-Today was a pretty middle of the road day. Not bad, but not particularly great either.
-That my Roll Up the Rim to Win record has slipped to a dismal 2/14 is not particularly reassuring. I just hope that my failure on this front doesn't have significant negative impacts on my self-esteem and self-confidence (though it is hard to be confident in one's ability in the fact of such personal failures).
-Apparently after Rebecca didn't like this video.
[Embedded video]
I have no idea why Rebecca doesn't like this video, these little guys are amazing (if a little strangely dressed).
-It seems that I have finally found a use for my tobacco, a friend of mine is willing to take it off my hands. That he took some a few weeks ago and then came back looking for more yesterday suggests to me that we may have the foundation of a lasting relationship.
-Yesterday while at the grocery store I picked up a few on sale chicken breasts. While I knew that they they were on sale it seemed that the pricing scheme was a little off, $4 a pound shouldn't have translated into $4.50 a kilogram.
Shortly after I checked out and paid about $10 for 6 chicken breasts I heard my cashier page the meat department, presumably to get them to correct their mistake. What I found particularly funny about the situation was that once I got home I noticed that both packages of chicken breasts that I had purchased had been priced and then re-priced. It seems that during the second pricing process things became a little messed up, at least from the store's perspective.
-While on the topic of grocery store deals, I was able to take advantage of a great deal tonight. One of the local grocery stores was giving away, with the purchase of a $12.99 frying pan, a dozen eggs, 375 grams of bacon, 6 english muffins, 1 liter of juice, and 750 grams of hash browns. I wonder if Neil might be inclined to buy a frying pan tomorrow?
-While was walking home today after class I happened to pass a campus hot-dog cart. Though I don't normally frequent this particular street meat vendor, I was a little disgusted to see that birds were eating from a number of the condiment containers while the employee seemed to be engaged in other activities. I had always been somewhat suspect of on-the-street condiments and now I know that it was with good reason.
-Today Tom Flanagan, a former Harper Chief of Staff and University of Calgary Political Science professor, spoke at Dalhousie. Neil and I, along with a few others attended. For the most part Neil and I enjoyed the experience. What I found particularly surprising was that more than most public lectures I have attended, and particularly of those that are somewhat politically charged, this one seemed to generate largely reasonable questions (and Flanagan had reasonable answers).
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
News Round-up
Given the importance of Montifax in most of our readers' news-gathering habits I thought that I should probably pull together a few stories that recently caught my attention.
1) It seems that St. John's will once again be delaying the implementation of its long-awaited curbside recycling program. Given the functionality of other recycling policy in Newfoundland I will be a little surprised if this ever gets off the ground.
2 &3) The Nova Scotia MLA spending scandal seems to be getting worse and worse, contrary to the suggestions of politicians that a fix is around the bend. It now seems that one MLA, Trevor Zinck, is being investigated because of irregularities associated with a number of payments he received from the House. What seems most striking about the investigation of Zinck is that I do not get the sense that such problems were highlighted in the Auditor General's recent report that kicked this whole thing off. If this is the case one might start to wonder what else might have been missed and what exactly was going on with allowances in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly? Also, in this particular incident, it seems that some people (at least the NDP caucus) were aware of problems with expenditures, though this information was not made public. If there wasn't a need for a more detailed investigation before, there certainly is now.
4) Booze prices are set to change in Nova Scotia as of March 31, 2010. Once these changes are in effect it will be cheaper to buy 2 sets of 12 cans of Keith's than 24 bottles of Keith's (even though one this would also provide one with more beer). I loves me some arbitrary non-sense prices.
5) It seems that a Newfoundland cabinet minister, John Hickey, was upset by direct requests for information relating directly to his portfolio. Not only did Hickey suggest that the person requesting the information "grow up," he also said that "If you're too lazy to put in your request through the [Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act], then don't certainly harass me as a minister looking for it." While this behaviour is certainly transparent, it doesn't suggest as much accountability.
1) It seems that St. John's will once again be delaying the implementation of its long-awaited curbside recycling program. Given the functionality of other recycling policy in Newfoundland I will be a little surprised if this ever gets off the ground.
2 &3) The Nova Scotia MLA spending scandal seems to be getting worse and worse, contrary to the suggestions of politicians that a fix is around the bend. It now seems that one MLA, Trevor Zinck, is being investigated because of irregularities associated with a number of payments he received from the House. What seems most striking about the investigation of Zinck is that I do not get the sense that such problems were highlighted in the Auditor General's recent report that kicked this whole thing off. If this is the case one might start to wonder what else might have been missed and what exactly was going on with allowances in the Nova Scotia House of Assembly? Also, in this particular incident, it seems that some people (at least the NDP caucus) were aware of problems with expenditures, though this information was not made public. If there wasn't a need for a more detailed investigation before, there certainly is now.
4) Booze prices are set to change in Nova Scotia as of March 31, 2010. Once these changes are in effect it will be cheaper to buy 2 sets of 12 cans of Keith's than 24 bottles of Keith's (even though one this would also provide one with more beer). I loves me some arbitrary non-sense prices.
5) It seems that a Newfoundland cabinet minister, John Hickey, was upset by direct requests for information relating directly to his portfolio. Not only did Hickey suggest that the person requesting the information "grow up," he also said that "If you're too lazy to put in your request through the [Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act], then don't certainly harass me as a minister looking for it." While this behaviour is certainly transparent, it doesn't suggest as much accountability.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 414
-Though today wasn't particularly warm, it was an otherwise nice day. It was a particularly good day for walking.
-I am now 2/11 with my Roll Up the Rim to Win Cups. My performance has been so poor recently that I have almost given up hope.
-As you can see, my banana plant, after a few months of producing relatively small leaves, has finally started its Spring growth-spurt.
-As expected, I made another trip to the grocery store for the final day of the club soda sale. Unlike the last few trips, this time I wasn't able to find the product still packaged by the case. For no particularly good reason other than a desire to be macho I decided to purchase eight bottles and then carry them home in my arms. This was particularly stupid because I could have had the bottle placed in shopping bags to make the whole operation much less risky.
We now have a stash that should be large enough to last us at least a week and a half.
-Just to get back to plants quickly, it seems that all of the 72 peet pellets that my neighbour and I planted about two weeks ago have sprouted. Apparently the peas are doing particularly well. I am hoping to head up to Andrew's apartment to visit them in the coming days.
-I am now 2/11 with my Roll Up the Rim to Win Cups. My performance has been so poor recently that I have almost given up hope.
-As you can see, my banana plant, after a few months of producing relatively small leaves, has finally started its Spring growth-spurt.
-As expected, I made another trip to the grocery store for the final day of the club soda sale. Unlike the last few trips, this time I wasn't able to find the product still packaged by the case. For no particularly good reason other than a desire to be macho I decided to purchase eight bottles and then carry them home in my arms. This was particularly stupid because I could have had the bottle placed in shopping bags to make the whole operation much less risky.
We now have a stash that should be large enough to last us at least a week and a half.
-Just to get back to plants quickly, it seems that all of the 72 peet pellets that my neighbour and I planted about two weeks ago have sprouted. Apparently the peas are doing particularly well. I am hoping to head up to Andrew's apartment to visit them in the coming days.
Not a good week for Bubbles
Yesterday it was reported that Bubbles Mansion, a bar that was party owned by Trailer Park Boys's Bubbles (Mike Smith), closed because of a drop off in business.
Today it was reported that the Toothy Moose, another bar owned by the same set of owners, has also had problems, this time with the licensing authorities. It seems that they have had a tendency to let too many people in and serve some of them too much alcohol. It seems that as a consequence of these violations the bar will be forced to close for 5 days in the near future.
As much as it is going to hurt to have to be closed for some number of days, in the long run I don't imagine that have a reputation for having too many people having too good a time will really hurt the bar. I know that I am much more interested in going there now that I was 5 minutes ago.
Today it was reported that the Toothy Moose, another bar owned by the same set of owners, has also had problems, this time with the licensing authorities. It seems that they have had a tendency to let too many people in and serve some of them too much alcohol. It seems that as a consequence of these violations the bar will be forced to close for 5 days in the near future.
As much as it is going to hurt to have to be closed for some number of days, in the long run I don't imagine that have a reputation for having too many people having too good a time will really hurt the bar. I know that I am much more interested in going there now that I was 5 minutes ago.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 413
-Today was marked by period of intermittent rain. When it wasn't raining it was grey and felt as though it was getting ready to rain. I guess it is a good thing that I didn't have much to do outside today.
-Sad news in Halifax. It seems that after a four-year run, Bubbles Mansion has closed. While I kept meaning to go, somehow I never quite managed get through the doors (though I did at least make it to the doors on one occasion). In honour of this establishment's passing I will re-post a video from a Bubbles Mansion shopping cart race that Rebecca, Neil, my mother, and I stumbled upon about a year and a half ago.
[Embedded Video]
-Today I decided to pick up another case of 8 2 liter bottles of club soda. I am thinking that I may try and snag another 8 bottles tomorrow.
-As predicted, I did some laundry today.
-Sad news in Halifax. It seems that after a four-year run, Bubbles Mansion has closed. While I kept meaning to go, somehow I never quite managed get through the doors (though I did at least make it to the doors on one occasion). In honour of this establishment's passing I will re-post a video from a Bubbles Mansion shopping cart race that Rebecca, Neil, my mother, and I stumbled upon about a year and a half ago.
[Embedded Video]
-Today I decided to pick up another case of 8 2 liter bottles of club soda. I am thinking that I may try and snag another 8 bottles tomorrow.
-As predicted, I did some laundry today.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 412
-Today, as I feared, was less than nice. Though it wasn't as bad as I feared, there was definitely enough wind and rain to make things unpleasant. I managed to get pretty wet on my way to school.
-I am now 2/10 with regards to my Roll Up the Rim cups. I am really slowing down. I need to find a way to get myself out of this slump.
-I made two trips to the nearby grocery store today. This morning, among other things, I purchased 8 pounds of butter at $2.70 a pound. This evening we purchased, along with a few other items, 16 2 liter bottles of club soda. A pretty successful shopping day if I may say so myself.
-I definitely need to do a few loads of laundry tomorrow.
-I have been doing a little more messing around with our Feedburner feed. Among other things I think I have set things up so that our posts will be re-posted to my Twitter feed (though I can't see that this really serves any particular purpose).
-Yesterday, at about 11:00 AM our building's fire alarm began to sound. I was somewhat pleased to see that about half of those people waiting outside of the building were still in pajamas. All of a sudden that I had been asleep until 11:00 didn't seem so slack.
-I am now 2/10 with regards to my Roll Up the Rim cups. I am really slowing down. I need to find a way to get myself out of this slump.
-I made two trips to the nearby grocery store today. This morning, among other things, I purchased 8 pounds of butter at $2.70 a pound. This evening we purchased, along with a few other items, 16 2 liter bottles of club soda. A pretty successful shopping day if I may say so myself.
-I definitely need to do a few loads of laundry tomorrow.
-I have been doing a little more messing around with our Feedburner feed. Among other things I think I have set things up so that our posts will be re-posted to my Twitter feed (though I can't see that this really serves any particular purpose).
-Yesterday, at about 11:00 AM our building's fire alarm began to sound. I was somewhat pleased to see that about half of those people waiting outside of the building were still in pajamas. All of a sudden that I had been asleep until 11:00 didn't seem so slack.
"We Earn It!"
While looking through yesterday's newspaper coverage of the 'historic vote' on healthcare reform in the United States I saw a photo of some protestors outside the Capitol. Some of the protestors had signs with the message "In America, We Don't Redistribute Wealth, We Earn It." This message frustrates me because it perpetuates a myth about the role of the government in the United States and its history as it relates to the redistribution of wealth in the US (the US government has been redistributing wealth since its founding). This message also implies other untruths, namely that all redistribution of wealth is inherently Marxist/Communist in intention and origin and certainly un-American in nature and essence.
This basic factual inaccuracy of the message is striking. Contrary to what is suggested by this sign, one of the activities that US governments (local, state, and federal) have engaged in most consistently over the 200-year plus history of the country is the redistribution of wealth through various forms of taxation. Whether the form of taxation is duty paid on goods, sales tax, income tax, or capital gains tax the general effect is to transfer funds to the state (in its various forms). These funds may be used in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, the payment of salaries of civil servants, the provision of a justice system, the provision of welfare services, or the maintenance of a military force. Schools, libraries, and the military (and the teachers, librarians, and soldiers that they employ) are institutions that have been particularly longstanding beneficiaries of this wealth.
The point is not that we need like such practices (or even accept the necessity of a government) but that we should at least understand that they are inherent, to a lesser or greater extent, to government (which requires some resources - even if they are only human). Even the most basic government, one that deals only with law making, the provision of a justice system, and the protection of its borders, requires some funds (raised through taxation), which it then distributes in fulfilling its duties. Whether we like it or not, governments acquire resources which they then redistribute.
Even funnier is that, arguably, the US was founded on claims relating to the support of Americans for redistribution of wealth. The phrase "no taxation without representation" did not suggest that the colonists did not accept taxation (and the consequent redistribution of wealth) but that they wanted a say in how this wealth was to be collected and redistributed. It was on this issue, the control of the redistribution of wealth, (among others) that the Revolutionary War was fought. And since before the introduction of the present American constitution American governments have been actively engaging in the hard-fought-for ability to redistribute wealth in accordance with the wishes of representatives elected by taxpayers
So to not understand that the US engages in the redistribution of wealth, and has since its founding, is to not understand either the history of the country or the functioning of modern government. To suggest it is un-American is another issue all together in that it suggests an ahistorical understanding of history that seems to associate this practice with other, less-well regarded (at least from the American perspective) political systems. The general systems to which these practices seem to be associated are the communist/Marxist systems that American governments have vilified (i.e. ‘the evil empire’ or the ‘red threat’) for years. Unfortunately, these connotations have meant that the public has not been able to engage in reasonable discussions about the redistribution of wealth in the US and the role that it has played since before the founding of the country.
To conclude, and to maybe take the point just a little too far; it might even be reasonable to argue that the redistribution of wealth is more American than apple pie in that the redistribution of wealth is so essential to the American state that without it there would not be an American state (or subsidies for the apple farmers).
This basic factual inaccuracy of the message is striking. Contrary to what is suggested by this sign, one of the activities that US governments (local, state, and federal) have engaged in most consistently over the 200-year plus history of the country is the redistribution of wealth through various forms of taxation. Whether the form of taxation is duty paid on goods, sales tax, income tax, or capital gains tax the general effect is to transfer funds to the state (in its various forms). These funds may be used in a variety of ways, including, but not limited to, the payment of salaries of civil servants, the provision of a justice system, the provision of welfare services, or the maintenance of a military force. Schools, libraries, and the military (and the teachers, librarians, and soldiers that they employ) are institutions that have been particularly longstanding beneficiaries of this wealth.
The point is not that we need like such practices (or even accept the necessity of a government) but that we should at least understand that they are inherent, to a lesser or greater extent, to government (which requires some resources - even if they are only human). Even the most basic government, one that deals only with law making, the provision of a justice system, and the protection of its borders, requires some funds (raised through taxation), which it then distributes in fulfilling its duties. Whether we like it or not, governments acquire resources which they then redistribute.
Even funnier is that, arguably, the US was founded on claims relating to the support of Americans for redistribution of wealth. The phrase "no taxation without representation" did not suggest that the colonists did not accept taxation (and the consequent redistribution of wealth) but that they wanted a say in how this wealth was to be collected and redistributed. It was on this issue, the control of the redistribution of wealth, (among others) that the Revolutionary War was fought. And since before the introduction of the present American constitution American governments have been actively engaging in the hard-fought-for ability to redistribute wealth in accordance with the wishes of representatives elected by taxpayers
So to not understand that the US engages in the redistribution of wealth, and has since its founding, is to not understand either the history of the country or the functioning of modern government. To suggest it is un-American is another issue all together in that it suggests an ahistorical understanding of history that seems to associate this practice with other, less-well regarded (at least from the American perspective) political systems. The general systems to which these practices seem to be associated are the communist/Marxist systems that American governments have vilified (i.e. ‘the evil empire’ or the ‘red threat’) for years. Unfortunately, these connotations have meant that the public has not been able to engage in reasonable discussions about the redistribution of wealth in the US and the role that it has played since before the founding of the country.
To conclude, and to maybe take the point just a little too far; it might even be reasonable to argue that the redistribution of wealth is more American than apple pie in that the redistribution of wealth is so essential to the American state that without it there would not be an American state (or subsidies for the apple farmers).
A Few Quick Notes 411
-Today, while not as nice as the past few days, was pretty OK until some time this evening. Unfortunately, things are expected to get even worse tomorrow (meaning rainier), though I am still holding out a little hope that the forecast is as inaccurate as usual.
-I am now 2/9 with my Roll Up the Rim to Win cup. I am starting to feel a little like Chuck Knoblauch, in that that I am just not doing what doing what needs to be done. I keep missing my mark.
-I have recently been so busy tipping back diet passionfruit pop that I completely forgot how refreshing a nice glass of ice water can be. In case you too have forgotten how nice a glass of ice water can be and are curious the answer is great and refreshing. Glasses ice water are so good it is no wonder that they are my favourite drink and the one drink I would take with me to a desert island (assuming I am ever given such a choice).
-In class today we were talking about international development NGOs and their relationship to missionary work when the professor asked the class "Have NGOs assumed a missionary position?" After I broke the silence and laughed a few of my classmates joined in before the professor caught on and shamefacedly rephrased the question. Though I know my father might spend years crafting such a line, I am pretty sure that this one was spur of the moment and considered a misstep by the professor.
-I harvested some of my tobacco seeds today. I still have to separate some of the seed pods from the seed, but it is already clear that I have thousands and thousands of seeds. I have no idea what I might do with thousands and thousands of tobacco seeds.
-There is an awesome butter sale at the grocery store this week. I am hoping to head by tomorrow and pick up a few pounds.
-A few weeks ago I decided to "soften my image" by growing a beard. I was hoping that a beard would draw attention away from my super-short haircut and allow me not to look so intense. Generally I think that this worked, though it is kind of hard to say. Anyway, my beard was getting kind of long and my hair had grown out enough that I decided that I could go back to being beardless and would likely not look to intense so I got rid of my beard this morning. I generally think it was a good move.
-I am now 2/9 with my Roll Up the Rim to Win cup. I am starting to feel a little like Chuck Knoblauch, in that that I am just not doing what doing what needs to be done. I keep missing my mark.
-I have recently been so busy tipping back diet passionfruit pop that I completely forgot how refreshing a nice glass of ice water can be. In case you too have forgotten how nice a glass of ice water can be and are curious the answer is great and refreshing. Glasses ice water are so good it is no wonder that they are my favourite drink and the one drink I would take with me to a desert island (assuming I am ever given such a choice).
-In class today we were talking about international development NGOs and their relationship to missionary work when the professor asked the class "Have NGOs assumed a missionary position?" After I broke the silence and laughed a few of my classmates joined in before the professor caught on and shamefacedly rephrased the question. Though I know my father might spend years crafting such a line, I am pretty sure that this one was spur of the moment and considered a misstep by the professor.
-I harvested some of my tobacco seeds today. I still have to separate some of the seed pods from the seed, but it is already clear that I have thousands and thousands of seeds. I have no idea what I might do with thousands and thousands of tobacco seeds.
-There is an awesome butter sale at the grocery store this week. I am hoping to head by tomorrow and pick up a few pounds.
-A few weeks ago I decided to "soften my image" by growing a beard. I was hoping that a beard would draw attention away from my super-short haircut and allow me not to look so intense. Generally I think that this worked, though it is kind of hard to say. Anyway, my beard was getting kind of long and my hair had grown out enough that I decided that I could go back to being beardless and would likely not look to intense so I got rid of my beard this morning. I generally think it was a good move.
Monday, March 22, 2010
That Was Unexpected
Big news in my podcasting world (which is admittedly a pretty small world)
Just a few minutes ago I learned that a few of my favourite podcasts will now fall somewhat under the same banner/distribution network. (While giving shout outs or recommendations I might as well also mention a few of my favourite independently produced podcasts: The Moth (maybe this one doesn't count as independently produced anymore), The 40 Year Old Boy, and The Tobolowsky Files.)
The details are that the independently produced Stop Podcasting Yourself, hosted by Dave Shumka and Graham Clark, will now somehow fall under the Maximumfun.org banner and thus be associated with The Sound of Young America and Jordan, Jesse, Go!
It seems that the general idea is to bring additional content to the MaxFun realm and provide Stop Podcasting Yourself with a larger audience (and maybe access to the MaxFun fundraising machine?).
As a fan of all involved I really hope this works out for everyone and leads to a fruitful partnership.
Just a few minutes ago I learned that a few of my favourite podcasts will now fall somewhat under the same banner/distribution network. (While giving shout outs or recommendations I might as well also mention a few of my favourite independently produced podcasts: The Moth (maybe this one doesn't count as independently produced anymore), The 40 Year Old Boy, and The Tobolowsky Files.)
The details are that the independently produced Stop Podcasting Yourself, hosted by Dave Shumka and Graham Clark, will now somehow fall under the Maximumfun.org banner and thus be associated with The Sound of Young America and Jordan, Jesse, Go!
It seems that the general idea is to bring additional content to the MaxFun realm and provide Stop Podcasting Yourself with a larger audience (and maybe access to the MaxFun fundraising machine?).
As a fan of all involved I really hope this works out for everyone and leads to a fruitful partnership.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Hey da Google, stop creeping my email!
So da Google has totally started creeping my email, and I don't like it.
I know that they have been basing ad choice on email content for some time, but this seemed somewhat passive and easy to ignore.
Recently the have stepped up the creep factor.
Tonight I was sending an email when I encountered a dialog box. The box wanted to know if I had intended to include attachments with my message (I had not). It then went on to say that I was being asked this question because I had used the phrase "I have included" in my message.
Holy crap da Google, at least let me send my messages before you start creeping my email. Now I feel as though I need to watch myself even when preparing my message, which isn't a particularly pleasant feeling. (The best/worst part of this is that da Google already knows that I have written this and criticized it - hopefully they will place conciliatory ads in my inbox).
I know that they have been basing ad choice on email content for some time, but this seemed somewhat passive and easy to ignore.
Recently the have stepped up the creep factor.
Tonight I was sending an email when I encountered a dialog box. The box wanted to know if I had intended to include attachments with my message (I had not). It then went on to say that I was being asked this question because I had used the phrase "I have included" in my message.
Holy crap da Google, at least let me send my messages before you start creeping my email. Now I feel as though I need to watch myself even when preparing my message, which isn't a particularly pleasant feeling. (The best/worst part of this is that da Google already knows that I have written this and criticized it - hopefully they will place conciliatory ads in my inbox).
Friday, March 19, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 410
-Today was another beautiful day in Halifax. Unfortunately, I didn't end up leaving the apartment until the temperature was about 7 or 8 degrees below today's high.
-After a few years of neglect I finally got around too looking into the service we use to distribute our post via email. It seems that since the last time I looked into things Feedburner was acquired by Google and is thus now a Google service. The big news is that I have changed the feed from being a Feedburner feed to a Google feed. In theory the transition should be seamless for those who receive the daily email updates and who have used readers to subscribe to the feed, but if things do not go as smoothly as planned it would be great it someone would let me know.
-This evening I made a trip to the grocery store just a few minutes before it was schedule to close. While there, among other things, I picked up some carrots, celery, and more discount diet passionfruit pop. Shortly after returning home I peeled and cut into sticks 3 pounds of carrots (I have subsequently consumed two bowls of carrot sticks). I have also managed to consume a number of cans of passionfruit pop.
-In about 2000, while I was living in New York, I developed a taste for Oreo cookies. I started going through packages of Oreos quite quickly. This course of events took me by surprise as I had never really liked Oreos as a child, actually I was grossed out by the idea of all sandwich cookies that weren't Fudgeos. Almost as soon as I left New York that December my infatuation with Oreos ended.
A few days ago I noticed that on of the grocery stores had Oreos on sale for about half price. This was a low enough price for me to see if I could either re-kindle my relationship with the product or determine if I had really just had nothing more than a brief dalliance with the cookie almost a decade ago. I think it turns out it was the latter. Now that I have had a few I can safely say that they really don't do anything for me. If it wasn't for the fact that I have about 80% of a package left I think that I would probably feel quite comfortable if I never ate another in my life (actually that may not be true, I am somewhat curious to know whether or not American Oreos are different and whether or not they are better than Canadian Oreos).
For those of you who are curious, Fudgeos are still my go-to sandwich cookie. The package I purchased with the Oreos was consumed within just a few days of its purchase.
-We have our final Ultimate game of the season tomorrow.
-Wow, I really should get back to work.
-After a few years of neglect I finally got around too looking into the service we use to distribute our post via email. It seems that since the last time I looked into things Feedburner was acquired by Google and is thus now a Google service. The big news is that I have changed the feed from being a Feedburner feed to a Google feed. In theory the transition should be seamless for those who receive the daily email updates and who have used readers to subscribe to the feed, but if things do not go as smoothly as planned it would be great it someone would let me know.
-This evening I made a trip to the grocery store just a few minutes before it was schedule to close. While there, among other things, I picked up some carrots, celery, and more discount diet passionfruit pop. Shortly after returning home I peeled and cut into sticks 3 pounds of carrots (I have subsequently consumed two bowls of carrot sticks). I have also managed to consume a number of cans of passionfruit pop.
-In about 2000, while I was living in New York, I developed a taste for Oreo cookies. I started going through packages of Oreos quite quickly. This course of events took me by surprise as I had never really liked Oreos as a child, actually I was grossed out by the idea of all sandwich cookies that weren't Fudgeos. Almost as soon as I left New York that December my infatuation with Oreos ended.
A few days ago I noticed that on of the grocery stores had Oreos on sale for about half price. This was a low enough price for me to see if I could either re-kindle my relationship with the product or determine if I had really just had nothing more than a brief dalliance with the cookie almost a decade ago. I think it turns out it was the latter. Now that I have had a few I can safely say that they really don't do anything for me. If it wasn't for the fact that I have about 80% of a package left I think that I would probably feel quite comfortable if I never ate another in my life (actually that may not be true, I am somewhat curious to know whether or not American Oreos are different and whether or not they are better than Canadian Oreos).
For those of you who are curious, Fudgeos are still my go-to sandwich cookie. The package I purchased with the Oreos was consumed within just a few days of its purchase.
-We have our final Ultimate game of the season tomorrow.
-Wow, I really should get back to work.
A Few Quick Notes 409
-Today was another beautiful day. In contrast to many of past few nights, the temperature seems to be remaining above zero, though the temperature drop was still about 10 degrees, maybe even as high as 11.
-I am now down to 2/8 with this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. Apparently playing for Jess only got me through the initial days of the competition, I will now likely need to find some other cause to reinvigorate myself (though this doesn't mean that I won't also carry original burden).
-A few days ago Neil called our internet service provider about our sluggish internet connection. After a few minutes he learned that the problem is that due to an 'administrative error' we had been switched to a slower service some number of months ago. Apparently we are now to get some kind of discount, though I am not sure if we have been told exactly what this will entail.
Of course the good news is that we now have a much faster internet connection that doesn't seem to disconnect as frequently. The bad news is that we have once again confirmed that we are so lazy that we will wait months before dealing with an obvious problem.
-Maybe two weeks ago Neil and I were grocery shopping when we happened to come across some discount passionfruit flavoured pop. Much to my surprise, I was quite taken with the $1.98 product and decided to buy a dozen cans of the diet variety. After just a few days we were out and I was jonesing for more.
Yesterday night we went back and bought another dozen (along with more traditional groceries). Sadly, I pounded back five of the dozen cans this afternoon and evening. At this rate I am likely going to need to re-stock by tomorrow afternoon (that is if I want to re-stock before I run out).
-I am in the midst of preparing an essay for submission on Monday. While things are a bit rough at the moment I think that I have at least finally settled on the basic outlines of the structure (a development that was a long time coming). Hopefully I will be able to fashion something approximating a first draft tomorrow.
-Tonight all three of us went upstairs to have dinner at our neighbour/friend's apartment. We had a really great stir-fry for dinner and then a sticky toffee sponge pudding (that I prepared) for desert. It was a very pleasant affair.
-A few weeks ago this neighbour/friend and I decided to jointly acquire a seed starter kit (basically mini-green house with peat pellets) and together get a jump on the growing season. With a few of the seeds that I already had and a few more that I ordered from Vesey's (they have great seed catalogues) we managed to take care of the planting last Saturday. When I went up tonight, much to my surprise, I learned that most of the seeds we planted, including most of the tomatoes, have already sprouted and are quite perceptibly plants. This early and vigorous sprouting has really helped me get pumped about our upcoming container gardening season.
Hopefully at some point in the coming days I will be able to take a few minutes and explain what is going on plantwise and what I expect to happen in the near future.
-As many of you likely know, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Though I am not a particularly keen celebrator or St. Patrick's Day I did end up visiting a local establishment yesterday evening. I decided to head out to this particular event because a fellow political science grad student and former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald were to be performing together. While at the event Neil and I ran into a few other political science grad students, as well as my supervisor. All in all, I think it is safe to say that we had a good time and would likely consider heading back next year if a similar slate of performers happened to be scheduled to appear.
-I am now down to 2/8 with this year's Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. Apparently playing for Jess only got me through the initial days of the competition, I will now likely need to find some other cause to reinvigorate myself (though this doesn't mean that I won't also carry original burden).
-A few days ago Neil called our internet service provider about our sluggish internet connection. After a few minutes he learned that the problem is that due to an 'administrative error' we had been switched to a slower service some number of months ago. Apparently we are now to get some kind of discount, though I am not sure if we have been told exactly what this will entail.
Of course the good news is that we now have a much faster internet connection that doesn't seem to disconnect as frequently. The bad news is that we have once again confirmed that we are so lazy that we will wait months before dealing with an obvious problem.
-Maybe two weeks ago Neil and I were grocery shopping when we happened to come across some discount passionfruit flavoured pop. Much to my surprise, I was quite taken with the $1.98 product and decided to buy a dozen cans of the diet variety. After just a few days we were out and I was jonesing for more.
Yesterday night we went back and bought another dozen (along with more traditional groceries). Sadly, I pounded back five of the dozen cans this afternoon and evening. At this rate I am likely going to need to re-stock by tomorrow afternoon (that is if I want to re-stock before I run out).
-I am in the midst of preparing an essay for submission on Monday. While things are a bit rough at the moment I think that I have at least finally settled on the basic outlines of the structure (a development that was a long time coming). Hopefully I will be able to fashion something approximating a first draft tomorrow.
-Tonight all three of us went upstairs to have dinner at our neighbour/friend's apartment. We had a really great stir-fry for dinner and then a sticky toffee sponge pudding (that I prepared) for desert. It was a very pleasant affair.
-A few weeks ago this neighbour/friend and I decided to jointly acquire a seed starter kit (basically mini-green house with peat pellets) and together get a jump on the growing season. With a few of the seeds that I already had and a few more that I ordered from Vesey's (they have great seed catalogues) we managed to take care of the planting last Saturday. When I went up tonight, much to my surprise, I learned that most of the seeds we planted, including most of the tomatoes, have already sprouted and are quite perceptibly plants. This early and vigorous sprouting has really helped me get pumped about our upcoming container gardening season.
Hopefully at some point in the coming days I will be able to take a few minutes and explain what is going on plantwise and what I expect to happen in the near future.
-As many of you likely know, yesterday was St. Patrick's Day. Though I am not a particularly keen celebrator or St. Patrick's Day I did end up visiting a local establishment yesterday evening. I decided to head out to this particular event because a fellow political science grad student and former Nova Scotia premier Rodney MacDonald were to be performing together. While at the event Neil and I ran into a few other political science grad students, as well as my supervisor. All in all, I think it is safe to say that we had a good time and would likely consider heading back next year if a similar slate of performers happened to be scheduled to appear.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Topsail by-election
Today's provincial by-election in Newfoundland in the district of Topsail is now over.
At least according to me, Paul Davis, the PC candidate, was the heavy favourite going into the race. I became more certain of this when it was clear that the Liberals and NDP had appointed candidates that were relatively unknown (at least to me).
Anyway, though the turnout was only 33%, Davis managed to win by almost than 2400 votes (Davis had 2737 votes, the Liberal candidate had 238, and the NDP candidate had 374).
Elections Newfoundland and Labrador had a pretty neat live update system that impressed me. Check it out here if you are interested.
At least according to me, Paul Davis, the PC candidate, was the heavy favourite going into the race. I became more certain of this when it was clear that the Liberals and NDP had appointed candidates that were relatively unknown (at least to me).
Anyway, though the turnout was only 33%, Davis managed to win by almost than 2400 votes (Davis had 2737 votes, the Liberal candidate had 238, and the NDP candidate had 374).
Elections Newfoundland and Labrador had a pretty neat live update system that impressed me. Check it out here if you are interested.
Monday, March 15, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 408
-The streak of good weather continued through today, at least that is my recollection of things. What I have been finding most impressive about our recent good weather is that while it will go as high as 5 or 6 during the day it will then drop to close to -5 or -6 at night, which means something close to a 10 degree temperature swing in just a few hours.
-Not only is Gushue out of the Brier, the team that handed him his first loss of this Brier, Alberta, are now the champions. It seems that Neil and Rebecca, unbeknownst to me, decided to make their way to this evening's final game. Apparently they scored discount tickets from a scalper and had pretty good seats for what was, at least according to them, a pretty good game (even if Alberta did win).
-We managed to lose both of our Ultimate games on Saturday. This didn't really surprise me as the first team we were playing beat us rather soundly just a few weeks ago and the second game we were playing after already having played a game earlier in the day. It seems that we have one game left for the season/play-offs.
-On Friday my seed order arrived. I purchased some pea, bean, and tomato seeds.
Yesterday, with a neighbour/friend I planted a number of these seeds in small starter kit that I purchased a few weeks ago. I am already looking forward to this year's harvest. Hopefully I will be able to provide you with a few more details about what I expect to grow when I have a little more time.
-The time change has been brutal, and I don't think I have really even noticed it yet. Tomorrow morning is going to be incredibly painful.
-Not only is Gushue out of the Brier, the team that handed him his first loss of this Brier, Alberta, are now the champions. It seems that Neil and Rebecca, unbeknownst to me, decided to make their way to this evening's final game. Apparently they scored discount tickets from a scalper and had pretty good seats for what was, at least according to them, a pretty good game (even if Alberta did win).
-We managed to lose both of our Ultimate games on Saturday. This didn't really surprise me as the first team we were playing beat us rather soundly just a few weeks ago and the second game we were playing after already having played a game earlier in the day. It seems that we have one game left for the season/play-offs.
-On Friday my seed order arrived. I purchased some pea, bean, and tomato seeds.
Yesterday, with a neighbour/friend I planted a number of these seeds in small starter kit that I purchased a few weeks ago. I am already looking forward to this year's harvest. Hopefully I will be able to provide you with a few more details about what I expect to grow when I have a little more time.
-The time change has been brutal, and I don't think I have really even noticed it yet. Tomorrow morning is going to be incredibly painful.
Friday, March 12, 2010
She's gunning for me
So word on the street is that Kirsten has a PB of 8 full-fledged chin-ups. How did this happen? I had heard nothing about her continuing to work on this front. I presumed, wrongly, that my commanding lead had scared her away from even trying to go head-to-head with me on the chin-up front.
Anyway, this was a bit of a wake-up call. Kirsten being at 8 meant that she was only one away from my PB of 9. As it is known that I am not particularly keen on the idea of my younger sister being able to do more chin-ups than I can, this result put me in something of an awkward position. This was definitely a little too close for comfort.
Fortunately this news provided the necessary motivation for me to head over to the chin-up bar and crank out 10 chin-ups. While this puts a little more room between us, I don't think it is enough for me to let my guard down (as happened over the past few weeks).
Both of us are just lucking that we are residing away from each other, otherwise the temptation to pull a Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan on the other might just be a little too strong.
Anyway, this was a bit of a wake-up call. Kirsten being at 8 meant that she was only one away from my PB of 9. As it is known that I am not particularly keen on the idea of my younger sister being able to do more chin-ups than I can, this result put me in something of an awkward position. This was definitely a little too close for comfort.
Fortunately this news provided the necessary motivation for me to head over to the chin-up bar and crank out 10 chin-ups. While this puts a little more room between us, I don't think it is enough for me to let my guard down (as happened over the past few weeks).
Both of us are just lucking that we are residing away from each other, otherwise the temptation to pull a Tonya Harding/Nancy Kerrigan on the other might just be a little too strong.
A Few Quick Notes 407
-We are in the midst of another beautiful day in Halifax. At the moment the sun is shining and the temperature is well above zero. Hopefully I will get to experience some of this weather first hand not simply as mediated through my bedroom window.
-I am now down to 2/5 for this year's Roll Up the Rim to win. Though my last rim wasn't successful I don't feel so bad about the loss as I normally would. In this case, before rolling up the rim I sold 50% of the outcome to Rebecca for 50 cents. The final negative outcome, at least as far as I was concerned, was somewhat tempered by the fact that I had reduced my risk made 30 cents on top of the crudely calculated expected value of the rim. I may have to start collecting my rims and then selling some of the action to make up for the fact that I will otherwise likely get nothing from the experience.
-Last night all three of us attended a talk by Jorge Cham of Piled Higher and Deeper/Ph.D. Comics organized by DAGS. I was pleased to see that quite a number of math grad students made the trip, as did a number of political science students.
Afterwards most of us (meaning math and political science) made our way to the Grawood, the campus bar, for a few drinks, some food, socializing, and trivia. While the food, drinks, and socializing were great, the trivia was a bit of a dud. I am not sure exactly what it is, but they really don't know how to write good trivia questions at the Grawood. Not surprisingly, not having good questions makes the whole thing rather unpleasant.
-We have two Ultimate games tomorrow. We have this unusually large number because of our scheduling problem last week.
-My PB is still 9 chin-ups. It seems that I haven't made much progress in the past day or so.
-I am now down to 2/5 for this year's Roll Up the Rim to win. Though my last rim wasn't successful I don't feel so bad about the loss as I normally would. In this case, before rolling up the rim I sold 50% of the outcome to Rebecca for 50 cents. The final negative outcome, at least as far as I was concerned, was somewhat tempered by the fact that I had reduced my risk made 30 cents on top of the crudely calculated expected value of the rim. I may have to start collecting my rims and then selling some of the action to make up for the fact that I will otherwise likely get nothing from the experience.
-Last night all three of us attended a talk by Jorge Cham of Piled Higher and Deeper/Ph.D. Comics organized by DAGS. I was pleased to see that quite a number of math grad students made the trip, as did a number of political science students.
Afterwards most of us (meaning math and political science) made our way to the Grawood, the campus bar, for a few drinks, some food, socializing, and trivia. While the food, drinks, and socializing were great, the trivia was a bit of a dud. I am not sure exactly what it is, but they really don't know how to write good trivia questions at the Grawood. Not surprisingly, not having good questions makes the whole thing rather unpleasant.
-We have two Ultimate games tomorrow. We have this unusually large number because of our scheduling problem last week.
-My PB is still 9 chin-ups. It seems that I haven't made much progress in the past day or so.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 406
-We had another nice day today, though it was a little cooler than it was yesterday. Amazingly, though it is still only early March, people are starting to act as though we are through with Winter for the year (which would be fine with me if it is the case).
-I am now 2/4 with regards to Roll Up the Rim to Win cups. I am pretty sure that the added pressure of playing for someone else is really helping me pick up my game.
-Today I attended a political science/public administration seminar. Unfortunately, someone, in the atrium adjacent to the seminar room, was holding a fashion show of sorts. This relatively disruptive (and presumably relatively base) event included not only loud club-appropriate music, but also live commentary on the models and their attire. Considering the enormity of the distraction the presenter did a very good job of powering through and getting his points across.
-Neil has been on the prowl for the past day or two. The target of this prowling has been below retail price Brier tickets. Thus far his rate of success has been relatively low, though he did manage to score a $20 ticket for tomorrow morning (the regular price would be $29 plus fees).
-Our chin-up progress seems to be chugging away nicely. As of tonight I am up to 9 'proper' chin-ups. While I know that Neil has been practicing and generally getting better I don't exactly know what is current PB is. (For those of you who are curious, though it is not apparent in the comments sections these chin-ups reports seem to be shockingly popular among our mid-20s female readers. I find this pretty funny because this is some of the content that I have felt the most hesitant to post, at least that was the case until I knew that one or two of our dedicated readers were following our progress with baited breath, or something approximating baited breath.)
-I am now 2/4 with regards to Roll Up the Rim to Win cups. I am pretty sure that the added pressure of playing for someone else is really helping me pick up my game.
-Today I attended a political science/public administration seminar. Unfortunately, someone, in the atrium adjacent to the seminar room, was holding a fashion show of sorts. This relatively disruptive (and presumably relatively base) event included not only loud club-appropriate music, but also live commentary on the models and their attire. Considering the enormity of the distraction the presenter did a very good job of powering through and getting his points across.
-Neil has been on the prowl for the past day or two. The target of this prowling has been below retail price Brier tickets. Thus far his rate of success has been relatively low, though he did manage to score a $20 ticket for tomorrow morning (the regular price would be $29 plus fees).
-Our chin-up progress seems to be chugging away nicely. As of tonight I am up to 9 'proper' chin-ups. While I know that Neil has been practicing and generally getting better I don't exactly know what is current PB is. (For those of you who are curious, though it is not apparent in the comments sections these chin-ups reports seem to be shockingly popular among our mid-20s female readers. I find this pretty funny because this is some of the content that I have felt the most hesitant to post, at least that was the case until I knew that one or two of our dedicated readers were following our progress with baited breath, or something approximating baited breath.)
Monday, March 08, 2010
The Brier, up close and personal
Yesterday afternoon, maybe at about 1:00 PM, Neil talked me into giving him a quick haircut. As the reason for the haircut was so that he could look his best for his trip to the Brier later that afternoon I obliged and not too long afterwards he and Rebecca went out to see Newfoundland play Saskatchewan in the 4th draw.
After this game all three of us meet up for dinner at a restaurant near the Metro Centre (the location was chosen because they were giving a 10% discount for people with Brier tickets). Following our very pleasant meal Neil and I made our way back up the hill to the Metro Centre for the 5th draw. Our primary goal was to watch the Newfoundland and Alberta game, though I was pleased to hear that Stoughton and the rest of the Manitoba team were to be playing on one of the other ices.
Almost as soon as we settled into our seats it was quite clear that Neil had picked great seats. We were in the third available row and near the middle of the sheets. We could see both houses clearly, though the one to our right was definitely a little closer. Because we were near sheet A, the televised sheet, the game was also being shown on the arenas jumbotrons, meaning that we were able to get somewhat frequent overhead shots of the stones in play.
In contrast to the quality of the seats, the food service stood out as pretty sub-par. The first problem that I encountered was that the on-site Tim Hortons (and remember that we are at the Tim Hortons Brier) did not have a full range of sizes (they just had medium and large). Another problem with this Tim Hortons was that they were not handing out Roll Up the Rim cups (which was definitely disappointing). The other major food problem was that the concession stands were not fully stocked, in particular they seemed to have run out of sausages. Though it took me a minute to warm up to the idea, I eventually became quite psyched about the sausage combo only to have my hopes crushed by supply problems.
As much as I enjoyed the experience, the game itself was a bit of a disappointment. Players on both the Newfoundland and Alberta teams missed some pretty open shots and made some bad calls. In the video below Koe, the Alberta skip, misses a hit for two allowing Newfoundland to steal two and Gushue, the Newfoundland skip, missed a hit and roll which allowed Alberta to take three.
[Embedded Video]
For those of you who are curious, Korab seemed as friendly as always and was the only one (on either team) who really engaged with the crowd as the game progressed.
After the game Neil and I decided to head to the Brier Patch, the nightly live-music/party associated with the Brier (admission is free with a Brier ticket). As Neil and I were walking in to the event from the stadium I was a IDed. This is something that bothers me more than it should (though I think I am somewhat justified in thinking that the system is jacked when I know that the person they have let in just before me is more than two years younger than I am). While I don't think that I am at risk of becoming a Brier Patch regular it was pretty fun to see some of the curlers treated like celebrities as they walked through the crowds. Just moments after our arrival the group next to us dragged Jeff Stoughton to their area for a few photos.
After this game all three of us meet up for dinner at a restaurant near the Metro Centre (the location was chosen because they were giving a 10% discount for people with Brier tickets). Following our very pleasant meal Neil and I made our way back up the hill to the Metro Centre for the 5th draw. Our primary goal was to watch the Newfoundland and Alberta game, though I was pleased to hear that Stoughton and the rest of the Manitoba team were to be playing on one of the other ices.
Almost as soon as we settled into our seats it was quite clear that Neil had picked great seats. We were in the third available row and near the middle of the sheets. We could see both houses clearly, though the one to our right was definitely a little closer. Because we were near sheet A, the televised sheet, the game was also being shown on the arenas jumbotrons, meaning that we were able to get somewhat frequent overhead shots of the stones in play.
In contrast to the quality of the seats, the food service stood out as pretty sub-par. The first problem that I encountered was that the on-site Tim Hortons (and remember that we are at the Tim Hortons Brier) did not have a full range of sizes (they just had medium and large). Another problem with this Tim Hortons was that they were not handing out Roll Up the Rim cups (which was definitely disappointing). The other major food problem was that the concession stands were not fully stocked, in particular they seemed to have run out of sausages. Though it took me a minute to warm up to the idea, I eventually became quite psyched about the sausage combo only to have my hopes crushed by supply problems.
As much as I enjoyed the experience, the game itself was a bit of a disappointment. Players on both the Newfoundland and Alberta teams missed some pretty open shots and made some bad calls. In the video below Koe, the Alberta skip, misses a hit for two allowing Newfoundland to steal two and Gushue, the Newfoundland skip, missed a hit and roll which allowed Alberta to take three.
[Embedded Video]
For those of you who are curious, Korab seemed as friendly as always and was the only one (on either team) who really engaged with the crowd as the game progressed.
After the game Neil and I decided to head to the Brier Patch, the nightly live-music/party associated with the Brier (admission is free with a Brier ticket). As Neil and I were walking in to the event from the stadium I was a IDed. This is something that bothers me more than it should (though I think I am somewhat justified in thinking that the system is jacked when I know that the person they have let in just before me is more than two years younger than I am). While I don't think that I am at risk of becoming a Brier Patch regular it was pretty fun to see some of the curlers treated like celebrities as they walked through the crowds. Just moments after our arrival the group next to us dragged Jeff Stoughton to their area for a few photos.
A Few Quick Notes 405
-Today was a pretty beautiful day for early March. From the time I awoke the sun was shining and the wind almost non-existent. While the recorded high was 6, it felt a little warmer than that in downtown Halifax.
-I reached my iTunes goal today, my Recently Played playlist was at 1039 when I stopped accumulating more new tracks. All it took for me to get there was a very concerted effort and a willingness to play music whether I was present or not.
My success on this front has been somewhat fleeting as in hour or two after I stopped adding to the number of recently played tracks we have entered a new day, meaning some number were removed from the list. Enough were removed from the Recently Played list to drop me back below 1000. Hopefully I am not tempted to engage in this practice in the future.
-Tonight, while filling up my day-by-day vitamin dispenser I managed to run out of both vitamin E and vitamin B12. Interestingly, it seems that Neil ran out of his stash of alpha-lipoic acid while engaged in similar activities (fortunately he as able to tap into my stash to complete the job).
-Our Ultimate game didn't end up taking place yesterday. It seems that someone double booked the gym. There is some talk of a double-header next week, which is something that doesn't sound particularly appealing to me.
-I reached my iTunes goal today, my Recently Played playlist was at 1039 when I stopped accumulating more new tracks. All it took for me to get there was a very concerted effort and a willingness to play music whether I was present or not.
My success on this front has been somewhat fleeting as in hour or two after I stopped adding to the number of recently played tracks we have entered a new day, meaning some number were removed from the list. Enough were removed from the Recently Played list to drop me back below 1000. Hopefully I am not tempted to engage in this practice in the future.
-Tonight, while filling up my day-by-day vitamin dispenser I managed to run out of both vitamin E and vitamin B12. Interestingly, it seems that Neil ran out of his stash of alpha-lipoic acid while engaged in similar activities (fortunately he as able to tap into my stash to complete the job).
-Our Ultimate game didn't end up taking place yesterday. It seems that someone double booked the gym. There is some talk of a double-header next week, which is something that doesn't sound particularly appealing to me.
Sunday, March 07, 2010
Brier Attire
Since my last post I have been wondering what I should wear to an event like the Brier.
As it is artificially chilled and I will be sitting for period of time I imagine pants, rather than shorts, will be what I want to wear from the waist down.
More complicated is the torso/upper body. While the sun will set as I am out I will probably need to bring a somewhat warm jacket. Though I wonder if it will be cold enough for me to wear this the entire time? Or will I want to take it off and wear a sweater with a shirt? Will this make me to warm on the walk there?
The other thing that I have been thinking about is whether I should wear something that might indicate my association with Newfoundland. Unfortunately, most of the items of clothing that I have that would demonstrate such an association are tee shirts (which might be a little hard to publicly display in a chilled stadium). A further problem is that most of the tee shirts that I have that might indicate 'Newfoundland' to some people would likely only have such connotations for people very familiar with Newfoundland. Presumably most people wouldn't really know that my Dominion Ale or 'I [club] baby seals' shirts would be intended to be statements of support for a particular team.
My thought at the moment is that I might try to wear one of these shirts, but in association with a cardigan and my winter jacket. If it is warm enough I would then be able to open my sweater and display my obscure reference to Newfoundland to those in attendance.
I can't believe that I have spent so much time thinking about this, and then that I took the time to outline my thoughts in writing. One might get the impression that I don't have hundreds of pages of reading to do in the coming weeks.
As it is artificially chilled and I will be sitting for period of time I imagine pants, rather than shorts, will be what I want to wear from the waist down.
More complicated is the torso/upper body. While the sun will set as I am out I will probably need to bring a somewhat warm jacket. Though I wonder if it will be cold enough for me to wear this the entire time? Or will I want to take it off and wear a sweater with a shirt? Will this make me to warm on the walk there?
The other thing that I have been thinking about is whether I should wear something that might indicate my association with Newfoundland. Unfortunately, most of the items of clothing that I have that would demonstrate such an association are tee shirts (which might be a little hard to publicly display in a chilled stadium). A further problem is that most of the tee shirts that I have that might indicate 'Newfoundland' to some people would likely only have such connotations for people very familiar with Newfoundland. Presumably most people wouldn't really know that my Dominion Ale or 'I [club] baby seals' shirts would be intended to be statements of support for a particular team.
My thought at the moment is that I might try to wear one of these shirts, but in association with a cardigan and my winter jacket. If it is warm enough I would then be able to open my sweater and display my obscure reference to Newfoundland to those in attendance.
I can't believe that I have spent so much time thinking about this, and then that I took the time to outline my thoughts in writing. One might get the impression that I don't have hundreds of pages of reading to do in the coming weeks.
Brier Bound
As I mentioned in a post a few days ago, Halifax is hosting this year's Brier, the national men's curling championship. This is, arguably, the most prestigious curling tournament/bonspiel in the world and annually draws some of the best curlers from across the country.
I presume that almost as soon as Neil heard that the Brier would be in town he decided that he wanted to go. A few weeks ago he finally settled on tickets, a two draw package for today. The first game will be the afternoon draw and will see Newfoundland play Saskatchewan. Neil and Rebecca will be attending this game.
The second of the games will be this evening's draw, which will feature a game between Newfoundland and Alberta. Neil and I will be attending this game together.
Though Neil tells me otherwise, I am a little concerned that curling may be a little bit difficult to watch from a stadium. I am hoping that the loss of the overhead camera angle won't make things too hard to see (though I guess I won' really know until I get there.
It seems that our tickets also get us access to the Brier Patch, some kind of party event that takes place each evening and involves live local music. While it seems likely that Neil and I may swing by for a few minutes (just to get the most out of our tickets), I really can't imagine this being my kind of thing.
I will let you know how this all works out.
I presume that almost as soon as Neil heard that the Brier would be in town he decided that he wanted to go. A few weeks ago he finally settled on tickets, a two draw package for today. The first game will be the afternoon draw and will see Newfoundland play Saskatchewan. Neil and Rebecca will be attending this game.
The second of the games will be this evening's draw, which will feature a game between Newfoundland and Alberta. Neil and I will be attending this game together.
Though Neil tells me otherwise, I am a little concerned that curling may be a little bit difficult to watch from a stadium. I am hoping that the loss of the overhead camera angle won't make things too hard to see (though I guess I won' really know until I get there.
It seems that our tickets also get us access to the Brier Patch, some kind of party event that takes place each evening and involves live local music. While it seems likely that Neil and I may swing by for a few minutes (just to get the most out of our tickets), I really can't imagine this being my kind of thing.
I will let you know how this all works out.
Friday, March 05, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 404
-Today has been a little chilly, though this hasn't really been much of a problem for me as I spent most of the day indoors. More problematic is that it has also been somewhat overcast, which certainly makes things less pleasant than the need to be.
-I haven't yet figured out what Wednesday night's police action was. I was hoping that it would show up in their daily update blog but it seems not to have made the cut.
-Yesterday we had chicken pot pie for dinner while I went with shepherd's pie tonight. What's up with all of the not-pie pies? Am I going to have to make a regular fruit pie just to balance things out?
-It seems that the Association of Canadian Archivists will be holding their conference in Halifax this summer. The upside of this being the case is that at least one friend of mine from library school, Mary, will be making the trip East to attend the conference. I am hoping that a few more of the archives students may also make the trip, though I didn't see any their names on the conference program.
-Halifax is hosting this year's Brier. Neil attended the first round of this year's Ford Hot Shots this afternoon at the Metro Centre. We have tickets for two games on Sunday. The plan is that Rebecca and I will each attend one game while Neil will go to both of them.
I recently realized that I haven't yet asked Neil if he got a chance to see K-Mart (Kevin Martin) and team while he was attending this afternoon's festivities. Apparently they, along with their gold medals, were to be part of the event and available to sign autographs (I imagine that Neil might have also been able to ask K-Mart what he thinks of the nickname 'K-Mart').
-I should get back to work.
-I haven't yet figured out what Wednesday night's police action was. I was hoping that it would show up in their daily update blog but it seems not to have made the cut.
-Yesterday we had chicken pot pie for dinner while I went with shepherd's pie tonight. What's up with all of the not-pie pies? Am I going to have to make a regular fruit pie just to balance things out?
-It seems that the Association of Canadian Archivists will be holding their conference in Halifax this summer. The upside of this being the case is that at least one friend of mine from library school, Mary, will be making the trip East to attend the conference. I am hoping that a few more of the archives students may also make the trip, though I didn't see any their names on the conference program.
-Halifax is hosting this year's Brier. Neil attended the first round of this year's Ford Hot Shots this afternoon at the Metro Centre. We have tickets for two games on Sunday. The plan is that Rebecca and I will each attend one game while Neil will go to both of them.
I recently realized that I haven't yet asked Neil if he got a chance to see K-Mart (Kevin Martin) and team while he was attending this afternoon's festivities. Apparently they, along with their gold medals, were to be part of the event and available to sign autographs (I imagine that Neil might have also been able to ask K-Mart what he thinks of the nickname 'K-Mart').
-I should get back to work.
Thursday, March 04, 2010
Police Action
A few minutes ago I started hearing something that sounded like a walkie-talkie transmission. Moments later I saw what looked like guys with flashlights poking around in the area outside my bedroom window. Eventually I caught a glimpse of what appeared to be police uniforms. It seems that our neighbourhood (deep in Halifax's South End) is in the midst of a police ground search. I can't say that I find it particularly comforting to know that they keep coming back to the patch of ground just outside my window, and then leaving without seeming to have achieved anything. I guess I will have to read the Halifax police blog to try to figure out what they were doing in the neighbourhood.
Wednesday, March 03, 2010
Seems a touch impossible to me
For quite a number of years Neil and I have been regular (though not continual) users or Ivory soap (sometimes we switch to cheaper generic brands or whatever is available). For more years than I have been a somewhat regular user of this product, which might be about 10 years, I have seen ads and marketing campaigns for Ivory soap that stress, even belabor, the claim that the product is 99.44% pure. Actually, I don't recall ever seeing a marketing campaign for this product that didn't feature this claim, it seems to be the backbone of all of their marketing efforts.
Though I can't say that our (and certainly my) use this product is because of the claims it makes about its purity. Nonetheless, I am certainly aware of these claims and would probably feel a bit cheated if they started releasing a version of the product about which they could no longer make such claims. How can one bring oneself to use an inferior version of a product (which presumably costs the same amount of money)?
I raise this issue because Neil recently purchased two ten packs of "Simply Ivory Aloe." When I looked at the packaging I was at first relieved to see that the same claim about purity was being made about the product. Once I stopped to think about it for a minute and realized that aloe is not soap. Once this thought started float around I started to become a little more unsettled. Has the value of the claim been diminished? Have they found a substitute for aloe that is made of soap? Have the replaced a particular ingredient with exactly the same amount of aloe? What is going on? (It turns out that Neil has been asking himself the same questions.)
This discovery has been somewhat alarming. If it turns out that the claim is untrue I fear that my faith in major multi-national corporations to tell me the truth about their products may be called into question. If this happens I don't know what I will do with myself or how I will make decisions about what to buy.
Though I can't say that our (and certainly my) use this product is because of the claims it makes about its purity. Nonetheless, I am certainly aware of these claims and would probably feel a bit cheated if they started releasing a version of the product about which they could no longer make such claims. How can one bring oneself to use an inferior version of a product (which presumably costs the same amount of money)?
I raise this issue because Neil recently purchased two ten packs of "Simply Ivory Aloe." When I looked at the packaging I was at first relieved to see that the same claim about purity was being made about the product. Once I stopped to think about it for a minute and realized that aloe is not soap. Once this thought started float around I started to become a little more unsettled. Has the value of the claim been diminished? Have they found a substitute for aloe that is made of soap? Have the replaced a particular ingredient with exactly the same amount of aloe? What is going on? (It turns out that Neil has been asking himself the same questions.)
This discovery has been somewhat alarming. If it turns out that the claim is untrue I fear that my faith in major multi-national corporations to tell me the truth about their products may be called into question. If this happens I don't know what I will do with myself or how I will make decisions about what to buy.
Winter achievements?
A few days ago I noticed that my iTunes Recently Played playlist was approaching 400 (it might have been at about 380). It seemed possible to get this number to 400 without too much effort, though I still don't know why I thought that this would a particularly good idea.
After about a day or two of somewhat regular use of the iTunes Genius Mix function (basically a means of randomizing what is played without me having to worry that every second track will be spoken word) I managed to make it past 400, Actually I made it way past 400 and almost to 500. At that point I decided that I might as well keep on going as such milestones would provide me with a sense of achievement, even though I wasn't really doing much to achieve any of these goals.
I am now about a week and a half into this process and my new goal is 700 (I am presently at 687 [now 689]). Of course there are at least two problems with this process. Firstly, the goals are completely meaningless and arbitrary. Having played 400 songs in a particular timeframe really doesn't mean much. Secondly, to achieve such numbers I have taken to playing music almost constantly when I am at my desk, but at such low levels that it won't distract me from whatever it is I am doing. My desire to attain higher and higher numbers is so strong that I have even contemplated completely muting my computer while allowing the tracks played count to continue to roll up (fortunately things have quite devolved to this far yet, and I should also be clear that I haven't yet sorted my tracks by length and started playing them from in that order).
Oh, another problem that I realized last night is that I can't just play the stuff I like, repeat plays of the sam track don't drive up my numbers. This means that I am actively playing music that I have but don't really like (to be fair, it's not that I dislike it but rather that it just isn't in my top preference tier).
I really need to stop this nonsense, it isn't helping anyone (and it is totally distorting my Top 50 Most Played playlist). I certainly can't allow myself to keep this going past 1000 (but I really can' see myself stopping before then now that I am so close).
After about a day or two of somewhat regular use of the iTunes Genius Mix function (basically a means of randomizing what is played without me having to worry that every second track will be spoken word) I managed to make it past 400, Actually I made it way past 400 and almost to 500. At that point I decided that I might as well keep on going as such milestones would provide me with a sense of achievement, even though I wasn't really doing much to achieve any of these goals.
I am now about a week and a half into this process and my new goal is 700 (I am presently at 687 [now 689]). Of course there are at least two problems with this process. Firstly, the goals are completely meaningless and arbitrary. Having played 400 songs in a particular timeframe really doesn't mean much. Secondly, to achieve such numbers I have taken to playing music almost constantly when I am at my desk, but at such low levels that it won't distract me from whatever it is I am doing. My desire to attain higher and higher numbers is so strong that I have even contemplated completely muting my computer while allowing the tracks played count to continue to roll up (fortunately things have quite devolved to this far yet, and I should also be clear that I haven't yet sorted my tracks by length and started playing them from in that order).
Oh, another problem that I realized last night is that I can't just play the stuff I like, repeat plays of the sam track don't drive up my numbers. This means that I am actively playing music that I have but don't really like (to be fair, it's not that I dislike it but rather that it just isn't in my top preference tier).
I really need to stop this nonsense, it isn't helping anyone (and it is totally distorting my Top 50 Most Played playlist). I certainly can't allow myself to keep this going past 1000 (but I really can' see myself stopping before then now that I am so close).
A Few Quick Notes 403
-We seemed to have had a slight temperature drop, putting us back in the 0 to slightly below 0 range. Thus far this change hasn't really caused us any problems, and without snow or precipitation I don't expect it to anytime soon.
-I got some great news today. Jess has suggested that I compete for her (meaning that I compete for both of us) in this year's Roll Up the Rim contest while she is out of the country. I wholeheartedly accept this challenge as it will give me something to be playing for. This extra burden will give me that "baby needs new shoes" motivation that should allow me to take my game to the next level and really pump up my win rate. So far this seem to be working as I am now 1/2 (there will be a free 'donut' coming my way in the near future).
-I have so much work to do that I don't even know where to start (though now that I have spent a little more time thinking about this problem I think I will probably be able to come up with a starting point in the near future).
-Not only do I have school work to do tonight, I should probably also try to do some laundry.
-A few day's ago I made my first visit to the Saint Mary's University library, it was great. Not only do they have plenty of light, the books were where they were supposed to be on the shelves, and the staff (at least at the circulation desk were friendly). Maybe my favourite aspect of the library, aside from how it looks, was that most of the public access computers weren't in the library proper but in an atrium area just next to the library (meaning that the first floor of the library isn't flooded with people just checking their email and preventing people from accessing the library catalogue as so frequently happens when the computers are placed inside the library).
-The reason for the trip to the aforementioned library was to pick up About a Boy by Nick Hornby, which I then read that night. Presently I am reading Fever Pitch by the same author (which has the unique distinction of being the only work of Nick Hornby's that I have read that I haven't read in a 24 hour period).
-We already have almost half as many post as we did in all of 2007. I am not sure what to make of this.
-I guess I really should try to get to work, I really can't afford to write tonight off.
-I got some great news today. Jess has suggested that I compete for her (meaning that I compete for both of us) in this year's Roll Up the Rim contest while she is out of the country. I wholeheartedly accept this challenge as it will give me something to be playing for. This extra burden will give me that "baby needs new shoes" motivation that should allow me to take my game to the next level and really pump up my win rate. So far this seem to be working as I am now 1/2 (there will be a free 'donut' coming my way in the near future).
-I have so much work to do that I don't even know where to start (though now that I have spent a little more time thinking about this problem I think I will probably be able to come up with a starting point in the near future).
-Not only do I have school work to do tonight, I should probably also try to do some laundry.
-A few day's ago I made my first visit to the Saint Mary's University library, it was great. Not only do they have plenty of light, the books were where they were supposed to be on the shelves, and the staff (at least at the circulation desk were friendly). Maybe my favourite aspect of the library, aside from how it looks, was that most of the public access computers weren't in the library proper but in an atrium area just next to the library (meaning that the first floor of the library isn't flooded with people just checking their email and preventing people from accessing the library catalogue as so frequently happens when the computers are placed inside the library).
-The reason for the trip to the aforementioned library was to pick up About a Boy by Nick Hornby, which I then read that night. Presently I am reading Fever Pitch by the same author (which has the unique distinction of being the only work of Nick Hornby's that I have read that I haven't read in a 24 hour period).
-We already have almost half as many post as we did in all of 2007. I am not sure what to make of this.
-I guess I really should try to get to work, I really can't afford to write tonight off.
Monday, March 01, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 402
-Today was pretty tame weatherwise, really quite a change of pace from some of our recent full-strength weather.
-Tomorrow I am scheduled to give a lecture in the class for which I am TAing. I will be talking about constituency allowance spending scandals (a topic near to my heart). Hopefully my presentation and the topic will be juicy enough to engage the students.
-Another year, another Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. So far I am off to a pretty predictable start, 0/1.
-We had some quality chicken noodle soup tonight, at least I thought it was quality. Yum!
-I had more that I wanted to day, though none of it was particularly important, but I am just to tired at the moment. Sorry.
-Tomorrow I am scheduled to give a lecture in the class for which I am TAing. I will be talking about constituency allowance spending scandals (a topic near to my heart). Hopefully my presentation and the topic will be juicy enough to engage the students.
-Another year, another Roll Up the Rim to Win contest. So far I am off to a pretty predictable start, 0/1.
-We had some quality chicken noodle soup tonight, at least I thought it was quality. Yum!
-I had more that I wanted to day, though none of it was particularly important, but I am just to tired at the moment. Sorry.
Another year, another winner
The 2nd annual Montifax blog-off is now over and I have been declared the winner. Sadly, Neil, last year's victor, really didn't put up much of a fight this year (I think I was trying so hard that I scared him off).
Check out our wrap-up/celebration video, it's just about as ridiculous as most of the content was during the blog-off (but it has a definite end point).
[Embedded video]
(Edit: Ah, a spelling mistake on the first title. What a bummer. If I am not too lazy I may try to fix this in the coming days. Sorry.)
While you are at it, why not check out our celebration video from last year and compare it with the one from this year.
[Embedded video]
Thanks for following along and indulging us, it was fun.
I am already pumped about defending my title in next year's blog-off (though I fear I may have to handicap myself more severely if I want Neil to compete).
Check out our wrap-up/celebration video, it's just about as ridiculous as most of the content was during the blog-off (but it has a definite end point).
[Embedded video]
(Edit: Ah, a spelling mistake on the first title. What a bummer. If I am not too lazy I may try to fix this in the coming days. Sorry.)
While you are at it, why not check out our celebration video from last year and compare it with the one from this year.
[Embedded video]
Thanks for following along and indulging us, it was fun.
I am already pumped about defending my title in next year's blog-off (though I fear I may have to handicap myself more severely if I want Neil to compete).
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