Big changes

About 10 days ago I moved to Ottawa, joining Jeannette about two months into her residency here.  The day after I arrived we moved into our new apartment.  One of the great things about our apartment is that we are only a short walk away from Parliament.

While it was definitely a bit of a bummer to leave Wolfville, I have been enjoying my time in Ottawa.  In addition to getting a rush each time I catch a glimpse of the peace tower flag there are a number of other cool things here that are pretty neat (though we haven't found the time to do too many of them yet).

Instead of focusing touristy stuff I've been trying to get a sense of the neighbourhood (and the fact that the weather's been horrible hasn't made the idea of touring very appealing).  Today while I was walking to a prospective laundry site I noticed several piles of move-out related garbage.

One caught my eye as it seemed to have an Ikea table similar to tables I've had in Montreal and Wolfville.  Upon closer inspection I learned that not only was the table similar to the tables I've had, but that there was also an unopened Ikea table in the pile.  Apparently the former owner bought the table and didn't even ever get around to taking the five minutes required to assemble it.  Wow.

Had I not been on my way somewhere I should have made sure that this unopened table was pulled out and visible so that someone could pick it up.  It seems an awful was to buy a table and then throw it away without ever even so much as opening it.

A Few Quick Notes 376

-We had heavy rain for much of the day today. As I had to make the trip to school on foot this was not a particularly desirable weather condition. Fortunately by late this evening things started to calm down to the point that it now seems quite calm.

-While at the grocery store this evening I was seduced by the Horlick's and the Ovaltine Cookies, two products that I have consumed on a rather irregular basis for the past number of years. So far I can confirm that the very reasonably priced Ovaltine Cookies are definitely as good as I remember. I imagine that I will give the Horlick's a shot tomorrow and will then be able to tell you whether I still have a taste for it.

-This afternoon I had to swing by the hospital for an x-ray. The process was pretty quick and to the point, actually I think that they were using some kind of digital x-ray that really sped things up.

While waiting for my x-ray I was sitting in a gown and robe in the waiting room when a hospital employee walked into the room carrying a Christmas decoration. To no one in particular, but loud enough that we could all hear, he proclaimed that it was time to put up some decorations. He decided to put the decoration on the wall right next to the where I was sitting (not that this is a key detail).

Shortly after he reached the wall I heard something fall, followed by the employee stating in a rather exasperated tone "Oh poop, right in the garbage." It seems that he dropped a thumb tack in the garbage. He was then kind enough to point out that there was only one thing in the garbage can (an empty coffee cup), a level of fullness with which he felt comfortable digging around to find the pin.

After putting up one more decoration he left and I didn't seem him before I completed my visit to the x-ray department.

-I had to lead a review class today. Unfortunately, though not surprisingly, I wasn't really able to engage the students. I think that part of the problem was that it was the last class of the year and I hadn't taught them before.

-I had a rather unsuccessful trip to the grocery store this evening. Not only did I forget to even look for cream of tartar, they were out of the right kind of tofu and frozen raspberries, and I completely forgot to use the lone coupon I had with me. I guess this means that I will have to go back tomorrow.

Non-Winter garbage disposal option

Soon after I moved into our apartment it became clear that we are positioned above the garbage and recycling dumpsters. Somehow, and it may have originated with our superintendent, the idea of tossing our garbage in the dumpsters from above was suggested. Though we were initially somewhat hesitant to try, it really did seem much easer.

As you can see, it really isn't that hard to hit the dumpster from the area just beyond are balcony. Going to the dumpster is for chumps.


Unfortunately, now that we are into Winter this isn't as nice an option. It seems that, at least for the next several months, we may have to actually walk our refuse down to the appropriate bin to dispose of it.




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A Few Quick Notes 167

-Today was another pleasant day in the slightly above zero range. It is now possible to see almost all of most sidewalks and diminishing, but still sizable, snowbanks. More importantly, for the first time this year, I was able to spot an early bloom (reminiscent of a crocus). I guess all of this is to say that it is starting to feel like spring.

-As of moments ago I moved to 12/54 on this year's Roll Up the Rim. As you can see, I am still playing hard. I hope to keep up my momentum for the rest of the contest.

-While walking to school yesterday morning I noticed a seagull in the air above me. It seemed to be swooping around rather frivolously. Moments later I noticed and heard a splotch of bird feces. Fortunately, I was unhit, but only narrowly. Had my right foot and attached leg been about 6 inches further to the right I would have been nailed.

-Upon returning from school today, I noticed that one of my recent bean plants has started to sprout. Nearby there seems to be another sprout, though at the moment I don't know exactly what it is (as I planted beans, peas, and peppers simultaneously).

-As the temperatures begin to rise as we enter spring, the level of heating in our apartment remains unchanged. This means that while it is only a few degrees above zero, I am able to sit comfortably in shorts and a tee-shirt while the living room window and balcony door are both open. (I am also blasting the Planets).

-In the past few days I have really begun to notice that Nithum and I seem to generate a large amount of garbage. This is striking because we both take care to recycle many items, and additionally don't eat many foods with excessive amounts of packaging.

It is possible that part of the issue is that we don't fill our garbage bags completely before tying them off. This is largely because of our relatively small main garbage can, which seems to only accommodate a few items before we are required to engage in some pretty complicated stacking activities.

-A few days ago I recall coming up with a great idea to post. I was thinking that it would be well received, and also useful. Of course, now that I am ready to post, I have no idea what it was I was going to say. I need to start writing these things down as I come up with them if I don't want to forget them.

A Few Quick Notes 104

-Though we had a pretty warm and humid weekend, we seem to have slipped back into the weather that we had been having in early June. The temperatures are below 10 with pretty large amounts of fog. So much fog in fact that the Globe and Mail has been fogged out for the past two days. Word on the street is that things will turn around for the weekend, though I guess we will have to wait and see.

-After an early successful run at Rose and Thistle trivia we have now been winless for a number of weeks. Even worse than being winless, we haven't even been doing all that well. Part of the problem seems to be that we get screwed by the current pop culture questions, time after time the fact that none of watch TV comes back to haunt us. A secondary problem is that the academic questions are typically quite easy or result in a guess. There also seems to be a lack of history questions, or for that matter questions on topics that relate to any of our areas of study.

-Apparently the garbage covering by-law is now in full effect in St. John's. As I walk to work tomorrow I plan on surveying the garbage I come across to see which types of covering have been used. I am looking forward to the walk home to see if any of the garbage will be left on the street, and if so whether or not the infraction obvious. (Clearly I have a very exciting life).