I don't know about you, but I am definitely getting excited about this year's blog-off. It is hard to believe that we are less than 12 hours away from commencement of the event.
While I can't speak for Neil, I know that I am already starting to think about saving posts for the competition rather that posting them now. Hopefully he is doing the same.
I have to imagine that at least a few bets have been placed on who is likely to be the winner (though I hope no one risks too much money on this event). I wonder who the betting public's favourite is?
Oh, one further rule clarification is that the rules is that we will be using Halifax time.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
Winter blooms
As many of you likely know, I am in the midst of growing my first tobacco plants. The seeds were ordered and planted this summer. By mid-July I had quite a number of relatively small tobacco plants.
While early progress and growth was quite rapid, things really began to slow down once winter set in and the available sunlight was drastically reduced. While growth has continued all winter, it has been much slower than it was in the fall.
Interestingly, since we returned to Halifax after Christmas I have noticed a somewhat substantial increase in the rate of growth. At first I attributed this change to the increased sunlight that the plants were getting (a minute or two more each day). Now I am starting to think that while the sunlight may have contributed to this change, it is most likely that the plants reached a certain developmental stage and were engaging in a particular kind of growth.
What I mean by this is that a number of plants are now showing flower buds. The leaves leading up to the buds are relatively small, and presumably faster and easier to develop.
One of the plants has even begun to show flowers, which is rather surprising given that we are now in the midst of winter and this isn't when I would expect most plants to be flowering.
My understanding is that the plant's seeds will be found in the part of the plant behind where the flower is. I am hoping to be able to collect a few of these seeds and then try to re-plant them this summer (though I don't think that I will grow quite as many plants the next time around).
Anyway, I am really pleased that a few of these plants have been able to reach this stage of development. For a while I was worried that my late planting date may have permanently retarded their development and prevented them from fully maturing. Turns out that all that was needed was a little extra time (a few months) and a relatively serene environment in which they were able to grow undistracted by the changing seasons and weather.
While early progress and growth was quite rapid, things really began to slow down once winter set in and the available sunlight was drastically reduced. While growth has continued all winter, it has been much slower than it was in the fall.
Interestingly, since we returned to Halifax after Christmas I have noticed a somewhat substantial increase in the rate of growth. At first I attributed this change to the increased sunlight that the plants were getting (a minute or two more each day). Now I am starting to think that while the sunlight may have contributed to this change, it is most likely that the plants reached a certain developmental stage and were engaging in a particular kind of growth.
What I mean by this is that a number of plants are now showing flower buds. The leaves leading up to the buds are relatively small, and presumably faster and easier to develop.
One of the plants has even begun to show flowers, which is rather surprising given that we are now in the midst of winter and this isn't when I would expect most plants to be flowering.
My understanding is that the plant's seeds will be found in the part of the plant behind where the flower is. I am hoping to be able to collect a few of these seeds and then try to re-plant them this summer (though I don't think that I will grow quite as many plants the next time around).
Anyway, I am really pleased that a few of these plants have been able to reach this stage of development. For a while I was worried that my late planting date may have permanently retarded their development and prevented them from fully maturing. Turns out that all that was needed was a little extra time (a few months) and a relatively serene environment in which they were able to grow undistracted by the changing seasons and weather.
Chin-ups or how we fell into a pit of shameless competition
For Christmas, which was about a month ago, my father received a chin-up bar. This is something that a number of us have been talking about acquiring for sometime, typically with the hopes of using it to sculpt and enhance our flabby and feeble upper bodies.
Within a few days the apparatus had been assembled, and temporarily placed in Neil's bedroom doorframe. Almost as soon as the device was installed we all had to take a turn to determine our base level capabilities. For the most part, I think people were pleasantly surprised with how many chin-ups they could do with no practice. While I can't remember how many everyone could do, I do happen to remember that I completed the most chin-ups with about 10 (of the regular variety). Unfortunately, I think that this was really pushing it and I ended up feeling the negative consequences of my exertions for the next day or so.
The device was used rather intermittently throughout the rest of our stay. I know that I was a little less than excited to try to beat my record, particularly as no one had even approached it.
In the weeks since our departure my father has been sending us chin-up reports, usually just outlining the advances that he and my sister are making. For the most part he has been able to stay ahead of her, which is his goal, but they have both been upping their numbers through regular practice.
The reports made clear to Neil and I that our twentysomething PBs were being shattered by a teenage girl and a fifty year-old man. At one point my father and sister both seemed to near 17, which is about 7 ahead of my Christmastime PB. And at this rate of progression we weren't even going to be in the same league in a few weeks. As should be clear, neither of us were particularly fond of this situation.
To rectify the situation, and hopefully to allow us to reclaim our preeminent positions in our family's chin-up hierarchy, Neil boldly purchased a chin-up bar for our Halifax apartment.
For the past two days we have both been logging regular work-out sessions on the chin-up bar (typically while dinner is cooking). While I am only at a PB of 13 (I think Neil is at about 7), I feel that my multiple repetitions of 10 will allow me to make good progress in the coming days. I am hoping that within a few weeks I will be able to overtake both my father and sister and reclaim my rightful position as the family capable of completing the most chin-ups.
Stay tuned for future updates.
Within a few days the apparatus had been assembled, and temporarily placed in Neil's bedroom doorframe. Almost as soon as the device was installed we all had to take a turn to determine our base level capabilities. For the most part, I think people were pleasantly surprised with how many chin-ups they could do with no practice. While I can't remember how many everyone could do, I do happen to remember that I completed the most chin-ups with about 10 (of the regular variety). Unfortunately, I think that this was really pushing it and I ended up feeling the negative consequences of my exertions for the next day or so.
The device was used rather intermittently throughout the rest of our stay. I know that I was a little less than excited to try to beat my record, particularly as no one had even approached it.
In the weeks since our departure my father has been sending us chin-up reports, usually just outlining the advances that he and my sister are making. For the most part he has been able to stay ahead of her, which is his goal, but they have both been upping their numbers through regular practice.
The reports made clear to Neil and I that our twentysomething PBs were being shattered by a teenage girl and a fifty year-old man. At one point my father and sister both seemed to near 17, which is about 7 ahead of my Christmastime PB. And at this rate of progression we weren't even going to be in the same league in a few weeks. As should be clear, neither of us were particularly fond of this situation.
To rectify the situation, and hopefully to allow us to reclaim our preeminent positions in our family's chin-up hierarchy, Neil boldly purchased a chin-up bar for our Halifax apartment.
For the past two days we have both been logging regular work-out sessions on the chin-up bar (typically while dinner is cooking). While I am only at a PB of 13 (I think Neil is at about 7), I feel that my multiple repetitions of 10 will allow me to make good progress in the coming days. I am hoping that within a few weeks I will be able to overtake both my father and sister and reclaim my rightful position as the family capable of completing the most chin-ups.
Stay tuned for future updates.
A Few Quick Notes 388
-Today, unlike much of the week up to today, actually felt a little bit like Winter. Not only has the temperature been below freezing for much of the day, but we also had a little snow (though not as much as other parts of the Maritimes). As much as I enjoyed yesterday's spring-like weather, I am also enjoying the slightly more wintery feel of today.
-Oh man, what a week for domestic achievements.
On Tuesday I did some grocery shopping, though maybe not as much as I should have.
On Wednesday I baked bread and washed a few loads of laundry.
Yesterday I did the normal dinner stuff, but nothing particularly fancy (though we did do some late-night grocery shopping).
Today I went shopping grocery shopping again and baked a cake (dinner prep will start shortly).
The trend should even continue into tomorrow as I plan on doing some cleaning and preparing a turkey.
-Yesterday, as part of my TAship I had the pleasure of assisting in the invigilation of an exam. It was actually pretty fun just to stand up front and watch people as they wrote their exams. One of the aspects of the experience that I enjoyed the most was seeing almost everyone's head be tilted in the same direction (down and towards their writing space). Those that did not fit this model really stood out (these tended mostly to be left-handers in right-handed desks as opposed to cheaters).
-It seems that Elizabeth Marshall has been been appointed to the Canadian Senate to fill the vacant Newfoundland seat.
-Today I decided to have pancake mix pancakes for breakfast. I guess I was interested in comparing the ease and quality against my Batter Blaster experience of last December. Sadly, the Batter Blaster really didn't fare well against the batter mix. What I did learn is that pancakes from the mix are really straightforward and probably something that I should consider making for myself on a more regular basis.
-I went on a bit of a non-alcoholic beer binge last night. I think that over the course of about 3 hours I had almost half a dozen cans of the potent brew.
-Today, in the Globe and Mail movie reviews I came across the name of one of my sister's friends (the movie in question is Grown Up Movie Star). This was kind of funny as I don't think that I would have imagined such an experience when I first met this person as a 5 year-old. I guess if this movie makes it to theaters in Halifax we will have to make an effort to go see it.
-Don't forget to tune into the upcoming blog-off, it should be an exciting race.
-Oh man, what a week for domestic achievements.
On Tuesday I did some grocery shopping, though maybe not as much as I should have.
On Wednesday I baked bread and washed a few loads of laundry.
Yesterday I did the normal dinner stuff, but nothing particularly fancy (though we did do some late-night grocery shopping).
Today I went shopping grocery shopping again and baked a cake (dinner prep will start shortly).
The trend should even continue into tomorrow as I plan on doing some cleaning and preparing a turkey.
-Yesterday, as part of my TAship I had the pleasure of assisting in the invigilation of an exam. It was actually pretty fun just to stand up front and watch people as they wrote their exams. One of the aspects of the experience that I enjoyed the most was seeing almost everyone's head be tilted in the same direction (down and towards their writing space). Those that did not fit this model really stood out (these tended mostly to be left-handers in right-handed desks as opposed to cheaters).
-It seems that Elizabeth Marshall has been been appointed to the Canadian Senate to fill the vacant Newfoundland seat.
-Today I decided to have pancake mix pancakes for breakfast. I guess I was interested in comparing the ease and quality against my Batter Blaster experience of last December. Sadly, the Batter Blaster really didn't fare well against the batter mix. What I did learn is that pancakes from the mix are really straightforward and probably something that I should consider making for myself on a more regular basis.
-I went on a bit of a non-alcoholic beer binge last night. I think that over the course of about 3 hours I had almost half a dozen cans of the potent brew.
-Today, in the Globe and Mail movie reviews I came across the name of one of my sister's friends (the movie in question is Grown Up Movie Star). This was kind of funny as I don't think that I would have imagined such an experience when I first met this person as a 5 year-old. I guess if this movie makes it to theaters in Halifax we will have to make an effort to go see it.
-Don't forget to tune into the upcoming blog-off, it should be an exciting race.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 387
-It strikes me that today was a bit chilly, but as I wasn't really outside very much so I don't really have much of a sense of how things progressed (now that I think about this I find it rather funny as I spent most of my day in front of my bedroom window but apparently forgot to look up for hours on end).
-Yesterday Neil told Rebecca and I about a new blog that he has started reading, it is called Ricecakes ARE Remarkable. The premise is that the author of the blog is slowly working her way through each recipe in a cookbook that features ricecakes in every recipe (and before you crap on the author for stealing someone else's idea she acknowledges that she was inspired by the Julie/Julia movie/blog/experience). The descriptions of the recipes and results are hilarious (and haven't yet encouraged me to run out and buy ricecakes). I can't wait to read future posts.
-Montifax is going to come out against a few more things, notably pouting and Valentine's Day.
To pout, which the New Oxford American Dictionary defines as "push[ing] one's lips or one's bottom lip forward as an expression of petulant annoyance or in order to make oneself look sexually attractive," is one of the more annoying facial expressions in which one can engage. If I was into outlawing things for the sake of outlawing things I am pretty sure that I would be inclined to outlaw pouting.
My animus towards Valentine's Day should also be rather obvious. Not only does the celebration of this day seem to undermine the idea that a committed relationship is a daily commitment, but it also disgustingly materialistic. It seems to send the message that one can be an ass all year but make it up to their partner by buying them something (typically this something is relatively disposable and unnecessary) on their way to a fancy dinner. I think that it is likely that without the cop out that is Valentine's Day many relationships would be much better off. In case you are curious, I think that Mother's Day and Father's Day are problematic in similar ways.
I guess that since they are coming up in the very near future I should reiterate Montifax is also against the Olympics. This event has started hogging a monumental proportion of my newspaper on a daily basis, in addition to my more traditional complaints about this event. We here at Montifax are likely to almost completely avoid watching Olympic coverage on TV (something that will be quite easy as we are without a functioning TV).
-Last night, because Neil was in possession of a number of good coupons, all three of us went to see a showing of the movie Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera. As far as I am concerned the movie was a bit of a bust (though it was nice to see Michael Cera do something other than just Michael Cera around), though Neil and Rebecca both gave it more positive reviews. Actually, they almost seemed to be bubbling over with excitement on our walk home.
-We had another tight game of Ultimate last night. While we were able to whittle away most of a 6 point deficit in the dying minutes of the game, we were one completed pass short of tying the game. I have mixed feelings about how I played. At the beginning of the game I clearly made a number of strategic errors. In the second half I felt as though I contributed much more effectively. I can't quite tell if my contribution was net positive or negative.
-We had black bean soup and corn bread for dinner yesterday, they were both pretty tasty.
-Yesterday Neil told Rebecca and I about a new blog that he has started reading, it is called Ricecakes ARE Remarkable. The premise is that the author of the blog is slowly working her way through each recipe in a cookbook that features ricecakes in every recipe (and before you crap on the author for stealing someone else's idea she acknowledges that she was inspired by the Julie/Julia movie/blog/experience). The descriptions of the recipes and results are hilarious (and haven't yet encouraged me to run out and buy ricecakes). I can't wait to read future posts.
-Montifax is going to come out against a few more things, notably pouting and Valentine's Day.
To pout, which the New Oxford American Dictionary defines as "push[ing] one's lips or one's bottom lip forward as an expression of petulant annoyance or in order to make oneself look sexually attractive," is one of the more annoying facial expressions in which one can engage. If I was into outlawing things for the sake of outlawing things I am pretty sure that I would be inclined to outlaw pouting.
My animus towards Valentine's Day should also be rather obvious. Not only does the celebration of this day seem to undermine the idea that a committed relationship is a daily commitment, but it also disgustingly materialistic. It seems to send the message that one can be an ass all year but make it up to their partner by buying them something (typically this something is relatively disposable and unnecessary) on their way to a fancy dinner. I think that it is likely that without the cop out that is Valentine's Day many relationships would be much better off. In case you are curious, I think that Mother's Day and Father's Day are problematic in similar ways.
I guess that since they are coming up in the very near future I should reiterate Montifax is also against the Olympics. This event has started hogging a monumental proportion of my newspaper on a daily basis, in addition to my more traditional complaints about this event. We here at Montifax are likely to almost completely avoid watching Olympic coverage on TV (something that will be quite easy as we are without a functioning TV).
-Last night, because Neil was in possession of a number of good coupons, all three of us went to see a showing of the movie Youth in Revolt with Michael Cera. As far as I am concerned the movie was a bit of a bust (though it was nice to see Michael Cera do something other than just Michael Cera around), though Neil and Rebecca both gave it more positive reviews. Actually, they almost seemed to be bubbling over with excitement on our walk home.
-We had another tight game of Ultimate last night. While we were able to whittle away most of a 6 point deficit in the dying minutes of the game, we were one completed pass short of tying the game. I have mixed feelings about how I played. At the beginning of the game I clearly made a number of strategic errors. In the second half I felt as though I contributed much more effectively. I can't quite tell if my contribution was net positive or negative.
-We had black bean soup and corn bread for dinner yesterday, they were both pretty tasty.
Montifax Blog-Off 2010 rules
Neil wanted me to post a few comments on this year’s rules. So here you are, the first version of this year’s rules.
In last year’s Montifax Blog-Off I was kind enough to give Neil 5 points for every post while I only received 1. After much consideration I have decided that as reigning champion Neil needs to step up his game if he wants to win again, so this year I am going to give him 3 points for each post while I will still get only 1 point per post. The goals of this system are to handicap me and to make Neil work for the win (and he is going to have to work hard if he expects to win two years in a row).
Like last year, to qualify for inclusion in the competition a post had to be at least 30 words long (excluding the title). I think I would like them to be at least 100, but I am pretty sure that Neil talked me down from 100 to 30 last year and I am willing to let him keep this concession.
Also, the updated score must be included in text of the post (though it does not count towards the aforementioned 30 word minimum). While this should be done with the original post, when this component of the post has been omitted through genuine oversight the participant will be allowed to amend the post after the fact to include the updated score. If this becomes a problem we may have to re-evaluate the implementation of this rule and implement a less lenient version.
All posts should be 'tagged.' As one of us is more familiar with the terms that are presently in use I expect that there will be slightly different approaches to this matter in its application.
While I would like to give extra points for things like embedded photos or videos I don’t see how this can be done in a way that isn’t open for abuse (meaning that I don’t want either of us just posting funny YouTube videos or pictures as posts).
If you can think of anything else that should be included please let one or both of us know.
Oh, and the competition will run for the month of February (meaning midnight to midnight).
In last year’s Montifax Blog-Off I was kind enough to give Neil 5 points for every post while I only received 1. After much consideration I have decided that as reigning champion Neil needs to step up his game if he wants to win again, so this year I am going to give him 3 points for each post while I will still get only 1 point per post. The goals of this system are to handicap me and to make Neil work for the win (and he is going to have to work hard if he expects to win two years in a row).
Like last year, to qualify for inclusion in the competition a post had to be at least 30 words long (excluding the title). I think I would like them to be at least 100, but I am pretty sure that Neil talked me down from 100 to 30 last year and I am willing to let him keep this concession.
Also, the updated score must be included in text of the post (though it does not count towards the aforementioned 30 word minimum). While this should be done with the original post, when this component of the post has been omitted through genuine oversight the participant will be allowed to amend the post after the fact to include the updated score. If this becomes a problem we may have to re-evaluate the implementation of this rule and implement a less lenient version.
All posts should be 'tagged.' As one of us is more familiar with the terms that are presently in use I expect that there will be slightly different approaches to this matter in its application.
While I would like to give extra points for things like embedded photos or videos I don’t see how this can be done in a way that isn’t open for abuse (meaning that I don’t want either of us just posting funny YouTube videos or pictures as posts).
If you can think of anything else that should be included please let one or both of us know.
Oh, and the competition will run for the month of February (meaning midnight to midnight).
From the bookshelf
A few minutes ago, in relation to a short paper I am working on, I pulled out a copy of Charter of the United Nations that I received when I first started working at the UN in 2000. As I was flipping through the document I came across a few items that I obviously inserted at the time, but have not likely seen since the dying days of 2000.
The first thing that I found was my take on in vitro fertilization.
How ingenious, a old man transitions into a test-tube, or vice-versa. Now that I am reminded of this image I wonder why I didn't opt for a career in art or editorial cartooning.
A few pages later I came across my "Labor for Nader" sticker, which, not surprisingly, was from the 2000 presidential election campaign. Now that I think about it, I have no idea how I ended up with this sticker (I wasn't a Nader supporter at the time), though I imagine it has something to do with my former co-worker Aurora, who was a big Nader supporter during that election. I am now starting to wonder if this was my first piece election swag from the 2000 election, or if I might have had my NRA pro-Bush bumper sticker beforehand (at some point I also snagged a Rick Lazio poster, unfortunately I didn't manage to get any Gore or Hilary swag).
When I have looked for such items more recently (meaning the 2008 presidential election campaign) it seemed that they were available for purchase (but not for free). I remember finding this funny as I thought that most campaigns would have liked to have more supporters wearing pins and buttons that showed support for their candidates (but maybe they realized that they could get people to pay for the privilege).
The first thing that I found was my take on in vitro fertilization.
How ingenious, a old man transitions into a test-tube, or vice-versa. Now that I am reminded of this image I wonder why I didn't opt for a career in art or editorial cartooning.
A few pages later I came across my "Labor for Nader" sticker, which, not surprisingly, was from the 2000 presidential election campaign. Now that I think about it, I have no idea how I ended up with this sticker (I wasn't a Nader supporter at the time), though I imagine it has something to do with my former co-worker Aurora, who was a big Nader supporter during that election. I am now starting to wonder if this was my first piece election swag from the 2000 election, or if I might have had my NRA pro-Bush bumper sticker beforehand (at some point I also snagged a Rick Lazio poster, unfortunately I didn't manage to get any Gore or Hilary swag).
When I have looked for such items more recently (meaning the 2008 presidential election campaign) it seemed that they were available for purchase (but not for free). I remember finding this funny as I thought that most campaigns would have liked to have more supporters wearing pins and buttons that showed support for their candidates (but maybe they realized that they could get people to pay for the privilege).
Friday, January 22, 2010
It's going to be amazing
A few days ago I received a notice that I would be invited to a friend's birthday party, which is to take place this evening. Almost as soon as I learned of the party I started to think about jokes and whatnot that I might bring to the party. After not too long I settled on the idea of bringing a joke present, one which would emphasize a character flaw of my that the celebrant and I have enjoyed laughing about.
I guess I should go back a bit, and explain this character flaw. It seems that for some number of years, at least going back to my high school days, I have been moderately interested in knowing what nicotine feels like (and I should be clear, not what smoking feels like). I think I am curious to know what it is that people like about smoking that makes it addictive, or at least something along these lines. As a result of this fascination with nicotine and the resulting feeling I have tired a number of smoking cessation products over the past number of years.
I started with a piece of nicotine gum that I acquired from a friend of mine who was trying to quite. Contrary to the instructions I received from my friend I chewed away like this was regular gum. Perhaps not surprisingly, I quickly felt quite ill and nothing else. Though this experiment ended with me feeling rather poorly, I have always felt that it was a success of sorts. If nothing else, I learned what a high dose of nicotine will do to me.
More recently I decided that my first experiment with the gum wasn't enough and that I should really try the patch. This summer I was able to get a patch from a friend. It turned out that he gave me the strongest level patch, which was supposed to be equivalent to smoking some relatively high proportion of a pack of cigarettes. Again, not surprisingly, it made me feel a little like death.
This past fall I mentioned this incidents to the birthday boy and he found them funny (meaning ridiculous). A few days afterwards suggested that I might try a nicotine inhaler that he had recently seen advertised. Since then a running conversation we have had is about my non-smoking use of nicotine and tobacco.
When I heard it was his birthday I thought that I could try and bring him in on the fun. As I know that he isn't interested in ingesting nicotine or tobacco, I thought that I could give him some of my dried stash that he could use as pesticide (nicotine can be dissolved in water by soaking tobacco leaves and then used as a pesticide). This should allow him to partake in the whole nicotine thing without having to worry about developing an addiction or bad breath.
Instead of just giving him dried home-grown tobacco leaves I decided to try to make the whole thing a bit more elaborate. I created a name for the product, and then matching packaging material. I then decided that I would go all out and make a 'gift basket' by also included disposable strainers (to remove the leaves from the water) and a spray bottle (for spraying the homemade pesticide). This was all wrapped together, as you can see below.
[Embedded Video]
For those of you who are interested in a more direct view of the product and its packaging, here you go:
Sorry if this is a little disorganized, I was writing this and getting ready to go (hopefully I won't miss the bus).
I guess I should go back a bit, and explain this character flaw. It seems that for some number of years, at least going back to my high school days, I have been moderately interested in knowing what nicotine feels like (and I should be clear, not what smoking feels like). I think I am curious to know what it is that people like about smoking that makes it addictive, or at least something along these lines. As a result of this fascination with nicotine and the resulting feeling I have tired a number of smoking cessation products over the past number of years.
I started with a piece of nicotine gum that I acquired from a friend of mine who was trying to quite. Contrary to the instructions I received from my friend I chewed away like this was regular gum. Perhaps not surprisingly, I quickly felt quite ill and nothing else. Though this experiment ended with me feeling rather poorly, I have always felt that it was a success of sorts. If nothing else, I learned what a high dose of nicotine will do to me.
More recently I decided that my first experiment with the gum wasn't enough and that I should really try the patch. This summer I was able to get a patch from a friend. It turned out that he gave me the strongest level patch, which was supposed to be equivalent to smoking some relatively high proportion of a pack of cigarettes. Again, not surprisingly, it made me feel a little like death.
This past fall I mentioned this incidents to the birthday boy and he found them funny (meaning ridiculous). A few days afterwards suggested that I might try a nicotine inhaler that he had recently seen advertised. Since then a running conversation we have had is about my non-smoking use of nicotine and tobacco.
When I heard it was his birthday I thought that I could try and bring him in on the fun. As I know that he isn't interested in ingesting nicotine or tobacco, I thought that I could give him some of my dried stash that he could use as pesticide (nicotine can be dissolved in water by soaking tobacco leaves and then used as a pesticide). This should allow him to partake in the whole nicotine thing without having to worry about developing an addiction or bad breath.
Instead of just giving him dried home-grown tobacco leaves I decided to try to make the whole thing a bit more elaborate. I created a name for the product, and then matching packaging material. I then decided that I would go all out and make a 'gift basket' by also included disposable strainers (to remove the leaves from the water) and a spray bottle (for spraying the homemade pesticide). This was all wrapped together, as you can see below.
[Embedded Video]
For those of you who are interested in a more direct view of the product and its packaging, here you go:
Sorry if this is a little disorganized, I was writing this and getting ready to go (hopefully I won't miss the bus).
Thursday, January 21, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 386
-We did get some snow today, though not more than a few centimeters. It was enough to make things feel wintery, but not enough to really impede travel or schools from operating.
-Do kids these days understand references to Mother Theresa? Or has she been dead too long for such references to make any sense? If she is no longer the go-to doer of good deeds, who has replaced her in our current collective conscience?
-I cooked a 7.78 pound picnic for dinner tonight. As expected, there was quite a bit of bone and not-meat but I was pleasantly surprised with how much proper meat we ended up getting. The portion that we didn't eat tonight I cubed, though I don't yet know how I might best use this meat.
-We all know what Scott Brown likely means for the public option, but do we have any idea where he stands on the vegetarian option?
-As some of you have likely sensed, there is something of a spat going on regarding who will host certain late night TV shows on NBC and/or when these shows will be airing. What I have been finding surprising about all of this is that so many people seem to care. This is all the more surprising because the whole event came about because of both hosts (Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien) getting bad ratings (which suggests that we are not particularly invested in their shows, just the idea of their shows). The most ironic aspect of the who thing is that it is likely that late night television as a whole hasn't received so much attention in years, and it is now only getting this attention because of the poor ratings of two of its more prominent hosts.
Of course, as much as I don't really care about the outcome, the whole thing has been rather entertaining.
-Earlier this evening I came a cross a soon to be released movie called Legion. The premise of the movie seems to be that God has become dissatisfied with humans and sent an army of angels to destroy the earth and human kind. Somehow a rebel angel and a handful of humans (possibly protecting the second coming of Christ) try to fight of the incoming angels of destruction. The idea of humans fighting against an all powerful God who seems to be attempting to destroy the second coming of his son (himself?) seems quite bizarre and absurd to me (how could they possibly win?). Though I haven't spent too much time thinking about this films theological message what time I have spent thinking about it has gotten me nowhere except to suspect that it likely doesn't make too much sense.
-Do kids these days understand references to Mother Theresa? Or has she been dead too long for such references to make any sense? If she is no longer the go-to doer of good deeds, who has replaced her in our current collective conscience?
-I cooked a 7.78 pound picnic for dinner tonight. As expected, there was quite a bit of bone and not-meat but I was pleasantly surprised with how much proper meat we ended up getting. The portion that we didn't eat tonight I cubed, though I don't yet know how I might best use this meat.
-We all know what Scott Brown likely means for the public option, but do we have any idea where he stands on the vegetarian option?
-As some of you have likely sensed, there is something of a spat going on regarding who will host certain late night TV shows on NBC and/or when these shows will be airing. What I have been finding surprising about all of this is that so many people seem to care. This is all the more surprising because the whole event came about because of both hosts (Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien) getting bad ratings (which suggests that we are not particularly invested in their shows, just the idea of their shows). The most ironic aspect of the who thing is that it is likely that late night television as a whole hasn't received so much attention in years, and it is now only getting this attention because of the poor ratings of two of its more prominent hosts.
Of course, as much as I don't really care about the outcome, the whole thing has been rather entertaining.
-Earlier this evening I came a cross a soon to be released movie called Legion. The premise of the movie seems to be that God has become dissatisfied with humans and sent an army of angels to destroy the earth and human kind. Somehow a rebel angel and a handful of humans (possibly protecting the second coming of Christ) try to fight of the incoming angels of destruction. The idea of humans fighting against an all powerful God who seems to be attempting to destroy the second coming of his son (himself?) seems quite bizarre and absurd to me (how could they possibly win?). Though I haven't spent too much time thinking about this films theological message what time I have spent thinking about it has gotten me nowhere except to suspect that it likely doesn't make too much sense.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 385
-Things have started to look a lot more like Winter around here in the past day and a half. Yesterday we had some snow, though not too much, and it seems that we may be in for a little more tomorrow. That being said, even now, there really isn't that much snow on the ground and it isn't too cold.
-For the first time this year we had pressure-cooker prepared beans for dinner tonight. Not surprisingly, I went to our old favourite, black beans, to get the job done. While I can't speak for the others, I know that I was glad to be back on the bean wagon.
-We had an amazingly intense Ultimate game last Saturday. At the beginning of the game we jumped out to an 8 to 1 lead and were just dominating. Not surprisingly, the opposing team tried to switch things up and moved to a zone defense (playing a position rather than a man/woman), which was quite effective at slowing us down. By the middle of the second-half things were really quite tight, and for a while our opponents were even in the lead.
With about 3 minutes remaining the score was tied and we had the disc. As we had been doing since the other team started playing zone, we slowly worked the disc down the court by passing it back and forth between two handlers. Then, with about a second left on the clock one of our players make a break for an end-zone corner and caught final pass of the game. Just as our player landed in-bounds with possession of the disc the buzzer sounded alerting us that the game ended. It is definitely the closest finish I have ever seen in Ultimate and was quite fun to be a part of (it didn't hurt that most of us seemed to play well individually and as a team).
-Word on the street is that there is a new Republican Senator in Massachusetts. Brown, through his victory, and Coakley, through her loss, seem to have really done their best to dislodge the memory of Teddy Kennedy, and the Democratic dominance of the state that he symbolized.
-Don't forget to mark your calenders, this year's annual Montifax Blog-Off is just a few days away. As the competition approaches I will try to make a brief post about rules (some of which will be a little different than last year) and what might be expected. We hope that you will be able to follow along (and even root for your favourite contender, if that is the kind of thing you like to do).
-For the first time this year we had pressure-cooker prepared beans for dinner tonight. Not surprisingly, I went to our old favourite, black beans, to get the job done. While I can't speak for the others, I know that I was glad to be back on the bean wagon.
-We had an amazingly intense Ultimate game last Saturday. At the beginning of the game we jumped out to an 8 to 1 lead and were just dominating. Not surprisingly, the opposing team tried to switch things up and moved to a zone defense (playing a position rather than a man/woman), which was quite effective at slowing us down. By the middle of the second-half things were really quite tight, and for a while our opponents were even in the lead.
With about 3 minutes remaining the score was tied and we had the disc. As we had been doing since the other team started playing zone, we slowly worked the disc down the court by passing it back and forth between two handlers. Then, with about a second left on the clock one of our players make a break for an end-zone corner and caught final pass of the game. Just as our player landed in-bounds with possession of the disc the buzzer sounded alerting us that the game ended. It is definitely the closest finish I have ever seen in Ultimate and was quite fun to be a part of (it didn't hurt that most of us seemed to play well individually and as a team).
-Word on the street is that there is a new Republican Senator in Massachusetts. Brown, through his victory, and Coakley, through her loss, seem to have really done their best to dislodge the memory of Teddy Kennedy, and the Democratic dominance of the state that he symbolized.
-Don't forget to mark your calenders, this year's annual Montifax Blog-Off is just a few days away. As the competition approaches I will try to make a brief post about rules (some of which will be a little different than last year) and what might be expected. We hope that you will be able to follow along (and even root for your favourite contender, if that is the kind of thing you like to do).
The Vegetarian Option
As some, if not most, of you are aware, in recent months there has been widespread debate in the United States about “the public option,” referring to the possible introduction of universal publicly funded healthcare. While this is all well and good, and for the most part an important debate (if a little overheated at times), it has completely knocked from the public agenda a matter of much more significance: the vegetarian option.
For years, though it has become much more prevalent and offensive in the past several years, restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, and mothers have all been making efforts to provide American eaters with a vegetarian option, meaning at least one meal choice that doesn’t involve meat.
Many people think that this is fine and that those providing the vegetarian option are just catering to the particular dietary needs of a particular segment of the population. This is not the case, it is actually a rather serious problem for most tax-paying Americans. Every time a vegetarian option is introduced to a menu we noble eaters of animal flesh are provided with one less choice. Our degrees of freedom are limited. At times the changes are so oppressive that I find it hard to breathe. Such changes are wringing the life-blood from our restaurant industry just as our restaurant industry used to wring it out of a variety of tasty farm animals.
When this first started happening, presumably in association with the hippies in the 1970s. it didn’t really seem like a big deal. We all just shrugged it off. Occasionally a simple tofu burger would make its way onto the menu at a radical left-wing establishment (where they tended to serve such un-American dishes as well-done steak or scallops). Unfortunately, much to everyone’s surprise, these original cafes weren’t isolated incidents (as it was believed they would be at the time), rather, they were the beachhead from which the frontal assault was launched. And the idea of America, the terrestrial embodiment of freedom, came under fire.
Gradually young vegetarians, the pseudo-traitors that they are, started requesting that their parents cater to their dietary wants and needs. When this approach failed, they moved their siege to the late-night diners and the college-student oriented diners they frequented. Gradually, with little notice and next to no fanfare, each of these establishments began to introduce meat-free (is there anything more un-American?) dishes to their menus. Once a critical mass had been reached non-student/hippy restaurants felt obliged to include at least one vegetarian option.
More recently the onslaught has continued and some traditional restaurants have included as many as two or three vegetarian options (sorry, I had to step away from my computer to wipe a tear from my eye). As bad as this was, the real perversion was the introduction of the vegetarian restaurant (how ‘restaurant’ can be used in association with ‘vegetarian’ I will never understand).
At these new ‘vegetarian restaurants’ everything on the menu is vegetarian. Things have become so perverse and topsy-turvy that they can even manage to make money (something that really should be preserved for real Americans, for meat eating Americans). Moreover, these restaurants don’t even go so far as to include a single meat option for the stalwart meat-eaters among us (sadly an ever diminishing population).
If this divisive and, ultimately, ruinous trend is not halted there is no telling what might happen to this great country of ours. One thing is clear though, every day this continues or, worse, becomes more widespread the long cherished and hard fought for freedoms of the United State will disappear.
When I can no longer walk into any restaurant in the union and reasonably expect to be able to order a rare steak I know things have gone too far. The vegetarian option has taken away from the United States what it means to be American. We all need to lobby Congress and our state legislatures to get them to provide protection and financial assistance to our prized meat serving restaurants, but also to limit and regulate the use of vegetarian options (a waiting period and maybe an dietary education requirement would be good starting points).
Before it is too late make your opposition to the vegetarian option known!
Don’t let the vegetarians be afraid to be an American in America!
For years, though it has become much more prevalent and offensive in the past several years, restaurants, cafes, cafeterias, and mothers have all been making efforts to provide American eaters with a vegetarian option, meaning at least one meal choice that doesn’t involve meat.
Many people think that this is fine and that those providing the vegetarian option are just catering to the particular dietary needs of a particular segment of the population. This is not the case, it is actually a rather serious problem for most tax-paying Americans. Every time a vegetarian option is introduced to a menu we noble eaters of animal flesh are provided with one less choice. Our degrees of freedom are limited. At times the changes are so oppressive that I find it hard to breathe. Such changes are wringing the life-blood from our restaurant industry just as our restaurant industry used to wring it out of a variety of tasty farm animals.
When this first started happening, presumably in association with the hippies in the 1970s. it didn’t really seem like a big deal. We all just shrugged it off. Occasionally a simple tofu burger would make its way onto the menu at a radical left-wing establishment (where they tended to serve such un-American dishes as well-done steak or scallops). Unfortunately, much to everyone’s surprise, these original cafes weren’t isolated incidents (as it was believed they would be at the time), rather, they were the beachhead from which the frontal assault was launched. And the idea of America, the terrestrial embodiment of freedom, came under fire.
Gradually young vegetarians, the pseudo-traitors that they are, started requesting that their parents cater to their dietary wants and needs. When this approach failed, they moved their siege to the late-night diners and the college-student oriented diners they frequented. Gradually, with little notice and next to no fanfare, each of these establishments began to introduce meat-free (is there anything more un-American?) dishes to their menus. Once a critical mass had been reached non-student/hippy restaurants felt obliged to include at least one vegetarian option.
More recently the onslaught has continued and some traditional restaurants have included as many as two or three vegetarian options (sorry, I had to step away from my computer to wipe a tear from my eye). As bad as this was, the real perversion was the introduction of the vegetarian restaurant (how ‘restaurant’ can be used in association with ‘vegetarian’ I will never understand).
At these new ‘vegetarian restaurants’ everything on the menu is vegetarian. Things have become so perverse and topsy-turvy that they can even manage to make money (something that really should be preserved for real Americans, for meat eating Americans). Moreover, these restaurants don’t even go so far as to include a single meat option for the stalwart meat-eaters among us (sadly an ever diminishing population).
If this divisive and, ultimately, ruinous trend is not halted there is no telling what might happen to this great country of ours. One thing is clear though, every day this continues or, worse, becomes more widespread the long cherished and hard fought for freedoms of the United State will disappear.
When I can no longer walk into any restaurant in the union and reasonably expect to be able to order a rare steak I know things have gone too far. The vegetarian option has taken away from the United States what it means to be American. We all need to lobby Congress and our state legislatures to get them to provide protection and financial assistance to our prized meat serving restaurants, but also to limit and regulate the use of vegetarian options (a waiting period and maybe an dietary education requirement would be good starting points).
Before it is too late make your opposition to the vegetarian option known!
Don’t let the vegetarians be afraid to be an American in America!
Friday, January 15, 2010
It only took six months
Maybe about a year ago I noticed that my passport was nearing its expiration date. I guess at that time I took notice of this fact and decided to deal with it at a time closer to the expiration of the passport. Some time this summer, at about the time the passport was expiring, I got around to picking up a passport renewal application.
Much to my surprise the renewal application was only two pages long and didn't really require that much information (as they already have my proof of citizenship on file). Anyway, even though this would only have taken about 10 minutes to complete I dilly-dallied for some number of months, my primary excuse being that I didn't know where I could get passport photos taken in Halifax (though my father did suggest one location, and I am sure that the internet could have provided me with the names and locations of others). Anyway, that I didn't have passport photos provided me with an excuse to do nothing on this front for months and months on end.
Eventually I settled on a plan that would involve me getting passport photos taken while I was in St. John's for Christmas and then submitting the application once I returned to Halifax. Much to my surprise, the photo component of the plan actually happened. I made it all the way to Stavanger Drive and had the photos taken. Then (though this actually happened before the photos), much to my surprise, I received a further inducement, the equivalent of the application fee from Neil and Rebecca as a Christmas present. I think that is this final element was what really convinced to put in the 20 minutes that was required and take care of this matter (though of course not without some final procrastinating).
Instead of completing the application as soon as we returned to Halifax I let it sit for a few days (maybe imagining that it would just go away if I left it untouched long enough). Then, for some reason that I still don't really understand, the day before yesterday I dug up the application I picked up months ago and filled it out (in about 10 minutes). Then, I located my expired passport and the passport photos.
Once I had all of the paper work in order I thought that the best way to proceed would be to send my application to the national processing office. Why I thought this I have no idea. This was a particularly strange thought as I know that the local passport office is only a few blocks from our apartment. Once I realized that I would have to pay more than the standard postage to submit my application I decided that I would just walk my application down to the appropriate office and submit it by hand (which is a better idea as it would allow me to deal with any problems in-person rather than by phone or email).
When I finally arrived at the office this afternoon I was quite surprised to see how many people were already there. I am not sure if this is a particularly popular time of year, or if it is just that passports are in this season, but whatever the reason the place was really hopping. Fortunately, at least for me, they had a pretty efficient line system which meant that as a renewal I didn't have to wait very long. Then, in a way that made it perfectly clear that I had been acting irrationally throughout this entire process, I was served by a very pleasant and helpful clerk who processed my application quickly.
I was back on the street and on my way home before I knew it, and with nothing to complain about.
I wish that I could say that this experience will encourage me to deal with such administrative matters more promptly in the future, but, sadly, I think I know myself well enough to know that the real lesson I will draw from this is that one can really leave things until the last minute and the rush through the process with few negative consequences.
Much to my surprise the renewal application was only two pages long and didn't really require that much information (as they already have my proof of citizenship on file). Anyway, even though this would only have taken about 10 minutes to complete I dilly-dallied for some number of months, my primary excuse being that I didn't know where I could get passport photos taken in Halifax (though my father did suggest one location, and I am sure that the internet could have provided me with the names and locations of others). Anyway, that I didn't have passport photos provided me with an excuse to do nothing on this front for months and months on end.
Eventually I settled on a plan that would involve me getting passport photos taken while I was in St. John's for Christmas and then submitting the application once I returned to Halifax. Much to my surprise, the photo component of the plan actually happened. I made it all the way to Stavanger Drive and had the photos taken. Then (though this actually happened before the photos), much to my surprise, I received a further inducement, the equivalent of the application fee from Neil and Rebecca as a Christmas present. I think that is this final element was what really convinced to put in the 20 minutes that was required and take care of this matter (though of course not without some final procrastinating).
Instead of completing the application as soon as we returned to Halifax I let it sit for a few days (maybe imagining that it would just go away if I left it untouched long enough). Then, for some reason that I still don't really understand, the day before yesterday I dug up the application I picked up months ago and filled it out (in about 10 minutes). Then, I located my expired passport and the passport photos.
Once I had all of the paper work in order I thought that the best way to proceed would be to send my application to the national processing office. Why I thought this I have no idea. This was a particularly strange thought as I know that the local passport office is only a few blocks from our apartment. Once I realized that I would have to pay more than the standard postage to submit my application I decided that I would just walk my application down to the appropriate office and submit it by hand (which is a better idea as it would allow me to deal with any problems in-person rather than by phone or email).
When I finally arrived at the office this afternoon I was quite surprised to see how many people were already there. I am not sure if this is a particularly popular time of year, or if it is just that passports are in this season, but whatever the reason the place was really hopping. Fortunately, at least for me, they had a pretty efficient line system which meant that as a renewal I didn't have to wait very long. Then, in a way that made it perfectly clear that I had been acting irrationally throughout this entire process, I was served by a very pleasant and helpful clerk who processed my application quickly.
I was back on the street and on my way home before I knew it, and with nothing to complain about.
I wish that I could say that this experience will encourage me to deal with such administrative matters more promptly in the future, but, sadly, I think I know myself well enough to know that the real lesson I will draw from this is that one can really leave things until the last minute and the rush through the process with few negative consequences.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Look Ma, Deals!
In the not too distant past Neil noticed a tempting special offer at one of the local grocery stores. The deal was that if you purchased $100 of qualifying products and they would give you an additional 350 Air Miles. As Neil has a weakness for deals, generally, and more specifically for Air Miles related deals he was inclined to try and go for it (especially as we could compound this deal with a 10% student discount). The result would be that we would pay $90 for $100 worth of groceries and then get enough Air Miles to get $50 of grocery store gift certificates (meaning that $100 of groceries would really cost only $40).
The problem with the deal, aside from the complexity, was that the qualifying products were not exactly products that we really need $100 worth of on a day-to-day basis. Actually, many of the qualifying products that we don't even really need.
These concerns aside, it was decided that we would try to go for it tonight, we were going to try to find $100 worth of qualifying products and then carry it all back to our apartment.
Once we arrived at the grocery store we started to realize the challenges associated with our self-assigned task. Firstly, as we were buying mostly low-cost products (cases of pop and bags of chips) we needed to buy relatively large numbers of these items to come anywhere close to reaching our goal. After not too long we had at least ten bags of chips and ten cases of pop and we still weren't there. Secondly, it soon became clear that we were going to have more goods than we could carry back to the apartment on one trip. The pop, in particular, was going to pose something of a problem.
After a little bit of calculating and juggling of goods, we determined that we had just over $100 (we threw in an extra $2 product just to make sure) and made our way to the cash.
Almost as soon as the cashier saw our selections he knew something was up. At first he thought that we were just big pop fans, but he was soon relieved of that opinion. Fortunately, upon learning about are quest to secure 350 bonus Air Miles he was immediately in support of our cause.
All of us (Neil, the cashier, and I) were in suspense as Neil paid as we weren't able to tell if our goal had been reached until we saw the receipt. Luckily/due to excellent planning we managed to meet our goal of $100 and get our bonus Air Miles. And thanks to another promotion we ended collecting a total of 376 Air Miles on this trip.
As you can see, it really is quite a selection of goods. If you are curious, we purchased 13 dozen tins of pop, 14 bags of chips, 2 jugs of orange juice, 1 bag of corn snacks, and 1 box of cereal. The upside is that this should likely do us in the junk food department for some number of months (or at least weeks).
The problem with the deal, aside from the complexity, was that the qualifying products were not exactly products that we really need $100 worth of on a day-to-day basis. Actually, many of the qualifying products that we don't even really need.
These concerns aside, it was decided that we would try to go for it tonight, we were going to try to find $100 worth of qualifying products and then carry it all back to our apartment.
Once we arrived at the grocery store we started to realize the challenges associated with our self-assigned task. Firstly, as we were buying mostly low-cost products (cases of pop and bags of chips) we needed to buy relatively large numbers of these items to come anywhere close to reaching our goal. After not too long we had at least ten bags of chips and ten cases of pop and we still weren't there. Secondly, it soon became clear that we were going to have more goods than we could carry back to the apartment on one trip. The pop, in particular, was going to pose something of a problem.
After a little bit of calculating and juggling of goods, we determined that we had just over $100 (we threw in an extra $2 product just to make sure) and made our way to the cash.
Almost as soon as the cashier saw our selections he knew something was up. At first he thought that we were just big pop fans, but he was soon relieved of that opinion. Fortunately, upon learning about are quest to secure 350 bonus Air Miles he was immediately in support of our cause.
All of us (Neil, the cashier, and I) were in suspense as Neil paid as we weren't able to tell if our goal had been reached until we saw the receipt. Luckily/due to excellent planning we managed to meet our goal of $100 and get our bonus Air Miles. And thanks to another promotion we ended collecting a total of 376 Air Miles on this trip.
As you can see, it really is quite a selection of goods. If you are curious, we purchased 13 dozen tins of pop, 14 bags of chips, 2 jugs of orange juice, 1 bag of corn snacks, and 1 box of cereal. The upside is that this should likely do us in the junk food department for some number of months (or at least weeks).
Disaster day in Halifax
As previously mentioned, there was a relatively substantial apartment fire in Halifax's South end this morning. It turns out that at about the same time a water main problem was developing on Prince Street, only a few blocks away from the fire.
This afternoon, after checking out the fire, Neil and I made our way to Prince Street to see what was going on and how bad the damage was. Almost as soon as we reached Prince and Argyle it became clear that the repair job was pretty substantial. As we made our way down to Barrington it was clear that quite a number of nearby buildings suffered at least some flooding. I think that another problem that existed for some period of time was ice build-up on the roads and sidewalks in the area. Fortunately, by mid-afternoon not as much water was leaving the system so there was less water on the roads and sidewalks.
The clip below is a relatively uninformative shot of the repair work in progress. Behind the pile of rubble is a pretty big hole, which is presumably where the rupture happened.
[Embedded Video]
I guess I should also mention that there was apparently a flare up at the fire at some point this afternoon. When I returned from school at about 6:00 there were still all kinds of emergency vehicles with flashing lights going. Hopefully everything will be under control by tonight.
This afternoon, after checking out the fire, Neil and I made our way to Prince Street to see what was going on and how bad the damage was. Almost as soon as we reached Prince and Argyle it became clear that the repair job was pretty substantial. As we made our way down to Barrington it was clear that quite a number of nearby buildings suffered at least some flooding. I think that another problem that existed for some period of time was ice build-up on the roads and sidewalks in the area. Fortunately, by mid-afternoon not as much water was leaving the system so there was less water on the roads and sidewalks.
The clip below is a relatively uninformative shot of the repair work in progress. Behind the pile of rubble is a pretty big hole, which is presumably where the rupture happened.
[Embedded Video]
I guess I should also mention that there was apparently a flare up at the fire at some point this afternoon. When I returned from school at about 6:00 there were still all kinds of emergency vehicles with flashing lights going. Hopefully everything will be under control by tonight.
Close call
This morning, just a little while after 9:00 AM, my printer, without my involvement, seemed to turn itself off and on. Aside waking me up briefly, just long enough to go to the bathroom, I made my way back to sleep and didn't really spend much time thinking about what might have caused my printer to behave so erratically.
When I eventually woke up, about two hours later, one of the first stories I heard on CBC was about a fire in the South end of Halifax (which is where I live). At first I was quite interested as the reporter indicated that the fire was on South Street which runs from near where we live to Dalhousie, and beyond. They eventually mentioned the cross street and the name of an adjacent restaurant, neither of which registered with me, so I assumed that it was on some section of South Street not in the immediate vicinity of our apartment. I then let this fire story slip from my consciousness, aside from the fact that I decided to walk up South to go to school to try to figure out where the fire had taken place.
A little while later, shortly after Rebecca left, she raced back into the apartment to tell us that there was a rather large conflagration just across from our apartment. It seems that the name of the restaurant (Taj Mahal) and cross street (presumably Hollis) really should have registered as they are both visible from some of the apartments in our building.
I was then informed that my printer had turned on because the power had returned, after an outage of about 15 minutes. It was now obvious that the outage had been caused by the near-by fire. Everything started to make sense.
All three of us then decided to head out and see what was happening (and make sure that everything was under control). Fortunately, by the time we figure that there even was a fire, firefighting crews had been on the scene for hours. Amazingly, what we did see, even though there were about 20 fire trucks there, was smoke coming from one of the main doors.
We took a few rather unimpressive video clips of the scene. If these do anything they provide some sense of the scene after more of the flame had been extinguished, but before things had completely wrapped up.
[Embedded Video]
I guess it is good that my friend moved out of this building about 8 months ago. I really can't imagine how incredibly unpleasant it would be to have to deal with the consequences of a fire in one's building in the middle of Winter.
When I eventually woke up, about two hours later, one of the first stories I heard on CBC was about a fire in the South end of Halifax (which is where I live). At first I was quite interested as the reporter indicated that the fire was on South Street which runs from near where we live to Dalhousie, and beyond. They eventually mentioned the cross street and the name of an adjacent restaurant, neither of which registered with me, so I assumed that it was on some section of South Street not in the immediate vicinity of our apartment. I then let this fire story slip from my consciousness, aside from the fact that I decided to walk up South to go to school to try to figure out where the fire had taken place.
A little while later, shortly after Rebecca left, she raced back into the apartment to tell us that there was a rather large conflagration just across from our apartment. It seems that the name of the restaurant (Taj Mahal) and cross street (presumably Hollis) really should have registered as they are both visible from some of the apartments in our building.
I was then informed that my printer had turned on because the power had returned, after an outage of about 15 minutes. It was now obvious that the outage had been caused by the near-by fire. Everything started to make sense.
All three of us then decided to head out and see what was happening (and make sure that everything was under control). Fortunately, by the time we figure that there even was a fire, firefighting crews had been on the scene for hours. Amazingly, what we did see, even though there were about 20 fire trucks there, was smoke coming from one of the main doors.
We took a few rather unimpressive video clips of the scene. If these do anything they provide some sense of the scene after more of the flame had been extinguished, but before things had completely wrapped up.
[Embedded Video]
I guess it is good that my friend moved out of this building about 8 months ago. I really can't imagine how incredibly unpleasant it would be to have to deal with the consequences of a fire in one's building in the middle of Winter.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
What it meant to be conservative in pre-Confederation Canada
This evening I have been reading several documents relating to the origins of Confederation in Canada. One item I was reading was a speech by Antoine-Aimé Dorion, a Quebec politician who was opposed to the terms of confederation as they were eventually implemented. The following is a great passage from his 1865 speech outlining his position on Confederation
If you are interested in reading the entire speech, which isn't too long, you can find it here.
What I think is so great about this passage is that it effectively demonstrates how meaningless 'conservative' is as a word without the context in which it was used. Generally, it is one of those words that I think is over-used and tends to lead to more confusion than clarification when introduced to a conversation.
Because it has been a bit of a theme recently, Montifax is coming out against the word 'conservative' (when used in reference to a political position or ideology). We encourage people to use more descriptive words that really get a what they are trying to say.
It is but natural that gentlemen with the views of the honourable gentlemen opposite want to keep as much power as possible in the hands of the Government - that is the doctrine of the Conservative party everywhere - that is the line which distinguishes the tories from the whigs - the tories always side with the Crown, and the Liberals always want to give more power and influence to the people.
If you are interested in reading the entire speech, which isn't too long, you can find it here.
What I think is so great about this passage is that it effectively demonstrates how meaningless 'conservative' is as a word without the context in which it was used. Generally, it is one of those words that I think is over-used and tends to lead to more confusion than clarification when introduced to a conversation.
Because it has been a bit of a theme recently, Montifax is coming out against the word 'conservative' (when used in reference to a political position or ideology). We encourage people to use more descriptive words that really get a what they are trying to say.
Tuesday, January 05, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 384
-Today was another grey and overcast day, though without enough precipitation to make it memorable. Now that this type of weather has been going on for about the last month in the places I have been (St. John's and Halifax) I am really ready for at least a few hours of clear skies when the sun is up, or even more decisive snowfalls (that remain snow and don't transition into slush).
-Yesterday I went to the grocery store to look for a few products, tofu being one of them. Tofu, at least the brand and firmness I was looking for, was unavailable. Today I went back and decided to see if any had arrived. Much to my surprise, it had. When I picked my package up there were only three in the display case. Assuming that this product doesn't arrive in packages of three (it is typically stocked to about 8 packages), this means that some number of packages were sold (or picked up and moved) before I arrived. This suggests to me that this product seems to sell quite well (though not as well as the firmer variety that is even harder to find). I find it frustrating that they haven't taken the hint that they have a popular product on hand and started stocking/ordering more.
-For dinner tonight we had a rather tasty beef stir-fry. I was somewhat impressed that the bok choy that I purchased before we left for Christmas was still in a condition that allowed to be included in tonight's dish.
-Today when I walked into Dalhousie's Life Sciences Centre atrium/common area I felt as though I walked into an area that had suffered from the explosion of some kind of paint bomb. All of the previously unpainted cement walls had been painted with a range of colours including light greens, oranges, and off-whites. Not only are the colour selections somewhat vomit-inducing, they also seem to have the effect of making the light look more artificial and clinical. I wonder when people are going to realize that painting cement is really quite a commitment (it is really difficult to undo the process) and that such decisions shouldn't be taken lightly or without proper consideration of colour combinations that might clash.
-Yesterday I went to the grocery store to look for a few products, tofu being one of them. Tofu, at least the brand and firmness I was looking for, was unavailable. Today I went back and decided to see if any had arrived. Much to my surprise, it had. When I picked my package up there were only three in the display case. Assuming that this product doesn't arrive in packages of three (it is typically stocked to about 8 packages), this means that some number of packages were sold (or picked up and moved) before I arrived. This suggests to me that this product seems to sell quite well (though not as well as the firmer variety that is even harder to find). I find it frustrating that they haven't taken the hint that they have a popular product on hand and started stocking/ordering more.
-For dinner tonight we had a rather tasty beef stir-fry. I was somewhat impressed that the bok choy that I purchased before we left for Christmas was still in a condition that allowed to be included in tonight's dish.
-Today when I walked into Dalhousie's Life Sciences Centre atrium/common area I felt as though I walked into an area that had suffered from the explosion of some kind of paint bomb. All of the previously unpainted cement walls had been painted with a range of colours including light greens, oranges, and off-whites. Not only are the colour selections somewhat vomit-inducing, they also seem to have the effect of making the light look more artificial and clinical. I wonder when people are going to realize that painting cement is really quite a commitment (it is really difficult to undo the process) and that such decisions shouldn't be taken lightly or without proper consideration of colour combinations that might clash.
That was fast
It seems that even though classes only started today I am already back in the midst of a semester in full swing.
This feeling really started last night when I downloaded and printed an article that I needed to read for Tuesday's class. Just moments ago, after proceeding rather inefficiently for a few hours, I finally finished it. For this term to work I am really going need to pick up my pace.
The major development was that today, while talking to graduate coordinator about my course selections for the term, I ended up being talked into taking a course whose first session was to start about an hour and a half from the time I was talked into taking it. Once in class I ended up volunteering to take the first presentation slot, which means a presentation next Monday. Not surprisingly, most of the students in the class opted for presentations later in the term (a mistake I hope to make never again as it leads to a rather congested end of term).
So I guess that means that from the get go I will get a chance to test my attempt to try to stay on top of things and now allow them to pile up as the term progresses (though my inclination towards immediate rather than delayed gratification may stand in my way).
This feeling really started last night when I downloaded and printed an article that I needed to read for Tuesday's class. Just moments ago, after proceeding rather inefficiently for a few hours, I finally finished it. For this term to work I am really going need to pick up my pace.
The major development was that today, while talking to graduate coordinator about my course selections for the term, I ended up being talked into taking a course whose first session was to start about an hour and a half from the time I was talked into taking it. Once in class I ended up volunteering to take the first presentation slot, which means a presentation next Monday. Not surprisingly, most of the students in the class opted for presentations later in the term (a mistake I hope to make never again as it leads to a rather congested end of term).
So I guess that means that from the get go I will get a chance to test my attempt to try to stay on top of things and now allow them to pile up as the term progresses (though my inclination towards immediate rather than delayed gratification may stand in my way).
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Christmas Games: 2010
A few years ago it seemed that Christmas couldn't pass without at least a few members of my family receiving as gifts some number of movies (either on VHS or DVD). More recently this trend seems to have been almost completely replaced by the exchange of board games. The result of the change is that instead of passing Christmas afternoon in front of a TV watching a newly acquired movie we are now somewhat more inclined to pass at least part of our gift opening days (another change has been to stretch the gift opening over a number of days) playing one or more of the newly acquired games.
Given that this seemed to be a banner year for new games I thought that I might try to give a quick rundown on some of the newly acquired games, most of which I had a chance to play at least once.
Fluxx v 4.0 - I started to play Fluxx in about 2007 and then introduced it to my family shortly thereafter. Almost immediately it became a particular favourite of Kirsten's, so it was not particularly surprising that she received Fluxx v. 4.0 this year. Fluxx v. 4.0 is really quite different than v. 3.1 (the version with which I am most familiar). At least as far as I can tell, one of the most significant differences are the 'Creepers,' which go with 'Keepers.' Typically, players with Creepers in front of them are unable to win (though some rule and goal cards alter this state of affairs). The general impression that I had of Creepers was that they tended to make the game more confusing and difficult to win (and I am not sure that they would work well with non-Creeper variants of the game). The up side of the new version were a few new rule and action cards that mixed things up a little and allowed those familiar with the game a chance to achieve a feeling of bewilderment that seems to accompany most people's introduction to the game.
Monty Python Fluxx - Like Fluxx v. 4.0, this version of the game had Creepers. Most of the Creepers and Keepers were based on various aspects of the Monty Python ouevre, as were some of the new Rule, Action, and Goal cards. The aspect of the game that I found less appealing than other Fluxx variants were the rules that rewarded those with Monty Python knowledge (i.e. more plays are associated with more ability to quote lines from Monty Python movies). The problem with such rules is that the same people tend to be advantaged or disadvantaged in various iterations of the game. The fix, just going to the internet to satisfy the requirements, doesn't really improve my enjoyment of the game and just devolves into a matter of regurgitation. The other problem, which is one that we encounter, relates to interpretation of players actions (something that doesn't come up in the traditional forms of the game). For instance, does talking in a fake Newfoundland accent satisfy the requirement that one conduct their term while speaking entirely in an "outrageous foreign accent"? (Neil thought not). While Monty Python fans will likely appreciate many of the names of the cards and rules, I am not sure if this is really the game for dedicated Fluxx traditionalists (if such a type of person exists).
Scrabble Slam - Though this games shares a name with the classic crossword game Scrabble it is really more like Upwords (also a crossword game) in card form. The basic idea is that players modify a communal four letter words with cards from their hand. There is no turn order and players play cards to form new words as quickly as they can think of them. While the basic idea is pretty simple (which I tend consider a good quality) the application of the rules can sometimes be a bit tricky. Not only can it sometimes be difficult to determine who actually played first, it can also be a bit of a challenge to ensure that everyone is playing valid words (or the letters they are suggesting they are playing). Aside from rules or gameplay characteristics, one of the problems I had with the game is that it caused my brain to freeze (at times it felt as though I just couldn't think). As a person with spelling/reading difficulties I just couldn't effectively operate at pace required for me to be even moderately competitive. I guess the bottom line is that this isn't likely the hot new game for dyslexics.
Monopoly Deal - This is a game that we first encountered a few months ago and have played on a pretty regular basis since then (it makes it onto the Christmas list because Neil and Rebecca gave a copy to Kirsten). While the game is a card game version of the classic board game, the goal is to be the first player to collect three monopolies rather than to bankrupt one’s opponents. Like Fluxx, there are a number of cards that add a degree change and excitement to the game. Also like Fluxx, the length of time that a game can take to complete can really vary and the winner may not be the person who appears to be the strongest. One of the things that we have noticed as we have continued playing this game is that our gameplay continues to become more cutthroat and complex (Neil’s favourite move appears to be to Forced Deal someone a Monopoly so that he can throw down a Deal Breaker). This means that while when played on a relatively basic level the game can seem quite random and prone to sudden shifts in momentum more experienced players (sometimes through working collectively to prevent the win) can slow things down and add a greater degree of stability to the outcome and gameplay.
Alhambra – This is a game that I gave to Neil for Christmas, but that he didn’t receive until we returned as I saw no reason to lug it to St. John’s just so that he would have to lug it back. This winner of the 2003 Spiel des Jahres award is my favourite of the games that we acquired this Christmas. A simplified version of the goal is that players are trying to build the best (not necessarily only largest) building complex. Points are awarded in relation to the nature of one’s opponents building complexes. Some of the aspects of the game that I really like are that it seems to progress smoothly and reach a relatively natural end. Unlike some games, it doesn’t feel as though it ends too early. Though we have only been playing this game for a few days I feel as though we already have started to improve (in particular we are now doing a much better job of paying attention to the wall structures of the various building components that one is able to buy). I am curious to try this with more than 3 players as I think such a condition will require more attention to certain details (some of which seem to be ignorable with three players).
Ticket to Ride – The Card Game – Not surprisingly, this game is a card game version of the 2004 Spiel des Jahres winning board game Ticket to Ride. Though I didn’t get a chance to play this game before I left, Neil and Kirsten both seemed to enjoy it. My sense of things is that it is somewhat similar to the board game in that you seem to collect train tickets to complete routes, though I am not sure that I can really say much more about it than that.
Carcassonne: Cult, Siege, & Creativity – As one might have guessed from the title, this is a set of Carcassonne game expansions rather than a completely new game. Each of these expansions is relatively small and can be added singly or together with other expansions to a regular game of Carcassonne. The Cult and the Heretic expansion provides an equivalent to cloisters that can either be used almost exactly like regular cloisters, or as a means of potentially rendering ineffective a competing player’s cloister (or them one of yours). The Siege expansion is a way of sabotaging an opponent’s cities (or unclaimed cities) so that they count for fewer points. The Creativity Expansion consists of two blank pieces that can be modified however the owners see fit (we did not play with these two tiles). Though not particularly creative, I can see that these two tiles would be useful as replacements for lost tiles. Two other mini-expansions for Carcassonne were also received: King and Scout and The Count of Carcassonne, though neither of these were played before I left.
Interestingly, in spite of all of these new games and game expansions, we still ended up playing quite a number of games of Settlers of Catan (several of which were non-standard variants). I wouldn’t be surprised if we actually played more games of Settlers than games of the others combined (if we included Alhambra in the total it is possible that this would no longer be the case, and even as it stands our Fluxx games may have pushed us past Settlers).
Given that this seemed to be a banner year for new games I thought that I might try to give a quick rundown on some of the newly acquired games, most of which I had a chance to play at least once.
Fluxx v 4.0 - I started to play Fluxx in about 2007 and then introduced it to my family shortly thereafter. Almost immediately it became a particular favourite of Kirsten's, so it was not particularly surprising that she received Fluxx v. 4.0 this year. Fluxx v. 4.0 is really quite different than v. 3.1 (the version with which I am most familiar). At least as far as I can tell, one of the most significant differences are the 'Creepers,' which go with 'Keepers.' Typically, players with Creepers in front of them are unable to win (though some rule and goal cards alter this state of affairs). The general impression that I had of Creepers was that they tended to make the game more confusing and difficult to win (and I am not sure that they would work well with non-Creeper variants of the game). The up side of the new version were a few new rule and action cards that mixed things up a little and allowed those familiar with the game a chance to achieve a feeling of bewilderment that seems to accompany most people's introduction to the game.
Monty Python Fluxx - Like Fluxx v. 4.0, this version of the game had Creepers. Most of the Creepers and Keepers were based on various aspects of the Monty Python ouevre, as were some of the new Rule, Action, and Goal cards. The aspect of the game that I found less appealing than other Fluxx variants were the rules that rewarded those with Monty Python knowledge (i.e. more plays are associated with more ability to quote lines from Monty Python movies). The problem with such rules is that the same people tend to be advantaged or disadvantaged in various iterations of the game. The fix, just going to the internet to satisfy the requirements, doesn't really improve my enjoyment of the game and just devolves into a matter of regurgitation. The other problem, which is one that we encounter, relates to interpretation of players actions (something that doesn't come up in the traditional forms of the game). For instance, does talking in a fake Newfoundland accent satisfy the requirement that one conduct their term while speaking entirely in an "outrageous foreign accent"? (Neil thought not). While Monty Python fans will likely appreciate many of the names of the cards and rules, I am not sure if this is really the game for dedicated Fluxx traditionalists (if such a type of person exists).
Scrabble Slam - Though this games shares a name with the classic crossword game Scrabble it is really more like Upwords (also a crossword game) in card form. The basic idea is that players modify a communal four letter words with cards from their hand. There is no turn order and players play cards to form new words as quickly as they can think of them. While the basic idea is pretty simple (which I tend consider a good quality) the application of the rules can sometimes be a bit tricky. Not only can it sometimes be difficult to determine who actually played first, it can also be a bit of a challenge to ensure that everyone is playing valid words (or the letters they are suggesting they are playing). Aside from rules or gameplay characteristics, one of the problems I had with the game is that it caused my brain to freeze (at times it felt as though I just couldn't think). As a person with spelling/reading difficulties I just couldn't effectively operate at pace required for me to be even moderately competitive. I guess the bottom line is that this isn't likely the hot new game for dyslexics.
Monopoly Deal - This is a game that we first encountered a few months ago and have played on a pretty regular basis since then (it makes it onto the Christmas list because Neil and Rebecca gave a copy to Kirsten). While the game is a card game version of the classic board game, the goal is to be the first player to collect three monopolies rather than to bankrupt one’s opponents. Like Fluxx, there are a number of cards that add a degree change and excitement to the game. Also like Fluxx, the length of time that a game can take to complete can really vary and the winner may not be the person who appears to be the strongest. One of the things that we have noticed as we have continued playing this game is that our gameplay continues to become more cutthroat and complex (Neil’s favourite move appears to be to Forced Deal someone a Monopoly so that he can throw down a Deal Breaker). This means that while when played on a relatively basic level the game can seem quite random and prone to sudden shifts in momentum more experienced players (sometimes through working collectively to prevent the win) can slow things down and add a greater degree of stability to the outcome and gameplay.
Alhambra – This is a game that I gave to Neil for Christmas, but that he didn’t receive until we returned as I saw no reason to lug it to St. John’s just so that he would have to lug it back. This winner of the 2003 Spiel des Jahres award is my favourite of the games that we acquired this Christmas. A simplified version of the goal is that players are trying to build the best (not necessarily only largest) building complex. Points are awarded in relation to the nature of one’s opponents building complexes. Some of the aspects of the game that I really like are that it seems to progress smoothly and reach a relatively natural end. Unlike some games, it doesn’t feel as though it ends too early. Though we have only been playing this game for a few days I feel as though we already have started to improve (in particular we are now doing a much better job of paying attention to the wall structures of the various building components that one is able to buy). I am curious to try this with more than 3 players as I think such a condition will require more attention to certain details (some of which seem to be ignorable with three players).
Ticket to Ride – The Card Game – Not surprisingly, this game is a card game version of the 2004 Spiel des Jahres winning board game Ticket to Ride. Though I didn’t get a chance to play this game before I left, Neil and Kirsten both seemed to enjoy it. My sense of things is that it is somewhat similar to the board game in that you seem to collect train tickets to complete routes, though I am not sure that I can really say much more about it than that.
Carcassonne: Cult, Siege, & Creativity – As one might have guessed from the title, this is a set of Carcassonne game expansions rather than a completely new game. Each of these expansions is relatively small and can be added singly or together with other expansions to a regular game of Carcassonne. The Cult and the Heretic expansion provides an equivalent to cloisters that can either be used almost exactly like regular cloisters, or as a means of potentially rendering ineffective a competing player’s cloister (or them one of yours). The Siege expansion is a way of sabotaging an opponent’s cities (or unclaimed cities) so that they count for fewer points. The Creativity Expansion consists of two blank pieces that can be modified however the owners see fit (we did not play with these two tiles). Though not particularly creative, I can see that these two tiles would be useful as replacements for lost tiles. Two other mini-expansions for Carcassonne were also received: King and Scout and The Count of Carcassonne, though neither of these were played before I left.
Interestingly, in spite of all of these new games and game expansions, we still ended up playing quite a number of games of Settlers of Catan (several of which were non-standard variants). I wouldn’t be surprised if we actually played more games of Settlers than games of the others combined (if we included Alhambra in the total it is possible that this would no longer be the case, and even as it stands our Fluxx games may have pushed us past Settlers).
A Few Quick Notes 383
-Though yesterday was rather nasty, today really wasn't too bad at all. Aside from the snow and slush that is on the streets as a result of yesterday's storm the main problem with today was the generally grey skies that persisted through the sunlit hours.
-At Neil's suggestion I tried to take a quick time-lapse clip of the storm as it was progressing. Un/fortunately we started the recording process just as things were beginning to die down. By the time I was finished capturing photos not only had the storm stopped, but the sun had also set (but aspects have been cut from the video below).
[Embedded Video]
I also tried to take a few photos, though I am sure that the video does a better job of conveying the message (what little message there is).
-We had our first ultimate game of the new year last night. While I wasn't looking forward to the game as the time to catch the bus approached, I had a good time once I was there. While we lost by a pretty wide margin, I think that we did relatively well considering our competition. Unfortunately, near the end of the game I ran into a brick wall while attempting to catch a pass. Luckily I think I will manage to escape the encounter with nothing more than a bruised elbow (and hopefully a sense that future encounters of this sort should be avoided).
-When I returned from St. John's I rearranged some of the plants in our apartment. A few that were on their last legs were ditched, while a few others were moved to locations that more appropriately suited their size and likely growth patterns.
As you can see, most of the plants in my bedroom window are still tobacco plants, though there are at least a few other varieties (including the banana plant, the bay tree, the thyme plant, and a rather unsightly pepper plant).
Given the rapid growth of my tobacco plants I have continued to amass a collection of dried tobacco leaves. The pile is now so large that I am having problems storing it. Eventually I should probably consider putting them in some kind of container with a tight seal, but for the moment I think that they will just stay on my shelf in a pile.
-I think I have figured out which courses I will be taking this term, though I guess things could still change between now and the end of the week.
What has been frustrating about this process is that Dalhousie schedule a working day after the New Year's day holiday but before classes start. Such a day would allow faculty, staff, and students to make arrangements regarding classes before they have actually started. I am sure that the current set up leads to mass confusion, especially among those students starting for the first time at Dalhousie in January.
The other neat effect is that it forces faculty members to go in on the weekend before classes start. Rebecca and Neil went to the Math building today and felt that there were almost as many faculty members there today as there would be on a normal week day.
-Shortly after we returned to Halifax we rented Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day. Sadly, it was quite a disappointment. Not only was the movie not as good as the first one, it wasn't until the second half that they really even started showing the recognizable Halifax shots (some of which were from about a block away from our apartment) that I so enjoy now that I live in Halifax. So I guess I would suggest that if you really need two Trailer Park Boys movies in your collection stick to the original black and white film from the late-1990s and the first properly filmed and released movie.
-At Neil's suggestion I tried to take a quick time-lapse clip of the storm as it was progressing. Un/fortunately we started the recording process just as things were beginning to die down. By the time I was finished capturing photos not only had the storm stopped, but the sun had also set (but aspects have been cut from the video below).
[Embedded Video]
I also tried to take a few photos, though I am sure that the video does a better job of conveying the message (what little message there is).
-We had our first ultimate game of the new year last night. While I wasn't looking forward to the game as the time to catch the bus approached, I had a good time once I was there. While we lost by a pretty wide margin, I think that we did relatively well considering our competition. Unfortunately, near the end of the game I ran into a brick wall while attempting to catch a pass. Luckily I think I will manage to escape the encounter with nothing more than a bruised elbow (and hopefully a sense that future encounters of this sort should be avoided).
-When I returned from St. John's I rearranged some of the plants in our apartment. A few that were on their last legs were ditched, while a few others were moved to locations that more appropriately suited their size and likely growth patterns.
As you can see, most of the plants in my bedroom window are still tobacco plants, though there are at least a few other varieties (including the banana plant, the bay tree, the thyme plant, and a rather unsightly pepper plant).
Given the rapid growth of my tobacco plants I have continued to amass a collection of dried tobacco leaves. The pile is now so large that I am having problems storing it. Eventually I should probably consider putting them in some kind of container with a tight seal, but for the moment I think that they will just stay on my shelf in a pile.
-I think I have figured out which courses I will be taking this term, though I guess things could still change between now and the end of the week.
What has been frustrating about this process is that Dalhousie schedule a working day after the New Year's day holiday but before classes start. Such a day would allow faculty, staff, and students to make arrangements regarding classes before they have actually started. I am sure that the current set up leads to mass confusion, especially among those students starting for the first time at Dalhousie in January.
The other neat effect is that it forces faculty members to go in on the weekend before classes start. Rebecca and Neil went to the Math building today and felt that there were almost as many faculty members there today as there would be on a normal week day.
-Shortly after we returned to Halifax we rented Trailer Park Boys: Countdown to Liquor Day. Sadly, it was quite a disappointment. Not only was the movie not as good as the first one, it wasn't until the second half that they really even started showing the recognizable Halifax shots (some of which were from about a block away from our apartment) that I so enjoy now that I live in Halifax. So I guess I would suggest that if you really need two Trailer Park Boys movies in your collection stick to the original black and white film from the late-1990s and the first properly filmed and released movie.
Sunday night feed
Maybe a week or so ago, while I was still in St. John's, I suggested that my friend Peter come over for dinner tonight (which was to coincide with his late-afternoon return to Halifax). Perhaps not surprisingly, yesterday's winter storm seems to have caused a number of flights to be delayed or cancelled. Unfortunately for Peter his flight was one of those that was negatively effected. For a while it looked as though a simple delay in the time dinner was served would allow Peter to participate. As the afternoon progressed it became clear that even a late dinner wasn't likely going to be enough.
The upside of expecting to have a dinner guest was that it motivated me to cook a slightly more substantive meal than I might otherwise have been inclined to prepare, though my more limited academic obligations may have inclined me towards such a meal even without a guest.
Because of a great beef sale we decided to go with roast beef. To accompany the beef I prepared mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cauliflower, and gravy. As regular readers will know, this isn't a particularly elaborate meal as far as this apartment is concerned (it is actually pretty standard). What made the meal slightly more elaborate was that I included a desert: sticky toffee sponge pudding.
Neil and I over consumed a number of components of the first course and have thus decided to hold-off on the desert component of the meal for a while (maybe a few hours).
Hopefully I will get a chance to offer Peter a make-up dinner in the not to distant future.
The upside of expecting to have a dinner guest was that it motivated me to cook a slightly more substantive meal than I might otherwise have been inclined to prepare, though my more limited academic obligations may have inclined me towards such a meal even without a guest.
Because of a great beef sale we decided to go with roast beef. To accompany the beef I prepared mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cauliflower, and gravy. As regular readers will know, this isn't a particularly elaborate meal as far as this apartment is concerned (it is actually pretty standard). What made the meal slightly more elaborate was that I included a desert: sticky toffee sponge pudding.
Neil and I over consumed a number of components of the first course and have thus decided to hold-off on the desert component of the meal for a while (maybe a few hours).
Hopefully I will get a chance to offer Peter a make-up dinner in the not to distant future.
Friday, January 01, 2010
What a time to return
As we were waiting for the plane to take-off this morning in St. John's the weather finally began to develop a few winter-like characteristics. Snow was falling, and then being whipped across with runway in such a way that it appeared to be falling vertically. We encountered rather similar weather conditions when we arrived in Halifax.
By this afternoon snow had begun to fall rather steadily. It didn't take too long for a few centimeters to accumulate.
More importantly, while waking up from my afternoon nap I heard that a new storm had been forecast to hit this region tomorrow. While I am not normally a believer of storm forecasts, in this case the satellite imagery does seem to suggest that there is something moving this way from the New England states.
The plan, at least as far as I am concerned, is to head to the grocery store tomorrow morning to re-stock our fridge and cupboards (which are somewhat bare because of our absence) and then brace for the storm (i.e.: play board games), a process which we may have to interrupt if we end up having an ultimate game in the evening.
The possibility of such a storm was a significant part of our motivation to return when we did. I know that I am glad that I am in Halifax rather than in St. John's worrying about whether the Halifax airport will be shut down for some period of time in the post-Christmas rush.
By this afternoon snow had begun to fall rather steadily. It didn't take too long for a few centimeters to accumulate.
More importantly, while waking up from my afternoon nap I heard that a new storm had been forecast to hit this region tomorrow. While I am not normally a believer of storm forecasts, in this case the satellite imagery does seem to suggest that there is something moving this way from the New England states.
The plan, at least as far as I am concerned, is to head to the grocery store tomorrow morning to re-stock our fridge and cupboards (which are somewhat bare because of our absence) and then brace for the storm (i.e.: play board games), a process which we may have to interrupt if we end up having an ultimate game in the evening.
The possibility of such a storm was a significant part of our motivation to return when we did. I know that I am glad that I am in Halifax rather than in St. John's worrying about whether the Halifax airport will be shut down for some period of time in the post-Christmas rush.
Return to Halifax
After about two weeks in St. John's Neil, Rebecca, and I returned to Halifax today. Our early morning flight meant that we had to wake up at about 4:00 AM, which meant that none of us had much time for sleep.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, though I arrived in different car than Neil and Rebecca. Through a strange piece of luck (for me) I somehow managed to end up at the beginning of a new check in line and consequently had my bags processed quite quickly. Neil and Rebecca, who weren't quite as lucky in the line department, were also ready to move on to the next stage of the process.
The security line was a little longer than the check in line, though even this line wasn't too long. What was most impressive about the security process was how quickly I moved through the metal detectors and x-rays, there was basically no lost time (though I was asked if I had liquids or gels about 2 more times than made sense).
Not to longer after we made it through security we all decided to make food and/or beverage purchases at the cafeteria. Amazingly, the amount of time we spent standing in line to place our order was probably more time than the combined amount of time that I had to spend in the other two lines.
When Neil was eventually able to place his order, which included a toasted bagel, he was told that they didn't have any bagels. This was a little surprising as bagels were visible in the display case. A moment later the employee indicated that they were just 'joking,' and that they did actually have bagels.
The plane ride itself was rather uneventful. Unfortunately, I think that the 20 ounces of coffee and can of energy drink that I consumed before the flight largely prevented me from sleeping on the flight even though I had had only about 1.5 hours of sleep the night before.
Shortly after deplaning and picking up our luggage we made our way out to grab a cab. We made our way to the only remaining cab, whose driver eventually determined that he wouldn't be able to fit all six of our suitcases in his cab and thus was unable to take us. He indicated that he would request that a van be sent for us. After going into the airport to make the call, he told us that a van had been requested but that it would likely take "a while."
After waiting for a few minutes Neil came to the realization that part of the problem was likely that most of the cab drivers (particularly the drivers of vans) had likely worked until the middle of the night on New Year's night. This likely explained why there were so few cabs at the airport and why a van would take "a while."
While waiting for the van we discussed various options other than a cab to make it back to Halifax. Unfortunately none of them seemed particularly tempting or particularly expeditious.
Just as Neil and I were in the midst of such a round of discussions the cab driver came over to talk to us and suggested that we might consider renting a car. He even offered to call an acquaintance at one of the few open rental companies to try to grease the wheels for us.
So within in a few minutes of the cab driver's suggestion we were on our way back to Halifax in a rental car, which turned out to be less than the cab ride would have been. Even once we take gas into account I think that this will be the cheaper than a cab ride (with tip) would have been.
Once back in Halifax with a ride (and unlimited kilometers) we decided to do a little cruising. We eventually settled on having breakfast in Clayton Park and then doing a quick drive-by on the Bayers Lake shopping district. Not surprisingly, most of the stores and businesses were not open today, which was a little disappointing as this is likely the last time we will have car access for the next few months.
By about noon we had finally made it back to the apartment and had time to unpack most of our belongings (some of which were previously owned, others of which we acquired while in St. John's). All three of us then decided to go for afternoon naps, which I think were necessary as none of had even close to 4 hours of sleep.
Though we don't have too many specific plans for our first night back in town, we are thinking that we might head out to catch a movie at Bayers Lake (which would be quite an inconvenience without a car). As of tomorrow we will have to try to get back on something of a regular schedule, which should be assisted by a few commitments that we each have in the coming days.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time to spare, though I arrived in different car than Neil and Rebecca. Through a strange piece of luck (for me) I somehow managed to end up at the beginning of a new check in line and consequently had my bags processed quite quickly. Neil and Rebecca, who weren't quite as lucky in the line department, were also ready to move on to the next stage of the process.
The security line was a little longer than the check in line, though even this line wasn't too long. What was most impressive about the security process was how quickly I moved through the metal detectors and x-rays, there was basically no lost time (though I was asked if I had liquids or gels about 2 more times than made sense).
Not to longer after we made it through security we all decided to make food and/or beverage purchases at the cafeteria. Amazingly, the amount of time we spent standing in line to place our order was probably more time than the combined amount of time that I had to spend in the other two lines.
When Neil was eventually able to place his order, which included a toasted bagel, he was told that they didn't have any bagels. This was a little surprising as bagels were visible in the display case. A moment later the employee indicated that they were just 'joking,' and that they did actually have bagels.
The plane ride itself was rather uneventful. Unfortunately, I think that the 20 ounces of coffee and can of energy drink that I consumed before the flight largely prevented me from sleeping on the flight even though I had had only about 1.5 hours of sleep the night before.
Shortly after deplaning and picking up our luggage we made our way out to grab a cab. We made our way to the only remaining cab, whose driver eventually determined that he wouldn't be able to fit all six of our suitcases in his cab and thus was unable to take us. He indicated that he would request that a van be sent for us. After going into the airport to make the call, he told us that a van had been requested but that it would likely take "a while."
After waiting for a few minutes Neil came to the realization that part of the problem was likely that most of the cab drivers (particularly the drivers of vans) had likely worked until the middle of the night on New Year's night. This likely explained why there were so few cabs at the airport and why a van would take "a while."
While waiting for the van we discussed various options other than a cab to make it back to Halifax. Unfortunately none of them seemed particularly tempting or particularly expeditious.
Just as Neil and I were in the midst of such a round of discussions the cab driver came over to talk to us and suggested that we might consider renting a car. He even offered to call an acquaintance at one of the few open rental companies to try to grease the wheels for us.
So within in a few minutes of the cab driver's suggestion we were on our way back to Halifax in a rental car, which turned out to be less than the cab ride would have been. Even once we take gas into account I think that this will be the cheaper than a cab ride (with tip) would have been.
Once back in Halifax with a ride (and unlimited kilometers) we decided to do a little cruising. We eventually settled on having breakfast in Clayton Park and then doing a quick drive-by on the Bayers Lake shopping district. Not surprisingly, most of the stores and businesses were not open today, which was a little disappointing as this is likely the last time we will have car access for the next few months.
By about noon we had finally made it back to the apartment and had time to unpack most of our belongings (some of which were previously owned, others of which we acquired while in St. John's). All three of us then decided to go for afternoon naps, which I think were necessary as none of had even close to 4 hours of sleep.
Though we don't have too many specific plans for our first night back in town, we are thinking that we might head out to catch a movie at Bayers Lake (which would be quite an inconvenience without a car). As of tomorrow we will have to try to get back on something of a regular schedule, which should be assisted by a few commitments that we each have in the coming days.
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