cooler are presently in the living room. We have put our big plant on top of the table and then placed our junk pile (including the cooler) underneath. My suggestion was that we get some fabric and drape it around the table to hide the stuff we are hiding underneath, though as of right now we have no plans to go fabric shopping.
-We had some rather tasty roast beef for dinner last night. Tonight we had pinwheels. Sadly, such beef rich meals may be a thing of the past for me as it is possible that I may have to go on a reduced beef diet in the near future in an attempt to reduce the frequency with which I form kidney stones.
-In yesterday's post I linked to the Google Voice blog. It seems that they have a feature that shows who has linked to particular posts below the individual posts. Subsequently, as a consequence of my linking to one of their posts, we had a strange surge of traffic based on people following their link to my post which occurred because I linked to their post. Seems like a bit of a quid pro quo arrangement to create internet traffic circles and improve everybody's PageRank.
-As bad as the weather has been for the past few days it seems ready to get a little worse. Hurricane Bill appears to be heading towards the south coast of Nova Scotia, which obviously includes Halifax with it. The National Hurricane Center seems to be suggesting that the storm will hit sometime on Sunday and then move on to Cape Breton by Sunday evening.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
-Dalhousie was kind enough to send me an email with suggestions about how to prepare for an event. Though we aren't particularly worried about the storm nailing us to heavily we have taken a few precautions. We made sure to head to the NSLC to pick up some beer before there is a run on it tomorrow afternoon. Additionally, we have thought about how we will go about storing water in the off chance we lose power and water. Fortunately, just a few days ago we purchased 24 litres of carbonated water, which should put us in a good place for drinking water if we manage to lose power. Aside from food, which we would be buying anyway, the only additional purchase we might make is a little more propane, just incase we lose power and are forced to use our grill for a few days.
As of yet we haven't decided whether we will try to live blog the hurricane or not, if we do it should be pretty obvious that we are, and if not, it should be pretty obvious that we aren't. Anyway, the only confusion might come if we are trying to live blog the hurricane but then manage to lose power and internet part way through. If we aren't live blogging the storm and are curious about power outages and whatnot, you may want to check out Nova Scotia Power's live outage map (which is of little use if you lose power).
-This afternoon, after Neil and Rebecca did some preliminary scouting, Neil and I went to a soon-to-be-closing bookstore and purchased a used table for $20 and used cooler for $10. The table is about as wide as our current dining room table, but about an inch and a half shorter. It is the same height as our card table, but about 2 inches narrower.
The table and cooler are presently in the living room. We have put our big plant on top of the table and then placed our junk pile (including the cooler) underneath. My suggestion was that we get some fabric and drape it around the table to hide the stuff we are hiding underneath, though as of right now we have no plans to go fabric shopping.
-We had some rather tasty roast beef for dinner last night. Tonight we had pinwheels. Sadly, such beef rich meals may be a thing of the past for me as it is possible that I may have to go on a reduced beef diet in the near future in an attempt to reduce the frequency with which I form kidney stones.
-In yesterday's post I linked to the Google Voice blog. It seems that they have a feature that shows who has linked to particular posts below the individual posts. Subsequently, as a consequence of my linking to one of their posts, we had a strange surge of traffic based on people following their link to my post which occurred because I linked to their post. Seems like a bit of a quid pro quo arrangement to create internet traffic circles and improve everybody's PageRank.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Balcony Garden Update 10
So, for one reason or another it has been a while since I last posted an update on my container garden. I was motivated to do so today as we are expecting a hurricane to hit Halifax this weekend, so I am not sure what I might lose in the very near future and I thought that I might as well document what I have right now.
As has been the case for the past few weeks, things have really been growing quickly. One of the neatest developments, at least in my opinion, is that the thunbergia and the scarlet runner beans have finally met in the middle of the balcony. It is rather unfortunate that I may have to take both sets of plants down if the weather is as bad as forecast. I guess I can at least be satisfied that my plan did work.
The thunbergia have really been growing quite quickly for the past few days. Though the vine-like aspects of the plant are now clear, I still haven't seen any sign of flowers (probably in excruciating detail).
The morning glory plants are another of types of plants that have really been thriving these past few weeks, though still without signs of flowers. I kind of wish that I had known how well this would do as I think I would have planted them instead of the thunbergia and been much further ahead. I guess I will know this for next year.
My radishes seem to have rather impressive foliage, but I am not sure that any of them are really developing much underground. I imagine that this lack of development is due to both overcrowding and an insufficiently deep pot. I really should have know that radishes aren't an appropriate container garden vegetable. To be far to myself, I guess I already knew this but happened to have the seeds on hand so I thought I would give it a shot, even if only to have the foliage.
The scarlet runner bean in the planter as well as those in the pots on the balcony wall have been doing quite well recently. The plants in the pots, which are a few weeks older, have been blooming regularly for a few weeks now and have started to produce beans on a pretty regular basis.
A few days ago I was able to harvest a few of the beans. They were pretty tasty.
The peas have now been producing peas for a number of weeks, and are continuing to do so at a pretty steady rate. I imagine that I will be able to harvest a few more pea pods before the plants succumb to frost.
The broccoli and cauliflower plants (I don't know which one these are) seem to be doing well if height and leaf production are appropriate indicators of plant development. Unfortunately, I haven't yet seen evidence of consumable components, but I hope these appear soon. For some reason these plants seem to be victimized by leaf eating insects/bugs. In some cases almost the entirety of the leaf is consumed overnight.
The watermelon plants have taken off in the past week or two. I think that I may even have uncovered a few things that may be the early stages of blooms. Unfortunately it is pretty clear that these plants won't produce viable watermelons before they will have to be moved inside for the fall (and even then they may remain unproductive).
The banana plant has continued to produce new large leaves at a pretty regular rate. Furthermore, the new pups are also coming along nicely. Hopefully I will get around to transplanting the pups in the near future as I get the sense that they are starting to run out of room in their present locations.
The tomato plants are now quite tall and unwieldy. I have no idea what to do when them as they keep collapsing and breaking their stalks. The only thing I have managed to do is wedge them in corners, as can be seen here, so that they can at least gain some support from the walls. Given their size I am particularly worried about how they will fare during the expected hurricane.
Amazingly, through all of the collapses and set-backs, the fruit on most of the tomato plants continues to grow. I think that in total there must be close to 2 dozen tomatoes at various stages. The smallest are only a few millimeters across while some of the largest are approaching the size of a small plum.
My oldest pepper plant has grown quite tall in the past few weeks. While a number of flowers have developed, all have fallen off before turning into fruit. Clearly something is wrong with this scene but I don't quite know what to do. I am hoping that the other pepper plants that I have won't have the same problem.
Shortly after these photos were taken I moved a number of the plants indoors to the plant shelf in the living room. Much to my surprise, I was able to fit most of the plants on the top two shelves. Hopefully this temporary move will save them from the damage that they might otherwise sustain were they to be left outside for the hurricane.
Hopefully I remember to water all of these plants.
In case you are curious, this is what the balcony looks like now. Only a few of the plants remain. Sadly, I am expecting that most of the plants that do remain will end up either wrecked by the hurricane, or that I will have to cut them down if the storm gets bad.
I will let you know what happens.
As has been the case for the past few weeks, things have really been growing quickly. One of the neatest developments, at least in my opinion, is that the thunbergia and the scarlet runner beans have finally met in the middle of the balcony. It is rather unfortunate that I may have to take both sets of plants down if the weather is as bad as forecast. I guess I can at least be satisfied that my plan did work.
The thunbergia have really been growing quite quickly for the past few days. Though the vine-like aspects of the plant are now clear, I still haven't seen any sign of flowers (probably in excruciating detail).
The morning glory plants are another of types of plants that have really been thriving these past few weeks, though still without signs of flowers. I kind of wish that I had known how well this would do as I think I would have planted them instead of the thunbergia and been much further ahead. I guess I will know this for next year.
My radishes seem to have rather impressive foliage, but I am not sure that any of them are really developing much underground. I imagine that this lack of development is due to both overcrowding and an insufficiently deep pot. I really should have know that radishes aren't an appropriate container garden vegetable. To be far to myself, I guess I already knew this but happened to have the seeds on hand so I thought I would give it a shot, even if only to have the foliage.
The scarlet runner bean in the planter as well as those in the pots on the balcony wall have been doing quite well recently. The plants in the pots, which are a few weeks older, have been blooming regularly for a few weeks now and have started to produce beans on a pretty regular basis.
A few days ago I was able to harvest a few of the beans. They were pretty tasty.
The peas have now been producing peas for a number of weeks, and are continuing to do so at a pretty steady rate. I imagine that I will be able to harvest a few more pea pods before the plants succumb to frost.
The broccoli and cauliflower plants (I don't know which one these are) seem to be doing well if height and leaf production are appropriate indicators of plant development. Unfortunately, I haven't yet seen evidence of consumable components, but I hope these appear soon. For some reason these plants seem to be victimized by leaf eating insects/bugs. In some cases almost the entirety of the leaf is consumed overnight.
The watermelon plants have taken off in the past week or two. I think that I may even have uncovered a few things that may be the early stages of blooms. Unfortunately it is pretty clear that these plants won't produce viable watermelons before they will have to be moved inside for the fall (and even then they may remain unproductive).
The banana plant has continued to produce new large leaves at a pretty regular rate. Furthermore, the new pups are also coming along nicely. Hopefully I will get around to transplanting the pups in the near future as I get the sense that they are starting to run out of room in their present locations.
The tomato plants are now quite tall and unwieldy. I have no idea what to do when them as they keep collapsing and breaking their stalks. The only thing I have managed to do is wedge them in corners, as can be seen here, so that they can at least gain some support from the walls. Given their size I am particularly worried about how they will fare during the expected hurricane.
Amazingly, through all of the collapses and set-backs, the fruit on most of the tomato plants continues to grow. I think that in total there must be close to 2 dozen tomatoes at various stages. The smallest are only a few millimeters across while some of the largest are approaching the size of a small plum.
My oldest pepper plant has grown quite tall in the past few weeks. While a number of flowers have developed, all have fallen off before turning into fruit. Clearly something is wrong with this scene but I don't quite know what to do. I am hoping that the other pepper plants that I have won't have the same problem.
Shortly after these photos were taken I moved a number of the plants indoors to the plant shelf in the living room. Much to my surprise, I was able to fit most of the plants on the top two shelves. Hopefully this temporary move will save them from the damage that they might otherwise sustain were they to be left outside for the hurricane.
Hopefully I remember to water all of these plants.
In case you are curious, this is what the balcony looks like now. Only a few of the plants remain. Sadly, I am expecting that most of the plants that do remain will end up either wrecked by the hurricane, or that I will have to cut them down if the storm gets bad.
I will let you know what happens.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 346
-It seems that for the first time in a few days we have had a maximum temperature of less than 30. The other thing of note is that the thunderstorms that had been forecast for the past few days have not had the courtesy to show up. Now it seems that they are off of the forecast, at least for the time being.
-Yesterday Neil was kind enough to let me know that Google Voice is now offering free calls to Canada. This is great as both Neil and I have accounts. For those of you that don't yet have accounts with Google Voice, such accounts might be looking into, especially if you want free long distance and texting.
-In other Google related news, yesterday I read a blog post from Google about their ability to predict search trends. In the post they also mentioned Google Insights for Search, a product I had not previously heard of (though I had heard of Google Trends and Google Zeitgeist). Anyway, Google seems to be doing some neat things on the searching front, some of which may have some interesting implications.
-Over the past few days I have heard about a number of incidents involving people openly carrying guns at Obama-related events. While it seems clear that no laws are being broken, I do find the behaviour both dangerously aggressive and strange. While one may legally be able to do this, I really don't see how it helps the situation, even for the people with the guns. If this grows more popular it certainly could lead to a situation with disastrous consequences. (More original, Montifax only content).
-Yesterday Neil, Rebecca and I were talking about this year's crop of incoming university students. What was most striking about these students is that are the second cohort from the 1990s, something that was making us all feel relatively old. Today I came across the Mindset List, which outlines a number of things that have been true for duration of these students' lives, and that weren't true even a few years before. For instance, for those born in 1991 the Cold War and the Iron Curtain are historical facts rather than things that they were alive to experience. Anyway, I had fun browsing the list, though it also made me feel old.
-Yesterday Neil was kind enough to let me know that Google Voice is now offering free calls to Canada. This is great as both Neil and I have accounts. For those of you that don't yet have accounts with Google Voice, such accounts might be looking into, especially if you want free long distance and texting.
-In other Google related news, yesterday I read a blog post from Google about their ability to predict search trends. In the post they also mentioned Google Insights for Search, a product I had not previously heard of (though I had heard of Google Trends and Google Zeitgeist). Anyway, Google seems to be doing some neat things on the searching front, some of which may have some interesting implications.
-Over the past few days I have heard about a number of incidents involving people openly carrying guns at Obama-related events. While it seems clear that no laws are being broken, I do find the behaviour both dangerously aggressive and strange. While one may legally be able to do this, I really don't see how it helps the situation, even for the people with the guns. If this grows more popular it certainly could lead to a situation with disastrous consequences. (More original, Montifax only content).
-Yesterday Neil, Rebecca and I were talking about this year's crop of incoming university students. What was most striking about these students is that are the second cohort from the 1990s, something that was making us all feel relatively old. Today I came across the Mindset List, which outlines a number of things that have been true for duration of these students' lives, and that weren't true even a few years before. For instance, for those born in 1991 the Cold War and the Iron Curtain are historical facts rather than things that they were alive to experience. Anyway, I had fun browsing the list, though it also made me feel old.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 345
-We had another 30 plus day today. My feeling is that it may have been even more unpleasant than yesterday, though it could just be that I am a little less tolerant of such weather the longer it goes on. Either way, this is definitely not fun and I am looking forward to a return to cooler temperatures.
-I was surprised to see that CBC was reporting that the temperatures were to fall, presumably sometime today (though the specifics seem to be scant). Sadly, the predicted cooling thunderstorms have not yet arrived, and, according to my reading of the most recent satellite imagery, don't even seem to be anywhere near Halifax. On top of that, the Environment Canada forecast for tomorrow is for it to be basically as warm tomorrow as it has been today.
-I repotted a few of my tobacco plants today. Now all of the original paper pots have been killed off and we are not on to a variety of slightly larger and sturdier plastic pots. If all goes well, these pots will eventually be replaced by larger pots.
-During the past few days I have been listening to past episodes the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography's fortnightly podcast. It has taken me a while to get into this podcast, but I now am starting to appreciate how good it is. If you are interested in British history it is definitely worth checking out.
-I was surprised to see that CBC was reporting that the temperatures were to fall, presumably sometime today (though the specifics seem to be scant). Sadly, the predicted cooling thunderstorms have not yet arrived, and, according to my reading of the most recent satellite imagery, don't even seem to be anywhere near Halifax. On top of that, the Environment Canada forecast for tomorrow is for it to be basically as warm tomorrow as it has been today.
-I repotted a few of my tobacco plants today. Now all of the original paper pots have been killed off and we are not on to a variety of slightly larger and sturdier plastic pots. If all goes well, these pots will eventually be replaced by larger pots.
-During the past few days I have been listening to past episodes the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography's fortnightly podcast. It has taken me a while to get into this podcast, but I now am starting to appreciate how good it is. If you are interested in British history it is definitely worth checking out.
Monday, August 17, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 344
-We reached 30 again today. This is now three days in a row that it has been at least 30 degrees or more. The worst part about the current weather is that things are getting more humid as the evening progresses. There is even a chance that this will all culminate in a thundershower, though as these have been predicted for the past few days without event I am not putting too much stock in the current forecast.
-Neil was teaching tonight so I did not prepare dinner. If I were to allow myself to grossly distort the situation and I would suggest that I felt like a domestic worker who had the night off after years of uninterrupted service, but I would never allow myself to do such a thing as I am nothing if not a slave to the truth (even if that truth comes in a slightly modified and manipulated form).
-Yesterday during our second Ultimate game I a player from the other team ran into me while I was attempting to catch the disc. I saw that we were about to collide just before the collision and was able to contort my body so that my point of contact was my left arm and shoulder. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for him, my opponent was unable to react in the same manner and ended up being hit in the chest. Though I don't know how he is feeling today, I know that I definitely have a decent bruise and a slight pain in my arm. Hopefully his chest isn't doing too badly today.
-I made it to my library carrel to put in a few hours of work this evening. The air conditioning alone makes the journey worthwhile. I think that I will have to try to head back tomorrow for a few hours.
-To help ratchet up our exciting score, it seems that Reader's Digest (the American one) will be filing for bankruptcy. Though this apparently won't mean the end of the magazine, I can't see how it can be a good sign. As the Guardian's story on the topic notes, they seem to have an aging readership. I have a very hard time imagining too many of my friends subscribing to the magazine, even if they would read it if they came. To be fair, I can't really see many of my friends subscribing to too many magazines. Equivalent online content seems to have superseded magazines for many members of my generation, or maybe it has been social networking sites that are taking the time that we once might have spent reading magazines. Either way, things don't seem to be looking up for print media (gems like this are why you keep coming back to Montifax).
-When I sat down to write this post I was hoping to have more juicy and exciting content. As the words began to flow it soon became clear that this, like the other posts, was likely going to be pretty tame. Sorry. If I come up with exciting, cutting-edge content late tonight I will do my best to post it as quickly as possible, until then you will have to make do with my rather low-key list of uneventful goings on.
-Neil was teaching tonight so I did not prepare dinner. If I were to allow myself to grossly distort the situation and I would suggest that I felt like a domestic worker who had the night off after years of uninterrupted service, but I would never allow myself to do such a thing as I am nothing if not a slave to the truth (even if that truth comes in a slightly modified and manipulated form).
-Yesterday during our second Ultimate game I a player from the other team ran into me while I was attempting to catch the disc. I saw that we were about to collide just before the collision and was able to contort my body so that my point of contact was my left arm and shoulder. Fortunately for me and unfortunately for him, my opponent was unable to react in the same manner and ended up being hit in the chest. Though I don't know how he is feeling today, I know that I definitely have a decent bruise and a slight pain in my arm. Hopefully his chest isn't doing too badly today.
-I made it to my library carrel to put in a few hours of work this evening. The air conditioning alone makes the journey worthwhile. I think that I will have to try to head back tomorrow for a few hours.
-To help ratchet up our exciting score, it seems that Reader's Digest (the American one) will be filing for bankruptcy. Though this apparently won't mean the end of the magazine, I can't see how it can be a good sign. As the Guardian's story on the topic notes, they seem to have an aging readership. I have a very hard time imagining too many of my friends subscribing to the magazine, even if they would read it if they came. To be fair, I can't really see many of my friends subscribing to too many magazines. Equivalent online content seems to have superseded magazines for many members of my generation, or maybe it has been social networking sites that are taking the time that we once might have spent reading magazines. Either way, things don't seem to be looking up for print media (gems like this are why you keep coming back to Montifax).
-When I sat down to write this post I was hoping to have more juicy and exciting content. As the words began to flow it soon became clear that this, like the other posts, was likely going to be pretty tame. Sorry. If I come up with exciting, cutting-edge content late tonight I will do my best to post it as quickly as possible, until then you will have to make do with my rather low-key list of uneventful goings on.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 343
-Though not as hot as yesterday, today was nonetheless quite hot. Given that there seemed to be a little less of a breeze at some points today it is possible that may have even been less pleasant. The other similarity with yesterday is that even though the temperature has dropped several degrees from the high and even though the sun has set, things are still quite warm and unpleasant. I fear that tomorrow may be even worse.
-It seems that the national NDP party did not change their name at their conference this week in Halifax. In the lead up to the convention there was some discussion that the party might drop the 'New' from their name. As someone who tends to like to leave things the way they are, I didn't really see what advantage the NDP might derive from such a change, it seemed that the only likely outcome would have been confusion among voters, potentially leading to a smaller share of the vote.
-We Ultimate team was scheduled to play a double header today starting at 4:00. Shortly after we arrived it became clear that the first team we were to play was not going to be able to field a full team and would thus be forfeiting. After a brief discussion with the opposing team we decided to mix the two teams up and play a scrap game. Though I made a few decent plays at the beginning of this game, my overall play was less than stellar.
Soon after our first game ended the team that we were supposed to play for the second game informed us that they too would not be able to field a full team and would be forfeiting. Instead of sticking around to play a scrap game this team decided to head out.
Our team then made its way to the other field at the facility where we divided ourselves and played with the first team and another team, neither of whom had enough to field a full team. The resulting game was quite fun. The best part was that as we had combined three teams we actually had enough people for subs and shifts and thus weren't required to play the full game in the heat. As everyone playing in our second game had played a double header we were all quite relieved when the end of the second game rolled around. It was rather unfortunate that we all had double headers on one of the hottest days of the year, seems like rather poor planning on the part of the league.
-This heat is really killing me. Even though I have a fan on, it seems that I am not doing much more than just blowing warm air on myself. Maybe I might try to sit on some ice cubes or something to cool myself down.
-It seems that the national NDP party did not change their name at their conference this week in Halifax. In the lead up to the convention there was some discussion that the party might drop the 'New' from their name. As someone who tends to like to leave things the way they are, I didn't really see what advantage the NDP might derive from such a change, it seemed that the only likely outcome would have been confusion among voters, potentially leading to a smaller share of the vote.
-We Ultimate team was scheduled to play a double header today starting at 4:00. Shortly after we arrived it became clear that the first team we were to play was not going to be able to field a full team and would thus be forfeiting. After a brief discussion with the opposing team we decided to mix the two teams up and play a scrap game. Though I made a few decent plays at the beginning of this game, my overall play was less than stellar.
Soon after our first game ended the team that we were supposed to play for the second game informed us that they too would not be able to field a full team and would be forfeiting. Instead of sticking around to play a scrap game this team decided to head out.
Our team then made its way to the other field at the facility where we divided ourselves and played with the first team and another team, neither of whom had enough to field a full team. The resulting game was quite fun. The best part was that as we had combined three teams we actually had enough people for subs and shifts and thus weren't required to play the full game in the heat. As everyone playing in our second game had played a double header we were all quite relieved when the end of the second game rolled around. It was rather unfortunate that we all had double headers on one of the hottest days of the year, seems like rather poor planning on the part of the league.
-This heat is really killing me. Even though I have a fan on, it seems that I am not doing much more than just blowing warm air on myself. Maybe I might try to sit on some ice cubes or something to cool myself down.
What a beautiful night in the neighbourhood
Things started to get a little strange at about 8:10 or so, just as the sun was starting to set and things were beginning to become darker.
I was working at my desk when I saw a tallish, seemingly inebriated young male approach the fence/rail outside of my window and proceed attempt to climb and then fall over the obstacle. After lying down on the cement for a few moments this individual made his way towards our balcony. As he moved out of my line of sight and into the range of my plants I was a little worried that he might knock things over or try to abscond with one or more of my plants.
It seems that this young man was actually just going to retrieve his hat, which must have been dropped from one of the floors above onto our balcony area, and which he returned to his head as he made his way back to the fence/rail.
A little later in the evening, maybe at about 10:00 I heard a clattering sound coming from our balcony. As Rebecca had almost simultaneously banged a drawer I assumed that that was in fact all I had heard. A little later in the evening, when I actually made it back to the balcony, I learned that someone had thrown an empty energy drink can onto our balcony, the first such incident since I have been living here. A little later I looked from our balcony to the parking lot below and noticed that about 10 cans had ended up there also.
Just before 2:30 I was lying in bed when I heard what sounded like an aerosol can being used. Amazingly, one of my first thoughts was that someone was installing some new graffiti on the cement wall across from my window. I got up and peeked under my curtain and saw someone with their back to the walling, standing in a position that suggested they were hoping not to be seen. New markings on the wall were also visible, though at the time what these markings were of was not particularly clear. Though I heard another spray or two, I think I scared the person away before they were ready to leave.
When I went out to check on things this morning this is the quality work that I found.
Rebecca was wondering if I distracted them before they had a chance to add colour. I think that the person I distracted likely just isn't particularly talented. The other thing that makes this so great is that I will be one of the handful of people in the world who might get a chance to see this on a daily basis.
You may recall that just a few months ago some graffiti was removed from this location by a power washer-based operation.
[Embedded video]
After taking a photo of the new graffiti I was making my way back over the wall to my balcony when I noticed that something had been dropped on the banana plant. My feeling is that this is likely some tomato based sauce, maybe even pizza innards.
I have since washed the banana plant so that I doesn't have to pass its coming days with this guck on it.
There definitely a few strange goings on last night in my neighbourhood. I hope tonight is a little quieter.
I was working at my desk when I saw a tallish, seemingly inebriated young male approach the fence/rail outside of my window and proceed attempt to climb and then fall over the obstacle. After lying down on the cement for a few moments this individual made his way towards our balcony. As he moved out of my line of sight and into the range of my plants I was a little worried that he might knock things over or try to abscond with one or more of my plants.
It seems that this young man was actually just going to retrieve his hat, which must have been dropped from one of the floors above onto our balcony area, and which he returned to his head as he made his way back to the fence/rail.
A little later in the evening, maybe at about 10:00 I heard a clattering sound coming from our balcony. As Rebecca had almost simultaneously banged a drawer I assumed that that was in fact all I had heard. A little later in the evening, when I actually made it back to the balcony, I learned that someone had thrown an empty energy drink can onto our balcony, the first such incident since I have been living here. A little later I looked from our balcony to the parking lot below and noticed that about 10 cans had ended up there also.
Just before 2:30 I was lying in bed when I heard what sounded like an aerosol can being used. Amazingly, one of my first thoughts was that someone was installing some new graffiti on the cement wall across from my window. I got up and peeked under my curtain and saw someone with their back to the walling, standing in a position that suggested they were hoping not to be seen. New markings on the wall were also visible, though at the time what these markings were of was not particularly clear. Though I heard another spray or two, I think I scared the person away before they were ready to leave.
When I went out to check on things this morning this is the quality work that I found.
Rebecca was wondering if I distracted them before they had a chance to add colour. I think that the person I distracted likely just isn't particularly talented. The other thing that makes this so great is that I will be one of the handful of people in the world who might get a chance to see this on a daily basis.
You may recall that just a few months ago some graffiti was removed from this location by a power washer-based operation.
[Embedded video]
After taking a photo of the new graffiti I was making my way back over the wall to my balcony when I noticed that something had been dropped on the banana plant. My feeling is that this is likely some tomato based sauce, maybe even pizza innards.
I have since washed the banana plant so that I doesn't have to pass its coming days with this guck on it.
There definitely a few strange goings on last night in my neighbourhood. I hope tonight is a little quieter.
Saturday, August 15, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 342
-I think that today has been the hottest day of the year. At times it was at least 30 degrees and, supposedly, felt as though it was 38. Amazingly, for at least the past six hours it has been 30 or higher.
-Many of you likely won't be surprised to learn that I haven't been finding this heat particularly pleasant. Aside from spending much of my day sweating rather profusely, I have also been rendered somewhat less productive because of the conditions. Fortunately, I was able to get some work in before the sun made my bedroom workspace unbearable. Now that evening is approaching I am hoping that things will go back towards a reasonable temperature and that I might be able to head back to work.
-A few days ago I was able to harvest a few more pea pods and two beans from my balcony garden. As with the first batch, these were used in a beef stir-fry.
Just yesterday I finally made my first leaf lettuce harvest, just in time for Neil to use it with the burgers we had for dinner. I think he may have killed off the rest at some point today.
I am expecting a few more pea pods, some beans, and more lettuce to be ready in the near future. As you can see, the tomatoes are still a ways away from being ready to harvest (the water melon and pepper are even further away).
-Yesterday evening we acquired a new shower curtain. Shortly after it was installed I decided to test one of its more prominent features.
It seems to work, though it does feel a little bit narrower than our previous shower curtain. Hopefully water seepage won't be a problem.
-It has been a few days since I last did a full balcony garden run-down, and it seems that it may be a few more still, but I thought that I would try to post a photo of the overall progress. As you might be able to see, things are definitely growing well. I am just hoping that I don't run out of season before all of the plants finally reach maturity.
The largest change that is likely noticeable in this photo is that the tomatoes are no longer all next to each other on the brick rail. Unfortunately, over the last few days the plants have become tall enough that they are now collapsing under their own weight and have had to be moved to locations that provide some support. Two of the pots are resting against the rail while the other two have been crammed in corners. I am hoping that this solution will get me through the rest of the summer, though I am a little worried that eventually even this will not be enough.
-Many of you likely won't be surprised to learn that I haven't been finding this heat particularly pleasant. Aside from spending much of my day sweating rather profusely, I have also been rendered somewhat less productive because of the conditions. Fortunately, I was able to get some work in before the sun made my bedroom workspace unbearable. Now that evening is approaching I am hoping that things will go back towards a reasonable temperature and that I might be able to head back to work.
-A few days ago I was able to harvest a few more pea pods and two beans from my balcony garden. As with the first batch, these were used in a beef stir-fry.
Just yesterday I finally made my first leaf lettuce harvest, just in time for Neil to use it with the burgers we had for dinner. I think he may have killed off the rest at some point today.
I am expecting a few more pea pods, some beans, and more lettuce to be ready in the near future. As you can see, the tomatoes are still a ways away from being ready to harvest (the water melon and pepper are even further away).
-Yesterday evening we acquired a new shower curtain. Shortly after it was installed I decided to test one of its more prominent features.
It seems to work, though it does feel a little bit narrower than our previous shower curtain. Hopefully water seepage won't be a problem.
-It has been a few days since I last did a full balcony garden run-down, and it seems that it may be a few more still, but I thought that I would try to post a photo of the overall progress. As you might be able to see, things are definitely growing well. I am just hoping that I don't run out of season before all of the plants finally reach maturity.
The largest change that is likely noticeable in this photo is that the tomatoes are no longer all next to each other on the brick rail. Unfortunately, over the last few days the plants have become tall enough that they are now collapsing under their own weight and have had to be moved to locations that provide some support. Two of the pots are resting against the rail while the other two have been crammed in corners. I am hoping that this solution will get me through the rest of the summer, though I am a little worried that eventually even this will not be enough.
Monday, August 10, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 341
-We are presently in the midst of a rainy period, which is somewhat of a contrast to the past few days. The other major change in the weather is that it is a fair bit cooler today that it has been the past few weeks. It is cool enough that I might actually be tempted to put on a sweater at some point today or this evening.
-As is common for us these days, Neil and I had an Ultimate game last night. Unfortunately, only 5 of our players showed up so we didn't have enough people to field a full team. In the end we picked up a few players from the other team and played a game. In the game that we did play, though it won't count in the traditional sense, we managed to win by a score of 15 to 7. In the second half we score 8 points to their 2.
Unfortunately, one of the points, I believe the last point of the first half, I managed to jam one of my toes. Though I didn't feel much at the time, this were definitely a little less pleasant by the time I tried to go to sleep last night.
-On Saturday night after catching a few Busker Festival shows with Neil and Rebecca we decided to head to the local casino to see if would could also catch some free live entertainment there. As it turns out, we missed the final show of the evening by about an hour, but we did manage to spot Team Gushue.
-On the subject of spotting people, as we were walking to the Busker Festival I ran into a friend with whom I attended junior high and high school who seems to be living here now. It was quite fun to run into someone who I haven't really seen much since high school.
-I just baked another batch of bread. This time I ended up with four loaves. Hopefully I will have room for about three of them in the freezer.
-In terms of food production, my balcony garden seems to be on a good roll these past few days. Aside from continued pea growth, I have finally spotted about a dozen scarlet runner beans, though they are still quite a ways away from being ready for consumption. The tomatoes are also continuing to grow quite rapidly. At last count I had about 20 tomatoes ranging from as small as only millimeters cross to about as large as a full-sized grape. I am really looking forward to further harvesting activities.
-As this post makes clear, I have been doing a very good job of avoiding my school/thesis related work. I guess I should try to put a few hours in starting now. I really wish that I wasn't so skilled in the art of procrastination, it really doesn't seem to help me out all that much.
-As is common for us these days, Neil and I had an Ultimate game last night. Unfortunately, only 5 of our players showed up so we didn't have enough people to field a full team. In the end we picked up a few players from the other team and played a game. In the game that we did play, though it won't count in the traditional sense, we managed to win by a score of 15 to 7. In the second half we score 8 points to their 2.
Unfortunately, one of the points, I believe the last point of the first half, I managed to jam one of my toes. Though I didn't feel much at the time, this were definitely a little less pleasant by the time I tried to go to sleep last night.
-On Saturday night after catching a few Busker Festival shows with Neil and Rebecca we decided to head to the local casino to see if would could also catch some free live entertainment there. As it turns out, we missed the final show of the evening by about an hour, but we did manage to spot Team Gushue.
-On the subject of spotting people, as we were walking to the Busker Festival I ran into a friend with whom I attended junior high and high school who seems to be living here now. It was quite fun to run into someone who I haven't really seen much since high school.
-I just baked another batch of bread. This time I ended up with four loaves. Hopefully I will have room for about three of them in the freezer.
-In terms of food production, my balcony garden seems to be on a good roll these past few days. Aside from continued pea growth, I have finally spotted about a dozen scarlet runner beans, though they are still quite a ways away from being ready for consumption. The tomatoes are also continuing to grow quite rapidly. At last count I had about 20 tomatoes ranging from as small as only millimeters cross to about as large as a full-sized grape. I am really looking forward to further harvesting activities.
-As this post makes clear, I have been doing a very good job of avoiding my school/thesis related work. I guess I should try to put a few hours in starting now. I really wish that I wasn't so skilled in the art of procrastination, it really doesn't seem to help me out all that much.
Friday, August 07, 2009
Our trip to Cole Harbour
As I mentioned early this morning, yesterday Neil and I decided to try to head to Cole Harbour to see the Stanley Cup parade with Sidney Crosby.
Neil was particularly keen on taking the free shuttle to the event so that we would have a bit more of the crowd experience. We decided to take the shuttle from the Mic Mac Mall, though there was at least one more option. As we arrived at the mall on the bus it was clear that there were hundreds of people already waiting in line to get the shuttle to Cole Harbour.
Instead of joining the line immediately Neil wanted to head into the mall to get some food. After picking up a smoothie for Neil and a six-pack of cinnamon buns we were ready to join the line.
Amazingly, the line seemed to be moving relatively quickly even though there were rather significant gaps between the shuttle buses. This process was partly facilitated by those individuals who decided not to stick it out in the line any longer and either bailed completely or decided to try to get to Cole Harbour by other means.
After about 45 minutes we were finally able to board a bus. We lucked out and were the third and fourth last people on the bus. Not only did this allow us to get some information from the driver, it also meant that we were the third and fourth people off of the bus when we finally reached Cole Harbour.
Soon after we were let off of the bus we figured out that we hadn't yet missed the parade and that there were thousands and thousands of people still waiting to see Crosby and the Cup. The number of people gathered by the stage was particularly impressive. This shot shows just the people hanging out in the family fun area, which was quite small compared to the stage area.
Though these crowds were a little worrying, things started to calm down as we made our way along the parade route. Eventually we settled at a location that was likely about half-way along the route. After a few initial vehicles came a yellow sports car carrying Maxime Talbot and what I believe we were told was the divisional cup. As he approached our location a media crew ran out to conduct an interview, completely blocking our view. I am still a little shocked that they didn't just get the interview at the end of the parade.
Not to long after Talbot passed we could see Sidney Crosby and the Cup making their way towards us on a fire truck. As they were the end of the parade the crowd was following behind them and gradually growing as it passed people. While we had a pretty good view of the Cup and Crosby I think I probably spent most of my energy photographing the event so that I would have something to post here.
We even managed to snag a little video footage of the event.
[Embedded video]
Instead of following the Cup and Crosby back to the crowded stage area and the Cup hoisting Neil and I decided to make our way to the bus terminal at the other end of town. The idea of hanging out for another three hours in Cole Harbour to catch the free shuttle didn't seem particularly appealing. While we made our way back we had the pleasure of stopping at Chris Brothers deli and meat shop. If only we had been driving we would have picked pounds and pounds of reasonably priced meat products. As we were walking and taking the bus we decided not to take the risk of having the meat go bad on the way home.
Something that we noticed as we were making our way to the transit terminal is that a number of business were offering Crosby themed specials. This one, like a few others, was a play on Crosby's number.
Much to my surprise, we were two of the five people on the bus from Cole Harbour to Halifax. Before long we were back on Barrington and catching a local bus the rest of the way.
Neil was particularly keen on taking the free shuttle to the event so that we would have a bit more of the crowd experience. We decided to take the shuttle from the Mic Mac Mall, though there was at least one more option. As we arrived at the mall on the bus it was clear that there were hundreds of people already waiting in line to get the shuttle to Cole Harbour.
Instead of joining the line immediately Neil wanted to head into the mall to get some food. After picking up a smoothie for Neil and a six-pack of cinnamon buns we were ready to join the line.
Amazingly, the line seemed to be moving relatively quickly even though there were rather significant gaps between the shuttle buses. This process was partly facilitated by those individuals who decided not to stick it out in the line any longer and either bailed completely or decided to try to get to Cole Harbour by other means.
After about 45 minutes we were finally able to board a bus. We lucked out and were the third and fourth last people on the bus. Not only did this allow us to get some information from the driver, it also meant that we were the third and fourth people off of the bus when we finally reached Cole Harbour.
Soon after we were let off of the bus we figured out that we hadn't yet missed the parade and that there were thousands and thousands of people still waiting to see Crosby and the Cup. The number of people gathered by the stage was particularly impressive. This shot shows just the people hanging out in the family fun area, which was quite small compared to the stage area.
Though these crowds were a little worrying, things started to calm down as we made our way along the parade route. Eventually we settled at a location that was likely about half-way along the route. After a few initial vehicles came a yellow sports car carrying Maxime Talbot and what I believe we were told was the divisional cup. As he approached our location a media crew ran out to conduct an interview, completely blocking our view. I am still a little shocked that they didn't just get the interview at the end of the parade.
Not to long after Talbot passed we could see Sidney Crosby and the Cup making their way towards us on a fire truck. As they were the end of the parade the crowd was following behind them and gradually growing as it passed people. While we had a pretty good view of the Cup and Crosby I think I probably spent most of my energy photographing the event so that I would have something to post here.
We even managed to snag a little video footage of the event.
[Embedded video]
Instead of following the Cup and Crosby back to the crowded stage area and the Cup hoisting Neil and I decided to make our way to the bus terminal at the other end of town. The idea of hanging out for another three hours in Cole Harbour to catch the free shuttle didn't seem particularly appealing. While we made our way back we had the pleasure of stopping at Chris Brothers deli and meat shop. If only we had been driving we would have picked pounds and pounds of reasonably priced meat products. As we were walking and taking the bus we decided not to take the risk of having the meat go bad on the way home.
Something that we noticed as we were making our way to the transit terminal is that a number of business were offering Crosby themed specials. This one, like a few others, was a play on Crosby's number.
Much to my surprise, we were two of the five people on the bus from Cole Harbour to Halifax. Before long we were back on Barrington and catching a local bus the rest of the way.
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