So it turned out that the forecast regarding rain wasn't too far off. Today was a wet one. I even saw some field flooding in some places.
Oh, and I finished my comps today. What a bummer to have to deal with them on the wettest day of the year, but at least they are over.
Showing posts with label Comprehensives. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comprehensives. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 05, 2011
Sunday, June 05, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 539
-While today is still a little cooler than I might have expected it to be in early June in the Annapolis Valley, it is fortunately brighter than it was yesterday. Not that the forecast means anything here, actually it seems to be worse than it was in Halifax or St. John's, but they are not even predicting any major improvements in the coming days. Bummer.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I made our way to a meat shop in Windsor with plans of buying some ground llama and some llama and wild boar sausage. While we weren't able to get the second of these two products (we had to settle for venison and wild boar sausage), we were able get some ground llama and also some ground beef. Maybe more importantly, we learned that the store we visited is really a full-service butcher shop (we thought it might just be a speciality meat shop). So not only will they cut your meats how you want them cut, they also sell quite a variety of meats, including lamb, goat, beef, pork, rabbit, bison, emu, llama, and poultry. While we were in line waiting to be served we both had the sense that their customers were coming in from all over the province to take advantage of the wide variety of products and services that this company provides.
-Many of our container garden plants finally seem to be sprouting and starting the early stages of their growth. Unfortunately, some number of the plants seem to have been struck with a spider-mite like pest (though I think it is something different and that they picked it up from the local environment). Anyway, I just hope that they aren't too negatively impacted by these pests, as that would really bum me out.
-I definitely feel as though I am in something of a post-comps work slump. Hopefully by this afternoon or this evening I will find a way to roust myself from this period of sloth and get back to work.
-Because of the developments relating to the NHL team in Winnipeg and the possible AHL team in St. John's I have been thinking about hockey and sports teams much more than I traditionally do. That being said, even though I have been thinking about hockey teams I have spent very little time actually thinking about hockey. That people are so interested in watching the game still baffles me. I just don't get what makes the game so exciting.
-Maybe instead of trying to fill up the internet I should either have some lunch or get down to work.
-Yesterday Jeannette and I made our way to a meat shop in Windsor with plans of buying some ground llama and some llama and wild boar sausage. While we weren't able to get the second of these two products (we had to settle for venison and wild boar sausage), we were able get some ground llama and also some ground beef. Maybe more importantly, we learned that the store we visited is really a full-service butcher shop (we thought it might just be a speciality meat shop). So not only will they cut your meats how you want them cut, they also sell quite a variety of meats, including lamb, goat, beef, pork, rabbit, bison, emu, llama, and poultry. While we were in line waiting to be served we both had the sense that their customers were coming in from all over the province to take advantage of the wide variety of products and services that this company provides.
-Many of our container garden plants finally seem to be sprouting and starting the early stages of their growth. Unfortunately, some number of the plants seem to have been struck with a spider-mite like pest (though I think it is something different and that they picked it up from the local environment). Anyway, I just hope that they aren't too negatively impacted by these pests, as that would really bum me out.
-I definitely feel as though I am in something of a post-comps work slump. Hopefully by this afternoon or this evening I will find a way to roust myself from this period of sloth and get back to work.
-Because of the developments relating to the NHL team in Winnipeg and the possible AHL team in St. John's I have been thinking about hockey and sports teams much more than I traditionally do. That being said, even though I have been thinking about hockey teams I have spent very little time actually thinking about hockey. That people are so interested in watching the game still baffles me. I just don't get what makes the game so exciting.
-Maybe instead of trying to fill up the internet I should either have some lunch or get down to work.
Friday, June 03, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 538
-We seem to be experiencing another overcast and cool, but dry, day in Wolfville. Though I am not a fan of particularly high temperatures, I really wouldn't mind it being a bit warmer than the low teens on most June afternoons.
-Maybe it was because I frequently vacationed in Michigan as a child, but Jack Kevorkian is definitely an individual I associate with my childhood (though not in as morbid a way as you might imagine). Anyway, I was somewhat surprised to hear that he recently died. I wonder if someone will try to fill his shoes?
-As some of you may know, as of this morning many Canada Post employees are striking. Much to my surprise, this development did not mean delays for packages that I was expecting from Newfoundland.
-I have been having a hard time motivating myself to get back to work in this post-comps period. Hopefully I can find a way to turn a corner in the very near future.
-For the few weeks leading up to my comps I was consuming far too much coffee. I suspect that I was frequently consuming upwards of 3 litres of coffee a day. My consumption was so high not because I wanted the caffeine, but mainly because I just like drinking warm beverages and I do my best to avoid tea during the day. Anyway, I am pretty sure that this rate of coffee consumption wasn't doing anything good for my mood, sleep quality, or rate of productivity. Fortunately, in the past few days I have seen a precipitous drop in my rate of coffee consumption. I just hope that I can keep it up and that I don't slip back in to this 3 litres a day trend (of course, I did just buy a few kilos of coffee beans).
-Maybe it was because I frequently vacationed in Michigan as a child, but Jack Kevorkian is definitely an individual I associate with my childhood (though not in as morbid a way as you might imagine). Anyway, I was somewhat surprised to hear that he recently died. I wonder if someone will try to fill his shoes?
-As some of you may know, as of this morning many Canada Post employees are striking. Much to my surprise, this development did not mean delays for packages that I was expecting from Newfoundland.
-I have been having a hard time motivating myself to get back to work in this post-comps period. Hopefully I can find a way to turn a corner in the very near future.
-For the few weeks leading up to my comps I was consuming far too much coffee. I suspect that I was frequently consuming upwards of 3 litres of coffee a day. My consumption was so high not because I wanted the caffeine, but mainly because I just like drinking warm beverages and I do my best to avoid tea during the day. Anyway, I am pretty sure that this rate of coffee consumption wasn't doing anything good for my mood, sleep quality, or rate of productivity. Fortunately, in the past few days I have seen a precipitous drop in my rate of coffee consumption. I just hope that I can keep it up and that I don't slip back in to this 3 litres a day trend (of course, I did just buy a few kilos of coffee beans).
Friday, February 25, 2011
Reading and stuff
Yesterday, as part of my preparations for my upcoming comprehensive exam, I went to the library and borrowed a few books. The book that I have started to read is Thomas S. Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 2nd ed., apparently the popular edition of the work.
Though I had heard of Kuhn and his famous paradigms before yesterday, I really didn't know much about Kuhn or his work (not that I know all that much now).
Anyway, the first thing that I learned about Kuhn is that he was trained as a physicist. Given that I have only encountered his work in the context of the social sciences this surprised me. I guess that as the book was classified in the Qs I should have had a hint as to the nature of the author's subject and training.
On a related note, I also didn't really know that Kuhn's focus is largely hard science/s (i.e. physics and optics and whatnot). That his work is so frequently discussed in the social sciences seems to have been something of a coincidence, rather than Kuhn's goal when writing the book (though this is not to suggest that he didn't think about the social sciences in the development of his ideas). The following paragraph from the Wiki article on the book seems to sum things up nicely:
Anyway, all of this was just to say that I am enjoying the book so far. In some ways it reminds me of reading Orwell or Huxley as a teenager.
I guess I should probably get back to work.
Score
Cameron 56
Neil 0
Though I had heard of Kuhn and his famous paradigms before yesterday, I really didn't know much about Kuhn or his work (not that I know all that much now).
Anyway, the first thing that I learned about Kuhn is that he was trained as a physicist. Given that I have only encountered his work in the context of the social sciences this surprised me. I guess that as the book was classified in the Qs I should have had a hint as to the nature of the author's subject and training.
On a related note, I also didn't really know that Kuhn's focus is largely hard science/s (i.e. physics and optics and whatnot). That his work is so frequently discussed in the social sciences seems to have been something of a coincidence, rather than Kuhn's goal when writing the book (though this is not to suggest that he didn't think about the social sciences in the development of his ideas). The following paragraph from the Wiki article on the book seems to sum things up nicely:
In 1987, Kuhn's work was reported to be the twentieth-century book most frequently cited in the period 1976-83 in the Arts and the Humanities and the Times Literary Supplement labeled it one of "The Hundred Most Influential Books Since the Second World War." The book's basic concepts have been adopted and co-opted by a variety of fields and disciplines beyond those encompassing the history and philosophy of science.
Anyway, all of this was just to say that I am enjoying the book so far. In some ways it reminds me of reading Orwell or Huxley as a teenager.
I guess I should probably get back to work.
Score
Cameron 56
Neil 0
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
The Next Phase
Just a few minutes ago I received a copy of my reading list for my comparative politics comprehensive. As expected, it is a little longer and more intense than I might have liked (it is 13 pages with 25-30 citations a page). And this is for a test that I am supposed to write in May.
On the upside, I have read a few of the articles on the list before (and I recognize most of the authors). Maybe most importantly, I do have some control when it comes to the areas on which I am to be tested. So even though the list is 13 pages long, I will only be responsible for a subsection of the full list.
In any event, I definitely have a lot of reading and studying to do between now and May.
I have already started to download a few of the articles and tomorrow I will head in to the library to pick up a few books. Hopefully by tomorrow I will be fully immersed in the studying process. Yum. Should be exciting.
Score
Cameron 52
Neil 0
On the upside, I have read a few of the articles on the list before (and I recognize most of the authors). Maybe most importantly, I do have some control when it comes to the areas on which I am to be tested. So even though the list is 13 pages long, I will only be responsible for a subsection of the full list.
In any event, I definitely have a lot of reading and studying to do between now and May.
I have already started to download a few of the articles and tomorrow I will head in to the library to pick up a few books. Hopefully by tomorrow I will be fully immersed in the studying process. Yum. Should be exciting.
Score
Cameron 52
Neil 0
Friday, January 28, 2011
Comps 2
I just did a few quick calculations and determined that my average typing speed during today's comprehensive exam was 22.99 words per minute. I am surprised that the number was this high, particularly as I took a few minutes to think about each answer and then finished about 10 minutes before my time expired. If these factors are taken into consideration it seems probable that I sustained an average speed of greater than 25 words per minute.
While 25 words per minute isn't necessarily the world's fastest typing speed, I wouldn't have guessed that I could maintain such a speed for 5 hours going in to the exam.
While 25 words per minute isn't necessarily the world's fastest typing speed, I wouldn't have guessed that I could maintain such a speed for 5 hours going in to the exam.
Comps
Well, that is done.
Just a little while ago I finished my first comprehensive exam.
I had something to say for all of the questions, so that is good. Hopefully what I had to say made sense.
It is great to have this test in my past.
Just a little while ago I finished my first comprehensive exam.
I had something to say for all of the questions, so that is good. Hopefully what I had to say made sense.
It is great to have this test in my past.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 502
-This morning when I woke up it was snow-raining, which then turned to rain, which has not reverted to snow. What a generally ugly day it has been. Hopefully tomorrow is better.
-I heard a rumour that a number of Halifax universities closed today because of the weather. This surprises me as it really wasn't all that bad here. Actually, by mid-morning things had kind of cleared up and what-not (at least until just a little while ago).
-My Canadian comprehensive is tomorrow. I have spent the better part of my day studying by working through practice question. Obviously I haven't taken the exam yet, but impressed by how useful it feels to try assembling some of these, until now, disparate ideas.
-Fortunately I have been able to avoid spending too much more time on Doyle Pitches. Word on the street is that it has been forwarded to the makers of the show. I really have no idea what they might think of such a ridiculous site.
-For the third time this week I am preparing roast chicken for dinner. Fortunately for everyone the sale on whole chickens ends tonight.
-I am really looking forward to finishing this exam (though this will mean that I get to move on to the next exam in the process).
-I heard a rumour that a number of Halifax universities closed today because of the weather. This surprises me as it really wasn't all that bad here. Actually, by mid-morning things had kind of cleared up and what-not (at least until just a little while ago).
-My Canadian comprehensive is tomorrow. I have spent the better part of my day studying by working through practice question. Obviously I haven't taken the exam yet, but impressed by how useful it feels to try assembling some of these, until now, disparate ideas.
-Fortunately I have been able to avoid spending too much more time on Doyle Pitches. Word on the street is that it has been forwarded to the makers of the show. I really have no idea what they might think of such a ridiculous site.
-For the third time this week I am preparing roast chicken for dinner. Fortunately for everyone the sale on whole chickens ends tonight.
-I am really looking forward to finishing this exam (though this will mean that I get to move on to the next exam in the process).
Sunday, January 23, 2011
A Few Quick Notes 500
-We had another cold, clear winter's day today in Halifax. Fortunately, aside from a few quick trips outdoors, I was able spend most of my day out of the cold. It seems that we should be in for more of the same tomorrow.
-Jeannette and Rebecca (but mostly Jeannette) just talked me into baking some cupcake. Given my desire to procrastinate it didn't take long to talk me into the proposition. I am now waiting for them to cool before icing them. I must say, I am definitely looking forward to chomping down on one or two of these in just a few minutes (as this salad thing as meant that we basically haven't had dessert in a month).
-For dinner we had a roast chicken, baked potatoes, and boiled vegetables. I was pretty satisfied with the meal.
-The almost non-existent Canadian Library of Parliament website is a real bummer. I know they don't want to be bombarded with questions from the public, but it would at least be nice to be able to ask them questions about the documents and reports that they produce. It seems completely unreasonable that they don't even make readily available a contact email address or phone number (they give you only the general Parliament contact information).
-In preparation for my comps I have been trying out some ear plugs. I always find it funny how many different sounds I hear while sporting ear plugs. In many ways my jaw is almost as distracting as someone typing on the other side of the room.
-There seems to be some shouting going on somewhere behind our apartment building. Unfortunately it seems to be just far enough away that I can't quite make out what they are saying. That I can't figure it out is probably fine, it doesn't sound as though anything particularly nice is being said.
-So we now have 500 of these. In some ways I am surprised that there are this many and on the other hand I am a little surprised that it took me so many years to get to 500. It is also hard to believe that the blog has now existed in parts of at least 6 years. Who would have guessed that it would have such a long life-span when it was started all of those years ago? Also, who would have guessed that Neil would almost stop posting within a year or two?
-Jeannette and Rebecca (but mostly Jeannette) just talked me into baking some cupcake. Given my desire to procrastinate it didn't take long to talk me into the proposition. I am now waiting for them to cool before icing them. I must say, I am definitely looking forward to chomping down on one or two of these in just a few minutes (as this salad thing as meant that we basically haven't had dessert in a month).
-For dinner we had a roast chicken, baked potatoes, and boiled vegetables. I was pretty satisfied with the meal.
-The almost non-existent Canadian Library of Parliament website is a real bummer. I know they don't want to be bombarded with questions from the public, but it would at least be nice to be able to ask them questions about the documents and reports that they produce. It seems completely unreasonable that they don't even make readily available a contact email address or phone number (they give you only the general Parliament contact information).
-In preparation for my comps I have been trying out some ear plugs. I always find it funny how many different sounds I hear while sporting ear plugs. In many ways my jaw is almost as distracting as someone typing on the other side of the room.
-There seems to be some shouting going on somewhere behind our apartment building. Unfortunately it seems to be just far enough away that I can't quite make out what they are saying. That I can't figure it out is probably fine, it doesn't sound as though anything particularly nice is being said.
-So we now have 500 of these. In some ways I am surprised that there are this many and on the other hand I am a little surprised that it took me so many years to get to 500. It is also hard to believe that the blog has now existed in parts of at least 6 years. Who would have guessed that it would have such a long life-span when it was started all of those years ago? Also, who would have guessed that Neil would almost stop posting within a year or two?
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