In early November, on the day that Jeannette was to head back to Ottawa, I started my first batch of home brew beer. My plan, in addition to creating cheap beer, was to have a project I could work on while Jeannette was away.
At least to some extent I failed on both fronts. Firstly, the home-brewing process turned out to be surprisingly labour free. Aside from a little mixing, and then some bottling, there was practically nothing to do but wait. And secondly, the beer wasn't all that great. I find that it tends to give me pretty bad hangovers and it doesn't taste particularly good (though I can get it down without too much effort).
Now that it's been about five and a half months since that first batch and I've had time to consume most of the beer (there are only four bottles left) and think about my technique I recently decided to give home-brewing another shot.
A few days ago I picked up a new kit (the flavour was 'cerveza') and threw everything in the bucket as directed. Of course, almost as soon as I started I had the sense that the yeast wasn't working quite as expected. Actually, it didn't seem to be working at all.
By the time I finally came to the conclusion that the yeast I had obtained with the kind was useless it was late on Sunday night and I thought that my only option would be to buy an additional kit at a grocery store and use that yeast (and I will buy a single pack of yeast to use with the leftover parts of this kit). So after a four grocery store hunt that's what I did.
[Embedded video]
So now that I'm a few days in the process of beer making is decidedly underway.
Because I bought what I hope is a higher quality kit and because I'm using the right kind of sugar this time I'm hoping that the product I end up with in a few weeks is a fair bit better than the first time around. Otherwise I'll probably end up taking another 5 and a half months to make my way through this 23 litres of beer.
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer. Show all posts
Friday, April 19, 2013
Saturday, October 23, 2010
A Few Quick Notes 466
-We are in the midst of another pretty nice fall day in Halifax.
-Last night Nick, Rebecca's brother, and his girlfriend came into town and were at our apartment for a portion of the evening. This dovetailed nicely with my relatively intense week. Their presence gave me an excuse to take a break from work and relax. That being said, I think I may have found ways to relax had that not been here, though I may not have convinced myself that having a few beers was a worthwhile endeavour.
-We managed to lose our ultimate game on Wednesday by a wide margin. The irony being that the team to which we lost on Wednesday is the team against which we won our final game of the summer season, a win which made us pool B champions.
Actually, tonight is the night of summer Ultimate league party at which we will be presented with our prize for winning pool B. At this point I don't think any of us know what this might be, though I can't imagine that it will be too impressive.
-On Thursday night, after a week of intense reading, I finally finished John Porter's classic The Vertical Mosaic. I will have the pleasure of discussing this book in a classroom setting on Monday.
-I am just finishing my most recent round of laundry. Nothing quite like two loads of laundry to really kick off a Saturday afternoon.
-Last night Nick, Rebecca's brother, and his girlfriend came into town and were at our apartment for a portion of the evening. This dovetailed nicely with my relatively intense week. Their presence gave me an excuse to take a break from work and relax. That being said, I think I may have found ways to relax had that not been here, though I may not have convinced myself that having a few beers was a worthwhile endeavour.
-We managed to lose our ultimate game on Wednesday by a wide margin. The irony being that the team to which we lost on Wednesday is the team against which we won our final game of the summer season, a win which made us pool B champions.
Actually, tonight is the night of summer Ultimate league party at which we will be presented with our prize for winning pool B. At this point I don't think any of us know what this might be, though I can't imagine that it will be too impressive.
-On Thursday night, after a week of intense reading, I finally finished John Porter's classic The Vertical Mosaic. I will have the pleasure of discussing this book in a classroom setting on Monday.
-I am just finishing my most recent round of laundry. Nothing quite like two loads of laundry to really kick off a Saturday afternoon.
Sunday, June 06, 2010
Not as bad as I thought
For years nutritional information has been noticeably absent from beer and alcohol packaging in Canada. For the most part I was in favour of this informational absence as I could then blissfully ignore the nutritional deficiencies of such beverages. Of course, that this was the case always seemed to be a condition that was likely to change, likely sooner rather than later (even though I am sure that brewers and consumers both wanted such information to remain absent from such packaging).
Anyway, last night, for the first time in my life, I encountered a case of beer with nutritional information (does this signify a sea change in beer packaging?). While the white box containing the nutritional information highlighted some of the nutritional deficiencies of beer, it also provided a few pleasant surprises about the more positive nutritional attributes of beer (such as the presence of both fibre and protein).
I decided to compare the nutritional provided on the beer packaging with a few other beverages and some cookies. As far as I am concerned, it seems that the beer compared favourably to these other products (particularly the ginger ale).
So it seems that my deepest fears about nutritional information appearing on beer packaging were unfounded. Amazingly, beer does surprisingly well in comparison with other forms of junk food.
Anyway, last night, for the first time in my life, I encountered a case of beer with nutritional information (does this signify a sea change in beer packaging?). While the white box containing the nutritional information highlighted some of the nutritional deficiencies of beer, it also provided a few pleasant surprises about the more positive nutritional attributes of beer (such as the presence of both fibre and protein).
I decided to compare the nutritional provided on the beer packaging with a few other beverages and some cookies. As far as I am concerned, it seems that the beer compared favourably to these other products (particularly the ginger ale).
So it seems that my deepest fears about nutritional information appearing on beer packaging were unfounded. Amazingly, beer does surprisingly well in comparison with other forms of junk food.
Friday, October 09, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 364
-Today seems to have been largely overcast and cool, though it hasn't rained and it hasn't been cold, so I guess it gets a passing grade. That being said, it feels as though we are now definitely in fall and not just experiencing a cold spell.
-On Tuesday night Neil and I attended the Rex Murphy book a launch that I mentioned a few posts ago. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the talk was much more entertaining and exciting than I expected. It is likely that Neil and I were so drawn in because Rex spent a good portion of his time recounting his experiences working for Newfoundland Liberal party in the 1980s.
I should also give Rex credit for being a particularly capable public speaker. As far as I could tell, aside from a brief section at the end of his talk, he managed to speak for 45 minutes without notes and without a microphone (and with only a few sips of water). More impressive than just the fact that he accomplished such a feat was that the content, if wandering at times, was well presented and managed to draw out a number of connections that I hadn't previously made. So I guess I am recommending Rex as a speaker if you ever have the opportunity to hear him.
After the talk he signed a few books. As neither Neil nor I purchased a book we did not stick around for the signing, though I did try to snap a few photos (the quality of which were hampered by light and distance).
-Last night I joined the matheletes on a booze cruise on the Halifax harbour. It turns out that most of us weren't really prepared for what we eventually experienced, though I think that once we started to get a sense of things we were at least able to deal with the experience.
I am not sure what it says about me, but I was glad to get the chance to go under both bridges. One thing that I found strange is that only the Souther bridge (I can't remember which is which) was properly illuminated.
At one point two of us were looking at the wheelhouse and were a little bit surprised to see this.
As you might have guessed, the crew was obscured by the wheel. Sadly, they didn't try to ghost ride the Harbour Queen (as unique an experience as that might have been).
-On Wednesday it was quite wet and windy so we decided not to play our Ultimate game, though we only made this decision at the field. As we were all there and free for a few hours most of us decided to hit the closest bar, the Rodeo Lounge in Burnside.
Once in the bar we learned that not only were we basically the only customers but that they had an indoor basketball net as well as Nintendo Wii that we were able to use (and did use). Unfortunately, the mechanical bull was not in use while we were there, though now that I know it exists I have some motivation to head back at some point in the future.
I should also say that the prices were reasonable and the service was great. It was incredibly fun to play a few games of HORSE/take a few shots while hanging out and drinking some beer. It would be great if more bars had such facilities.
-I harvested quite a number of tomatoes today. I think it is safe to say that this was my biggest single harvest yet, though I hope to be able surpass this record next year.
Hopefully Neil will be able to eat them all before they go bad.
-On Tuesday night Neil and I attended the Rex Murphy book a launch that I mentioned a few posts ago. I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, but the talk was much more entertaining and exciting than I expected. It is likely that Neil and I were so drawn in because Rex spent a good portion of his time recounting his experiences working for Newfoundland Liberal party in the 1980s.
I should also give Rex credit for being a particularly capable public speaker. As far as I could tell, aside from a brief section at the end of his talk, he managed to speak for 45 minutes without notes and without a microphone (and with only a few sips of water). More impressive than just the fact that he accomplished such a feat was that the content, if wandering at times, was well presented and managed to draw out a number of connections that I hadn't previously made. So I guess I am recommending Rex as a speaker if you ever have the opportunity to hear him.
After the talk he signed a few books. As neither Neil nor I purchased a book we did not stick around for the signing, though I did try to snap a few photos (the quality of which were hampered by light and distance).
-Last night I joined the matheletes on a booze cruise on the Halifax harbour. It turns out that most of us weren't really prepared for what we eventually experienced, though I think that once we started to get a sense of things we were at least able to deal with the experience.
I am not sure what it says about me, but I was glad to get the chance to go under both bridges. One thing that I found strange is that only the Souther bridge (I can't remember which is which) was properly illuminated.
At one point two of us were looking at the wheelhouse and were a little bit surprised to see this.
As you might have guessed, the crew was obscured by the wheel. Sadly, they didn't try to ghost ride the Harbour Queen (as unique an experience as that might have been).
-On Wednesday it was quite wet and windy so we decided not to play our Ultimate game, though we only made this decision at the field. As we were all there and free for a few hours most of us decided to hit the closest bar, the Rodeo Lounge in Burnside.
Once in the bar we learned that not only were we basically the only customers but that they had an indoor basketball net as well as Nintendo Wii that we were able to use (and did use). Unfortunately, the mechanical bull was not in use while we were there, though now that I know it exists I have some motivation to head back at some point in the future.
I should also say that the prices were reasonable and the service was great. It was incredibly fun to play a few games of HORSE/take a few shots while hanging out and drinking some beer. It would be great if more bars had such facilities.
-I harvested quite a number of tomatoes today. I think it is safe to say that this was my biggest single harvest yet, though I hope to be able surpass this record next year.
Hopefully Neil will be able to eat them all before they go bad.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 347
-Today (Friday) was another scorcher, though maybe not as bad as some of the 30 plus days of early this week. Actually, if one managed to stay out of the direct sun and find some of the breeze things weren't too bad. As the day has made its routine transition to night things have become a little moister. Given that the breeze has died this means relatively unpleasant/humid conditions.
-As bad as the weather has been for the past few days it seems ready to get a little worse. Hurricane Bill appears to be heading towards the south coast of Nova Scotia, which obviously includes Halifax with it. The National Hurricane Center seems to be suggesting that the storm will hit sometime on Sunday and then move on to Cape Breton by Sunday evening.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
-Dalhousie was kind enough to send me an email with suggestions about how to prepare for an event. Though we aren't particularly worried about the storm nailing us to heavily we have taken a few precautions. We made sure to head to the NSLC to pick up some beer before there is a run on it tomorrow afternoon. Additionally, we have thought about how we will go about storing water in the off chance we lose power and water. Fortunately, just a few days ago we purchased 24 litres of carbonated water, which should put us in a good place for drinking water if we manage to lose power. Aside from food, which we would be buying anyway, the only additional purchase we might make is a little more propane, just incase we lose power and are forced to use our grill for a few days.
As of yet we haven't decided whether we will try to live blog the hurricane or not, if we do it should be pretty obvious that we are, and if not, it should be pretty obvious that we aren't. Anyway, the only confusion might come if we are trying to live blog the hurricane but then manage to lose power and internet part way through. If we aren't live blogging the storm and are curious about power outages and whatnot, you may want to check out Nova Scotia Power's live outage map (which is of little use if you lose power).
-This afternoon, after Neil and Rebecca did some preliminary scouting, Neil and I went to a soon-to-be-closing bookstore and purchased a used table for $20 and used cooler for $10. The table is about as wide as our current dining room table, but about an inch and a half shorter. It is the same height as our card table, but about 2 inches narrower.
The table and cooler are presently in the living room. We have put our big plant on top of the table and then placed our junk pile (including the cooler) underneath. My suggestion was that we get some fabric and drape it around the table to hide the stuff we are hiding underneath, though as of right now we have no plans to go fabric shopping.
-We had some rather tasty roast beef for dinner last night. Tonight we had pinwheels. Sadly, such beef rich meals may be a thing of the past for me as it is possible that I may have to go on a reduced beef diet in the near future in an attempt to reduce the frequency with which I form kidney stones.
-In yesterday's post I linked to the Google Voice blog. It seems that they have a feature that shows who has linked to particular posts below the individual posts. Subsequently, as a consequence of my linking to one of their posts, we had a strange surge of traffic based on people following their link to my post which occurred because I linked to their post. Seems like a bit of a quid pro quo arrangement to create internet traffic circles and improve everybody's PageRank.
-As bad as the weather has been for the past few days it seems ready to get a little worse. Hurricane Bill appears to be heading towards the south coast of Nova Scotia, which obviously includes Halifax with it. The National Hurricane Center seems to be suggesting that the storm will hit sometime on Sunday and then move on to Cape Breton by Sunday evening.
(Source: National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Bill)
-Dalhousie was kind enough to send me an email with suggestions about how to prepare for an event. Though we aren't particularly worried about the storm nailing us to heavily we have taken a few precautions. We made sure to head to the NSLC to pick up some beer before there is a run on it tomorrow afternoon. Additionally, we have thought about how we will go about storing water in the off chance we lose power and water. Fortunately, just a few days ago we purchased 24 litres of carbonated water, which should put us in a good place for drinking water if we manage to lose power. Aside from food, which we would be buying anyway, the only additional purchase we might make is a little more propane, just incase we lose power and are forced to use our grill for a few days.
As of yet we haven't decided whether we will try to live blog the hurricane or not, if we do it should be pretty obvious that we are, and if not, it should be pretty obvious that we aren't. Anyway, the only confusion might come if we are trying to live blog the hurricane but then manage to lose power and internet part way through. If we aren't live blogging the storm and are curious about power outages and whatnot, you may want to check out Nova Scotia Power's live outage map (which is of little use if you lose power).
-This afternoon, after Neil and Rebecca did some preliminary scouting, Neil and I went to a soon-to-be-closing bookstore and purchased a used table for $20 and used cooler for $10. The table is about as wide as our current dining room table, but about an inch and a half shorter. It is the same height as our card table, but about 2 inches narrower.
The table and cooler are presently in the living room. We have put our big plant on top of the table and then placed our junk pile (including the cooler) underneath. My suggestion was that we get some fabric and drape it around the table to hide the stuff we are hiding underneath, though as of right now we have no plans to go fabric shopping.
-We had some rather tasty roast beef for dinner last night. Tonight we had pinwheels. Sadly, such beef rich meals may be a thing of the past for me as it is possible that I may have to go on a reduced beef diet in the near future in an attempt to reduce the frequency with which I form kidney stones.
-In yesterday's post I linked to the Google Voice blog. It seems that they have a feature that shows who has linked to particular posts below the individual posts. Subsequently, as a consequence of my linking to one of their posts, we had a strange surge of traffic based on people following their link to my post which occurred because I linked to their post. Seems like a bit of a quid pro quo arrangement to create internet traffic circles and improve everybody's PageRank.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Well that takes care of a question I have had since 1994
Since about 1994 I have, intermittently, been wondering exactly what Zima was and what it tasted like. The closest I ever came to the answer was when my father said "Zima: tastes like zits." So while I had the idea that it wasn't particularly pleasant, I still had no idea what it was.
Fortunately, tonight, while doing some reading on Boone's Farm products, I came across a great Slate article about about Zima. Not only did the article explain the product's origins, an attempt to create a cheap beer based product for dudes who didn't like beer, but also its later incarnations as a female targeted alcopop wannabe. It was as an alcopop that Zima seems to have died a rather quiet death in October 2008.
Anyway, I feel as though a chapter of my childhood (the "wonder about Zima" chapter) has finally been closed. If only I could only get my hands on a bottle of Crystal Pepsi everything would be just about perfect.
Fortunately, tonight, while doing some reading on Boone's Farm products, I came across a great Slate article about about Zima. Not only did the article explain the product's origins, an attempt to create a cheap beer based product for dudes who didn't like beer, but also its later incarnations as a female targeted alcopop wannabe. It was as an alcopop that Zima seems to have died a rather quiet death in October 2008.
Anyway, I feel as though a chapter of my childhood (the "wonder about Zima" chapter) has finally been closed. If only I could only get my hands on a bottle of Crystal Pepsi everything would be just about perfect.
Thursday, May 07, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 313
-We are in the midst of another rainy day in Halifax. Hopefully the thundershowers that have been predicted don't actually make it to town.
-I was able to attend the MUN fundraising dinner at Pier 21 last night. As I mentioned previously, the guest speaker was to be Gwynne Dyer, a Newfoundlander and MUN alumnus.
While I knew that Rick Hillier, MUN's Chancellor, was to be there, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the acting President, Eddy Campbell, was also in attendance, as was the Direct of the School of Pharmacy. I was also very pleased that I ended up seated next to the only person at the event that I knew (someone from Neil's elementary school class who is presently a Dal student).
Dyer's talk was about the likely negative impact of climate change. While I didn't necessarily agree with everything in the talk, I did agree with the general thrust of the argument (or certainly the over-arching goal of the talk), which is that humans are having a negative environmental impact and need to change their ways quickly.
Given that I am in the middle of a book on G.K. Chesterton, who was frequently sought as a public speaker (though on slightly different topics), it was fun to be privy to a similar experience. In general I get the sense that this tradition is fading to some extent. I don't know how many of my peers would be interested in hearing a freelance thinker/writer expound on whichever topic suit them. Though maybe part of the problem is that we no longer have as many people who write so prolifically on such a range of topics that they would be able to engage in such activities.
The more I think about it, the more I think it would quite fun to see the equivalent of a G.B. Shaw vs. G.K. Chesterton public debate. The problem is that I have no idea who the two debaters would be.
-My uncle is scheduled to arrive this afternoon for a visit. At the moment we haven't scheduled many activities, actually I don't think that we have scheduled much of anything. About as far as we have gone in the planning process is to discuss what we would be having for dinner tonight and how we would go about procuring beer (two somewhat important topics given the guest).
-In about half an hour I need to head to Dal. I am really hoping that the rain has subsided by then. Sitting around while wet is something I don't particularly enjoy.
(I was going to say "there are few things I like less" until I realized that there are likely many things that I like less, or dislike more.)
-I was able to attend the MUN fundraising dinner at Pier 21 last night. As I mentioned previously, the guest speaker was to be Gwynne Dyer, a Newfoundlander and MUN alumnus.
While I knew that Rick Hillier, MUN's Chancellor, was to be there, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the acting President, Eddy Campbell, was also in attendance, as was the Direct of the School of Pharmacy. I was also very pleased that I ended up seated next to the only person at the event that I knew (someone from Neil's elementary school class who is presently a Dal student).
Dyer's talk was about the likely negative impact of climate change. While I didn't necessarily agree with everything in the talk, I did agree with the general thrust of the argument (or certainly the over-arching goal of the talk), which is that humans are having a negative environmental impact and need to change their ways quickly.
Given that I am in the middle of a book on G.K. Chesterton, who was frequently sought as a public speaker (though on slightly different topics), it was fun to be privy to a similar experience. In general I get the sense that this tradition is fading to some extent. I don't know how many of my peers would be interested in hearing a freelance thinker/writer expound on whichever topic suit them. Though maybe part of the problem is that we no longer have as many people who write so prolifically on such a range of topics that they would be able to engage in such activities.
The more I think about it, the more I think it would quite fun to see the equivalent of a G.B. Shaw vs. G.K. Chesterton public debate. The problem is that I have no idea who the two debaters would be.
-My uncle is scheduled to arrive this afternoon for a visit. At the moment we haven't scheduled many activities, actually I don't think that we have scheduled much of anything. About as far as we have gone in the planning process is to discuss what we would be having for dinner tonight and how we would go about procuring beer (two somewhat important topics given the guest).
-In about half an hour I need to head to Dal. I am really hoping that the rain has subsided by then. Sitting around while wet is something I don't particularly enjoy.
(I was going to say "there are few things I like less" until I realized that there are likely many things that I like less, or dislike more.)
Friday, April 10, 2009
A Few Quick Notes 302
-Though the forecast is calling for rain it is quite sunny at the moment, as can be seen in the photo below. If I recall correctly, a similar situation arose yesterday. I guess if Environment Canada is going to be wrong, I would rather have it go in this direction.
-As I was working on assignments earlier this week I wasn't able to bake bread on Wednesday, as has been my habit this term. Finally this morning I found the time to start a quick batch, which is presently in the oven. I am quite looking forward to sampling a few slices shortly.
So far things are looking pretty good, at least if this photo is any indication of the eventual outcome of the loaves.
Update: I have just removed the bread from the oven and it seems to have turned out quite nicely, though I guess I won't really know this until I sample it. Unfortunately, one of the three loaves seems less inclined than the others to leave its pan. At the moment I have just left it there, hoping that it may decide to detach itself at some point in the near future. I really hate it when this happens.
-At about the same time as I was putting the dough in the oven to rise I decided that I would like to make some French bread. After quickly consulting the Joy of Cooking I determined that I had all of the required ingredients (flour, water, salt, and yeast), and would be able to move ahead with the project.
Not only is dough much harder than I expected, it really doesn't look quite right. Hopefully things turn out a little better than I am expecting them to. I guess I will let you know.
Update: The dough has now been formed into rather ugly baguette-ish loaves. Hopefully this stuff manages to be edible.
-Last night Neil and I made a last-minute pre-Good Friday trip to the grocery store. While there we realized that we needed to pick up a few supplies for dinner tonight. After a brief examination of the meat section we decided to go with an on sale leg of lamb.
Only today did I realize that having lamb on Good Friday is probably a little uncommon, some might even go so far as to call it distasteful.
-On Wednesday Neil and Rebecca took advantage of a video rental coupon and rented two movies for the price of one. The two they chose were House Bunny and Transporter 3, each modern classics in their ways.
They watched House Bunny on Wednesday night. I ended up trying to watch House Bunny on Thursday afternoon but gave up after about 7 minutes. I ended up joining them for the Transporter 3 viewing last night. Not surprisingly, I wasn't particularly impressed with this film either, though were a few somewhat inventive strip/fight scenes that were quite funny and completely unbelievable. I think it might be safe to say that I likely won't try to seek out either of the other Transporter movie (which I didn't really know existed until last night).
-When Neil and I were returning these movies last night we decided to try to take advantage of another coupon and see if we could get a free rental. I ended up selecting Slumdog Millionaire, a film Neil and Rebecca saw in the theatre some number of weeks ago.
While I thought the movie was just fine, I am not sure if I was quite as amazed by it as some people seem to have been.
Unfortunately, as we were finalizing the rental we realized that as today is Good Friday I will be unable to return the movie until Saturday, and thus be charged for one day, negating the benefit of the free rental coupon. Maybe I will see if I can call customer service and have them remove the charge from my credit card.
-It turns out that having a nap and an energy drink on Wednesday evening was a bit of a mistake. I didn't manage to make it to sleep until some time after 5:00 AM. As I had to wake up at 7:10 this was a bit of a problem. Fortunately I made it through to the afternoon without falling asleep.
-After class yesterday I met Neil and a few friends at the Grad House closing party/barbeque. I was quite glad that they had the barbeque. I eventually had four (small) burgers. As I hadn't eaten since breakfast I really needed the food.
The party was a little funny as they were using it as an opportunity to get rid of stock before closing. They seem to have sold out of draught beer quite early on and basically just had bottles left by the time I was ready to order a beer.
The sign at the bar suggested that "everything" was $3. I asked about the lone can of Guinness and was told that it was $5. I kind of get the sense that one of the parties involved in this transaction didn't understand the word 'everything,' and I am pretty sure I wasn't the one with the problem. In the end I went with a bottle of a locally brewed beer.
-As I was working on assignments earlier this week I wasn't able to bake bread on Wednesday, as has been my habit this term. Finally this morning I found the time to start a quick batch, which is presently in the oven. I am quite looking forward to sampling a few slices shortly.
So far things are looking pretty good, at least if this photo is any indication of the eventual outcome of the loaves.
Update: I have just removed the bread from the oven and it seems to have turned out quite nicely, though I guess I won't really know this until I sample it. Unfortunately, one of the three loaves seems less inclined than the others to leave its pan. At the moment I have just left it there, hoping that it may decide to detach itself at some point in the near future. I really hate it when this happens.
-At about the same time as I was putting the dough in the oven to rise I decided that I would like to make some French bread. After quickly consulting the Joy of Cooking I determined that I had all of the required ingredients (flour, water, salt, and yeast), and would be able to move ahead with the project.
Not only is dough much harder than I expected, it really doesn't look quite right. Hopefully things turn out a little better than I am expecting them to. I guess I will let you know.
Update: The dough has now been formed into rather ugly baguette-ish loaves. Hopefully this stuff manages to be edible.
-Last night Neil and I made a last-minute pre-Good Friday trip to the grocery store. While there we realized that we needed to pick up a few supplies for dinner tonight. After a brief examination of the meat section we decided to go with an on sale leg of lamb.
Only today did I realize that having lamb on Good Friday is probably a little uncommon, some might even go so far as to call it distasteful.
-On Wednesday Neil and Rebecca took advantage of a video rental coupon and rented two movies for the price of one. The two they chose were House Bunny and Transporter 3, each modern classics in their ways.
They watched House Bunny on Wednesday night. I ended up trying to watch House Bunny on Thursday afternoon but gave up after about 7 minutes. I ended up joining them for the Transporter 3 viewing last night. Not surprisingly, I wasn't particularly impressed with this film either, though were a few somewhat inventive strip/fight scenes that were quite funny and completely unbelievable. I think it might be safe to say that I likely won't try to seek out either of the other Transporter movie (which I didn't really know existed until last night).
-When Neil and I were returning these movies last night we decided to try to take advantage of another coupon and see if we could get a free rental. I ended up selecting Slumdog Millionaire, a film Neil and Rebecca saw in the theatre some number of weeks ago.
While I thought the movie was just fine, I am not sure if I was quite as amazed by it as some people seem to have been.
Unfortunately, as we were finalizing the rental we realized that as today is Good Friday I will be unable to return the movie until Saturday, and thus be charged for one day, negating the benefit of the free rental coupon. Maybe I will see if I can call customer service and have them remove the charge from my credit card.
-It turns out that having a nap and an energy drink on Wednesday evening was a bit of a mistake. I didn't manage to make it to sleep until some time after 5:00 AM. As I had to wake up at 7:10 this was a bit of a problem. Fortunately I made it through to the afternoon without falling asleep.
-After class yesterday I met Neil and a few friends at the Grad House closing party/barbeque. I was quite glad that they had the barbeque. I eventually had four (small) burgers. As I hadn't eaten since breakfast I really needed the food.
The party was a little funny as they were using it as an opportunity to get rid of stock before closing. They seem to have sold out of draught beer quite early on and basically just had bottles left by the time I was ready to order a beer.
The sign at the bar suggested that "everything" was $3. I asked about the lone can of Guinness and was told that it was $5. I kind of get the sense that one of the parties involved in this transaction didn't understand the word 'everything,' and I am pretty sure I wasn't the one with the problem. In the end I went with a bottle of a locally brewed beer.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
So there is an explanation
Earlier tonight I went for a walk on Spring Garden and Barrington in downtown Halifax. Given the somewhat sub-par weather I wasn't particularly surprised that it wasn't a very busy evening as far as pedestrians were concerned.
I was a little more surprised that Ginger's Tavern/Granite Brewery appeared to be closed. As there weren't any signs and it was dark I wasn't immediately able to determine with the closure was permanent or whether it was a matter of the facility undergoing renovations.
Just a while ago I happened to find an article from The Coast that gave a definitive answer, which is that the bar has closed for good. It seems that the owner has decided to get out of the bar business in Halifax and instead focus on the microbrewery side of the business. While I can't say I was a regular customer, I am a little surprised with this closure given the prominence of the bar as a live music venue.
I was a little more surprised that Ginger's Tavern/Granite Brewery appeared to be closed. As there weren't any signs and it was dark I wasn't immediately able to determine with the closure was permanent or whether it was a matter of the facility undergoing renovations.
Just a while ago I happened to find an article from The Coast that gave a definitive answer, which is that the bar has closed for good. It seems that the owner has decided to get out of the bar business in Halifax and instead focus on the microbrewery side of the business. While I can't say I was a regular customer, I am a little surprised with this closure given the prominence of the bar as a live music venue.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Xmas Check 2
We just spent a few minutes taking photos in front if the tree and
other seasonal locations.
other seasonal locations.
It seems that the rest of my family will now be heading out to church.
I am staying behind to keep an eye out for Santa, though so far I
have seen no evidence of his impending arrival. I guess I might grab
another beer and take a seat in front of the fire place just to make
sure the man in red does not slip past me.
Monday, December 22, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 252
-It really seems to have turned to Winter in St. John's. I woke up to find high winds and snow. Unfortunately, my only morning commitment of the trip meant that I had to drive in near-white-out conditions.
Amazingly, the weather has gotten a little worse as the temperature is now above zero so the snow is turning to slush. The only good weather news of the day is that the predicted rain wasn't as plentiful as expected. The bad news is that the wind is expected to remain relatively high and the temperatures are expected to drop, meaning that the slush will turn to ice.
-As it snowed today I got my first chance to use the snowblower this year. As I only use it once or twice a year I still haven't figured out my style or technique and basically have to re-learn everything about the process every year. The nice thing is, even with my inefficient style, it is still faster and easier than shoveling. Maybe if it snows again I will have a chance to refine my approach, but it is possible that I will be battling Neil and my uncle for snowblower access (as they both also have only limited snowblower access).
-A few nights ago Greg and I hung out for a few hours. After heading to the local bookstore we went to a bar where one of his co-worker's was to be performing. After chatting to the band and having a beer and still seeing no signs of the show starting any time soon (one of the guitarists still wasn't there) we decided to head on to the bar where one of Greg's co-worker's was doing sound.
Almost as soon as we arrived it became clear that the band performing was pretty far away from good (which may explain why they were playing at a bar way out on Torbay road). Anyway, hanging out for a while the guy doing sound mentioned that he was hungry. After a few quick negotiations it was decided that we would head out and pick him up a fish sandwich at the nearby fast food joint.
As soon as Greg and I pulled into the lot we noticed that that there was quite a line for the drive-thru, but because the restaurant section wasn't open we joined the line. After waiting about ten minutes we were finally able to place our order. We then waited another few minutes to proceed to the window where we were to pay for our food. When we finally reached this window we were informed that they didn't have any more fish. This left us in a tricky spot as the individual for whom we were ordering food was a vegetarian and the restaurant didn't have any other acceptable main courses. After a few minutes of discussion we settled on a two patty burger with the patties on the side.
When we eventually made it back to the bar with the food the recipient wasn't particular pleased with the outcome of our trip. His initial reaction was to reject the 'burger' and focus on the fries and drink. After a few minutes he cracked and ended up chowing down on the bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce that comprised the meat-free burger. Greg and I each had one of the patties, which weren't particularly good on their own.
-A few posts ago I mentioned that one of my contributions was featured on the podcast Stop Podcasting Yourself. It seems that I have extended my streak by having a photo I submitted featured on their blog and mentioned on the most recent episode of the show. If you check out the blog, the photo, also posted below, is the one I submitted. I still can't believe that such a sign exists.
-I had the pleasure of getting my teeth cleaned today. It seems that this is starting to become a Christmas tradition for me, which is a slightly better tradition than getting my teeth knocked out or catching a seasonal malady.
-I am not sure what is causing it, but I have been very unproductive and unmotivated since having returned to St. John's. You may have noticed that this has resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of blog posts (which is problematic because they are so highly anticipated by our readers) and my general crankiness. Though I don't know the cause of these problems I am starting to wonder if they are related to the drop in coffee consumption that came with the change in location. Maybe if I increased my coffee consumption to my pre-departure levels everything would be fine. I guess I might as well try as I don't have much to lose at this point.
-As we received a relatively positive response from our last Montifax live-blogging experience I am tempted to try and either live-blog Christmas or some other event, maybe if I go for coffee at some wifi coffee shop. Anyway, be on the look out for a very exciting seasonal live-blogging event from your good friends at Montifax.
Amazingly, the weather has gotten a little worse as the temperature is now above zero so the snow is turning to slush. The only good weather news of the day is that the predicted rain wasn't as plentiful as expected. The bad news is that the wind is expected to remain relatively high and the temperatures are expected to drop, meaning that the slush will turn to ice.
-As it snowed today I got my first chance to use the snowblower this year. As I only use it once or twice a year I still haven't figured out my style or technique and basically have to re-learn everything about the process every year. The nice thing is, even with my inefficient style, it is still faster and easier than shoveling. Maybe if it snows again I will have a chance to refine my approach, but it is possible that I will be battling Neil and my uncle for snowblower access (as they both also have only limited snowblower access).
-A few nights ago Greg and I hung out for a few hours. After heading to the local bookstore we went to a bar where one of his co-worker's was to be performing. After chatting to the band and having a beer and still seeing no signs of the show starting any time soon (one of the guitarists still wasn't there) we decided to head on to the bar where one of Greg's co-worker's was doing sound.
Almost as soon as we arrived it became clear that the band performing was pretty far away from good (which may explain why they were playing at a bar way out on Torbay road). Anyway, hanging out for a while the guy doing sound mentioned that he was hungry. After a few quick negotiations it was decided that we would head out and pick him up a fish sandwich at the nearby fast food joint.
As soon as Greg and I pulled into the lot we noticed that that there was quite a line for the drive-thru, but because the restaurant section wasn't open we joined the line. After waiting about ten minutes we were finally able to place our order. We then waited another few minutes to proceed to the window where we were to pay for our food. When we finally reached this window we were informed that they didn't have any more fish. This left us in a tricky spot as the individual for whom we were ordering food was a vegetarian and the restaurant didn't have any other acceptable main courses. After a few minutes of discussion we settled on a two patty burger with the patties on the side.
When we eventually made it back to the bar with the food the recipient wasn't particular pleased with the outcome of our trip. His initial reaction was to reject the 'burger' and focus on the fries and drink. After a few minutes he cracked and ended up chowing down on the bun, lettuce, tomato, cheese, and sauce that comprised the meat-free burger. Greg and I each had one of the patties, which weren't particularly good on their own.
-A few posts ago I mentioned that one of my contributions was featured on the podcast Stop Podcasting Yourself. It seems that I have extended my streak by having a photo I submitted featured on their blog and mentioned on the most recent episode of the show. If you check out the blog, the photo, also posted below, is the one I submitted. I still can't believe that such a sign exists.
-I had the pleasure of getting my teeth cleaned today. It seems that this is starting to become a Christmas tradition for me, which is a slightly better tradition than getting my teeth knocked out or catching a seasonal malady.
-I am not sure what is causing it, but I have been very unproductive and unmotivated since having returned to St. John's. You may have noticed that this has resulted in a drastic reduction in the number of blog posts (which is problematic because they are so highly anticipated by our readers) and my general crankiness. Though I don't know the cause of these problems I am starting to wonder if they are related to the drop in coffee consumption that came with the change in location. Maybe if I increased my coffee consumption to my pre-departure levels everything would be fine. I guess I might as well try as I don't have much to lose at this point.
-As we received a relatively positive response from our last Montifax live-blogging experience I am tempted to try and either live-blog Christmas or some other event, maybe if I go for coffee at some wifi coffee shop. Anyway, be on the look out for a very exciting seasonal live-blogging event from your good friends at Montifax.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 231
-We had another nice day today in Halifax. Unfortunately, as the sun has started to set the temperatures have really begun to drop. Hopefully we will stay above freezing.
-Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a talk in the anthropology department at Dalhousie given by an acquaintance from New York (though I met him in St. John's). The talk covered a fair bit of ground, giving me lots to think about, and included several well-placed swipes at sociology (which were well received).
After the talk I ended up joining the speaker and a number of the anthropology graduate students for coffee. While I wasn't able to contribute too much to the conversation it was informative to see how things are done in different, but related, departments.
-Last night we went over to Sobey's and purchased a turkey. Soon after we returned to our apartment Neil rammed it into the freezer. Each time the freezer is open one gets to examine the precariously balanced turkey, with its feet almost protruding from the freezer.
-I had to cram in a fair bit of reading to prepare for class today. It is likely that I will have to go through a similar experience tonight, though I can't imagine that I will be able to get as much in tonight as I did last night.
-My reading will likely be somewhat hampered because of my plans to play Ultimate with Neil's team tonight. It seems that they need an additional male player. This should be good because I have been a bit short on physical activity since I arrived, and it is nice to have a one or two social encounters a week that extend beyond my school of home lives.
-Since arriving in Halifax I have been hitting the non-alcoholic beer hard. Neil is worried that I might be turning into a non-alcoholic, and he might be right.
-Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a talk in the anthropology department at Dalhousie given by an acquaintance from New York (though I met him in St. John's). The talk covered a fair bit of ground, giving me lots to think about, and included several well-placed swipes at sociology (which were well received).
After the talk I ended up joining the speaker and a number of the anthropology graduate students for coffee. While I wasn't able to contribute too much to the conversation it was informative to see how things are done in different, but related, departments.
-Last night we went over to Sobey's and purchased a turkey. Soon after we returned to our apartment Neil rammed it into the freezer. Each time the freezer is open one gets to examine the precariously balanced turkey, with its feet almost protruding from the freezer.
-I had to cram in a fair bit of reading to prepare for class today. It is likely that I will have to go through a similar experience tonight, though I can't imagine that I will be able to get as much in tonight as I did last night.
-My reading will likely be somewhat hampered because of my plans to play Ultimate with Neil's team tonight. It seems that they need an additional male player. This should be good because I have been a bit short on physical activity since I arrived, and it is nice to have a one or two social encounters a week that extend beyond my school of home lives.
-Since arriving in Halifax I have been hitting the non-alcoholic beer hard. Neil is worried that I might be turning into a non-alcoholic, and he might be right.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 204
-The weather has taken a turn for the worse today. Just as I was head to work it started to rain, though not all that heavily. As the day has progressed things have really not gotten any better. It seems we are in for more of the same for the next few days.
-On Monday evening I had to mow the lawn at house at which I had been house-sitting. I really should have done this a few days ago, but I didn't.
Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the mower owned by the owners of the house. It seems that just before I arrived they loaned it to some friends. Though they left a phone number I wasn't able to reach these individuals.
In the end I borrowed my parents mower and transported it in the back of their car. Almost as soon as I arrived I could see that the mower wasn't doing a particularly good job of cutting. Once I moved to the backyard with its taller grass this deficiency became quite apparent.
At first I assumed that the poor cutting was because I had let the grass grow too long. It seems that this may have only been part of the problem. My father later informed me that the blade was also on the dull side and likely contributed to knocking down rather than cutting effect I was achieving.
Anyway, as soon as the grass gets a chance to stand up again it will have to be cut, which is frustrating as I did try to do a good job.
-Soon after the mowing debacle I went over to my new house-sitting house for a tour. Everything went quite well and I think that the experience should be positive. What I think will be the most consequential difference is that at the new place I won't have to take walk a dog, nor will I have to let a dog out to pee in the middle of the night.
-On the same evening I kept missing Neil's phone calls. It seems that he found out about an Air Canada seat sale and was interested in booking our tickets to return to St. John's at Christmas.
Eventually we were able to talk for a few minutes and I gave him the go ahead to book my ticket. When I checked my email later in the evening I found that he had booked tickets for the three of us.
-I was thinking that it would probably seem a little odd if I opened up a can of non-alcoholic beer with my lunch at work.
-As I was walking home from work earlier this week I noticed that they were cutting the plants that were growing in the field across from the Confederation building. When I took the dog for a walk later in the day I was able get a better sense for the extent of the operation, which was quite substantial.
Even with my previous reconnaissance missions I was somewhat surprised the next afternoon to find that the cuttings had been bailed and that a number of bails were sitting throughout the field. Presumably these will be used as some kind of forage, though I am not sure who gets to sell the goods.
When I passed through the field today I noticed that the bails had been covered in plastic and stacked on a truck. I imagine that by tomorrow afternoon that there will be very little evidence of bails and wildflowers that were both there earlier in the week.
-Earlier this evening I baked a Texas sheet cake for a co-worker's retirement get-together. As I know that she likes all things chocolate I am hoping that the cake will be well received. It seems that the event will be taking place tomorrow morning, only hours before this person will be done for good.
-On Monday evening I had to mow the lawn at house at which I had been house-sitting. I really should have done this a few days ago, but I didn't.
Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the mower owned by the owners of the house. It seems that just before I arrived they loaned it to some friends. Though they left a phone number I wasn't able to reach these individuals.
In the end I borrowed my parents mower and transported it in the back of their car. Almost as soon as I arrived I could see that the mower wasn't doing a particularly good job of cutting. Once I moved to the backyard with its taller grass this deficiency became quite apparent.
At first I assumed that the poor cutting was because I had let the grass grow too long. It seems that this may have only been part of the problem. My father later informed me that the blade was also on the dull side and likely contributed to knocking down rather than cutting effect I was achieving.
Anyway, as soon as the grass gets a chance to stand up again it will have to be cut, which is frustrating as I did try to do a good job.
-Soon after the mowing debacle I went over to my new house-sitting house for a tour. Everything went quite well and I think that the experience should be positive. What I think will be the most consequential difference is that at the new place I won't have to take walk a dog, nor will I have to let a dog out to pee in the middle of the night.
-On the same evening I kept missing Neil's phone calls. It seems that he found out about an Air Canada seat sale and was interested in booking our tickets to return to St. John's at Christmas.
Eventually we were able to talk for a few minutes and I gave him the go ahead to book my ticket. When I checked my email later in the evening I found that he had booked tickets for the three of us.
-I was thinking that it would probably seem a little odd if I opened up a can of non-alcoholic beer with my lunch at work.
-As I was walking home from work earlier this week I noticed that they were cutting the plants that were growing in the field across from the Confederation building. When I took the dog for a walk later in the day I was able get a better sense for the extent of the operation, which was quite substantial.
Even with my previous reconnaissance missions I was somewhat surprised the next afternoon to find that the cuttings had been bailed and that a number of bails were sitting throughout the field. Presumably these will be used as some kind of forage, though I am not sure who gets to sell the goods.
When I passed through the field today I noticed that the bails had been covered in plastic and stacked on a truck. I imagine that by tomorrow afternoon that there will be very little evidence of bails and wildflowers that were both there earlier in the week.
-Earlier this evening I baked a Texas sheet cake for a co-worker's retirement get-together. As I know that she likes all things chocolate I am hoping that the cake will be well received. It seems that the event will be taking place tomorrow morning, only hours before this person will be done for good.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
A Few Quick Notes 202
-After a brief interlude comprised of rain and fog we seem to be back to more palatable weather. Actually, what is particularly nice about the weather presently is that it is sunny without being oppressively hot or humid. Unfortunately, this is not forecast to carry over to the weekend.
-While walking the house-sitting dog today I was again shocked. Somehow the dog managed to defecate three times during a half-hour walk. Fortunately I had enough bags to clean up each time, though at the end I was really started to run low.
-On a related note, it seems that the world food shortage is affecting the availability of dog food as well. The type of dog food that the dog normally consumes is out of stock and may not be available for another three months. I am really not sure how long the 5 pound bag of food that I purchased yesterday will last, or what I will do if it runs out before I have finished with my house-sitting duties.
-For the first time in at least a year I will be hosting trivia at Bitters. While I have been meaning to do this for some period of time only when I found a potential co-host and didn't have a Ultimate game on a Thursday was I able to actually make plans to do it. Hopefully our questions will be well received.
-It seems that the replacement nut and bolt that I purchased for my bike may not actually be doing as good a job as I had hoped they would. My seat seems to wiggle up and down while I ride. Each time I ride I hope that my seat doesn't fall off at some point during my trip.
Though I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, I am pretty sure that I will need to buy a new seat and seat post.
-Last night I attended my friend Darryl's bachelor party. While we didn't have any strippers and the drinking was kept to a responsible level we did manage to keep the discussions in the gutter. For the few hours that I was there I able to laugh at and recount stories on a range of blue topics.
The only downside of the party, at least from my perspective, was that I wasn't able to have any beer because I had to drive home.
-While walking the house-sitting dog today I was again shocked. Somehow the dog managed to defecate three times during a half-hour walk. Fortunately I had enough bags to clean up each time, though at the end I was really started to run low.
-On a related note, it seems that the world food shortage is affecting the availability of dog food as well. The type of dog food that the dog normally consumes is out of stock and may not be available for another three months. I am really not sure how long the 5 pound bag of food that I purchased yesterday will last, or what I will do if it runs out before I have finished with my house-sitting duties.
-For the first time in at least a year I will be hosting trivia at Bitters. While I have been meaning to do this for some period of time only when I found a potential co-host and didn't have a Ultimate game on a Thursday was I able to actually make plans to do it. Hopefully our questions will be well received.
-It seems that the replacement nut and bolt that I purchased for my bike may not actually be doing as good a job as I had hoped they would. My seat seems to wiggle up and down while I ride. Each time I ride I hope that my seat doesn't fall off at some point during my trip.
Though I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, I am pretty sure that I will need to buy a new seat and seat post.
-Last night I attended my friend Darryl's bachelor party. While we didn't have any strippers and the drinking was kept to a responsible level we did manage to keep the discussions in the gutter. For the few hours that I was there I able to laugh at and recount stories on a range of blue topics.
The only downside of the party, at least from my perspective, was that I wasn't able to have any beer because I had to drive home.
Monday, July 21, 2008
What a waste
So after a very pleasant evening with a few friends I decided to pick up a six-pack on my way home. My plan was to have a pleasant bear or two while sending an email or two, or maybe browsing the internet.
After braving the rain and the slick roads I made it back to the house-sitting house with my six-pack of Dominion in hand. As soon as I entered the house I began thinking about how I would drop off my coat and the beer so that I could let the dog out to urinate. Soon after entering the kitchen I began to execute the plan I had only moments ago formulated.
The jacket went on the counter, as did the beer. Unfortunately the beer did stay on the counter like the jacket, instead the beer and the box ended up on the ground. Almost as soon as the beer hit the floor glass and beer began seeping across the floor. Somehow the animals sense the severity of the situation and stayed out of my way as I made my way to the back hall to find the cleaning products.
Fortunately, because of several other mishaps, I was able to put my hands on the cleaning products and mop quite quickly. I was also able to locate a bucket, though I don't imagine that it is the same one that they use for mopping, and get the clean-up operation underway quite quickly.
Once I removed the four intact bottles from the wreckage I was able to pick up much of the broken glass just by discarding the beer box. The remaining large chunks I was able to pick up and place in another box. The final pieces of glass, mostly of the splinter size, I was able to wipe up with toilet paper (I still haven't been able to find the paper towel).
Soon after I had cleaned up the glass shards I decided that I might as well just mop the rest of the kitchen floor, which I did. I also took the opportunity to do some mopping in the adjoining rooms, which I had been meaning to do but had not had the motivation.
Anyway, as must as this was a waste of beer and a pain, it turned out to be manageable and not quite as bad as it could have been. Most importantly the cat and dog somehow sense that I really would not appreciate their presence in the mess area and then proceeded to stay away for the duration of the clean-up.
After braving the rain and the slick roads I made it back to the house-sitting house with my six-pack of Dominion in hand. As soon as I entered the house I began thinking about how I would drop off my coat and the beer so that I could let the dog out to urinate. Soon after entering the kitchen I began to execute the plan I had only moments ago formulated.
The jacket went on the counter, as did the beer. Unfortunately the beer did stay on the counter like the jacket, instead the beer and the box ended up on the ground. Almost as soon as the beer hit the floor glass and beer began seeping across the floor. Somehow the animals sense the severity of the situation and stayed out of my way as I made my way to the back hall to find the cleaning products.
Fortunately, because of several other mishaps, I was able to put my hands on the cleaning products and mop quite quickly. I was also able to locate a bucket, though I don't imagine that it is the same one that they use for mopping, and get the clean-up operation underway quite quickly.
Once I removed the four intact bottles from the wreckage I was able to pick up much of the broken glass just by discarding the beer box. The remaining large chunks I was able to pick up and place in another box. The final pieces of glass, mostly of the splinter size, I was able to wipe up with toilet paper (I still haven't been able to find the paper towel).
Soon after I had cleaned up the glass shards I decided that I might as well just mop the rest of the kitchen floor, which I did. I also took the opportunity to do some mopping in the adjoining rooms, which I had been meaning to do but had not had the motivation.
Anyway, as must as this was a waste of beer and a pain, it turned out to be manageable and not quite as bad as it could have been. Most importantly the cat and dog somehow sense that I really would not appreciate their presence in the mess area and then proceeded to stay away for the duration of the clean-up.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Sint Maarten: Day 14
My father woke me up on the early side, allowing us to have breakfast together before he went to school to give his last lecture. Fortunately, he had completed the lecture early enough not to have to submit it to the printing service at 7:30 AM (as had been required several times this week).
After breakfast, my father and I made our way over to the university. Our first stop was the combination bookstore (without books) and registrar’s office. Within just a few moments of arriving we were able to successfully accomplish the goal of our mission. We then moved up to my father’s office so that I could take a few photos of him in his office. Afterwards I took a few more photos of the main building and founder’s statue.
After the impromtu photo shoot I stopped by the library to pick up a tropical fish identification book Wendy had agreed to loan us and to donate some books to the recreational reading section of the library. I decided that I might as well leave my books here for people without access to a proper public library or bookstore as opposed to carrying them home just to have them on my shelf for the next number of years.
Unfortunately, my grand plans as they related to the library were unsuccessful because Wendy had not yet arrived for the day. I then returned to my father’s office and left my donations with him. He agreed to head back to the library after he finished his lecture and take care of the tasks I had been unable to complete.
Soon after I returned to the apartment I moved on to my typical morning activities. These are mainly related to checking email and various things online, nothing all that important or consequential.
Eventually, at about 11:00 AM I received a call from my father indicating that I should expect the some members of the cleaning staff in the very near future. They would be arriving to clean the sunnier of the two rooms for the other MUN professor that will be teaching her as of next week.
I ran out to start a load of laundry before the cleaners arrived. Soon after I returned the first cleaner arrived. After looking around the apartment I tried to explain that she did not need to clean both bedroom, but only the one that had been emptied out. Eventually, after much explaining she finally grasped what I was talking about (it was almost like the cartoon light bulb).
Within a few minutes of the arrival of the first cleaner a second cleaner came. Almost as soon as she came in she started to recount a story about someone being taken away by the police and some additional interaction with the police. None of this really made sense and they ended up leaving the apartment together before I was able to figure out what was going on.
Once they returned I continued dealing and re-dealing games of solitaire. As unexciting as this was I really didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t really want to be in their way while they were cleaning, and I doubt they wanted me there, but I also needed to wait for the laundry to finish and I also needed to be near the apartment so that my father and I could get on with our afternoon plans once he was free with his academic obligations.
At the usual hour, or maybe even a little earlier than normal, I received a call from my father. He was calling to let me know that he would be heading back to the apartment for lunch and an afternoon outing. Almost as soon as he entered the apartment and saw the extent of the cleaning operation he realized something that had already come to me, and that was that it was probably appropriate to go somewhere else for lunch.
This change in plans wasn’t really all that problematic. Instead of eating lunch in the apartment we decided that we would take the bus to Philipsbug, as we had previously discussed, and then get lunch once we arrived.
Like the time I went to Philipsburg to see the library, we drove to Maho to catch the bus. This time, unlike the last time, we had to find a place to ditch the car for the day. We decided on the parking lot by the Sunset Beach Bar as they seem to always have available spaces for free (though this was likely an abuse of the privelege).
Soon after we made our way back to the bus stop we were picked up by one of the local buses (a van with four rows of seats). As we got closer to Philipsburg the bus began to fill up. Soon enough all of the available seats were taken, including some neat fold out seats and the two spots in the front to the driver’s right.
Almost as soon as the bus filled up it started to empty out. A number of people left once we reached the outskirts of Philipsburg. Everyone had left, except us, by the time we arrived at the center of Philipsburg. Soon after we caught a glimpse of the harbour we asked the driver to stop and hopped out.
Upon reaching the beach that surrounds much of the harbour shoreline we noticed that we were still a ways away from the core of the shopping district. Fortunately, this wasn’t a particularly difficult journey and only involved walking along the beach until we reached the action. The only problem was that the place I was thinking about for lunch was at the far end of the beach and commercial district, meaning almost as long a walk as possible.
Without any problems we made our way to the same place I had eaten lunch with Wendy, the university librarian, on Wednesday. As soon as we arrived signs of Canadian ownership popped out. Somehow I had managed to miss the ‘eh’s and maple leaves the last time I was there ( I guess I just wasn’t looking).
We each ordered a (kid sized) Heinken, a burger, and fries. As usual, I had to go great lengths to explain that I didn’t want anything on my burger, just the bread and the meat. Shortly after we had each taken a trip to the bathroom our burgers arrived, followed a few minutes later by our fries.
Once we wrapped up our meal we made our way to the central shopping district in search of ‘deals’ and appropriate purchases. Sadly, we found very few deals and even fewer worthwhile purchases. We ended up leaving the area with many few items than we had intended to buy.
Soon enough we were back on the bus. Like the first trip, things soon filled up, and then ended up clearing out so that we were the only passengers. This time we called for the bus to stop at an appropriate location (unlike on our trip out).
As we were making the short walk back our car we noticed that the big Air France plane was taking off. As this would likely be one of our last chances to see the ‘jet blast’ phenomenon we decided to try and get a little closer to film it. Following my father’s lead I took up a position across the street from the end of the runway. While in the position selected by my father I realized that we were right behind some of the engines, not safely to the side as we had discussed. Once I made this clear we both took a few superficial measures to move out of the way (in reality we just moved about ten feet towards the edge of the runway).
The revving of the engines alerted us to the impending rush of air and sand. As I had experienced before, standing behind a jet at this location means being pelted by sand and whatever other debris is at the end of the runway. Fortunately, experience had taught me to stand with my camera side on to the blast, rather than taking it head on.
As the jet made its way down the runway and the rush of air lessened we were able to examine ourselves and see what the jet had done to us. Fortunately neither of us was in any way injured or damaged. On the other hand, both of us were covered from head to toe with sand. Unlike having sand just thrown on you, this sand has been blasted at you by jet engines and has a much greater tendency to hang around much longer than is pleasant. For hours afterwards I was able to find grains of sand in my hair on the side of my head that received the brunt of the blast.
On our way back to the university my father remembered that he wanted to check out the nearby private school. I thought our chances of finding someone to talk to on a Friday afternoon were slim. As it turned out I was wrong. We ran into the principal (just as she was about to head to the pool) in the main office area. She was able to give us a pretty good rundown on the school on the spot.
Soon after we made it back to the apartment my father returned to school to try and wrap up his final academic obligation. While he worked away I engaged myself in email checking and web surfing (some of which was in relation to a project that I was working on for my father).
Eventually, my father returned to the apartment and set up shop in the newly cleaned bedroom. While he continued to work I started preparing dinner. As usual, we had meat, two vegetables, and yucca root. Unfortunately, as soon as I poured the yucca root into the frying pan to brown it I could tell that it wasn’t quite right, it seemed a little harder than ideal. The browning process didn’t prove to assist in changing the texture, not that I really thought that it would (though I certainly hoped it would).
It should also be noted that this meal marked the end of my father’s membership in the ‘Clean Plate Club.’ He was unable, or unwilling, to eat about two and a half pieces of the poorly prepared yucca root.
My father spent much of the rest of the evening working away while divided my time between the works of Mr. Waugh and my continued adherence to the siren call of my laptop.
After breakfast, my father and I made our way over to the university. Our first stop was the combination bookstore (without books) and registrar’s office. Within just a few moments of arriving we were able to successfully accomplish the goal of our mission. We then moved up to my father’s office so that I could take a few photos of him in his office. Afterwards I took a few more photos of the main building and founder’s statue.
After the impromtu photo shoot I stopped by the library to pick up a tropical fish identification book Wendy had agreed to loan us and to donate some books to the recreational reading section of the library. I decided that I might as well leave my books here for people without access to a proper public library or bookstore as opposed to carrying them home just to have them on my shelf for the next number of years.
Unfortunately, my grand plans as they related to the library were unsuccessful because Wendy had not yet arrived for the day. I then returned to my father’s office and left my donations with him. He agreed to head back to the library after he finished his lecture and take care of the tasks I had been unable to complete.
Soon after I returned to the apartment I moved on to my typical morning activities. These are mainly related to checking email and various things online, nothing all that important or consequential.
Eventually, at about 11:00 AM I received a call from my father indicating that I should expect the some members of the cleaning staff in the very near future. They would be arriving to clean the sunnier of the two rooms for the other MUN professor that will be teaching her as of next week.
I ran out to start a load of laundry before the cleaners arrived. Soon after I returned the first cleaner arrived. After looking around the apartment I tried to explain that she did not need to clean both bedroom, but only the one that had been emptied out. Eventually, after much explaining she finally grasped what I was talking about (it was almost like the cartoon light bulb).
Within a few minutes of the arrival of the first cleaner a second cleaner came. Almost as soon as she came in she started to recount a story about someone being taken away by the police and some additional interaction with the police. None of this really made sense and they ended up leaving the apartment together before I was able to figure out what was going on.
Once they returned I continued dealing and re-dealing games of solitaire. As unexciting as this was I really didn’t know what else to do. I didn’t really want to be in their way while they were cleaning, and I doubt they wanted me there, but I also needed to wait for the laundry to finish and I also needed to be near the apartment so that my father and I could get on with our afternoon plans once he was free with his academic obligations.
At the usual hour, or maybe even a little earlier than normal, I received a call from my father. He was calling to let me know that he would be heading back to the apartment for lunch and an afternoon outing. Almost as soon as he entered the apartment and saw the extent of the cleaning operation he realized something that had already come to me, and that was that it was probably appropriate to go somewhere else for lunch.
This change in plans wasn’t really all that problematic. Instead of eating lunch in the apartment we decided that we would take the bus to Philipsbug, as we had previously discussed, and then get lunch once we arrived.
Like the time I went to Philipsburg to see the library, we drove to Maho to catch the bus. This time, unlike the last time, we had to find a place to ditch the car for the day. We decided on the parking lot by the Sunset Beach Bar as they seem to always have available spaces for free (though this was likely an abuse of the privelege).
Soon after we made our way back to the bus stop we were picked up by one of the local buses (a van with four rows of seats). As we got closer to Philipsburg the bus began to fill up. Soon enough all of the available seats were taken, including some neat fold out seats and the two spots in the front to the driver’s right.
Almost as soon as the bus filled up it started to empty out. A number of people left once we reached the outskirts of Philipsburg. Everyone had left, except us, by the time we arrived at the center of Philipsburg. Soon after we caught a glimpse of the harbour we asked the driver to stop and hopped out.
Upon reaching the beach that surrounds much of the harbour shoreline we noticed that we were still a ways away from the core of the shopping district. Fortunately, this wasn’t a particularly difficult journey and only involved walking along the beach until we reached the action. The only problem was that the place I was thinking about for lunch was at the far end of the beach and commercial district, meaning almost as long a walk as possible.
Without any problems we made our way to the same place I had eaten lunch with Wendy, the university librarian, on Wednesday. As soon as we arrived signs of Canadian ownership popped out. Somehow I had managed to miss the ‘eh’s and maple leaves the last time I was there ( I guess I just wasn’t looking).
We each ordered a (kid sized) Heinken, a burger, and fries. As usual, I had to go great lengths to explain that I didn’t want anything on my burger, just the bread and the meat. Shortly after we had each taken a trip to the bathroom our burgers arrived, followed a few minutes later by our fries.
Once we wrapped up our meal we made our way to the central shopping district in search of ‘deals’ and appropriate purchases. Sadly, we found very few deals and even fewer worthwhile purchases. We ended up leaving the area with many few items than we had intended to buy.
Soon enough we were back on the bus. Like the first trip, things soon filled up, and then ended up clearing out so that we were the only passengers. This time we called for the bus to stop at an appropriate location (unlike on our trip out).
As we were making the short walk back our car we noticed that the big Air France plane was taking off. As this would likely be one of our last chances to see the ‘jet blast’ phenomenon we decided to try and get a little closer to film it. Following my father’s lead I took up a position across the street from the end of the runway. While in the position selected by my father I realized that we were right behind some of the engines, not safely to the side as we had discussed. Once I made this clear we both took a few superficial measures to move out of the way (in reality we just moved about ten feet towards the edge of the runway).
The revving of the engines alerted us to the impending rush of air and sand. As I had experienced before, standing behind a jet at this location means being pelted by sand and whatever other debris is at the end of the runway. Fortunately, experience had taught me to stand with my camera side on to the blast, rather than taking it head on.
As the jet made its way down the runway and the rush of air lessened we were able to examine ourselves and see what the jet had done to us. Fortunately neither of us was in any way injured or damaged. On the other hand, both of us were covered from head to toe with sand. Unlike having sand just thrown on you, this sand has been blasted at you by jet engines and has a much greater tendency to hang around much longer than is pleasant. For hours afterwards I was able to find grains of sand in my hair on the side of my head that received the brunt of the blast.
On our way back to the university my father remembered that he wanted to check out the nearby private school. I thought our chances of finding someone to talk to on a Friday afternoon were slim. As it turned out I was wrong. We ran into the principal (just as she was about to head to the pool) in the main office area. She was able to give us a pretty good rundown on the school on the spot.
Soon after we made it back to the apartment my father returned to school to try and wrap up his final academic obligation. While he worked away I engaged myself in email checking and web surfing (some of which was in relation to a project that I was working on for my father).
Eventually, my father returned to the apartment and set up shop in the newly cleaned bedroom. While he continued to work I started preparing dinner. As usual, we had meat, two vegetables, and yucca root. Unfortunately, as soon as I poured the yucca root into the frying pan to brown it I could tell that it wasn’t quite right, it seemed a little harder than ideal. The browning process didn’t prove to assist in changing the texture, not that I really thought that it would (though I certainly hoped it would).
It should also be noted that this meal marked the end of my father’s membership in the ‘Clean Plate Club.’ He was unable, or unwilling, to eat about two and a half pieces of the poorly prepared yucca root.
My father spent much of the rest of the evening working away while divided my time between the works of Mr. Waugh and my continued adherence to the siren call of my laptop.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Sint Maarten: Day 13
Again I woke up much earlier than I would have expected considering that I did not set an alarm or have any particularly important plans. Soon after I awoke, and just after I had managed to log a little time online my father returned from work. We were then able to have breakfast together before he went back to work to quickly refresh his thoughts on his upcoming lecture.
As my father was preparing to leave, and for some time thereafter, I continued with the various computer based tasks I had been working on before his arrival. Not surprisingly, yesterday’s post was one of these activities.
Soon after I finished eating lunch (and logging a few more solitaire games) my father called to try and figure out what we were going to do in the afternoon. It seemed that the two best options would be to either rent vespas and drive around the island or to take advantage of the big waves at Mullet Beach and go body surfing (or dinking around in the surf).
Though I was willing to go either way, my moderate preference was the wave action. Eventually we settled in trying to rent the scooters first and then possibly hit the beach (as we would have 24 hours on the scooters). As it turned out, the rental location didn’t have what we wanted and didn’t seem all that interested in reserving machines for us for the next day.
My father, for reasons unbeknownst to me, then decided to head to Philipsburg. Why he wanted to do this is beyond me. Not only do we know that there is next to no parking there, we had previously decided to go there by bus to avoid this problem. Not surprisingly, once we arrived we were unable to find a suitable parking spot so we turned around and made our way back to our apartment. In some ways it is unfortunate that we weren’t successful because it now means that we will have to head back by bus.
After a little bit of time in the apartment we finally gather our things and headed to be the beach. By the time we got to Mullet Beach it was clear that there had been some very substantial wave action earlier in the day. The entirety of the sand in some areas had clearly been covered in water. This is 20 or 30 feet further than the waves normally reach.
Though we clearly weren’t there for the peak wave activity, there were still some substantial waves. In some cases the waves were about as tall as I am, though most were a little shorter. In some cases, though not all, some of these were pretty powerful.
On seeing the size of the waves my father thought that he was a little tired to go in so he decided to just stay on the beach. In some ways this was good for me as he could scout locations and direct me towards bigger waves.
After were had been there a short while an older couple approached the same section of the beach. Once they had conducted a thorough examination they settled on a location for their items and settled in. Much to my surprise I saw the old guy just a few feet down from me soon after they had arranged their things. At first I thought that he might swim past the waves and just go for a swim. It turned out that he was going to do the same thing that I was.
After the first wave or two I think he realized that it was a bit more trying that he expected. After a short break he came back to continue to be pounded by waves. According to my father, who had a better view, the guy was having a great time.
Once the salt started to burn my eyes I decided to get out of the water. My father and I then headed down the beach towards the two beach bars. As we were heading down we saw that at the very end of the beach there were a few surfers catching waves. As this was a slight change of scenery, we decided to take a seat at an empty picnic table and watch some of the action. The only problem with this was that unlike on TV and in the movies, these guys were not able to catch each wave. Instead, they were only able to catch the largest of the waves (which were very infrequent).
Shortly after we returned home we decided to go out for dinner rather than cook the pork chops that we had previously purchased. Not surprisingly the only place we even discussed going was Cheri’s Café.
Before heading to the restaurant we decided to film me driving on a roundabout. We had previously scouted a relatively sparsely visited roundabout near our apartment that would be good for our purposes. Of course as I prepared to enter the roundabout all kinds of traffic appeared from all conceivable directions. The situation was further worsened by the presence of a dog that seemed to be right in my way but not hampering the progress of other drivers.
Eventually things cleared out and we were able to get a good shot of my entering the intersection and then getting ‘stuck’ and doing a few circles of the center before finally managing to exit the intersection (of course in the same direction from which I entered the intersection). As I was in the driver’s seat I ended up driving all the way to Maho and then over to the parking area by the Sunset Beach Bar.
Upon approaching the restaurant it became clear that the bartender was working quite aggressively to get people to eat and drink at the bar. For some reason that we were unable to understand, the bartender was also really pushing the shrimp and steak and lobster and steak options. Instead of sitting at the bar, where conversation would be more difficult, we opted for a two person table near the bar.
Once we were seated we quickly noticed that only a fraction of the number of waiters were working as had been working the last two times we dined there. Amazingly, it seemed that this reduced staffing level fit the number of customers. We still aren’t quite sure how they were able to determine, in advance, that it was to be a slow night.
As consistently as basmati rice is white so is my father’s order ‘Stir-fry shrimp’ with rice at Cheri’s Cafe. I on the other hand mixed things up a little by going with a rack of baby back ribs with no sauce and fries. Again both of us were pleased with the quality and size of our meals.
We paid and prepared to leave just as the house band was preparing for its evening show. Just as we were walking down the steps of the restaurant the first notes of the show could be heard. Clearly our timing was much better than normal.
As my father didn’t have to go back to work we were able to just hang out in the apartment for the evening. At one point we finished a game of rummy that we started a few days earlier. We also booked an airport hotel for the night that we have to spend in the vicinity of JFK. Our understanding is that our hotel is actually on the premises of the airport, which should be quite convenient (assuming it is in the same terminal from which we will be departing).
Eventually, after a few beers, we were able to head to bed. Though this wasn’t quite as early a turn in time as some of the previous nights, it was still well before midnight.
As my father was preparing to leave, and for some time thereafter, I continued with the various computer based tasks I had been working on before his arrival. Not surprisingly, yesterday’s post was one of these activities.
Soon after I finished eating lunch (and logging a few more solitaire games) my father called to try and figure out what we were going to do in the afternoon. It seemed that the two best options would be to either rent vespas and drive around the island or to take advantage of the big waves at Mullet Beach and go body surfing (or dinking around in the surf).
Though I was willing to go either way, my moderate preference was the wave action. Eventually we settled in trying to rent the scooters first and then possibly hit the beach (as we would have 24 hours on the scooters). As it turned out, the rental location didn’t have what we wanted and didn’t seem all that interested in reserving machines for us for the next day.
My father, for reasons unbeknownst to me, then decided to head to Philipsburg. Why he wanted to do this is beyond me. Not only do we know that there is next to no parking there, we had previously decided to go there by bus to avoid this problem. Not surprisingly, once we arrived we were unable to find a suitable parking spot so we turned around and made our way back to our apartment. In some ways it is unfortunate that we weren’t successful because it now means that we will have to head back by bus.
After a little bit of time in the apartment we finally gather our things and headed to be the beach. By the time we got to Mullet Beach it was clear that there had been some very substantial wave action earlier in the day. The entirety of the sand in some areas had clearly been covered in water. This is 20 or 30 feet further than the waves normally reach.
Though we clearly weren’t there for the peak wave activity, there were still some substantial waves. In some cases the waves were about as tall as I am, though most were a little shorter. In some cases, though not all, some of these were pretty powerful.
On seeing the size of the waves my father thought that he was a little tired to go in so he decided to just stay on the beach. In some ways this was good for me as he could scout locations and direct me towards bigger waves.
After were had been there a short while an older couple approached the same section of the beach. Once they had conducted a thorough examination they settled on a location for their items and settled in. Much to my surprise I saw the old guy just a few feet down from me soon after they had arranged their things. At first I thought that he might swim past the waves and just go for a swim. It turned out that he was going to do the same thing that I was.
After the first wave or two I think he realized that it was a bit more trying that he expected. After a short break he came back to continue to be pounded by waves. According to my father, who had a better view, the guy was having a great time.
Once the salt started to burn my eyes I decided to get out of the water. My father and I then headed down the beach towards the two beach bars. As we were heading down we saw that at the very end of the beach there were a few surfers catching waves. As this was a slight change of scenery, we decided to take a seat at an empty picnic table and watch some of the action. The only problem with this was that unlike on TV and in the movies, these guys were not able to catch each wave. Instead, they were only able to catch the largest of the waves (which were very infrequent).
Shortly after we returned home we decided to go out for dinner rather than cook the pork chops that we had previously purchased. Not surprisingly the only place we even discussed going was Cheri’s Café.
Before heading to the restaurant we decided to film me driving on a roundabout. We had previously scouted a relatively sparsely visited roundabout near our apartment that would be good for our purposes. Of course as I prepared to enter the roundabout all kinds of traffic appeared from all conceivable directions. The situation was further worsened by the presence of a dog that seemed to be right in my way but not hampering the progress of other drivers.
Eventually things cleared out and we were able to get a good shot of my entering the intersection and then getting ‘stuck’ and doing a few circles of the center before finally managing to exit the intersection (of course in the same direction from which I entered the intersection). As I was in the driver’s seat I ended up driving all the way to Maho and then over to the parking area by the Sunset Beach Bar.
Upon approaching the restaurant it became clear that the bartender was working quite aggressively to get people to eat and drink at the bar. For some reason that we were unable to understand, the bartender was also really pushing the shrimp and steak and lobster and steak options. Instead of sitting at the bar, where conversation would be more difficult, we opted for a two person table near the bar.
Once we were seated we quickly noticed that only a fraction of the number of waiters were working as had been working the last two times we dined there. Amazingly, it seemed that this reduced staffing level fit the number of customers. We still aren’t quite sure how they were able to determine, in advance, that it was to be a slow night.
As consistently as basmati rice is white so is my father’s order ‘Stir-fry shrimp’ with rice at Cheri’s Cafe. I on the other hand mixed things up a little by going with a rack of baby back ribs with no sauce and fries. Again both of us were pleased with the quality and size of our meals.
We paid and prepared to leave just as the house band was preparing for its evening show. Just as we were walking down the steps of the restaurant the first notes of the show could be heard. Clearly our timing was much better than normal.
As my father didn’t have to go back to work we were able to just hang out in the apartment for the evening. At one point we finished a game of rummy that we started a few days earlier. We also booked an airport hotel for the night that we have to spend in the vicinity of JFK. Our understanding is that our hotel is actually on the premises of the airport, which should be quite convenient (assuming it is in the same terminal from which we will be departing).
Eventually, after a few beers, we were able to head to bed. Though this wasn’t quite as early a turn in time as some of the previous nights, it was still well before midnight.
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Sint Maarten: Day 12
Just before he left for the morning, my father made sure that I was up. This meant that I awoke about a half hour earlier than has been typical these days. The reason for the early rising was that I was to meet the university librarian and we were then going to go to Philipsburg to see the local public library. Not surprisingly, rising at this early hour allowed me plenty of preparation time, much more than I actually needed. So after completing all of the essential tasks, such as eating and cleaning, I was able to deal myself a few games of solitaire to kill the time.
Soon after I entered the university building and happened to see my father in the main office. I popped in to say ‘hello.’ As he was on his way out we were able talk while we walked the short distance to the library. During this time he was able to tell me about a book that he found that was really helping him make some progress on some of his remaining lectures.
Upon entering the library I was greeted by the librarian, Wendy, and her husband, Bobby-Ray. Bobby-Ray gave us a lift to Maho so that we would have to spend less time waiting for a bus. Soon after we were dropped off a bus picked us up and we were on our way. I should explain that when I say bus in this context I really mean ‘full-sized van driven by its owner that is operating kind of like a bus, but with routes that are much more flexible.’
The bus dropped us off just a short walk from the library, which we completed successfully. As we approached the library I was a little confused about what exactly it was we were approaching. The section of my building to my right was quite clearly part of the library, but the part of the building on my left appeared to be some kind of garage for large trucks, or something that would require huge garage doors.
As I approached the building things became much clearer. Instead of walls, much of the library was bounded by garage doors, which would be raised and lowered as desired. During our visit I saw that they opened many of these doors to allow a breeze and general air circulation rather than using a formal air conditioning system. One consequential result is that a huge amount of dust is let in, permeating most of the books.
We started our examination of the library in the room that housed the reference collection. It immediately became apparent that not only did they shelve the Dutch and English book together, but that they some pretty specialized reference sources, which was surprising for a public library in such an out of the way place. Upon closer examination I am now of the impression that some of the more specialized sources must have been acquired through donations or other low cost sources. In many cases only very spotty runs of annual publications were held, frequently with the most recent year or two not available. One might generally describe the reference collection as broad, but well aged.
It should be noted that there was a fairly large Caribbean-specific reference collection. While many of the materials were on the old side, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them had not been since their original publication. This could definitely be useful if you were in Sint Maarten and conducting research on the surrounding islands and peoples.
In the reference room there were also several public access internet terminals. When talking to the library staff person we learned that one or two were out of order. We also learned that the person with whom we had been hoping to meet was also not present and wouldn’t be until the afternoon, and it definitely wasn’t yet the afternoon.
We proceeded to examine (in a friendly, inquisitive way) the rest of the library. The rest of the collections were quite similar to the reference collection, broad, but a little out of date. One might have also questioned the relevance of some of the materials to members of the general public. I suspect that many of these more questionable materials (only from a cost sense) were likely donated. Unfortunately, many of these donated items are now well out of date and could likely be weeded without much harm to the collection. Wendy’s thought was that such an action would then leave the shelves looking rather bare.
On the subject of bare shelves, this library had more free shelf space than just about any other library I have seen. Most shelves had some space at the end so that nothing was too tight. If I recall correctly, most of the bottom shelves may have been empty (but this may have been to protect the books because of regular flooding during hurricane season).
After our examination of the library we went for lunch. On our way to the restaurant Wendy showed me a few places that one might be gifts. One store, also the largest bookstore, sold things from the Netherlands (as we are in the Netherlands Antilles) as well as the typical tourist junk. This store also sold Heinekens from a cooler for $1. We were also able visit a tablecloth/linen store. While they had quite a large selection, it is likely that none of it was made in Sint Maarten, or anywhere near the island.
As we continued on our way to the restaurant we spotted a cruise ship at the terminal. Wendy explained why the Dutch side of the island is such a popular cruise ship destination. It seems that when originally trying to attract cruise ships to the island the government offered free waste disposal services to any cruise ship that called at Sint Maarten. The result is that not many, if not most, Caribbean cruise ships stop here to take advantage of the deal (rather than because it is such a great place for tourists).
We then reached the restaurant, which was relatively empty because it was still on the early side for lunch. Upon arriving we made our way to the bar to order. As the employee (likely the owner) was taking the order of the group in front of us I noticed that they sold a single Canadian beer. I then commented to Wendy that it was one of the worst Canadian beers, but that it seems to be the only one that I see overseas. As I was finishing up my explanation I heard the preceding group ask the woman where she was from. Not surprisingly, she answered ‘Ontario,’ thus explaining the presence of a Canadian beer. Of course I then felt like a bit of an ass as I they had probably brought this beer in to remind themselves of home (or capture the ex-pat crowd), but I still stand by my belief that it isn’t the greatest of beers, and not even close to the best beer made by that brewery.
Soon after embarrassing myself it was our turn to order. We both ordered burgers and Caribs. I didn’t bring attention to the fact that I too was from Canada, or more specifically, Newfoundland. I have found in the past that such conversations become very awkward very quickly, particularly when, after about 12 seconds, it becomes clear that you have nothing in common beyond the same citizenship (and a propensity to say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ more than is necessary).
Due to our early arrival our food took a while to arrive (this likelihood had been explained to us before we ordered). We were able to sit and chat about a variety of matters while waiting for our food. The conversation was quite pleasant.
Eventually our food arrived and we started to eat. I ended up eventually ordering some fries to go with my burger (as well as another Carib). Each time I had any interactions with the staff they all seemed stereotypically Canadian, much politer than one would expect at what was basically a beach bar.
After lunch we made our way back to Back Street, where we caught a bus back to the university. The driver was kind enough to go a little out of his way and drop us off at the university’s driveway rather than at the normal stop about a block further away.
Once I returned to the apartment I found my father eating lunch. We then discussed what we might do in the afternoon. Eventually snorkeling was settled upon as the desired activity. We decided to try an area with three beaches and move from one to the next until we found a place with clear water.
Unfortunately, when we reached the first beach, Long Bay, we realized that we had forgotten to buy sunscreen along the way. Once we reached the water we realized that with the wind and waves as they were the water was likely a little riled up and probably not a good location for snorkeling. We then moved onto Plum Bay, which looked a fair bit better. Fortunately, just as we were leaving, we ran into a couple that had just been snorkeling and had found the water to be a bit murkier than they would have liked. We again set on our way, this time to Red Bay (or Baie Rouge).
As we entered the parking area at Baie Rouge a teenage boy directed us to a parking spot. As we exited the same boy asked us if we were interested in chairs and umbrellas. He also tried to encourage us to use a staircase different than the one we had intended to use. While following us to the beach he again asked us if we wanted chairs. Only after a third or fourth rejection did he seem to appreciate that we would not be renting chairs from Chez Raymond that afternoon.
The water at Baie Rouge was also a fair bit more riled than we were hoping. The waves were also much larger than any that we have seen elsewhere on the island. Since the last time we were there much of the beach had been sucked into the sea, leaving a sharp drop from the much smaller area with chairs to the area that was intermittently covered with surf and water. While this place look like a great deal of fun, it wasn’t quite appropriate for snorkeling so we moved on.
Our next stop, instead of a beach, was actually at a store. We hoped to buy some sunscreen. The prices at this particular store were on the outrageous side so we decided to head back to Maho and make our purchase at a store we knew wasn’t likely to rip us off.
After making our purchase we decided to give Mullet Beach a try, particularly as we were now on the Dutch side of the island. Not surprisingly this beach wasn’t all that different than the others, but in this case we actually had to go in the water to find out. After just a few minutes of unsuccessful snorkeling we decided to head in and re-group.
While on the shore we decided that since we were already wet we might as well try Maho beach, which is the beach located at the end of the runway. While this place doesn’t seem as though it would be that good, a student of my father’s said that she once saw both a sea turtle and a barracuda while snorkeling there.
As soon as we arrived it was clear that as at all of the other beaches, the waves were larger than usual. As the snorkeling is a fair ways out at this beach, we decided that I would be sent out to check thing and that my father would wait for my return. Once I was in the water I had the sense that things would be the same. Nonetheless, I did swim all the way out just in case there was some magical clear spot near the rocks. Not surprisingly as I approached the final location it was clear that the water was just as cloudy as it had been elsewhere.
I then started to swim back. As I was swimming back I intentionally decided not to wave or attempt to signal in anyway as I was pretty sure it could cause confusion. I was most worried about falsely signaling that I was in distress when I actually meant to signal to stay on shore. Somehow, even with my decision not to signal, my father pick up something that he thought was a signal indicating that he should come out. The frustrating thing was that I could see this happening but still was not in a position to effectively signal, especially once he had exchanged his glasses for the mask.
I was able to meet him relatively near the shore. We again returned to the shore and packed up our equipment. Instead of heading home, we decided to head to the Sunset Beach Bar on the other side of the beach.
Just as we were approaching the end of the beach we noticed that there was a photo being taken of a guy surrounded by about five well-endowed topless women. Many of the women then went back to the water to play in the surf while the forty-year-old guy in stripped Speedo-styled swimming attire stayed on the beach. It was a scene that didn’t, and still doesn’t, make that much sense to me.
Once we reached the bar and took a seat we again encountered the quality service for with the establishment is known. Eventually my father just went to the bar and ordered. After a relatively lengthy stay at the bar he returned with his iced tea and a rum punch for me.
I should explain that while I don’t normally drink rum, or any of the other hard liquors, I did feel it was appropriate to try one such drink while here, as rum is clearly the choice of the local population. I should say that I was pleasantly surprised. The rum punch was much more than just drinkable; I might even go so far as to say satisfying and tasty. The aspects of rum’s flavour that I normally dislike seem to have been masked by a range of juices and other flavours.
As we were sitting at the bar working on our drinks a family entered the establishment. At first only three members, the father, mother, and daughter, came in, they were soon joined by the youngest member of the family, a somewhat out of sorts son (of about twelve years of age). While the father and daughter were at the bar ordering drinks the sullen son was left sitting at the table with his prudish mother. As the kid was busy staring at his picnic table three of the topless women from the beach came in to order drinks. As this bar has a policy of free drinks for topless women they were drinking for free. While ordering they became engaged in a friendly conversation with a couple seated at the bar, thus significantly extending the duration of their stay in the bar area.
If this kid hadn’t been so intently staring at the table he would have seen these three topless women, which would have been a pretty cool sight for a twelve year-old. He would have had a great story when he returned to his friends in a few days time. His only other problem, which may actually have been part of the reason for great focus on the table, was that he was seated with his mother, who likely wouldn’t have been all that impressed with her young son checking out three topless women at the bar.
Soon after we finished our respective drinks we again returned the grocery store to pick up meat for dinner. I purchased two chicken breasts as they didn’t have reasonably priced steak and their pork chops were being sold only in packages of three.
Soon after we returned home my father took to the couch, where he soon drifted off. While he was in and out of sleep I worked on dinner. Again we had two vegetables, a starch component, and broiled meat. Again we had a colourful meal. This, like the previous meals we have cooked in the apartment was entirely consumed, allowing us to remain members of the Clean Plate Club, a group we have been members of since arriving.
Shortly after dinner, but after an attempted Skype call to my mother and sister, my father went back to work for a few hours. I stayed in the apartment to read. As the hour approached 8:30 I decided to hit the rack. As far as I know, I was asleep well before 9:00 and possibly even before 8:30.
Soon after I entered the university building and happened to see my father in the main office. I popped in to say ‘hello.’ As he was on his way out we were able talk while we walked the short distance to the library. During this time he was able to tell me about a book that he found that was really helping him make some progress on some of his remaining lectures.
Upon entering the library I was greeted by the librarian, Wendy, and her husband, Bobby-Ray. Bobby-Ray gave us a lift to Maho so that we would have to spend less time waiting for a bus. Soon after we were dropped off a bus picked us up and we were on our way. I should explain that when I say bus in this context I really mean ‘full-sized van driven by its owner that is operating kind of like a bus, but with routes that are much more flexible.’
The bus dropped us off just a short walk from the library, which we completed successfully. As we approached the library I was a little confused about what exactly it was we were approaching. The section of my building to my right was quite clearly part of the library, but the part of the building on my left appeared to be some kind of garage for large trucks, or something that would require huge garage doors.
As I approached the building things became much clearer. Instead of walls, much of the library was bounded by garage doors, which would be raised and lowered as desired. During our visit I saw that they opened many of these doors to allow a breeze and general air circulation rather than using a formal air conditioning system. One consequential result is that a huge amount of dust is let in, permeating most of the books.
We started our examination of the library in the room that housed the reference collection. It immediately became apparent that not only did they shelve the Dutch and English book together, but that they some pretty specialized reference sources, which was surprising for a public library in such an out of the way place. Upon closer examination I am now of the impression that some of the more specialized sources must have been acquired through donations or other low cost sources. In many cases only very spotty runs of annual publications were held, frequently with the most recent year or two not available. One might generally describe the reference collection as broad, but well aged.
It should be noted that there was a fairly large Caribbean-specific reference collection. While many of the materials were on the old side, I wouldn’t be surprised if many of them had not been since their original publication. This could definitely be useful if you were in Sint Maarten and conducting research on the surrounding islands and peoples.
In the reference room there were also several public access internet terminals. When talking to the library staff person we learned that one or two were out of order. We also learned that the person with whom we had been hoping to meet was also not present and wouldn’t be until the afternoon, and it definitely wasn’t yet the afternoon.
We proceeded to examine (in a friendly, inquisitive way) the rest of the library. The rest of the collections were quite similar to the reference collection, broad, but a little out of date. One might have also questioned the relevance of some of the materials to members of the general public. I suspect that many of these more questionable materials (only from a cost sense) were likely donated. Unfortunately, many of these donated items are now well out of date and could likely be weeded without much harm to the collection. Wendy’s thought was that such an action would then leave the shelves looking rather bare.
On the subject of bare shelves, this library had more free shelf space than just about any other library I have seen. Most shelves had some space at the end so that nothing was too tight. If I recall correctly, most of the bottom shelves may have been empty (but this may have been to protect the books because of regular flooding during hurricane season).
After our examination of the library we went for lunch. On our way to the restaurant Wendy showed me a few places that one might be gifts. One store, also the largest bookstore, sold things from the Netherlands (as we are in the Netherlands Antilles) as well as the typical tourist junk. This store also sold Heinekens from a cooler for $1. We were also able visit a tablecloth/linen store. While they had quite a large selection, it is likely that none of it was made in Sint Maarten, or anywhere near the island.
As we continued on our way to the restaurant we spotted a cruise ship at the terminal. Wendy explained why the Dutch side of the island is such a popular cruise ship destination. It seems that when originally trying to attract cruise ships to the island the government offered free waste disposal services to any cruise ship that called at Sint Maarten. The result is that not many, if not most, Caribbean cruise ships stop here to take advantage of the deal (rather than because it is such a great place for tourists).
We then reached the restaurant, which was relatively empty because it was still on the early side for lunch. Upon arriving we made our way to the bar to order. As the employee (likely the owner) was taking the order of the group in front of us I noticed that they sold a single Canadian beer. I then commented to Wendy that it was one of the worst Canadian beers, but that it seems to be the only one that I see overseas. As I was finishing up my explanation I heard the preceding group ask the woman where she was from. Not surprisingly, she answered ‘Ontario,’ thus explaining the presence of a Canadian beer. Of course I then felt like a bit of an ass as I they had probably brought this beer in to remind themselves of home (or capture the ex-pat crowd), but I still stand by my belief that it isn’t the greatest of beers, and not even close to the best beer made by that brewery.
Soon after embarrassing myself it was our turn to order. We both ordered burgers and Caribs. I didn’t bring attention to the fact that I too was from Canada, or more specifically, Newfoundland. I have found in the past that such conversations become very awkward very quickly, particularly when, after about 12 seconds, it becomes clear that you have nothing in common beyond the same citizenship (and a propensity to say ‘thank you’ and ‘sorry’ more than is necessary).
Due to our early arrival our food took a while to arrive (this likelihood had been explained to us before we ordered). We were able to sit and chat about a variety of matters while waiting for our food. The conversation was quite pleasant.
Eventually our food arrived and we started to eat. I ended up eventually ordering some fries to go with my burger (as well as another Carib). Each time I had any interactions with the staff they all seemed stereotypically Canadian, much politer than one would expect at what was basically a beach bar.
After lunch we made our way back to Back Street, where we caught a bus back to the university. The driver was kind enough to go a little out of his way and drop us off at the university’s driveway rather than at the normal stop about a block further away.
Once I returned to the apartment I found my father eating lunch. We then discussed what we might do in the afternoon. Eventually snorkeling was settled upon as the desired activity. We decided to try an area with three beaches and move from one to the next until we found a place with clear water.
Unfortunately, when we reached the first beach, Long Bay, we realized that we had forgotten to buy sunscreen along the way. Once we reached the water we realized that with the wind and waves as they were the water was likely a little riled up and probably not a good location for snorkeling. We then moved onto Plum Bay, which looked a fair bit better. Fortunately, just as we were leaving, we ran into a couple that had just been snorkeling and had found the water to be a bit murkier than they would have liked. We again set on our way, this time to Red Bay (or Baie Rouge).
As we entered the parking area at Baie Rouge a teenage boy directed us to a parking spot. As we exited the same boy asked us if we were interested in chairs and umbrellas. He also tried to encourage us to use a staircase different than the one we had intended to use. While following us to the beach he again asked us if we wanted chairs. Only after a third or fourth rejection did he seem to appreciate that we would not be renting chairs from Chez Raymond that afternoon.
The water at Baie Rouge was also a fair bit more riled than we were hoping. The waves were also much larger than any that we have seen elsewhere on the island. Since the last time we were there much of the beach had been sucked into the sea, leaving a sharp drop from the much smaller area with chairs to the area that was intermittently covered with surf and water. While this place look like a great deal of fun, it wasn’t quite appropriate for snorkeling so we moved on.
Our next stop, instead of a beach, was actually at a store. We hoped to buy some sunscreen. The prices at this particular store were on the outrageous side so we decided to head back to Maho and make our purchase at a store we knew wasn’t likely to rip us off.
After making our purchase we decided to give Mullet Beach a try, particularly as we were now on the Dutch side of the island. Not surprisingly this beach wasn’t all that different than the others, but in this case we actually had to go in the water to find out. After just a few minutes of unsuccessful snorkeling we decided to head in and re-group.
While on the shore we decided that since we were already wet we might as well try Maho beach, which is the beach located at the end of the runway. While this place doesn’t seem as though it would be that good, a student of my father’s said that she once saw both a sea turtle and a barracuda while snorkeling there.
As soon as we arrived it was clear that as at all of the other beaches, the waves were larger than usual. As the snorkeling is a fair ways out at this beach, we decided that I would be sent out to check thing and that my father would wait for my return. Once I was in the water I had the sense that things would be the same. Nonetheless, I did swim all the way out just in case there was some magical clear spot near the rocks. Not surprisingly as I approached the final location it was clear that the water was just as cloudy as it had been elsewhere.
I then started to swim back. As I was swimming back I intentionally decided not to wave or attempt to signal in anyway as I was pretty sure it could cause confusion. I was most worried about falsely signaling that I was in distress when I actually meant to signal to stay on shore. Somehow, even with my decision not to signal, my father pick up something that he thought was a signal indicating that he should come out. The frustrating thing was that I could see this happening but still was not in a position to effectively signal, especially once he had exchanged his glasses for the mask.
I was able to meet him relatively near the shore. We again returned to the shore and packed up our equipment. Instead of heading home, we decided to head to the Sunset Beach Bar on the other side of the beach.
Just as we were approaching the end of the beach we noticed that there was a photo being taken of a guy surrounded by about five well-endowed topless women. Many of the women then went back to the water to play in the surf while the forty-year-old guy in stripped Speedo-styled swimming attire stayed on the beach. It was a scene that didn’t, and still doesn’t, make that much sense to me.
Once we reached the bar and took a seat we again encountered the quality service for with the establishment is known. Eventually my father just went to the bar and ordered. After a relatively lengthy stay at the bar he returned with his iced tea and a rum punch for me.
I should explain that while I don’t normally drink rum, or any of the other hard liquors, I did feel it was appropriate to try one such drink while here, as rum is clearly the choice of the local population. I should say that I was pleasantly surprised. The rum punch was much more than just drinkable; I might even go so far as to say satisfying and tasty. The aspects of rum’s flavour that I normally dislike seem to have been masked by a range of juices and other flavours.
As we were sitting at the bar working on our drinks a family entered the establishment. At first only three members, the father, mother, and daughter, came in, they were soon joined by the youngest member of the family, a somewhat out of sorts son (of about twelve years of age). While the father and daughter were at the bar ordering drinks the sullen son was left sitting at the table with his prudish mother. As the kid was busy staring at his picnic table three of the topless women from the beach came in to order drinks. As this bar has a policy of free drinks for topless women they were drinking for free. While ordering they became engaged in a friendly conversation with a couple seated at the bar, thus significantly extending the duration of their stay in the bar area.
If this kid hadn’t been so intently staring at the table he would have seen these three topless women, which would have been a pretty cool sight for a twelve year-old. He would have had a great story when he returned to his friends in a few days time. His only other problem, which may actually have been part of the reason for great focus on the table, was that he was seated with his mother, who likely wouldn’t have been all that impressed with her young son checking out three topless women at the bar.
Soon after we finished our respective drinks we again returned the grocery store to pick up meat for dinner. I purchased two chicken breasts as they didn’t have reasonably priced steak and their pork chops were being sold only in packages of three.
Soon after we returned home my father took to the couch, where he soon drifted off. While he was in and out of sleep I worked on dinner. Again we had two vegetables, a starch component, and broiled meat. Again we had a colourful meal. This, like the previous meals we have cooked in the apartment was entirely consumed, allowing us to remain members of the Clean Plate Club, a group we have been members of since arriving.
Shortly after dinner, but after an attempted Skype call to my mother and sister, my father went back to work for a few hours. I stayed in the apartment to read. As the hour approached 8:30 I decided to hit the rack. As far as I know, I was asleep well before 9:00 and possibly even before 8:30.
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sint Maarten: Day 11
This was another day that started by me somehow managing to wake up at 8:00 AM without an alarm or any form of prompting. While I wouldn’t have minded waking up a bit earlier, I can’t really complain as I still had plenty of time to accomplish what I needed to accomplish before my father’s return.
Much of what I needed, or more aptly, wanted, to accomplish related to internet-based activities. These were out of the way, along with breakfast, by 10:00 AM. I was then able to move onto the important realm of recreational reading.
This is an area in which I hoped to excel during this trip, but much to my disappointment I have been no better than mediocre. Instead of spending each morning reading I am putting in an hour or so at the most, and spending the rest of my time surfing the web and taking photos of the lagoon (which I then delete). Fortunately, I was able to read (and enjoy) the George Saunders collection of short stories that I brought down.
I can’t say as much about a book that Steven gave me. As much as I try, “Me, Natalie” just doesn’t seem to be working for me. Actually, the only redeeming aspect of the book, the main character’s frequently witty one-liners, seems to have faded into a sea of self-pity and self-loathing. If I manage to make my way through this book it will only be as a favour to Steven so that he won’t have to.
More fortunately, I have managed to make my way back to Mr. Waugh and his Men at Arms. Just today I was able to knock off a good 50 or so pages. With a few more hours of reading I should be able to kill it off and move on to Put Out More Flags.
At least this last goal is in sight, some of the goals I came here with seem to have stayed on the plane and returned to wherever it is they came from. The three or four other books that I transported almost three thousand miles will likely remain largely untouched, eventually heading back to Montreal in the same shopping bags that transported them so far south. I guess I could at least do them the courtesy of carrying them out to the balcony so that they could get a blast of fresh Caribbean air.
Eventually the reading progress that I mentioned earlier came to a halt and I switched my attentions to the pressing need of completing as many games of solitaire as possible while in a Caribbean island. Fortunately, I have been much better at this task than reading. In each of the past few days I have been able to deal a dozen or so games a day. Of course many are loses, but this doesn’t really matter as both wins and loses still go towards my total number of games played.
After consuming a sandwich, and playing a few more games of solitaire, my father returned from work so that we could head back to Orient Beach to try our catamaran lesson again. As he was earlier than expected we decided to try to hit the mail a few post cards on the way.
This last task has been surprisingly troublesome. Our several visits to the French post office have been thwarted by our not having Euros, while our attempts mail the cards from the Dutch side have been dashed by the very limited opening hours of the post office.
This seemed like, and was, our chance actually head through Simpson Bay at a time when the post office was actually open. Soon after arriving it was our turn to transact our business with the clerk. My father then explained that we would like to send six postcards and buy stamps for two more.
It turned out that this particular post office happened to be out of stamps, and was instead using stickers that showed how much postage had been paid. This was somewhat frustrating as part of the reason for sending the cards from the Dutch side was to include the supposedly colourful and exuberant stamps of Sint Maarten. I guess this will have to wait for another visit, or a trip to the main post office in Philipsburg (which isn’t very likely).
After our pseudo-success at the post office we continued on to Orient Beach. After parking we made our way to the restaurant with the Newfoundland flag. For lunch my father had the French dip sandwich while I had a burger and fries. As far as I know he was satisfied with his meal, I know that I was satisfied with mine. One of the particularly pleasing aspects of the meal (and something that we learned the last time that we were in this establishment) is that their iced tea is real and served without sugar.
Soon after we finished eating we made our way back down the beach (away from the nude section) towards the sailing facility. Soon after arriving and slathering ourselves in sunscreen Yvon was ready to take us out.
This time I took charge of the craft. While things worked out relatively well we were definitely having a few problems with our 90-degree turns. As much as Yvon explained things we didn’t seem to quite have it down. Part of the problem, though this may be unlikely, was that I might have been focusing on handling the rough water more than on appropriate turning protocol. Not only did I have to deal with actual (though small) white caps, the swells did cause sizeable sections of the catamaran to be lifted from the water.
Eventually my father and I switched positions, with similar results (though this was less stressful to me as I was no longer the one reading the wind incorrectly or steering in the completing the steps of the turn in the wrong order).
Eventually, after a number of ineffective turns on each of our parts, Yvon took the tiller and showed us what he meant for us to be doing. Immediately, we both saw that when he ‘released’ the line he didn’t do it all at one as we had, but rather it was done gradually to always catch the wind, like the release of the clutch when starting from a standstill.
Though it is likely that we didn’t perfect our turns into our against the wind, it is likely that we would do a better job the next time we go out, and we would certainly have a better idea of what it is that we are trying to accomplish.
Unfortunately, this realization was only grasped as we were preparing to end our lesson, but at least it was grasped. We then made for shore, eventually beaching the boat just below the operation’s building. The three of us then hauled the catamaran from the surf to a section of the beach well beyond the reach of even rogue waves.
After dropping off our life jackets and gather our belongings we again headed out from Orient Beach, this time possibly for the last time. Amazingly, in the three or so times we have visited the beach neither of us has had the opportunity to be completely submerged in the water or even to get our hair wet (which is nice as it means that it isn’t covered in salt when we return home).
Once back in Maho we again hit the store for dinner supplies. This time, as they were out of the cheap beef we both like so much, we went for (very reasonably priced) chicken breasts. Much to my father’s chagrin they were still out of lactose free milk. We also picked up two ginseng pops as well as a watermelon soda (for my father).
Soon after returning home, but not before starting another load of laundry, we started cooking dinner. As everything was pretty simple and straightforward, this wasn’t a complicated process. At the pre-arranged time I turned on a few burners, and eventually the broiler and microwave. As usual the meals were served near the stove to save on serving dishes, which is particularly acceptable, as we don’t tend to have leftovers that might be stored in such dishes.
Soon after my father transferred the laundry from the washer to the drier we were ready to eat. Both of us enjoyed our relatively low fat meal of rice, carrots, brocoflower, and chicken. Also, both of us managed to maintain our memberships in the ‘Clean Plate Club,’ thus negating the need for another trip to the post office to send our food scraps to some more needy locale.
After the laundry had been dried and folded (and a Skype called to Newfoundland attempted) my father headed back to work to continue working on upcoming lectures. I stayed in the apartment without any pre-defined plans. As I am a resourceful guy I was able to find a few things to do with my time, many of which involved reading of one sort or another (though not necessarily of books or other worthwhile materials).
One of the non-reading related activities was to mix beer and crème de cassis to create a drink that would hopefully be reminiscent of similar drinks that I consumed while in the UK. The first combination I tried was a Presidente with a little of the stuff. Much to my surprise, the drink wasn’t all that bad. Later in the evening I tried a similar mix, this time with Carib as the beer. What soon became apparent was that this was a pretty potent mix (mores o than when one is just using blackcurrant cordial).
Much of what I needed, or more aptly, wanted, to accomplish related to internet-based activities. These were out of the way, along with breakfast, by 10:00 AM. I was then able to move onto the important realm of recreational reading.
This is an area in which I hoped to excel during this trip, but much to my disappointment I have been no better than mediocre. Instead of spending each morning reading I am putting in an hour or so at the most, and spending the rest of my time surfing the web and taking photos of the lagoon (which I then delete). Fortunately, I was able to read (and enjoy) the George Saunders collection of short stories that I brought down.
I can’t say as much about a book that Steven gave me. As much as I try, “Me, Natalie” just doesn’t seem to be working for me. Actually, the only redeeming aspect of the book, the main character’s frequently witty one-liners, seems to have faded into a sea of self-pity and self-loathing. If I manage to make my way through this book it will only be as a favour to Steven so that he won’t have to.
More fortunately, I have managed to make my way back to Mr. Waugh and his Men at Arms. Just today I was able to knock off a good 50 or so pages. With a few more hours of reading I should be able to kill it off and move on to Put Out More Flags.
At least this last goal is in sight, some of the goals I came here with seem to have stayed on the plane and returned to wherever it is they came from. The three or four other books that I transported almost three thousand miles will likely remain largely untouched, eventually heading back to Montreal in the same shopping bags that transported them so far south. I guess I could at least do them the courtesy of carrying them out to the balcony so that they could get a blast of fresh Caribbean air.
Eventually the reading progress that I mentioned earlier came to a halt and I switched my attentions to the pressing need of completing as many games of solitaire as possible while in a Caribbean island. Fortunately, I have been much better at this task than reading. In each of the past few days I have been able to deal a dozen or so games a day. Of course many are loses, but this doesn’t really matter as both wins and loses still go towards my total number of games played.
After consuming a sandwich, and playing a few more games of solitaire, my father returned from work so that we could head back to Orient Beach to try our catamaran lesson again. As he was earlier than expected we decided to try to hit the mail a few post cards on the way.
This last task has been surprisingly troublesome. Our several visits to the French post office have been thwarted by our not having Euros, while our attempts mail the cards from the Dutch side have been dashed by the very limited opening hours of the post office.
This seemed like, and was, our chance actually head through Simpson Bay at a time when the post office was actually open. Soon after arriving it was our turn to transact our business with the clerk. My father then explained that we would like to send six postcards and buy stamps for two more.
It turned out that this particular post office happened to be out of stamps, and was instead using stickers that showed how much postage had been paid. This was somewhat frustrating as part of the reason for sending the cards from the Dutch side was to include the supposedly colourful and exuberant stamps of Sint Maarten. I guess this will have to wait for another visit, or a trip to the main post office in Philipsburg (which isn’t very likely).
After our pseudo-success at the post office we continued on to Orient Beach. After parking we made our way to the restaurant with the Newfoundland flag. For lunch my father had the French dip sandwich while I had a burger and fries. As far as I know he was satisfied with his meal, I know that I was satisfied with mine. One of the particularly pleasing aspects of the meal (and something that we learned the last time that we were in this establishment) is that their iced tea is real and served without sugar.
Soon after we finished eating we made our way back down the beach (away from the nude section) towards the sailing facility. Soon after arriving and slathering ourselves in sunscreen Yvon was ready to take us out.
This time I took charge of the craft. While things worked out relatively well we were definitely having a few problems with our 90-degree turns. As much as Yvon explained things we didn’t seem to quite have it down. Part of the problem, though this may be unlikely, was that I might have been focusing on handling the rough water more than on appropriate turning protocol. Not only did I have to deal with actual (though small) white caps, the swells did cause sizeable sections of the catamaran to be lifted from the water.
Eventually my father and I switched positions, with similar results (though this was less stressful to me as I was no longer the one reading the wind incorrectly or steering in the completing the steps of the turn in the wrong order).
Eventually, after a number of ineffective turns on each of our parts, Yvon took the tiller and showed us what he meant for us to be doing. Immediately, we both saw that when he ‘released’ the line he didn’t do it all at one as we had, but rather it was done gradually to always catch the wind, like the release of the clutch when starting from a standstill.
Though it is likely that we didn’t perfect our turns into our against the wind, it is likely that we would do a better job the next time we go out, and we would certainly have a better idea of what it is that we are trying to accomplish.
Unfortunately, this realization was only grasped as we were preparing to end our lesson, but at least it was grasped. We then made for shore, eventually beaching the boat just below the operation’s building. The three of us then hauled the catamaran from the surf to a section of the beach well beyond the reach of even rogue waves.
After dropping off our life jackets and gather our belongings we again headed out from Orient Beach, this time possibly for the last time. Amazingly, in the three or so times we have visited the beach neither of us has had the opportunity to be completely submerged in the water or even to get our hair wet (which is nice as it means that it isn’t covered in salt when we return home).
Once back in Maho we again hit the store for dinner supplies. This time, as they were out of the cheap beef we both like so much, we went for (very reasonably priced) chicken breasts. Much to my father’s chagrin they were still out of lactose free milk. We also picked up two ginseng pops as well as a watermelon soda (for my father).
Soon after returning home, but not before starting another load of laundry, we started cooking dinner. As everything was pretty simple and straightforward, this wasn’t a complicated process. At the pre-arranged time I turned on a few burners, and eventually the broiler and microwave. As usual the meals were served near the stove to save on serving dishes, which is particularly acceptable, as we don’t tend to have leftovers that might be stored in such dishes.
Soon after my father transferred the laundry from the washer to the drier we were ready to eat. Both of us enjoyed our relatively low fat meal of rice, carrots, brocoflower, and chicken. Also, both of us managed to maintain our memberships in the ‘Clean Plate Club,’ thus negating the need for another trip to the post office to send our food scraps to some more needy locale.
After the laundry had been dried and folded (and a Skype called to Newfoundland attempted) my father headed back to work to continue working on upcoming lectures. I stayed in the apartment without any pre-defined plans. As I am a resourceful guy I was able to find a few things to do with my time, many of which involved reading of one sort or another (though not necessarily of books or other worthwhile materials).
One of the non-reading related activities was to mix beer and crème de cassis to create a drink that would hopefully be reminiscent of similar drinks that I consumed while in the UK. The first combination I tried was a Presidente with a little of the stuff. Much to my surprise, the drink wasn’t all that bad. Later in the evening I tried a similar mix, this time with Carib as the beer. What soon became apparent was that this was a pretty potent mix (mores o than when one is just using blackcurrant cordial).
Friday, May 09, 2008
Sint Maarten: Day 6
This morning I was awoken by the sound of a ringing phone. It turned out that it was my father. He was calling to tell me that he had finally received the login name and password that were needed to access the internet from our apartment. While on some fronts this was welcome news, I was also aware that this would likely mean that I would start using my computer more, basically wasting my time surfing the web and other related time-wasting activities.
Within the first few hours this was certainly the trend. And until my father returned home for lunch it was basically all I did.
After lunch things weren’t all that much different. My father had gone back to work so I divided my time between various unimportant computer related tasks and reading (with much less emphasis on the latter activity).
In the late afternoon my father returned from work from the day and we started to think about what we might have for dinner. I suggested that we might try the restaurant where we had attended the orientation mixer as we had both enjoyed the food. Unfortunately, the cook was off for the night so the kitchen was closed. Another restaurant nearby was also examined and found to be less than ideal as a location for dinner (though it sounds as though it might be good for lunch).
We then walked back to the apartment and decided that we would just head back to the restaurant at which we had eaten the previous night. The only downside was that we would be arriving a little later than the previous night, which would mean that we would have to hear a little more of the house band’s nightly show.
While my father had the same dish as the previous night (minus the calamari appetizer), I decided to go with ribs. Again, both of were very satisfied with our quality and portion sizes and their inclusion of vegetables with the dish.
Near the end of our meal, our waiter from the night before came by to say hello, clearly recognizing us immediately (we likely are a pretty recognizable couple due to our unusual demographic combination). This type of thing, along with our satisfaction with the food, may help us to go there again next week.
The walk back to our car meant that we had to pass between the beach and the runway. As we were close to halfway through the trip I noticed a plane approaching. Though it was quite clearly a smaller prop plane we decided to stay and position ourselves in the middle of the runway so that it would fly directly overhead. As it approached, the plane’s lights began to reflect on the water and the sound to become overwhelming. It soon passed directly overhead and then immediately landed on the runway behind us. As we continued our walk we noticed another plane preparing to make the same trip.
Again, due to the early sunset, our evening was relaxed and uneventful. We sat in the apartment and drank a beer or two while playing a game of rummy.
Within the first few hours this was certainly the trend. And until my father returned home for lunch it was basically all I did.
After lunch things weren’t all that much different. My father had gone back to work so I divided my time between various unimportant computer related tasks and reading (with much less emphasis on the latter activity).
In the late afternoon my father returned from work from the day and we started to think about what we might have for dinner. I suggested that we might try the restaurant where we had attended the orientation mixer as we had both enjoyed the food. Unfortunately, the cook was off for the night so the kitchen was closed. Another restaurant nearby was also examined and found to be less than ideal as a location for dinner (though it sounds as though it might be good for lunch).
We then walked back to the apartment and decided that we would just head back to the restaurant at which we had eaten the previous night. The only downside was that we would be arriving a little later than the previous night, which would mean that we would have to hear a little more of the house band’s nightly show.
While my father had the same dish as the previous night (minus the calamari appetizer), I decided to go with ribs. Again, both of were very satisfied with our quality and portion sizes and their inclusion of vegetables with the dish.
Near the end of our meal, our waiter from the night before came by to say hello, clearly recognizing us immediately (we likely are a pretty recognizable couple due to our unusual demographic combination). This type of thing, along with our satisfaction with the food, may help us to go there again next week.
The walk back to our car meant that we had to pass between the beach and the runway. As we were close to halfway through the trip I noticed a plane approaching. Though it was quite clearly a smaller prop plane we decided to stay and position ourselves in the middle of the runway so that it would fly directly overhead. As it approached, the plane’s lights began to reflect on the water and the sound to become overwhelming. It soon passed directly overhead and then immediately landed on the runway behind us. As we continued our walk we noticed another plane preparing to make the same trip.
Again, due to the early sunset, our evening was relaxed and uneventful. We sat in the apartment and drank a beer or two while playing a game of rummy.
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