-Though we can often go months and months without any real rain, for the past week or two rain has been a very regular occurrence. For most of the past few days we've had more than one very intense rain shower, and on a few occasions we've had rather extended rainfalls lasting for hours at a time. Not surprisingly, the ground is now absolutely drenched. What fun.
-A few nights ago we even had enough rain that we had a little water in our basement. While it's unfortunate that we have any water problems in our basement, I'm glad that it is only when we have either massive thawing or a substantial rain storm that we have problems. Arguably, that water came in exactly where I hoped it wouldn't because of an epoxy patching agent that I'd used at least somewhat conclusively confirms my sense that the patch work didn't stick.
If the rain ever stops I'll have to head down and try to do some crack patching again. Hopefully this time I'll use something that at least works for one major rainfall.
-Since the local grocery stores started carrying cherries in the past few weeks we've really upped our cherry consumption. If I know what's best for me I should probably consider dialling it back down to under two pounds of cherries a day.
-Last night we received a last minute invitation to attend a barbecue with a few neighbours. Aside from the sudden downpour that forced inside for about an hour, we had a great time. Because we brought a tray of vegetables with us I finally had the excuse I needed to harvest the first green onions from our garden. As expected, they were pretty green oniony.
-While the rain means that we haven't needed to water our garden in weeks, a little more sun would probably be good at this stage. I guess probably shouldn't be complaining too much - basically everything seems to be growing. The potatoes, in particular, seem to be doing well.
-This year we've also planted a garden in front of our house. Our original plan was to plant a variety of plants that would look nice and complement each other in terms of height and style. As the absence of sun seems to have stunted growth I'm not sure if the plan will come to fruition this year. Of course, even if it doesn't we should at least manage to grow a few potatoes, some corn, and a few tomatoes.
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Conflicted viewing
As most of the world knows, FIFA's World Cup started on Friday.
Aside from a 1994 World Cup t-shirt I received as a gift, I recall that when I first remember hearing about the World Cup in 2002. I was in Newfoundland at the time and was relatively upset to hear people who otherwise seemed to have no interest in soccer/football acting as though this was an event they cared about. I couldn't understand how something that I basically hadn't ever heard of could be used as an excuse to cancel classes at university or motivate departments to book lecture halls for mass viewings. Just about everything associated with the World Cup seemed implausible and upsetting.
In 2006 just as the next World Cup was getting underway my parents began hosting a Brazilian grad student for the summer. Not surprisingly, she was interested in watching the World Cup - or at least those games in which Brazil was playing.
My recollection is that my parents didn't have cable or maybe they didn't have a functional TV - in any event, it was decided that World Cup viewing would happen at the house in which I was staying at the time (and that just happens to be adjacent to my parents' house). As I didn't have all that much furniture we were able to arrange everything in the living room to maximize our comfort while watching Brazil's games.
Of course, it didn't take all that long for Neil and I to enjoy watching the games and start rooting for Brazil.
Somehow in this midst of this increasingly intense World Cup experience a English friend without cable called out of the blue and asked if he could bring his Canadian-born kids over to watch England play for the first time. Within a matter of minutes they were in place for the game.
We were then drawn into the World Cup experience in a way I could never have expected even a week or two before. All of a sudden I began to see why even people who otherwise aren't particularly soccer fans might enjoy following the event.
By the time 2010 rolled around I was living with Neil and Rebecca in Halifax and most of the games were easily streamable. Instead of studying for then still-unscheduled comps (in my defense, I likely didn't even have a reading list by the time the event started) along with Neil (and sometimes Rebecca and Jeannette) I watched many more games than was likely healthy. I was fully hooked on the experience and even more convinced that of all of the non-annual international sporting events it was the best.
It's so clearly the best because it happens only once every four years. Or to put it differently, not so frequently that its appearance isn't noteworthy or that you're still burned out from all of the soccer you watched last time around. On top of that, and very much in contrast to the Olympics (Summer or Winter), by including only one sport it is almost possible for an dedicated individual to watch every game. And even if you don't watch every game there are few enough games that it is quite easy to keep up with the developments occurring in those games you don't watch. Of course it's also nice that even though soccer is played world-wide only a limited number of the best teams qualify for each World Cup. And even better is that when you live in a place like Canada that isn't likely to qualify this means that you (and also the networks covering the event) can focus on good games rather than distracting national allegiances.
Of course as enjoyable as the World Cup is as casual viewer, it's not entirely without its issues. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a great job of introducing a variety of these significant issues in a recent episode.
[Embedded video]
So, eight years after Neil and I first began watching World Cup coverage Neil opted out because of dissatisfaction with the organization behind the event. I, on the other hand, am also disappointed with the organizing body - but obviously not to the extent that I have decided to skip the event. Instead, Jeannette have taken advantage of several cancellations this weekend to watch as much of the coverage as possible.
Aside from a 1994 World Cup t-shirt I received as a gift, I recall that when I first remember hearing about the World Cup in 2002. I was in Newfoundland at the time and was relatively upset to hear people who otherwise seemed to have no interest in soccer/football acting as though this was an event they cared about. I couldn't understand how something that I basically hadn't ever heard of could be used as an excuse to cancel classes at university or motivate departments to book lecture halls for mass viewings. Just about everything associated with the World Cup seemed implausible and upsetting.
In 2006 just as the next World Cup was getting underway my parents began hosting a Brazilian grad student for the summer. Not surprisingly, she was interested in watching the World Cup - or at least those games in which Brazil was playing.
My recollection is that my parents didn't have cable or maybe they didn't have a functional TV - in any event, it was decided that World Cup viewing would happen at the house in which I was staying at the time (and that just happens to be adjacent to my parents' house). As I didn't have all that much furniture we were able to arrange everything in the living room to maximize our comfort while watching Brazil's games.
Of course, it didn't take all that long for Neil and I to enjoy watching the games and start rooting for Brazil.
Somehow in this midst of this increasingly intense World Cup experience a English friend without cable called out of the blue and asked if he could bring his Canadian-born kids over to watch England play for the first time. Within a matter of minutes they were in place for the game.
We were then drawn into the World Cup experience in a way I could never have expected even a week or two before. All of a sudden I began to see why even people who otherwise aren't particularly soccer fans might enjoy following the event.
By the time 2010 rolled around I was living with Neil and Rebecca in Halifax and most of the games were easily streamable. Instead of studying for then still-unscheduled comps (in my defense, I likely didn't even have a reading list by the time the event started) along with Neil (and sometimes Rebecca and Jeannette) I watched many more games than was likely healthy. I was fully hooked on the experience and even more convinced that of all of the non-annual international sporting events it was the best.
It's so clearly the best because it happens only once every four years. Or to put it differently, not so frequently that its appearance isn't noteworthy or that you're still burned out from all of the soccer you watched last time around. On top of that, and very much in contrast to the Olympics (Summer or Winter), by including only one sport it is almost possible for an dedicated individual to watch every game. And even if you don't watch every game there are few enough games that it is quite easy to keep up with the developments occurring in those games you don't watch. Of course it's also nice that even though soccer is played world-wide only a limited number of the best teams qualify for each World Cup. And even better is that when you live in a place like Canada that isn't likely to qualify this means that you (and also the networks covering the event) can focus on good games rather than distracting national allegiances.
Of course as enjoyable as the World Cup is as casual viewer, it's not entirely without its issues. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a great job of introducing a variety of these significant issues in a recent episode.
[Embedded video]
So, eight years after Neil and I first began watching World Cup coverage Neil opted out because of dissatisfaction with the organization behind the event. I, on the other hand, am also disappointed with the organizing body - but obviously not to the extent that I have decided to skip the event. Instead, Jeannette have taken advantage of several cancellations this weekend to watch as much of the coverage as possible.
A Few Quick Notes 611
-Today has been variously rainy, cloudy, and sunny. Unfortunately, the sunny portions of the day have tended to be the shortest. Apparently funnel clouds have been spotted in souther Saskatchewan - so there's that too.
-Maybe because of the rain we had over the past few days the mosquitos have been out in full force. While at our Ultimate game on Thursday I received several bites and this afternoon while we were in the garden briefly Jeannette received about a half dozen bites, most of which were through her clothes.
-Yesterday I made a quite enjoyable batch of pea soup for dinner.
-We've been on something of a fruit leather making kick recently. We've made three batches in the past few days. I think we're particularly motivated to make this much because each successive batch has been more successful than the previous batch. I'm convinced that part of the recent success stems from my decision to include both a wider variety of fruits and also to include the juice from one or two lemons.
As Jeannette can attest, the only problem with so many successful batches of fruit leather is availability of so much fruit leather. If one's not careful one can in a matter of minutes eat the equivalent of several pounds worth of fruit. I guess there are worse things one could be binging on.
-Maybe because of the rain we had over the past few days the mosquitos have been out in full force. While at our Ultimate game on Thursday I received several bites and this afternoon while we were in the garden briefly Jeannette received about a half dozen bites, most of which were through her clothes.
-Yesterday I made a quite enjoyable batch of pea soup for dinner.
-We've been on something of a fruit leather making kick recently. We've made three batches in the past few days. I think we're particularly motivated to make this much because each successive batch has been more successful than the previous batch. I'm convinced that part of the recent success stems from my decision to include both a wider variety of fruits and also to include the juice from one or two lemons.
As Jeannette can attest, the only problem with so many successful batches of fruit leather is availability of so much fruit leather. If one's not careful one can in a matter of minutes eat the equivalent of several pounds worth of fruit. I guess there are worse things one could be binging on.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Build-a-bed
When Jeannette moved from Wolfville to Ottawa a few years ago one of the first things she purchased was a relatively inexpensive, easy-to-assembly bed from a major Scandinavian retailer specializing in such things. Not surprisingly, by the time I arrived in Ottawa a few months later and we needed to disassemble the bed for the first time we began to notice a few signs of deterioration, though at the time they were all relatively superficial.
Despite these weaknesses we continued to use the bed, and even moved it from Ottawa to Regina. During this move more substantial damage to the bed was sustained, so much damage that the moving company compensated us for the cost of the bed. Of course, despite the damage (and likely because our belongings were delivered on the evening of December 23rd) we continued to use the bed.
While no new damage to the bed occurred during our move from our apartment to new house, it quickly became clear that our bed was on borrowed time. The absence of a head board which meant that almost every time one propped pillows against the wall behind the bed the bed would be pushed further from the wall was incredibly trying and maybe the single most compelling justification for us to get a new bed.
Because of our relatively unsatisfactory experience with our previous bed we began compiling a list of features, or characteristics, we hoped our new bed would have. We soon agreed that the bed should:
[Embedded Video]
In the end we used composite spruce boards we had cut at the store and some of the still functional hardware from the old bed. Somewhat later in our design process we also decided to cover all of the corners with corner moulding - a process that took hours because of the labourious process involved in making compound cuts with a hand-powered mitre saw.
The head board, a feature of which we are both particularly proud, came together once we'd more-or-less finished the rest of the bed and knew which materials we had left and once we'd made a trip to the fabric store and purchased some upholstery materials.
Now that we've been sleeping on the bed for about two weeks I think it's safe to say that the bed works and that we're quite pleased with the results of the project - it is neither ugly nor incomplete (my two fears). The only downside of the bed is that it is so large that it won't be possible to get it out of the bedroom without entirely disassembling it (the corresponding upside is that a huge amount of crap can be forever hidden under the mattress). (Fortunately we had the floors refinished just before we began work on this project.)
Despite these weaknesses we continued to use the bed, and even moved it from Ottawa to Regina. During this move more substantial damage to the bed was sustained, so much damage that the moving company compensated us for the cost of the bed. Of course, despite the damage (and likely because our belongings were delivered on the evening of December 23rd) we continued to use the bed.
While no new damage to the bed occurred during our move from our apartment to new house, it quickly became clear that our bed was on borrowed time. The absence of a head board which meant that almost every time one propped pillows against the wall behind the bed the bed would be pushed further from the wall was incredibly trying and maybe the single most compelling justification for us to get a new bed.
Because of our relatively unsatisfactory experience with our previous bed we began compiling a list of features, or characteristics, we hoped our new bed would have. We soon agreed that the bed should:
- be made of solid wood rather than some kind of fibreboard
- have a sturdy headboard
- not have a footboard (so I can hang my feet over the edge of the bed)
- match the other furniture in the room
- allow for storage underneath the mattress
After several months of relatively unsatisfactory, though lackadaisical, shopping Jeannette eventually realized that an option might be that instead of buying a bed we could try making one ourselves. This way we could ensure it would meet our various specifications.
At first I was quite hesitant to undertake such a project as I feared we might end up sinking quite a lot of money into the project and ending up with either an ugly or unfinished bed. Jeannette, thankfully, was quite insistent that we would be capable of successfully building an attractive bed.
Eventually, particularly once Jeannette found an appropriate non-plywood building material, I was won over and we started to make plans to build our bed.
[Embedded Video]
In the end we used composite spruce boards we had cut at the store and some of the still functional hardware from the old bed. Somewhat later in our design process we also decided to cover all of the corners with corner moulding - a process that took hours because of the labourious process involved in making compound cuts with a hand-powered mitre saw.
The head board, a feature of which we are both particularly proud, came together once we'd more-or-less finished the rest of the bed and knew which materials we had left and once we'd made a trip to the fabric store and purchased some upholstery materials.
Now that we've been sleeping on the bed for about two weeks I think it's safe to say that the bed works and that we're quite pleased with the results of the project - it is neither ugly nor incomplete (my two fears). The only downside of the bed is that it is so large that it won't be possible to get it out of the bedroom without entirely disassembling it (the corresponding upside is that a huge amount of crap can be forever hidden under the mattress). (Fortunately we had the floors refinished just before we began work on this project.)
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