-Today has been quite an unusual day for St. John’s. At the moment it is about 20 degrees, overcast, and humid. All in all, it is not what I would call an ideal day. On top of this, it is supposed to rain later this afternoon.
-This morning I got up at about 9:30. Basically my first action was to find my sister and see if she wanted to head out on a few errands with me. As she was up and not doing all that much of consequence when I found her, she seemed keen to head out for a while.
In just a few minutes we were both ready to go. Though she warned me that it was warm outside, I will admit that I had a hard time believing her, mainly based on the look of the sky. As it turned out, she was correct, a warm and sticky day was clearly ahead of us both.
Our first stop was the local Tim Horton’s where I purchased my typical x-large black coffee (double cupped) and Kirsten ordered a small Iced Cappuccino. Both of us were as satisfied as expected with our purchases, though my lasted for a longer period of time than hers.
The next stop was Monty’s, where I purchased my copy of the Saturday Globe and Mail. As usual, I had my money out and ready to pay. I am not really sure if this is appreciated, but it is something that I try to do when I buy my Saturday papers.
We then set out for Georgetown Bakery. We managed to cross through the Valley without incident, and then continue up the other side and past the brewery, also without incident. I was a little disappointed that the smell of the brewing process was more limited than usual. Soon enough we arrived a Georgetown Bakery.
As we entered I was surprised to see that the shop was almost empty, something that is uncommon on Saturday mornings. I also soon noticed that they were out of bagels, the reason for our trip. Kirsten was encouraged to ask when they might have more bagels. She was told that it would just be a few minutes. We decided to wait it out.
After just a few minutes our mechanic arrived. After speaking to him for just a moment they brought the bagels out. Amazingly, during this process the store basically filled up and the line became well formed. Some nice older ladies let us go in front of them as we had been there before them, and soon we were in a position to order. As usual, I ordered a dozen sesame bagels.
As we exited the bakery with our purchase Kirsten immediately noticed how fresh our bagels were. At one point she actually complained that they were too warm to carry, though she didn’t seem to have too much of a problem eating one moments later. We continued to eat these bagels as we walked back home. By the time we made it back six of the twelve bagels had been consumed. Before 3:00 PM this afternoon all twelve had been demolished, six of them ending up in my stomach.
-I have spent a little bit of time working on the creation of a thesaurus. This is a much more daunting task that I had originally envisaged. I am really not sure if I am up to it. So far I have just been working on a section relating to games and noticing how much labour it is going to take. I guess when I am able to compile a few more terms and their relationships I might be able to grasp how long I should expect to get something that will be minimally functional as a broad set of terms. Please feel free to submit subject areas that should be covered, and how these areas might fit together in a hierarchical manner (if that is possible).
-The CLA conference is next week. It turns out that the Canadian Association of Research Libraries is also having a conference here at the same time. This place will be overrun with librarians. I wonder what people with think with this infusion of buns and cardigans.
-If we end up getting leaves this year, I worry that we will also end up getting another elm spanworm infestation.
For the last number of years these worms (also locally known as inch worms or leaf rollers) have managed to eat/destroy the leaves on almost every tree in certain sections of town. Aside from looking as though some form of defoliant has been applied, these worms end up hanging down and getting caught in one’s hair, making sidewalks unusable for some number of weeks during each infestation. In some instances people have claimed to hear the worms eating at night, the leaves slowly falling apart.
A few weeks after the initial infestation the city is then overrun with the final form of the elm spanworm, disturbingly white moths. These pure white moths flock to lights by the hundred each night. At some point during their short lives they seem to find the time to lay eggs, setting the stage for the next year’s infestation.
-My judicial/industrial inquiry project is starting to take shape. While this is generally satisfying, it is a little bit odd to spend my days reading about the gritty details of tragic deaths. I guess without reading these documents I wouldn’t know that it isn’t such a hot idea to have a bar on the fourth floor of a building and then have escalators as part of the standard exit route (as some people might manage fall off and die).
-While I won’t be going camping this weekend, I am looking forward to it being a long weekend. The fact that snow isn’t in the forecast (though we do have rain) is nice. Maybe by the end of the weekend there will even be some evidence that the trees are actually still alive and about to bear leaves.
-Still no word on the ILL request that I submitted a few weeks ago at the Public Library. Unfortunately this lack of success does not surprise me (which is not something that is meant as a negative reflection on the library system). Hopefully I will get this book before I leave at the end of the summer.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 96
-Today turned out to be a pretty a semi-typical Newfoundland day. When I went to work in the morning it was quite overcast and damp. This type of weather continued for some number of hours. Without my noticing the day somehow actually became quite nice by the time I left work. Though it was only about 10 degrees we didn’t have any wind to make it feel much cooler. This is particularly nice as there have rumblings of snow in recent forecasts. The strange thing is that we still don’t have any leaves on the trees, though as of the past few days some have started to show buds.
-Today was garbage day in my part of town. Under normal circumstance one might not think that this is worth noting, but for the past year or so a by-law has been in effect which has been forcing people to cover their garbage with the aim of preventing birds from tearing the garbage bags apart. Based on my non-random sample, most people seem to be using nets of one description or another. What is funny about this concept is that most of the nets I walk past on every garbage day come no where close to actually covering all of the garbage bags. If entire bags aren’t exposed, most lawns will have a least a section of a bag or two exposed. Compliance seems on to the letter of the law and certainly not to the spirit.
-Once again I went to the Rose and Thistle for their weekly trivia night, though this time with Dougal and Peter. While we did not win outright we did manage to tie the tie-breaker and split the prize. Amazingly, we still had some of our original winnings left at the end of the night.
-The CLA conference should be starting next week in St. John’s. We will be swamped with librarians. Unfortunately, only a few (or maybe just one) will be making the trip.
-For the past few days I have been eating grapefruit every morning. This is somewhat strange because I typically don’t eat all that much fruit. What is even stranger is that when we didn’t have any grapefruit this morning I definitely felt as though something was missing. Fortunately, some grapefruit was purchased this afternoon. I keep thinking that I should make up for this morning’s missed grapefruit by having one shortly.
-Occasionally on my way to work I stop at the local Tim Horton’s to pick a coffee to drink on my way to work. For some reason on at least two days this week (the only two days I have checked) the line has been extended past the door. In the number of years I have walked by this Tim Horton’s I have never seen this even once, and now I have seen it twice in one week. The only fortunate thing about this Tim Horton’s is that they seem particularly efficient when it comes to serving customers. One thing that seems to help them along is that they are very good at remembering the orders of regular customers and preparing them before the order is even placed.
-Today was garbage day in my part of town. Under normal circumstance one might not think that this is worth noting, but for the past year or so a by-law has been in effect which has been forcing people to cover their garbage with the aim of preventing birds from tearing the garbage bags apart. Based on my non-random sample, most people seem to be using nets of one description or another. What is funny about this concept is that most of the nets I walk past on every garbage day come no where close to actually covering all of the garbage bags. If entire bags aren’t exposed, most lawns will have a least a section of a bag or two exposed. Compliance seems on to the letter of the law and certainly not to the spirit.
-Once again I went to the Rose and Thistle for their weekly trivia night, though this time with Dougal and Peter. While we did not win outright we did manage to tie the tie-breaker and split the prize. Amazingly, we still had some of our original winnings left at the end of the night.
-The CLA conference should be starting next week in St. John’s. We will be swamped with librarians. Unfortunately, only a few (or maybe just one) will be making the trip.
-For the past few days I have been eating grapefruit every morning. This is somewhat strange because I typically don’t eat all that much fruit. What is even stranger is that when we didn’t have any grapefruit this morning I definitely felt as though something was missing. Fortunately, some grapefruit was purchased this afternoon. I keep thinking that I should make up for this morning’s missed grapefruit by having one shortly.
-Occasionally on my way to work I stop at the local Tim Horton’s to pick a coffee to drink on my way to work. For some reason on at least two days this week (the only two days I have checked) the line has been extended past the door. In the number of years I have walked by this Tim Horton’s I have never seen this even once, and now I have seen it twice in one week. The only fortunate thing about this Tim Horton’s is that they seem particularly efficient when it comes to serving customers. One thing that seems to help them along is that they are very good at remembering the orders of regular customers and preparing them before the order is even placed.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Trips to the Northeast Avalon
For a few years I have been aware of my incredible lack of personal knowledge of the towns and geography of Newfoundland. Unfortunately, aside from glancing at maps occasionally it has been hard for me to find ways to rectify this problem.
One obvious solution seems to be to visit some of these towns. Unfortunately, this has frequently been difficult for me to do. As my family has only ever had one car, the idea of me taking the car for an extended cross-island trip is usually out of the picture. Furthermore, the idea of just driving great distances for no tangible reason has been discouraged on both environmental and financial grounds.
So when I had unlimited access to the car these past few days it seem an appropriate time to try and get out of St. John's, if even only by a few kilometers.
The weekend before last, my friend Peter and I cruised on over to Petty Harbour, a small town near St. John's. For some reason I was of the long-standing belief that I had never visited Petty Harbour. Upon arrival I came to the conclusion that I had in fact visited Petty Harbour, though it must have been before the age of 10. As Peter had transcribed headstones in cemeteries there we ended up with a visit that was slightly slanted towards gravesites. Anyway, it turns out that there are three cemeteries in Petty Harbour, all of which have very different feels.
This past weekend Peter and I continued our journeys, this time heading to the North of St. John's. Our first stop was the Torbay cemetery. While there we saw the monument for Father Troy (a big figure in Torbay) and the monument for the three Torbay rowers who drowned during a race at the Royal St. John's Regatta.
From Torbay we drove up to Flatrock. While we did not stop to visit a cemetery in Flatrock (mainly because we didn't see one) we were able to stop and visit the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It seems that during his 1984 visit Pope John Paul II paid a visit to this site. This visit was of such consequence that there is now a stone marking the very spot where the Pope knelt to pray.
From Flatrock we continued on to Pouch Cove (pronounced ‘pooch’). As it turned out this visit was really just a drive by. The somewhat heavy rain in part motivated this weak excuse for a trip to Pouch Cove.
From Pouch Cove drove North along a dirt road for what seemed like a half an hour. While driving along this road we passed over all kinds potholes and rocks. We also managed to see about 7 or 8 hares while driving along this route.
Eventually we arrived in what I assume was Biscayan Cove, something that seemed to be an abandoned fishing village. We did find an operational lighthouse with helipad. Strangely, this odd complex looked more like a bunker than a traditional lighthouse.
From Biscayan Cove the decision was made to return to St. John’s as the weather was not really ideal for touring. Additionally, the lack of food from which we were both suffering was getting to us.
Amazingly the next day the sun was out and the sky blue. I called Peter and suggested that we pick up where we left off and head to Bauline.
Upon entering Bauline we immediately located the cemetery. While in the cemetery we noted that the names LeGrow and King were particularly common. The next stop was the wharf. We then noticed that there were all kinds of crab legs on the bottom of the harbour. This is something I still can’t quite figure out, as there isn’t a plant in Bauline. Out a little further than the crab legs there seemed to be another batch of foreign objects. At first I couldn’t quite make anything out, though eventually I came to the conclusion that some of the things that I was seeing were rib cages. This led me to the presumption that what I was looking at were seal carcasses (I kind of hope that is what I was looking at based on all of the available options).
The huge rocks that formed the breakwater also proved to be an interesting place to explore. Aside from the pleasure derived from hoping from rock to rock, it was impressive to find evidence that these massive rocks actually moved on a pretty regular basis. In many cases it was possible to see pieced of driftwood trapped between rocks that must have each weighed several thousand pounds.
Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to see a few more communities in the region. Though I will still be an “uncultured townie” I will least have seen a little more of the province than before.
One obvious solution seems to be to visit some of these towns. Unfortunately, this has frequently been difficult for me to do. As my family has only ever had one car, the idea of me taking the car for an extended cross-island trip is usually out of the picture. Furthermore, the idea of just driving great distances for no tangible reason has been discouraged on both environmental and financial grounds.
So when I had unlimited access to the car these past few days it seem an appropriate time to try and get out of St. John's, if even only by a few kilometers.
The weekend before last, my friend Peter and I cruised on over to Petty Harbour, a small town near St. John's. For some reason I was of the long-standing belief that I had never visited Petty Harbour. Upon arrival I came to the conclusion that I had in fact visited Petty Harbour, though it must have been before the age of 10. As Peter had transcribed headstones in cemeteries there we ended up with a visit that was slightly slanted towards gravesites. Anyway, it turns out that there are three cemeteries in Petty Harbour, all of which have very different feels.
This past weekend Peter and I continued our journeys, this time heading to the North of St. John's. Our first stop was the Torbay cemetery. While there we saw the monument for Father Troy (a big figure in Torbay) and the monument for the three Torbay rowers who drowned during a race at the Royal St. John's Regatta.
From Torbay we drove up to Flatrock. While we did not stop to visit a cemetery in Flatrock (mainly because we didn't see one) we were able to stop and visit the Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. It seems that during his 1984 visit Pope John Paul II paid a visit to this site. This visit was of such consequence that there is now a stone marking the very spot where the Pope knelt to pray.
From Flatrock we continued on to Pouch Cove (pronounced ‘pooch’). As it turned out this visit was really just a drive by. The somewhat heavy rain in part motivated this weak excuse for a trip to Pouch Cove.
From Pouch Cove drove North along a dirt road for what seemed like a half an hour. While driving along this road we passed over all kinds potholes and rocks. We also managed to see about 7 or 8 hares while driving along this route.
Eventually we arrived in what I assume was Biscayan Cove, something that seemed to be an abandoned fishing village. We did find an operational lighthouse with helipad. Strangely, this odd complex looked more like a bunker than a traditional lighthouse.
From Biscayan Cove the decision was made to return to St. John’s as the weather was not really ideal for touring. Additionally, the lack of food from which we were both suffering was getting to us.
Amazingly the next day the sun was out and the sky blue. I called Peter and suggested that we pick up where we left off and head to Bauline.
Upon entering Bauline we immediately located the cemetery. While in the cemetery we noted that the names LeGrow and King were particularly common. The next stop was the wharf. We then noticed that there were all kinds of crab legs on the bottom of the harbour. This is something I still can’t quite figure out, as there isn’t a plant in Bauline. Out a little further than the crab legs there seemed to be another batch of foreign objects. At first I couldn’t quite make anything out, though eventually I came to the conclusion that some of the things that I was seeing were rib cages. This led me to the presumption that what I was looking at were seal carcasses (I kind of hope that is what I was looking at based on all of the available options).
The huge rocks that formed the breakwater also proved to be an interesting place to explore. Aside from the pleasure derived from hoping from rock to rock, it was impressive to find evidence that these massive rocks actually moved on a pretty regular basis. In many cases it was possible to see pieced of driftwood trapped between rocks that must have each weighed several thousand pounds.
Hopefully in the coming weeks I will be able to see a few more communities in the region. Though I will still be an “uncultured townie” I will least have seen a little more of the province than before.
Friday, May 11, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 95
-Today was wonderful. It was clear with blue skies from the time I awoke until now. On top of that, the temperature was quite reasonable. While not hot, it was warm enough for me to eat my dinner sitting on a patio. Unfortunately, I am not sure if the weather will hold all weekend, though I hope it will.
-Last Friday a few people came over to play Settlers. We managed a relatively quick 6 player, though at the moment I can’t remember who won (though I know that it was not me). Afterwards the remaining four of us decided to play a game of Seafarers (a modification of the base Settlers game). As I was somewhat out of practice with the set up it took a few minutes.
After this delay we were underway, though with a bit of a slow start. For some reason all four of us continued to fail to acquire valuable resources. For about three hours all of us were sitting there not really doing much. The only thing that was happening was that Peter was occasionally getting screwed by sevens (he was never able to do anything with his brick and sheep).
Somehow, after about three hours the end clearly began to approach, though I had managed to build only about one settlement and no cities. Peter finally put us out of our misery and won.
-Since my return it has been my plan to bake bread. I keep thinking that I have all kinds of time in the evenings and I am not doing all that much of consequence, so it seemed like baking bread would be the thing to do.
So, last weekend I thought that I would finally get down to the bread baking. I had the place to myself. It seemed a perfect time to go ahead with my plan. Unfortunately, only then did I realize that my plans for making a huge batch of bread were reliant on having freezer storage space, something that I did not have.
Back to store bought for me (though fortunately it has largely been purchased from Georgetown).
-On Monday night I saw my second Joel Hynes performance and my first Joel Hynes one man show. As some of you may know, Mr. Hynes seems to be from the Southern Shore, Calvert if I remember correctly. This one man show is presented from the point of view of an individual who killed a woman in his small home town on the Southern Shore.
I was generally pleased with the show, though I was surprised that Mr. Hynes did not take more advantage of the stage. At times it seemed as though he had been standing in the same place for 20 minutes, just speaking. Additionally, one or two of the relationships might have been fleshed out, because as they were they did not add all that much.
-Sorry for the infrequencies of my posts recently. Though I don’t have all that much on my plate it seems hard for me to find the few minutes to sit down and take care of my Montifax business. To a large extent I attribute this to my lack of proper working space in my room. As it is right now, my room is filled with children’s books and extra furniture. These unwanted additions make even finding or storing clothing more complicated that usual, they make working in my room almost impossible. The cause of this material backlog was supposed to be taken care of this week, though of course this did not happen. So for some indeterminate amount of time I will have to live with all kinds of extra crap clogging up my room and workspace.
-Last Friday a few people came over to play Settlers. We managed a relatively quick 6 player, though at the moment I can’t remember who won (though I know that it was not me). Afterwards the remaining four of us decided to play a game of Seafarers (a modification of the base Settlers game). As I was somewhat out of practice with the set up it took a few minutes.
After this delay we were underway, though with a bit of a slow start. For some reason all four of us continued to fail to acquire valuable resources. For about three hours all of us were sitting there not really doing much. The only thing that was happening was that Peter was occasionally getting screwed by sevens (he was never able to do anything with his brick and sheep).
Somehow, after about three hours the end clearly began to approach, though I had managed to build only about one settlement and no cities. Peter finally put us out of our misery and won.
-Since my return it has been my plan to bake bread. I keep thinking that I have all kinds of time in the evenings and I am not doing all that much of consequence, so it seemed like baking bread would be the thing to do.
So, last weekend I thought that I would finally get down to the bread baking. I had the place to myself. It seemed a perfect time to go ahead with my plan. Unfortunately, only then did I realize that my plans for making a huge batch of bread were reliant on having freezer storage space, something that I did not have.
Back to store bought for me (though fortunately it has largely been purchased from Georgetown).
-On Monday night I saw my second Joel Hynes performance and my first Joel Hynes one man show. As some of you may know, Mr. Hynes seems to be from the Southern Shore, Calvert if I remember correctly. This one man show is presented from the point of view of an individual who killed a woman in his small home town on the Southern Shore.
I was generally pleased with the show, though I was surprised that Mr. Hynes did not take more advantage of the stage. At times it seemed as though he had been standing in the same place for 20 minutes, just speaking. Additionally, one or two of the relationships might have been fleshed out, because as they were they did not add all that much.
-Sorry for the infrequencies of my posts recently. Though I don’t have all that much on my plate it seems hard for me to find the few minutes to sit down and take care of my Montifax business. To a large extent I attribute this to my lack of proper working space in my room. As it is right now, my room is filled with children’s books and extra furniture. These unwanted additions make even finding or storing clothing more complicated that usual, they make working in my room almost impossible. The cause of this material backlog was supposed to be taken care of this week, though of course this did not happen. So for some indeterminate amount of time I will have to live with all kinds of extra crap clogging up my room and workspace.
Saturday, May 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 94
-Today is another overcast day in St. John’s, though I feel as though I can at least sense the existence of the sun of the hills. Maybe things will clear later this afternoon, as has happened a few times this week. This lack of sun is starting to bother me. On top of all of this, the temperature and wind have ensured that going outside will be a less than pleasant experience.
-This morning I was able to purchase some very fresh bagels from Georgetown Bakery. They were actually so fresh that they were not available when I placed my original order, and only when I was getting ready to pay were they made available for sale. While running several errands I managed to eat about 4 them. I think I have now consumed about six of them, and am thinking about having another.
-Last night I finally saw The Kremlin, on the eve of Marx’s birthday. For several years I have heard about this group and their entertaining stage shows. As they don’t seem to perform as a group as regular these days (I have heard that one of the members no longer lives here) I thought that I would take advantage of last night’s show. Unfortunately, I did not realize that their performance would be preceded by the performance of two other acts, the first of which did not start until after 12:15 (even though the start time was advertised as 11:00 PM). I guess I should make it clear that my problem was not with the other groups, but that I was not expecting them and the delay that their presence meant for the headlining act. Eventually The Kremlin did take the stage, though without the borscht or dancers that I had been expecting. I did not even see Prince Igor’s chains. On the other hand, I can see why they are a popular and entertaining group with a strong following.
It seems I am getting too old for these late nights. I want my shows to start before mid-night so that I can be at home and in bed by the respectable hour of 3:00 AM. Unfortunately, St. John’s seems to be going in the opposite direction, I am sure that shows are now starting later than ever. Someone should take it to the extreme, start a show so late that it is 9:00 or 10 :00 PM the next day.
-Still nothing on my ILL request. I wonder if they will be able to find the book. I am thinking that I might want to also request another book, if that is allowed. Hopefully this other book will be a little easier to locate, especially since it was published and released in North America, unlike my first request.
-I am thinking about going to Petty Harbour today. Though I must have been there at some point in my life, I can’t quite figure out when or why. It seems that this is a place I should have visited and know. Hopefully my trip will go well and I will learn about another part of Newfoundland. Maybe I will try to visit a few other communities in the next few days and get out of my townie bubble. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I will have time to make it off of the Avalon, something that I really should do at some point soon.
-This morning I was able to purchase some very fresh bagels from Georgetown Bakery. They were actually so fresh that they were not available when I placed my original order, and only when I was getting ready to pay were they made available for sale. While running several errands I managed to eat about 4 them. I think I have now consumed about six of them, and am thinking about having another.
-Last night I finally saw The Kremlin, on the eve of Marx’s birthday. For several years I have heard about this group and their entertaining stage shows. As they don’t seem to perform as a group as regular these days (I have heard that one of the members no longer lives here) I thought that I would take advantage of last night’s show. Unfortunately, I did not realize that their performance would be preceded by the performance of two other acts, the first of which did not start until after 12:15 (even though the start time was advertised as 11:00 PM). I guess I should make it clear that my problem was not with the other groups, but that I was not expecting them and the delay that their presence meant for the headlining act. Eventually The Kremlin did take the stage, though without the borscht or dancers that I had been expecting. I did not even see Prince Igor’s chains. On the other hand, I can see why they are a popular and entertaining group with a strong following.
It seems I am getting too old for these late nights. I want my shows to start before mid-night so that I can be at home and in bed by the respectable hour of 3:00 AM. Unfortunately, St. John’s seems to be going in the opposite direction, I am sure that shows are now starting later than ever. Someone should take it to the extreme, start a show so late that it is 9:00 or 10 :00 PM the next day.
-Still nothing on my ILL request. I wonder if they will be able to find the book. I am thinking that I might want to also request another book, if that is allowed. Hopefully this other book will be a little easier to locate, especially since it was published and released in North America, unlike my first request.
-I am thinking about going to Petty Harbour today. Though I must have been there at some point in my life, I can’t quite figure out when or why. It seems that this is a place I should have visited and know. Hopefully my trip will go well and I will learn about another part of Newfoundland. Maybe I will try to visit a few other communities in the next few days and get out of my townie bubble. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I will have time to make it off of the Avalon, something that I really should do at some point soon.
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Bye bye glasses
A couple of weeks ago I was playing squash and my glasses didn't feel right as they were sitting on face. They seemed bent, but I was sure I hadn't done anything to knock them out of shape. Over the next few days I realized that my frames were structurally weakened where the frame attaches to the lense (I have rimless glasses). About two days ago I decided I was going to have to take immediate action, as my frames were getting noticably weaker every day, and I was afraid they were going to break.
Finally, I called my optometrist in St. John's to confirm that the warranty on my frames had passed and that I could have my prescription sent to me. My plan was then to go spectacle shopping this morning. That however, didn't work out. Not for any good reason though, I just slept in. So the plan became to go this afternoon. I have been making some calls around to enquire about racquetball/squash glasses to get as a 2nd pair free. Between two of the calls, my glasses actually broke. My glasses are currently very close to pinch-nez glasses.
Anyway, here I go to get new glasses. Based on my previous record, I'll be letting you know about how it turns out in about a month.
Finally, I called my optometrist in St. John's to confirm that the warranty on my frames had passed and that I could have my prescription sent to me. My plan was then to go spectacle shopping this morning. That however, didn't work out. Not for any good reason though, I just slept in. So the plan became to go this afternoon. I have been making some calls around to enquire about racquetball/squash glasses to get as a 2nd pair free. Between two of the calls, my glasses actually broke. My glasses are currently very close to pinch-nez glasses.
Anyway, here I go to get new glasses. Based on my previous record, I'll be letting you know about how it turns out in about a month.
Wednesday, May 02, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 93
-Today was another overcast day in St. John’s, though sun did manage to make its existence known for a few minutes this afternoon. It seems that just about every day since I have been back in St. John’s has been overcast and cool. Maybe by the time I leave things will have started to turn around and back again.
-Tonight was “analog payment” night for Frisbee. As of right now I have guaranteed myself a spot but I have not signed up with a particular team or person. I guess in a few weeks (hopefully less than that) I will be able to figure out how this is all going to work out for the summer.
-Bitters no longer sells Strongbow or Newcastle Brown Ale. I was told that these products are no longer distributed in Newfoundland. This was very disappointing news as they were my two favourite beverages (along with that old stand-by water) at Bitters. In many ways I am not surprised, if one can only rarely find Newcastle on tap in the UK, why should one expected to find it all over the place in St. John’s. I just hope that they still have it at Thomson House when I get back.
-I still have heard nothing about the ILL request that I placed yesterday at the public library. What is taking these slackers so long? I know there wasn’t a location listed with the Amicus record, but still, a full 24 hours and nothing? I haven’t been there in a decade and then this is how they treat me on the first transaction after my return.
-For those of you that are interested, there will be a performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Mary O’Keeffe on harpsichord tomorrow night at the MUN School of Muisc. Tickets are $10 for suckers and $5 for students and seniors. My understanding is that things are to start at about 8:00. And no, I was not paid for this plug.
-Tonight was “analog payment” night for Frisbee. As of right now I have guaranteed myself a spot but I have not signed up with a particular team or person. I guess in a few weeks (hopefully less than that) I will be able to figure out how this is all going to work out for the summer.
-Bitters no longer sells Strongbow or Newcastle Brown Ale. I was told that these products are no longer distributed in Newfoundland. This was very disappointing news as they were my two favourite beverages (along with that old stand-by water) at Bitters. In many ways I am not surprised, if one can only rarely find Newcastle on tap in the UK, why should one expected to find it all over the place in St. John’s. I just hope that they still have it at Thomson House when I get back.
-I still have heard nothing about the ILL request that I placed yesterday at the public library. What is taking these slackers so long? I know there wasn’t a location listed with the Amicus record, but still, a full 24 hours and nothing? I haven’t been there in a decade and then this is how they treat me on the first transaction after my return.
-For those of you that are interested, there will be a performance of Bach’s Goldberg Variations by Mary O’Keeffe on harpsichord tomorrow night at the MUN School of Muisc. Tickets are $10 for suckers and $5 for students and seniors. My understanding is that things are to start at about 8:00. And no, I was not paid for this plug.
Rose and Thistle Trivia
So me and de b’ys goes down to the da Rose and Thistle for a bit ‘a trivia last night. When we walks in tru da door der ain’t really dat many people dere. So we goes and has a seat. Eventually a couple a more people comes in, dough I wouldn’t a said it was dat full, even by da end.
Peter says “what can I get ya” and I says “QV.” So in a minute he is back wit da drinks, but I got a QV light cause de b’ys is out most a de others. Jayus, b’ys, was on da go wit dat?
So we sits wit our drinks, talking and such when Mike comes in. I is right quick to notice dat he seems some dry for walking down town from da university in da rain. Turns out he got a ride. Jayus b’y, sum lucky.
So eventually de place is ready and we goes. 30 question in two rounds a fit-teen each. Soon we sees dat de questions is all over da place. We got nature, and movies, and botany, and inventions, all mixed in wit one another. So anyway, tings is ok. We guesses a few and knows a few more. Sure enough were done de first fit-teen practicly before she even started.
At da break we goes and gets drinks, dough I forget to use da batroom. We gets back and da tree of is talking for a while, waitin for da second round.
Da missus comes back from a smoke and we goes, another quick fit-teen. Same ting dis time, we knows some and we has ta guess d’others. So da missus finishes and den gives us a sec to get de last guesses in. Soon enough she’s der at da table wantin our score sheet. So we recapitulates and gives it to her, but not witout a bit a sauce.
After dat she starts to read out the de answers and we marks our sheet. Tings is going pretty good from da beginning. We sees dat we got some dat de others don’t, and we got de ones day dey do. Tings is looking good for me and de b’ys. When she’s done we tries to count our score, but she hardly gave us time. Peter came up with 20, but I saw dat we had more den dat, sos I counts her again. Soon enough I know I done a crap job, but da missus is on me back for de score. I says 22, dough I knows it might be wrong. After I says dat Mike counts and we sees dat we actually go 21. Anyway, da missus is up der counting our score too and she gets 21.
Anyway, 21 was de top score so we won. Me and de b’ys, winning Rose and Thistle trivia de first time we tries. Sure, we must be some smart. De prize is $50 bar tab, dough I can’t say day “me and da b’ys got loaded drunk” as I had to work.
Anyway, me and da b’ys ‘ill be der next week wanting da win.
Peter says “what can I get ya” and I says “QV.” So in a minute he is back wit da drinks, but I got a QV light cause de b’ys is out most a de others. Jayus, b’ys, was on da go wit dat?
So we sits wit our drinks, talking and such when Mike comes in. I is right quick to notice dat he seems some dry for walking down town from da university in da rain. Turns out he got a ride. Jayus b’y, sum lucky.
So eventually de place is ready and we goes. 30 question in two rounds a fit-teen each. Soon we sees dat de questions is all over da place. We got nature, and movies, and botany, and inventions, all mixed in wit one another. So anyway, tings is ok. We guesses a few and knows a few more. Sure enough were done de first fit-teen practicly before she even started.
At da break we goes and gets drinks, dough I forget to use da batroom. We gets back and da tree of is talking for a while, waitin for da second round.
Da missus comes back from a smoke and we goes, another quick fit-teen. Same ting dis time, we knows some and we has ta guess d’others. So da missus finishes and den gives us a sec to get de last guesses in. Soon enough she’s der at da table wantin our score sheet. So we recapitulates and gives it to her, but not witout a bit a sauce.
After dat she starts to read out the de answers and we marks our sheet. Tings is going pretty good from da beginning. We sees dat we got some dat de others don’t, and we got de ones day dey do. Tings is looking good for me and de b’ys. When she’s done we tries to count our score, but she hardly gave us time. Peter came up with 20, but I saw dat we had more den dat, sos I counts her again. Soon enough I know I done a crap job, but da missus is on me back for de score. I says 22, dough I knows it might be wrong. After I says dat Mike counts and we sees dat we actually go 21. Anyway, da missus is up der counting our score too and she gets 21.
Anyway, 21 was de top score so we won. Me and de b’ys, winning Rose and Thistle trivia de first time we tries. Sure, we must be some smart. De prize is $50 bar tab, dough I can’t say day “me and da b’ys got loaded drunk” as I had to work.
Anyway, me and da b’ys ‘ill be der next week wanting da win.
Monday, April 30, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 92
-Today has been overcast and rainy, which seems to be the typical forecast for April in St. John’s. The only good thing about the rain is that it has prevented the snow from accumulating.
-Over the past few days I have been reading judicial and magisterial inquiries. As these only happen as a result of fires or deaths none of them are all that uplifting. It is likely that later in the summer I will have to write summaries of these reports, putting me in touch with a strange element of Newfoundland history.
-It looks as though there is a weekly trivia night at the Rose and Thistle. A few of us may check it out tomorrow night. Even if the trivia isn’t all that great the drink specials seem pretty good.
-In case you are curious, tomorrow is May Day.
-Over the past few days I have been reading judicial and magisterial inquiries. As these only happen as a result of fires or deaths none of them are all that uplifting. It is likely that later in the summer I will have to write summaries of these reports, putting me in touch with a strange element of Newfoundland history.
-It looks as though there is a weekly trivia night at the Rose and Thistle. A few of us may check it out tomorrow night. Even if the trivia isn’t all that great the drink specials seem pretty good.
-In case you are curious, tomorrow is May Day.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 91
-It seems to be about 6 degrees above freezing and snowing in St. John’s. The forecast seems to be suggesting that by later this afternoon this snow will turn into rain, making things generally unpleasant. Fortunately it is not as windy as it was yesterday.
-For some reason I have almost stopped using my computer for personal reasons since my return. I haven’t been able to figure out why this has happened, though it may have something to do with not having access to a desk. Hopefully my blogging consistency will pick up over the next few days.
-My younger sister Kirsten and I went out for breakfast at the Bagel Café this morning. I think that the event was a success. All in all, the restaurant was pretty much as I remembered.
-When I returned to St. John’s I was surprised to learn that Roll Up the Rim cups were still available. I was able to purchase a few more chances at the big win leaving me with a record of 4/44, all of my wins being coffees.
-On Monday I was able to go to Memorial to pick up my Alumni card, something that allows me to check out books from the university library. On Wednesday I went to the public library to renew my library card. Two library cards in a week, I think that is a personal record.
Just this morning I realized that I will be able to use my new public library card to ILL a book that I have been interested in reading for a few years. Maybe I can head back to the library this afternoon to get the process rolling (that is if they offer ILL services).
-It is amazing how relaxing work seems in relation to this last year of school. While my work projects are on my mind, I don’t have the ability to work on them in a concrete way after hours in the same way that I would with schoolwork.
-It looks as though a big part of my summer will be spent designing, creating, and adding records to an InMagic DB/TextWorks database. One element of the task that I am not looking forward to is having to import records from another database with a different set of fields (which apparently can be done).
-For some reason I have almost stopped using my computer for personal reasons since my return. I haven’t been able to figure out why this has happened, though it may have something to do with not having access to a desk. Hopefully my blogging consistency will pick up over the next few days.
-My younger sister Kirsten and I went out for breakfast at the Bagel Café this morning. I think that the event was a success. All in all, the restaurant was pretty much as I remembered.
-When I returned to St. John’s I was surprised to learn that Roll Up the Rim cups were still available. I was able to purchase a few more chances at the big win leaving me with a record of 4/44, all of my wins being coffees.
-On Monday I was able to go to Memorial to pick up my Alumni card, something that allows me to check out books from the university library. On Wednesday I went to the public library to renew my library card. Two library cards in a week, I think that is a personal record.
Just this morning I realized that I will be able to use my new public library card to ILL a book that I have been interested in reading for a few years. Maybe I can head back to the library this afternoon to get the process rolling (that is if they offer ILL services).
-It is amazing how relaxing work seems in relation to this last year of school. While my work projects are on my mind, I don’t have the ability to work on them in a concrete way after hours in the same way that I would with schoolwork.
-It looks as though a big part of my summer will be spent designing, creating, and adding records to an InMagic DB/TextWorks database. One element of the task that I am not looking forward to is having to import records from another database with a different set of fields (which apparently can be done).
Sunday, April 22, 2007
My Return to St. John’s (I am actually back now)
I finally made it back to St. John’s early Saturday morning. Much to my surprise, the trip to the airport and then from Montreal to St. John’s went very smoothly. I even encountered a very pleasant Air Canada employee as I was checking my baggage. If my memory serves me correctly, I must have been inside the security area within about five minutes of being dropped of at the airport.
The only delay that I encountered during the trip was the wait to pick up my bags in St. John’s. It seems that about four or five flights arrived with in a few minutes of one another. For some reason only about one person was loading luggage onto the baggage carousels. The one individual was dividing his efforts between the flights, giving each about one load before switching to another flight.
From the airport we went directly to the grocery store as my parents seemed to not have any food in the house. This was a pretty quick shopping trip, though we did end up buying a 15 pound turkey on a whim.
Early the next morning I was able to head over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Though he didn’t say anything, I believe that Mr. Monty (not his real name) did recognize me from my years of continued patronage. From there I hit the Tim Horton’s on my way back. At this point I learned that there are still some Roll Up the Rim cups in St. John’s, though they seem to have sold out in Montreal (or at least the places I frequent).
It was then on to my haircut. My hair length is now “respectable.” I am thinking that in a few weeks I may even go shorter still. What I find strange is that I have still not really noticed the loss.
My weekend of curling started at just before noon. Amazingly, this was the first time I had ever competed in the Bon Voyage, an annual mixed bonspiel. We were beaten pretty badly in our first game, though we managed to come back in our second game that evening, only to be eliminated this morning. My body is really feeling these few ends, demonstrating the affects of age and lack of practice.
Hopefully in a day or so I will be on the Newfoundland schedule, though as it stands right now it may take a little longer.
The only delay that I encountered during the trip was the wait to pick up my bags in St. John’s. It seems that about four or five flights arrived with in a few minutes of one another. For some reason only about one person was loading luggage onto the baggage carousels. The one individual was dividing his efforts between the flights, giving each about one load before switching to another flight.
From the airport we went directly to the grocery store as my parents seemed to not have any food in the house. This was a pretty quick shopping trip, though we did end up buying a 15 pound turkey on a whim.
Early the next morning I was able to head over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Though he didn’t say anything, I believe that Mr. Monty (not his real name) did recognize me from my years of continued patronage. From there I hit the Tim Horton’s on my way back. At this point I learned that there are still some Roll Up the Rim cups in St. John’s, though they seem to have sold out in Montreal (or at least the places I frequent).
It was then on to my haircut. My hair length is now “respectable.” I am thinking that in a few weeks I may even go shorter still. What I find strange is that I have still not really noticed the loss.
My weekend of curling started at just before noon. Amazingly, this was the first time I had ever competed in the Bon Voyage, an annual mixed bonspiel. We were beaten pretty badly in our first game, though we managed to come back in our second game that evening, only to be eliminated this morning. My body is really feeling these few ends, demonstrating the affects of age and lack of practice.
Hopefully in a day or so I will be on the Newfoundland schedule, though as it stands right now it may take a little longer.
Friday, April 20, 2007
Montreal Sign-off
As I write this I am sitting in my packed up room. My books are no longer on my bookshelf, my clothes are no longer in the closet, though my computer still is on my desk.
As usual, I seem to have ended up packing much more stuff that I can possibly need. Amazingly, I don’t quite understand what it is that is taking up so much stuff. Well that is not completely true, my steel toed books, three pairs of shoes, and unicycle are doing a pretty good job of killing luggage space. In particular the unicycle is taking up a fair bit of space.
Actually just yesterday I came to the realization that I likely won’t be bringing my unicycle back with me when I return to Montreal in the fall. If next year is anything like this past year, I won’t have the time or space to ride. This spring being pretty wet and snowy compounded the problems of the fall, resulting in only one ride. The wheel also takes a fair bit of luggage space.
Well I guess I should get back to tidying things up and preparing to go.
As usual, I seem to have ended up packing much more stuff that I can possibly need. Amazingly, I don’t quite understand what it is that is taking up so much stuff. Well that is not completely true, my steel toed books, three pairs of shoes, and unicycle are doing a pretty good job of killing luggage space. In particular the unicycle is taking up a fair bit of space.
Actually just yesterday I came to the realization that I likely won’t be bringing my unicycle back with me when I return to Montreal in the fall. If next year is anything like this past year, I won’t have the time or space to ride. This spring being pretty wet and snowy compounded the problems of the fall, resulting in only one ride. The wheel also takes a fair bit of luggage space.
Well I guess I should get back to tidying things up and preparing to go.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
My Return to St. John’s
On Friday night I will be leaving Montreal for the summer. If I recall correctly, I am scheduled to arrive in St. John’s early on Saturday morning. As I don’t have to leave Montreal all that early I will try not to get up at the crack of dawn.
Once I return to St. John’s my Saturday schedule will be on the busy side. My morning starts with a shedding of the locks (haircut) at 9:20 followed by a curling game at 10:00. The rest of the day, as far as I can tell, will be spent curling. Sunday is likely to be spent in approximately the same fashion.
Fortunately Monday is a holiday and I should be able to sleep in and relax. I would not mind heading over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Maybe I will be able to work in a trip to Georgetown Bakery also.
On Tuesday I will head back to work for the summer.
Once I return to St. John’s my Saturday schedule will be on the busy side. My morning starts with a shedding of the locks (haircut) at 9:20 followed by a curling game at 10:00. The rest of the day, as far as I can tell, will be spent curling. Sunday is likely to be spent in approximately the same fashion.
Fortunately Monday is a holiday and I should be able to sleep in and relax. I would not mind heading over to Monty’s to pick up a copy of the Globe. Maybe I will be able to work in a trip to Georgetown Bakery also.
On Tuesday I will head back to work for the summer.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 90
-Today has been relatively nice so far, certainly much nicer than many of the days in the near past. It seems that we are supposed to finally have some nicer weather in the next few days.
For some reason we seem to have had a pretty large amount of snow this April. While the snow does not have any real staying power, it does manage to make things much less pleasant than they would otherwise be.
-My final assignment of the year was submitted on Monday. It was nice to get this out of the way. Since that time I have been focusing on packing and getting ready to head back to St. John’s for the summer.
-In less than a week I start work again. This will be a rather big change from my current lifestyle. I am looking forward to this change.
-For those of you that were saddened by the paucity of posts in the past few days, I apologize. Unfortunately, my schoolwork was taking a fair bit of my time and mental energy. Though I frequently suggest that Neil need only take a few minutes each day to post, I now see that at times that can be at bit much to expect. Hopefully I will have better time management skills in the future so that this lack of posting will not occur again (though this is unlikely).
-To pack I needed boxes. My first stop was Thomson House. From the recycling bin I was able to find a few good boxes, mainly wine boxes. Unfortunately, the few boxes I picked up were not sufficient to meet my box needs. As I am somewhat shy the idea of going to other places to look for boxes did not really appeal to me. Eventually I worked up the courage to go Dollarama, though I only found one box. Afterwards I went to the local depanneur, only to learn that they wouldn’t have any boxes until Thursday.
My next stop was the McGill Bookstore. While on the main floor I found a clerk working on a mug display. I asked if she knew if they might have any boxes available. When she asked what size I was looking for I pointed at the box of mugs she was working from. She then left to try and rustle up some boxes. When she returned a few minutes later she was carrying five brand new boxes that had yet to be unfolded.
As excellent as the boxes are I immediately began to wonder why a bookstore would have all kinds of new boxes. Wouldn’t they just use old boxes if they needed any? Why would they need such a large number of boxes? Does this type of practice (the buying unnecessary items) explain why the prices are so high at the bookstore?
-For the past few weeks I have been exposed to several pieces by a Montreal based group called Arcade Fire. Apparently they are really popular. The part of the equation that I don’t understand is why. None of the stuff I have heard has particularly interested me or held my attention. In most cases I can hardly manage to listen to the entire song. I would guess that the common consensus would be that I am missing something. If anyone wants to explain it to me I am more than willing to listen.
-My Roll Up the Rim To Win record is now 3/41. Apparently I really don’t have any skills when it comes to this game.
For some reason we seem to have had a pretty large amount of snow this April. While the snow does not have any real staying power, it does manage to make things much less pleasant than they would otherwise be.
-My final assignment of the year was submitted on Monday. It was nice to get this out of the way. Since that time I have been focusing on packing and getting ready to head back to St. John’s for the summer.
-In less than a week I start work again. This will be a rather big change from my current lifestyle. I am looking forward to this change.
-For those of you that were saddened by the paucity of posts in the past few days, I apologize. Unfortunately, my schoolwork was taking a fair bit of my time and mental energy. Though I frequently suggest that Neil need only take a few minutes each day to post, I now see that at times that can be at bit much to expect. Hopefully I will have better time management skills in the future so that this lack of posting will not occur again (though this is unlikely).
-To pack I needed boxes. My first stop was Thomson House. From the recycling bin I was able to find a few good boxes, mainly wine boxes. Unfortunately, the few boxes I picked up were not sufficient to meet my box needs. As I am somewhat shy the idea of going to other places to look for boxes did not really appeal to me. Eventually I worked up the courage to go Dollarama, though I only found one box. Afterwards I went to the local depanneur, only to learn that they wouldn’t have any boxes until Thursday.
My next stop was the McGill Bookstore. While on the main floor I found a clerk working on a mug display. I asked if she knew if they might have any boxes available. When she asked what size I was looking for I pointed at the box of mugs she was working from. She then left to try and rustle up some boxes. When she returned a few minutes later she was carrying five brand new boxes that had yet to be unfolded.
As excellent as the boxes are I immediately began to wonder why a bookstore would have all kinds of new boxes. Wouldn’t they just use old boxes if they needed any? Why would they need such a large number of boxes? Does this type of practice (the buying unnecessary items) explain why the prices are so high at the bookstore?
-For the past few weeks I have been exposed to several pieces by a Montreal based group called Arcade Fire. Apparently they are really popular. The part of the equation that I don’t understand is why. None of the stuff I have heard has particularly interested me or held my attention. In most cases I can hardly manage to listen to the entire song. I would guess that the common consensus would be that I am missing something. If anyone wants to explain it to me I am more than willing to listen.
-My Roll Up the Rim To Win record is now 3/41. Apparently I really don’t have any skills when it comes to this game.
Last shift at Thomson House
My day at Thomson House was pretty long on Friday.
It seems that I arrived at about 2:00 or so, after spending several hours working on and then printing my final management project. Thomson House seemed like a good place to go to celebrate. Bruce, my partner, and I each had a muffin and some coffee. After a while Bruce had to leave. I decided to stay as the walk home would have taken a fair chunk out of the free time I had before my shift started.
Shortly after my shift started at 4:30 I had to change a few kegs. Unfortunately, I don’t exactly remember which one was my last keg. On the plus side, none of the keg changes were particularly problematic (meaning no beer showers), or deep in the bowels of the keg fridge.
I think it was at about 7:30 or so when I was notified by one of the bartenders that there was some vomit to clean up in the downstairs bathroom. As I had not had to do this before it took me a while to find all of the supplies and equipment. Once everything was gathered I started on the job. The downside of this vomit was that it was much more food based that I would have liked, meaning that there was a fair bit that I couldn’t get with the mop and eventually had to sweep up.
As the vomit was directly in front of the toilet my suspicion was that the person must have been sitting on the toilet during the incident. It turns out the guilty party is a fellow GSLIS student and he was able to confirm that he was in fact sitting on the toilet at the time of the incident. It seems all of the library people knew something was up but somehow managed to keep this knowledge away from me until relatively late in the night.
The rest of the night was relatively quiet and I was able to punch out at about 9:30 and join about twenty library school types for a few drinks. I was pleased to see so many and such a varied crowd in attendance. At least one person there is no longer in the program, and another was there having their first drinks at Thomson House.
Gradually the crowd thinned out until it just two of us were there. At 2:00 we were booted out just like everyone else and my final working day for the near future ended.
As Friday was my last shift I did not go to Saturday’s staff meeting, though in a weird way I wanted to. I have a few ideas that might help them increase sales and bring a few more people in, and it seems like this would be the venue to bring forth these ideas. I guess my great ideas will have to wait until next fall to see the light of day.
It seems that I arrived at about 2:00 or so, after spending several hours working on and then printing my final management project. Thomson House seemed like a good place to go to celebrate. Bruce, my partner, and I each had a muffin and some coffee. After a while Bruce had to leave. I decided to stay as the walk home would have taken a fair chunk out of the free time I had before my shift started.
Shortly after my shift started at 4:30 I had to change a few kegs. Unfortunately, I don’t exactly remember which one was my last keg. On the plus side, none of the keg changes were particularly problematic (meaning no beer showers), or deep in the bowels of the keg fridge.
I think it was at about 7:30 or so when I was notified by one of the bartenders that there was some vomit to clean up in the downstairs bathroom. As I had not had to do this before it took me a while to find all of the supplies and equipment. Once everything was gathered I started on the job. The downside of this vomit was that it was much more food based that I would have liked, meaning that there was a fair bit that I couldn’t get with the mop and eventually had to sweep up.
As the vomit was directly in front of the toilet my suspicion was that the person must have been sitting on the toilet during the incident. It turns out the guilty party is a fellow GSLIS student and he was able to confirm that he was in fact sitting on the toilet at the time of the incident. It seems all of the library people knew something was up but somehow managed to keep this knowledge away from me until relatively late in the night.
The rest of the night was relatively quiet and I was able to punch out at about 9:30 and join about twenty library school types for a few drinks. I was pleased to see so many and such a varied crowd in attendance. At least one person there is no longer in the program, and another was there having their first drinks at Thomson House.
Gradually the crowd thinned out until it just two of us were there. At 2:00 we were booted out just like everyone else and my final working day for the near future ended.
As Friday was my last shift I did not go to Saturday’s staff meeting, though in a weird way I wanted to. I have a few ideas that might help them increase sales and bring a few more people in, and it seems like this would be the venue to bring forth these ideas. I guess my great ideas will have to wait until next fall to see the light of day.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 89
-Today is a beautiful day in Montreal, our first in a while. While I was initially concerned that the day might be cool and overcast, my fears were clearly misplaced. Today seems like a perfect day for me to ride either my bike or my unicycle for exercise purposes.
Unfortunately, Environment Canada is not acknowledging the clear and sunny skies, and goes further to suggest that we will be back to rain and snow by tomorrow.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/38. It seems that other stores still have the special cups, even though the McGill Tim Horton’s has been out of them for weeks.
-Another project was due today, this one for Collection Development. I am now down to two, one on Friday and one on Monday. Friday’s project still requires a fair bit of work.
-Nithum took me for $10.00 the other night on coin flips. I started betting each series of bet by betting a penny, then doubling my bet until I won. I was doing relatively well, or winning a penny on each series, until I ran into a particularly long string of tosses that went against me. After making, and losing, a bet for $5.12 I pulled out, not wagering $10.24 in an attempt to win a penny. In the end Nithum gave me my money back (except for two quarters). Once again, I have had my great system beaten by the fact that I don’t have infinitely deep pockets (something that I did say was needed for my system to work).
-The GSLIS party on Saturday night went well. As far as I know most people in attendance had a good time. It was nice to attend a party and know so many people. As far as I was concerned, the main downside was that I was not able to speak to a few people that I had hoped to. I was glad that it wasn’t a dud, because if that had been the case I likely would take heat for it at work.
-I will be busing tomorrow and Friday night at Thomson House. I keep deluding myself into thinking that I might somehow be able to bring busing to a new level. People might start having guest busers, and people would visit bars to have their tables bused by a particular person. In some weird way I think that this might work, but only if the person had the right personality.
Unfortunately, Environment Canada is not acknowledging the clear and sunny skies, and goes further to suggest that we will be back to rain and snow by tomorrow.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/38. It seems that other stores still have the special cups, even though the McGill Tim Horton’s has been out of them for weeks.
-Another project was due today, this one for Collection Development. I am now down to two, one on Friday and one on Monday. Friday’s project still requires a fair bit of work.
-Nithum took me for $10.00 the other night on coin flips. I started betting each series of bet by betting a penny, then doubling my bet until I won. I was doing relatively well, or winning a penny on each series, until I ran into a particularly long string of tosses that went against me. After making, and losing, a bet for $5.12 I pulled out, not wagering $10.24 in an attempt to win a penny. In the end Nithum gave me my money back (except for two quarters). Once again, I have had my great system beaten by the fact that I don’t have infinitely deep pockets (something that I did say was needed for my system to work).
-The GSLIS party on Saturday night went well. As far as I know most people in attendance had a good time. It was nice to attend a party and know so many people. As far as I was concerned, the main downside was that I was not able to speak to a few people that I had hoped to. I was glad that it wasn’t a dud, because if that had been the case I likely would take heat for it at work.
-I will be busing tomorrow and Friday night at Thomson House. I keep deluding myself into thinking that I might somehow be able to bring busing to a new level. People might start having guest busers, and people would visit bars to have their tables bused by a particular person. In some weird way I think that this might work, but only if the person had the right personality.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Happy Easter
As some of you might know, today is Easter, one of the most important days in the Christian year (at least that is what they keep telling me).
My big plans for the day revolve around having a classmate over to work on a management assignment that is due on Friday. Amazingly, I have been able to grasp this and make myself feel as though I have ‘proper’ Easter plans.
This is my third non-english Easter. My first non-english Easter occurred in Paris in 1995. My uncle and I were staying in a hotel in China town. Once we both realized that we were to lazy and not catholic enough to make it to Easter mass at Our Mother Cathedral we basically just hung around the hotel (or at least that is my recollection).
Then in 2005 I was visiting a friend in Berlin over Easter. We did all kinds of things as we only had a few days in Berlin, though none of them had anything to do with Easter. It is likely that I ate a donar with only meat and onions (as that is just about all I ate in Berlin).
Now, I am Montreal in 2007, once again doing non-Eastery things. Presumably this year is just a warm up for next year, my fourth Easter in a non-english environment.
My big plans for the day revolve around having a classmate over to work on a management assignment that is due on Friday. Amazingly, I have been able to grasp this and make myself feel as though I have ‘proper’ Easter plans.
This is my third non-english Easter. My first non-english Easter occurred in Paris in 1995. My uncle and I were staying in a hotel in China town. Once we both realized that we were to lazy and not catholic enough to make it to Easter mass at Our Mother Cathedral we basically just hung around the hotel (or at least that is my recollection).
Then in 2005 I was visiting a friend in Berlin over Easter. We did all kinds of things as we only had a few days in Berlin, though none of them had anything to do with Easter. It is likely that I ate a donar with only meat and onions (as that is just about all I ate in Berlin).
Now, I am Montreal in 2007, once again doing non-Eastery things. Presumably this year is just a warm up for next year, my fourth Easter in a non-english environment.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 88
-While we have a few centimeters of snow on the ground, today isn’t too bad. The cool temperatures have prevented too much slush from forming and the discontinuence of falling snow has prevented build-up on the sidewalks. My desire is that in a few days, or once my projects are done, that the temperatures will warm up and the snow will start to vanish.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/37, a solid losing record.
-The GSLIS party is happening tonight. It sounds as though there should be a fair number of librarians there.
-For dinner this evening I decided to go with my second steak bake. I was quite pleased with the results. It had bread, beef, and potato.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/37, a solid losing record.
-The GSLIS party is happening tonight. It sounds as though there should be a fair number of librarians there.
-For dinner this evening I decided to go with my second steak bake. I was quite pleased with the results. It had bread, beef, and potato.
Friday, April 06, 2007
Comment overheard on the street
As I was walking home from work a few minutes ago I heard the gentleman in front of me say “dealing pot is like being a doctor, you’re always on call.”
Thursday, April 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 87
-The weather in Montreal turned from bad to worse today. We started the day out with just above freezing temperatures and steady rain. By just afternoon, we still had the low temperature but also snow. As one can imagine, this was not very pleasant weather for bike riding. While there hasn’t been much accumulation yet it seems that we should expect up to 4 cm by tomorrow.
-Somehow when talking to a classmate today my scone recipe came up. As it was on my mind and I had promised to pass along the recipe I ended up making a batch almost as soon as I returned home. I have already consumed four of the eight, and plan on having one or two more for breakfast tomorrow morning.
-Last night I happened upon a discussion group dedicated to coming up with and sharing means of making an essay look longer without really writing more. The two ideas that I had not previously come across were to modify the character spacing and change the font size of punctuation, particularly comas and periods. Another suggestion was to use the passive voice so that a few additional words could be included by the author. Nithum was disgusted by this last suggestion.
-One more class left, though four projects are still in the works
-I have to head to work tomorrow night. As I don’t have to work this Friday this shouldn’t be too bad.
-A GSLIS party is planned for Saturday night. I wonder if any of the professorial staff or Ph.D. students will show up?
-There was some library-based content that I have been meaning to include here, though every time I sit down to write I can’t remember what it is. So because I can’t remember the first point I wanted to make, I will come back to my hobbyhorse; librarians need to stop beating around the bush and ask patrons/clients/users what it is they need. Librarians should encourage and engage in clear communication practices.
-A few minutes ago Nithum brought home a bag of samosas from an event he helped organized. So far I have had three, they are pretty tasty.
-Somehow when talking to a classmate today my scone recipe came up. As it was on my mind and I had promised to pass along the recipe I ended up making a batch almost as soon as I returned home. I have already consumed four of the eight, and plan on having one or two more for breakfast tomorrow morning.
-Last night I happened upon a discussion group dedicated to coming up with and sharing means of making an essay look longer without really writing more. The two ideas that I had not previously come across were to modify the character spacing and change the font size of punctuation, particularly comas and periods. Another suggestion was to use the passive voice so that a few additional words could be included by the author. Nithum was disgusted by this last suggestion.
-One more class left, though four projects are still in the works
-I have to head to work tomorrow night. As I don’t have to work this Friday this shouldn’t be too bad.
-A GSLIS party is planned for Saturday night. I wonder if any of the professorial staff or Ph.D. students will show up?
-There was some library-based content that I have been meaning to include here, though every time I sit down to write I can’t remember what it is. So because I can’t remember the first point I wanted to make, I will come back to my hobbyhorse; librarians need to stop beating around the bush and ask patrons/clients/users what it is they need. Librarians should encourage and engage in clear communication practices.
-A few minutes ago Nithum brought home a bag of samosas from an event he helped organized. So far I have had three, they are pretty tasty.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
My web footprint
A couple of posts ago Cameron mentioned my 'web footprint'. Firstly, that needs a clever word to replace it, if you have any ideas, let me know. Secondly, I'm trying to keep track of my web footprint on del.icio.us. You can check it out. I'm trying to tag the pages on which my name occurs, or which relate directly to me. There are still lots of pages out there that I haven't tagged, but some day I'll get it at least mostly done. Some websites might have my name a multitude of times, in which case I might only tag it once. If anyone comes across my name on the web I'd be very to get an email telling me so.
As for Cameron's web footprint, I've started tracking that too. I've tagged some of his pages with 'cameron'.
I'm a little concerned with my practice of doing this. It would make it really easy for someone to steal my identity and/or stalk me. Essentially I've googled myself and put the results up for everyone to see. Google was what enabled me to find almost all the pages in the first place.
As for Cameron's web footprint, I've started tracking that too. I've tagged some of his pages with 'cameron'.
I'm a little concerned with my practice of doing this. It would make it really easy for someone to steal my identity and/or stalk me. Essentially I've googled myself and put the results up for everyone to see. Google was what enabled me to find almost all the pages in the first place.
Food products that I don’t consume for one reason or another
For some reason my dietary habits seem to be a popular subject of discussion among my acquaintances here in Montreal. All kinds of people can’t quite understand the problem that I have with milk (it modifies my behaviour in a negative way and is not lactose intolerance). They wonder what I do for food considering that I don’t eat most dairy products and tomatoes.
Amazingly, most of these conversations end up in the same place. People want a full list of the things that I don’t eat and they then want to know what I do eat. Surprisingly, I typically forget many of the things from the first list and am unable to come up anything for the second list. My typical verbose answer to the second question is “things.”
As it is on my mind I have decided to try to begin to compile a list of things that I don’t or shouldn’t eat for various reasons.
-Tomatoes
-Most dairy products (with the main exception being butter, as well as milk when used in baking. Occasional exceptions are also made for brie)
-Vinegar
-Parsnips
-Invertebrates and their by-products (i.e. honey)
-Nuts (including peanuts, though occasional exceptions are made for things such as peanut butter and peanut M & M’s)
-Spinach
-Tea (black, white, and green)
-Strawberries
-Rhubarb
-Salt (this is more a caes of me trying to minimize consumption, as total avoidance is just about impossible)
-The internal organs of most large animals (except as part of haggis)
-Oranges (at least most of the time)
-Orange food dye
-Pistachios (possibly my only traditional food allergy)
-Brussel sprouts
-Re-heated broccoli
-Cooked coloured peppers
This is all I can think of for the time being. I am sure that there are several glaring omissions. If anyone can think of any other foods that I actively do not eat please pass them along to me.
As I have been working on this list and thinking about my eating habits I have come to realize that it is a good thing that I enjoy cooking and don’t mind experimenting with recipes. Expecting anyone other than a close family member to routinely stick to this list would be a bit much.
Amazingly, most of these conversations end up in the same place. People want a full list of the things that I don’t eat and they then want to know what I do eat. Surprisingly, I typically forget many of the things from the first list and am unable to come up anything for the second list. My typical verbose answer to the second question is “things.”
As it is on my mind I have decided to try to begin to compile a list of things that I don’t or shouldn’t eat for various reasons.
-Tomatoes
-Most dairy products (with the main exception being butter, as well as milk when used in baking. Occasional exceptions are also made for brie)
-Vinegar
-Parsnips
-Invertebrates and their by-products (i.e. honey)
-Nuts (including peanuts, though occasional exceptions are made for things such as peanut butter and peanut M & M’s)
-Spinach
-Tea (black, white, and green)
-Strawberries
-Rhubarb
-Salt (this is more a caes of me trying to minimize consumption, as total avoidance is just about impossible)
-The internal organs of most large animals (except as part of haggis)
-Oranges (at least most of the time)
-Orange food dye
-Pistachios (possibly my only traditional food allergy)
-Brussel sprouts
-Re-heated broccoli
-Cooked coloured peppers
This is all I can think of for the time being. I am sure that there are several glaring omissions. If anyone can think of any other foods that I actively do not eat please pass them along to me.
As I have been working on this list and thinking about my eating habits I have come to realize that it is a good thing that I enjoy cooking and don’t mind experimenting with recipes. Expecting anyone other than a close family member to routinely stick to this list would be a bit much.
It's snowing in Montreal
We seem to be back to snow in Montreal, though I was under the impression that we had completely transitioned to spring
As of early this afternoon the rain that we had been having turned into snow. As one might suspect, the snow is not really accumulating all that much. The important part is the visual effect.
As of early this afternoon the rain that we had been having turned into snow. As one might suspect, the snow is not really accumulating all that much. The important part is the visual effect.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 86
-The weather was overcast and damp today. Fortunately, it was not as rainy as it was yesterday. If the sun comes out later this week I am sure it will be beautiful.
-I had my final presentation of the year today. Surprisingly, it went much better than I had expected.
In the several practice runs I went through last night I was having a very hard time keeping things to the correct amount of time as well as even getting the content to come across in a way with which I felt comfortable.
Before class I went through my notes and decided to leave a few things out and re-order a few points. So I was basically going up there without any practice.
For some reason as soon as I stood in front of the class I felt comfortable and things started to make sense to me, I knew how I would proceed. While it was not the world’s best presentation it was much better than what I had expected would happen.
-It seems that gas prices jumped by about 10-12 cents last night in Montreal. The intricacies of gas pricing still baffle me.
-It seems that yesterday’s fudge was left in the fridge for to long and now has become stuck to the bottom of the pan. Maybe I could leave it out for some period of time to encourage it to soften up a little, something that might make it easier to remove from the pan without breaking all of the nicely cut pieces. Something else about the fudge that I have noted is that it isn’t the best fudge I have had. Maybe when I will get back to St. John’s I will look for a fudge recipe that my mother used to use.
-As Friday is Good Friday Thomson House will be closed for the day (as well as Easter Monday). This is unfortunate as I was scheduled to work my usual Friday night shift. Fortunately, a last minute event was planned for Thursday night and I was able to get one of the two shifts. This should give me enough tip money to be able to afford to go the GSLIS end of term party for a few drinks on Saturday night. On the other hand, if I really wanted to save money and still spend time with my classmates, I could take the available shift and work the event on Saturday night.
-For some reason in the past few days I have had three different types of sausages. This is somewhat unusual for me as typically I don’t eat sausages all that frequently. Hopefully I will head back to my low frequency consumption pattern in the near future.
-While poking around Neil’s web footprint I saw for the first time a method to allow the quick dissemination of mathematical. Basically the proof, or whatever the person is doing, is captured by taking simple digital photos of a blackboard with workings and then posted online. This process gets around having to deal with cumbersome typesetting programs and awkward file formats. People are easily able to see most photos posted to a website, in some cases even free photo sharing services could be used. If text recognition programs become particularly advanced maybe it would be possible to translate these photos into more traditional formats.
-Today while on an unsuccessful mission to look at an apartment, I was able to finally stop in and check out Segal’s, a Portuguese grocery store on St. Laurent. This place is pretty incredible. Aside from the amazing deals and strange food, they actually had a stack of salt cod in the back of the store. I was pretty tempted to buy an entire salt cod just because of my Newfoundland connection. I wonder if this is the cod that involved in that foreign over-fishing problem?
-For the past week or so the pull of the trashy, easy to read novels has been very strong. During this period of time I have read two less than stellar novels and had to fight off reading a third. There is so much good stuff that I want to read, why do I keep coming back to the crap that I don’t even really enjoy?
-I should go and make some humus so that I have something tasty to eat as I continue to work this evening.
-I had my final presentation of the year today. Surprisingly, it went much better than I had expected.
In the several practice runs I went through last night I was having a very hard time keeping things to the correct amount of time as well as even getting the content to come across in a way with which I felt comfortable.
Before class I went through my notes and decided to leave a few things out and re-order a few points. So I was basically going up there without any practice.
For some reason as soon as I stood in front of the class I felt comfortable and things started to make sense to me, I knew how I would proceed. While it was not the world’s best presentation it was much better than what I had expected would happen.
-It seems that gas prices jumped by about 10-12 cents last night in Montreal. The intricacies of gas pricing still baffle me.
-It seems that yesterday’s fudge was left in the fridge for to long and now has become stuck to the bottom of the pan. Maybe I could leave it out for some period of time to encourage it to soften up a little, something that might make it easier to remove from the pan without breaking all of the nicely cut pieces. Something else about the fudge that I have noted is that it isn’t the best fudge I have had. Maybe when I will get back to St. John’s I will look for a fudge recipe that my mother used to use.
-As Friday is Good Friday Thomson House will be closed for the day (as well as Easter Monday). This is unfortunate as I was scheduled to work my usual Friday night shift. Fortunately, a last minute event was planned for Thursday night and I was able to get one of the two shifts. This should give me enough tip money to be able to afford to go the GSLIS end of term party for a few drinks on Saturday night. On the other hand, if I really wanted to save money and still spend time with my classmates, I could take the available shift and work the event on Saturday night.
-For some reason in the past few days I have had three different types of sausages. This is somewhat unusual for me as typically I don’t eat sausages all that frequently. Hopefully I will head back to my low frequency consumption pattern in the near future.
-While poking around Neil’s web footprint I saw for the first time a method to allow the quick dissemination of mathematical. Basically the proof, or whatever the person is doing, is captured by taking simple digital photos of a blackboard with workings and then posted online. This process gets around having to deal with cumbersome typesetting programs and awkward file formats. People are easily able to see most photos posted to a website, in some cases even free photo sharing services could be used. If text recognition programs become particularly advanced maybe it would be possible to translate these photos into more traditional formats.
-Today while on an unsuccessful mission to look at an apartment, I was able to finally stop in and check out Segal’s, a Portuguese grocery store on St. Laurent. This place is pretty incredible. Aside from the amazing deals and strange food, they actually had a stack of salt cod in the back of the store. I was pretty tempted to buy an entire salt cod just because of my Newfoundland connection. I wonder if this is the cod that involved in that foreign over-fishing problem?
-For the past week or so the pull of the trashy, easy to read novels has been very strong. During this period of time I have read two less than stellar novels and had to fight off reading a third. There is so much good stuff that I want to read, why do I keep coming back to the crap that I don’t even really enjoy?
-I should go and make some humus so that I have something tasty to eat as I continue to work this evening.
Ah, Fudge!
For the past few weeks I have wanted to make a batch of fudge. In many ways this is a strange desire as I am not really all that big a fan of fudge. I am not sure that I can remember the last time that I actually purchased fudge.
The conditions to satisfy this desire seem to have all been met today.
I was in the midst of closing a .pdf file that contained a family's favourite recipes when I happened to see a recipe for fudge. A quick evaluation of the ingredient list suggested that I had all of the needed ingredients in my apartment. On top of that, I know that at some point this evening I would need a break from the project I was working on.
So at about 10:00 PM tonight I made my first batch of fudge. As I write the fudge is cooling in the fridge. I imagine that I will have to taste it either tonight before I go to bed or tomorrow morning.
The conditions to satisfy this desire seem to have all been met today.
I was in the midst of closing a .pdf file that contained a family's favourite recipes when I happened to see a recipe for fudge. A quick evaluation of the ingredient list suggested that I had all of the needed ingredients in my apartment. On top of that, I know that at some point this evening I would need a break from the project I was working on.
So at about 10:00 PM tonight I made my first batch of fudge. As I write the fudge is cooling in the fridge. I imagine that I will have to taste it either tonight before I go to bed or tomorrow morning.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
Beer Shower
Like last night, I had to work at Thomson House tonight. Unlike last night, I was working a function instead of a standard evening. While the evening was a little slow to start, things did eventually pick up.
Amazingly, things picked up so much that within about an hour and a half I had to change three of six kegs in the ballroom. This meant that I had to bring new kegs in from out side and cold kegs up from the keg fridge. Just before putting the finishing touches on the project I had to put the taps back in a few of the kegs I had unhooked.
As I was re-tapping the Moosehead I experienced my first beer shower, a stream of beer that shoots out of the top of a poorly topped keg. This was really quite an event. I got the first blast in the face and then took a pretty good shot to the torso. After a few seconds I was able to remove the tap and stop the flow. At this point I stood back and admired my handiwork. I had managed to spray beer all over the inside of the keg fridge as well as all over the floor and mats just outside the keg fridge. Fortunately the guy cleaning the kitchen had not yet gotten around to mopping the floor.
After all of this keg changing I found that I still had two more kegs to bring in to fill the keg fridge to optimal levels. In some ways I was fortunate that we are out of so many kegs or I would have had to spend another twenty minutes bringing additional kegs.
Amazingly, things picked up so much that within about an hour and a half I had to change three of six kegs in the ballroom. This meant that I had to bring new kegs in from out side and cold kegs up from the keg fridge. Just before putting the finishing touches on the project I had to put the taps back in a few of the kegs I had unhooked.
As I was re-tapping the Moosehead I experienced my first beer shower, a stream of beer that shoots out of the top of a poorly topped keg. This was really quite an event. I got the first blast in the face and then took a pretty good shot to the torso. After a few seconds I was able to remove the tap and stop the flow. At this point I stood back and admired my handiwork. I had managed to spray beer all over the inside of the keg fridge as well as all over the floor and mats just outside the keg fridge. Fortunately the guy cleaning the kitchen had not yet gotten around to mopping the floor.
After all of this keg changing I found that I still had two more kegs to bring in to fill the keg fridge to optimal levels. In some ways I was fortunate that we are out of so many kegs or I would have had to spend another twenty minutes bringing additional kegs.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 85
-Today was another beautiful day in Montreal. Though the morning was on the chilly side, it was quite comfortable by sundown. It was nice enough that I was able to ride both my bike and my unicycle. Hopefully this type of weather will keep up throughout the week.
-As mentioned above, I was able to crack out my unicycle for the first time this year. Most of my riding was done at McGill. A few days ago I found a good, out of the way spot that allows me to practice without torment (at least so far). I keep wondering why I haven’t seen more unicycles around McGill.
-This afternoon I had the pleasure of heading out on an errand for a friend. She is interested in be buying two mohair shawls for her before my return to Newfoundland. To make it to the store I rode my bike, which is no longer a peggle bike. Without too much trouble I found the store as well as the desired items. The staff was friendly and helpful. Early next week I will have to go back and pick the goods up.
On my way to my final destination I stopped at La Vielle Europe, a cool store on St. Laurent, and picked up some discount herbal tea.
-For dinner tonight I cooked myself a huge batch of sausage soup. I don’t know why I can’ cook reasonable amounts of food for myself.
-When I went to Tim Horton’s today I did not receive a Roll Up the Rim cup, meaning that my record for the year of 3/33 will stand. This is a disappointing record as I am below the advertised win rate, though I must admit it is pretty lose.
-I have to work tomorrow night and Saturday night. Tomorrow night is a swing night in the ballroom, though I don’t exactly know what that entails. On Saturday night there is some kind of private party.
-Over the past few days I have been eating a huge quantity of raw vegetables, typically in the form of leaf free salads.
-As mentioned above, I was able to crack out my unicycle for the first time this year. Most of my riding was done at McGill. A few days ago I found a good, out of the way spot that allows me to practice without torment (at least so far). I keep wondering why I haven’t seen more unicycles around McGill.
-This afternoon I had the pleasure of heading out on an errand for a friend. She is interested in be buying two mohair shawls for her before my return to Newfoundland. To make it to the store I rode my bike, which is no longer a peggle bike. Without too much trouble I found the store as well as the desired items. The staff was friendly and helpful. Early next week I will have to go back and pick the goods up.
On my way to my final destination I stopped at La Vielle Europe, a cool store on St. Laurent, and picked up some discount herbal tea.
-For dinner tonight I cooked myself a huge batch of sausage soup. I don’t know why I can’ cook reasonable amounts of food for myself.
-When I went to Tim Horton’s today I did not receive a Roll Up the Rim cup, meaning that my record for the year of 3/33 will stand. This is a disappointing record as I am below the advertised win rate, though I must admit it is pretty lose.
-I have to work tomorrow night and Saturday night. Tomorrow night is a swing night in the ballroom, though I don’t exactly know what that entails. On Saturday night there is some kind of private party.
-Over the past few days I have been eating a huge quantity of raw vegetables, typically in the form of leaf free salads.
A Few Quick Notes 84
-Another beautiful day in Montreal. While it has cooled off this evening, it is still a nice clear night. Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to crack out my unicycle. Hopefully this will happen tomorrow.
-My facial hair is now completely gone. No mustache, and not even the soul patch. It is a little strange to see my unblemished face again. Now I only need a hair cut and I will be back to my good old self.
Many females that I know will likely be pleased with this development. While I did have the mustache I seemed to notice a very strong gender divide regarding whether or not mustaches were facial enhancements or not.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/33, nothing to smile about. As they are quickly running out of supplies I don’t know how many more chances I will have to win big and cover my expenses for next year.
-Tonight I made some humus. It seems that I put a fair bit of garlic in and maybe not enough lemon. Next time I will have to try and rectify this problem.
-So far tonight I have read three articles about library services for part-time students. One of these articles was about students in Nigeria, another about students in Northern Ireland, and the last about students in Ontario. Amazingly, between 1977 and 2006 the needs of part-time students in regards to library services don’t seem to have changed all that much.
-My facial hair is now completely gone. No mustache, and not even the soul patch. It is a little strange to see my unblemished face again. Now I only need a hair cut and I will be back to my good old self.
Many females that I know will likely be pleased with this development. While I did have the mustache I seemed to notice a very strong gender divide regarding whether or not mustaches were facial enhancements or not.
-My Roll Up the Rim record is now 3/33, nothing to smile about. As they are quickly running out of supplies I don’t know how many more chances I will have to win big and cover my expenses for next year.
-Tonight I made some humus. It seems that I put a fair bit of garlic in and maybe not enough lemon. Next time I will have to try and rectify this problem.
-So far tonight I have read three articles about library services for part-time students. One of these articles was about students in Nigeria, another about students in Northern Ireland, and the last about students in Ontario. Amazingly, between 1977 and 2006 the needs of part-time students in regards to library services don’t seem to have changed all that much.
Monday, March 26, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 83
-Today has been another cool, grey spring day. Though today has been damp, it fortunately has not been all that rainy. By Wednesday it seems that we might be in for some sun.
Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day, much nicer than I had expected.
-For a few hours yesterday afternoon about 10 of my classmates and I curled. Though I have more experience than anyone else that played it would have been hard to tell by my record. I was completely unable to read the ice and also felt as though I was thrown off by the slip-on slider that I was using. The good thing is that everyone seemed to have fun. Maybe for next year I will have my own equipment.
-It seems that the annual Roll Up the Rim contest is just about over. It looks that I might finish the year with a 3/31 record. My longest winning streak was 2, which occurred on Saturday and Sunday.
-Today is election day in Quebec. Only yesterday I received my first election literature. Throughout the entire campaign no one has come by our building to drop off materials. While many of us are non-Quebecers, I think that this is unacceptable.
For the first time in Quebec history election day means no classes. I don’t exactly know why this policy has been implemented as people all over the world are able to vote and teach or go to school. Strangely, while McGill classes have been cancelled today all other services are being offered as normal.
-My friendly neighbourhood pigeons have been back almost every day for the past few days. The construction project on their favourite part of the neighbouring roof doesn’t seem to be bothering them all that much.
-I finally made it to Fairmont Bagels yesterday. It was as good as I had been lead to believe. I managed to eat four of the six that I purchased by the time I returned home.
Yesterday turned out to be a beautiful day, much nicer than I had expected.
-For a few hours yesterday afternoon about 10 of my classmates and I curled. Though I have more experience than anyone else that played it would have been hard to tell by my record. I was completely unable to read the ice and also felt as though I was thrown off by the slip-on slider that I was using. The good thing is that everyone seemed to have fun. Maybe for next year I will have my own equipment.
-It seems that the annual Roll Up the Rim contest is just about over. It looks that I might finish the year with a 3/31 record. My longest winning streak was 2, which occurred on Saturday and Sunday.
-Today is election day in Quebec. Only yesterday I received my first election literature. Throughout the entire campaign no one has come by our building to drop off materials. While many of us are non-Quebecers, I think that this is unacceptable.
For the first time in Quebec history election day means no classes. I don’t exactly know why this policy has been implemented as people all over the world are able to vote and teach or go to school. Strangely, while McGill classes have been cancelled today all other services are being offered as normal.
-My friendly neighbourhood pigeons have been back almost every day for the past few days. The construction project on their favourite part of the neighbouring roof doesn’t seem to be bothering them all that much.
-I finally made it to Fairmont Bagels yesterday. It was as good as I had been lead to believe. I managed to eat four of the six that I purchased by the time I returned home.
More shopping this past weekend
I make my post titles in honour of Games of No Chance (GONC) and More Games of No Chance (GONC2), books edited by my supervisor, R.J. Nowakowski. The third book in the series will be Games of No Chance 3, although another student, Paul Ottaway, and myself thought it should have been More Games of No Chance 2.
Back to my story, at 4:30 on Saturday I jaunted across the road and down the street to the second closest haircutter's, the first being where I had my last scarecut, I mean haircut. They are open until 5, but I they asked me if I would like to book an appointment for Monday. I did, and I'll get back to this later.
Saturday evening came around and I decided it was time to do some buying at Ikea.ca. My main purchases were a desk and dressers. I tried to buy the stuff online, but I was getting an error saying that my postal code didn't match my city on my billing address. I figured the computer didn't like St. John's as a city because of its punctuation, but I didn't want to submit the 'wrong' billing address and not have my payment processed. I called them up and made my order instead. My shipment is expected in 7-11 business days (from Sat).
On Sunday, Rebecca and I only hit up Lawtons and Sobeys. Lawtons had a good deal whereby a free movie ticket was earned with the purchase of 3 Dove products (excluding soap and travel sizes). Rebecca uses Dove products, but if someone wanted to they could buy 3 of the cheapest Dove deodorants (thrown them away) and 'save' money over buying a full-price admission at some theatres.
I had also planned to make an online order from Staples on Sunday. However, the products I had liked at Staples weren't on the website, and I didn't have the product numbers (I had falsely ass-u-me-d that it would be no trouble to find them online). Rebecca then remember that she had wanted to pick up a chalk holder at Staples and had forgotten. As her hands react to chalk and she is giving a chalk-n-talk (that's just a talk using a chalkboard) on Tuesday I decided I would make the run over this morning before my haircut. So this morning came and I went to Staples. I planned my bus trips out quite nicely, and I managed to go from the chair I'm in now, to Staples, and back in less than an hour. My trip was quite sucessful. I have a chair and cabinet coming on Friday, and chalk holders (normally a steep $7.99 per each) were available in 2-for-1 packs, so I got one as well (which I had wanted).
I then went to get my hair cut in the bottom of Doug Wyatt's building, at Splitt Ends (clever name). While I was getting my hair cut the phone rang and the woman cutting my hair, Melissa, went to answer it. When she came back she told another woman there than it was her husband on the phone and he was going to the doctor's to get an AIDS test, which was for some reason necessary to go to Cuba (Melissa's husband works for the Department of National Defence). Melissa said he'd better pass, to which the woman responded that Melissa's should have made sure he would pass such a test before she got married. Burn. Melissa said they mostly get student business. I figure this is why she looked so surprised when I gave her a tip. My beard got the boot when I got home. I would almost definitely get IDed buying alcohol right now if I were wearing shorts. As it is, I think it's a toss-up.
Back to my story, at 4:30 on Saturday I jaunted across the road and down the street to the second closest haircutter's, the first being where I had my last scarecut, I mean haircut. They are open until 5, but I they asked me if I would like to book an appointment for Monday. I did, and I'll get back to this later.
Saturday evening came around and I decided it was time to do some buying at Ikea.ca. My main purchases were a desk and dressers. I tried to buy the stuff online, but I was getting an error saying that my postal code didn't match my city on my billing address. I figured the computer didn't like St. John's as a city because of its punctuation, but I didn't want to submit the 'wrong' billing address and not have my payment processed. I called them up and made my order instead. My shipment is expected in 7-11 business days (from Sat).
On Sunday, Rebecca and I only hit up Lawtons and Sobeys. Lawtons had a good deal whereby a free movie ticket was earned with the purchase of 3 Dove products (excluding soap and travel sizes). Rebecca uses Dove products, but if someone wanted to they could buy 3 of the cheapest Dove deodorants (thrown them away) and 'save' money over buying a full-price admission at some theatres.
I had also planned to make an online order from Staples on Sunday. However, the products I had liked at Staples weren't on the website, and I didn't have the product numbers (I had falsely ass-u-me-d that it would be no trouble to find them online). Rebecca then remember that she had wanted to pick up a chalk holder at Staples and had forgotten. As her hands react to chalk and she is giving a chalk-n-talk (that's just a talk using a chalkboard) on Tuesday I decided I would make the run over this morning before my haircut. So this morning came and I went to Staples. I planned my bus trips out quite nicely, and I managed to go from the chair I'm in now, to Staples, and back in less than an hour. My trip was quite sucessful. I have a chair and cabinet coming on Friday, and chalk holders (normally a steep $7.99 per each) were available in 2-for-1 packs, so I got one as well (which I had wanted).
I then went to get my hair cut in the bottom of Doug Wyatt's building, at Splitt Ends (clever name). While I was getting my hair cut the phone rang and the woman cutting my hair, Melissa, went to answer it. When she came back she told another woman there than it was her husband on the phone and he was going to the doctor's to get an AIDS test, which was for some reason necessary to go to Cuba (Melissa's husband works for the Department of National Defence). Melissa said he'd better pass, to which the woman responded that Melissa's should have made sure he would pass such a test before she got married. Burn. Melissa said they mostly get student business. I figure this is why she looked so surprised when I gave her a tip. My beard got the boot when I got home. I would almost definitely get IDed buying alcohol right now if I were wearing shorts. As it is, I think it's a toss-up.
Shopping this past weekend
This might be stretching it a little, but the consumerism for the weekend started with the arrival of my package from amazon.ca. I bought two cds and four books.
On Friday night I went grocery shopping. I visited Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore. Nothing much to report there, I seem to mostly have bought lots of fruit.
Shoppers Drug Mart had a big sale on Saturday. They also had a deal where by if you bought $50 worth of stuff you got 20x the Optimum points for your purchase. Rebecca decided to stock up and go for it and I went with her. In the end Rebecca collected about 15,000 points, which when added to her previous 15,000 (worth $25) gives her 30,000 (worth $55), which is how their non-linear scale works. One could argue that Rebecca got about 40% off. Rebecca and I also went to Staples on Saturday. We shopped for a desk chair for me, with the intent of ordering online later, and bought some smaller stuff. The smaller stuff include pads of lined paper (which I now use instead of loose leaf) and glue sticks. The glue sticks were for a cut-and-paste newspaper contest in which I am participating. I have to find a 'puzzle piece' in the newspaper every day for 7 weeks and assemble 7 little puzzles and say what the picture is of in each for a chance to win $10,000. It's probably a waste of my time because I don't know Nova Scotia well enough to tell what the things are, but the good news is that the glue sticks rang in for $0.74 when I thought I was paying $1.49 (that's right, 50% off AND they rounded in my favour). Similarly, I bought a 3-pack of red pens (with bonus pencil) for $0.98, when I thought I was going to pay $1.97. The original price was $3.24.
More shopping stories later, I have to go buy a haircut.
On Friday night I went grocery shopping. I visited Sobeys and Atlantic Superstore. Nothing much to report there, I seem to mostly have bought lots of fruit.
Shoppers Drug Mart had a big sale on Saturday. They also had a deal where by if you bought $50 worth of stuff you got 20x the Optimum points for your purchase. Rebecca decided to stock up and go for it and I went with her. In the end Rebecca collected about 15,000 points, which when added to her previous 15,000 (worth $25) gives her 30,000 (worth $55), which is how their non-linear scale works. One could argue that Rebecca got about 40% off. Rebecca and I also went to Staples on Saturday. We shopped for a desk chair for me, with the intent of ordering online later, and bought some smaller stuff. The smaller stuff include pads of lined paper (which I now use instead of loose leaf) and glue sticks. The glue sticks were for a cut-and-paste newspaper contest in which I am participating. I have to find a 'puzzle piece' in the newspaper every day for 7 weeks and assemble 7 little puzzles and say what the picture is of in each for a chance to win $10,000. It's probably a waste of my time because I don't know Nova Scotia well enough to tell what the things are, but the good news is that the glue sticks rang in for $0.74 when I thought I was paying $1.49 (that's right, 50% off AND they rounded in my favour). Similarly, I bought a 3-pack of red pens (with bonus pencil) for $0.98, when I thought I was going to pay $1.97. The original price was $3.24.
More shopping stories later, I have to go buy a haircut.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Detroit Metro Aiport Tram Video
This is a clip of a tram in the Detroit Metro Airport. My uncle decided to develop upon the theme of train's entering stations/ approaching platforms that I first developed with my wildly popular clip of a train entering the Mont Royal Metro station.
[Embedded video]
[Embedded video]
Saturday, March 24, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 82
-My dreams of unicycle riding this week are fading quickly. Just moments ago I got up from reading and looked out my window to find that it is snowing a quick pace. While it is likely that there won’t be too much snow and that it won’t last, it still manages to screw things up for this evening. Other than that, it has been a reasonable day with the temperature just a few degrees above freezing.
-With a change in strategy I have now managed to get my Roll Up the Rim record to 2/28. This morning, instead of going to the McGill Tim Horton’s, I went to the shop on the corner of University and Sherbrooke.
-I hope to make some butterscotch pinwheels later this evening. It seems that I haven’t made these in a few months, which is unfortunate as they are quite tasty.
-The ‘Mustache and Cleavage Party’ at Hot Squad Headquarters (Nicole’s apartment) was a success. It was amazing to see how many guys grew rather impressive mustaches for this event. I had expected only a handful of actual mustaches, but was surprised to see that most guys had genuine facial hair. With all the mustache action I can’t say I even noticed the cleavage, and whether or not there was much.
-Tomorrow about 12 library students, including myself, will be going curling for a few hours. It seems that I will be skipping one of the team. It should be fun.
-I think I should go and eat some more of lettuce free salad.
-With a change in strategy I have now managed to get my Roll Up the Rim record to 2/28. This morning, instead of going to the McGill Tim Horton’s, I went to the shop on the corner of University and Sherbrooke.
-I hope to make some butterscotch pinwheels later this evening. It seems that I haven’t made these in a few months, which is unfortunate as they are quite tasty.
-The ‘Mustache and Cleavage Party’ at Hot Squad Headquarters (Nicole’s apartment) was a success. It was amazing to see how many guys grew rather impressive mustaches for this event. I had expected only a handful of actual mustaches, but was surprised to see that most guys had genuine facial hair. With all the mustache action I can’t say I even noticed the cleavage, and whether or not there was much.
-Tomorrow about 12 library students, including myself, will be going curling for a few hours. It seems that I will be skipping one of the team. It should be fun.
-I think I should go and eat some more of lettuce free salad.
Friday, March 23, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 81
-Today has been a pretty nice spring day here in Montreal. While there is still plenty of snow on the ground things are generally pretty pleasant. The only problem seems to be that there is some run-off accumulation at some corners. I am hoping that it will stay like this so that either tomorrow or Sunday I will be able to take my unicycle out for a quick ride.
-I am now 1/27 on Roll Up the Rim. It seems that I might want to try changing the location of my purchases, especially on the weekend as I don’t really enjoy the Saturday and Sunday staff as much as the weekday staff.
-On Sunday afternoon about 12 of us will be curling for a few hours. It seems that I will be one of the most experienced curlers there. It seems that I will be responsible for giving people a bit of an introduction before we start (it seems this way because I volunteered to do this). The kink in the game is that we will be playing with three teams, kin-ball style. I am looking forward to skipping my foursome to victory, though I am not sure that I can afford to buy drinks for two losing teams.
-Tonight is the night, the mustache and cleavage party. For the past month or so I have had my mustache in anticipation of this event. The only problem is that during this month I have grown attached to my mustache. I might have to keep it for beyond tomorrow.
-Back to work tonight, another chance to keep people in clean glassware.
-Today I made a pretty big lettuce and leaf free salad. My salad contained chopped carrots, chopped celery, and chopped red onion. As I don’t eat vinegar, my salad dressing was comprised of lemon juice and olive oil with a few herbs and spices. With two corned beef sandwiches this turned into a very satisfying lunch.
-The pigeons keep coming back to the roof across from me. This really impresses me as there is a pretty intensive construction project ongoing. We will have to see what happens in the future though as their favoured brick structure is no longer available.
-I am now 1/27 on Roll Up the Rim. It seems that I might want to try changing the location of my purchases, especially on the weekend as I don’t really enjoy the Saturday and Sunday staff as much as the weekday staff.
-On Sunday afternoon about 12 of us will be curling for a few hours. It seems that I will be one of the most experienced curlers there. It seems that I will be responsible for giving people a bit of an introduction before we start (it seems this way because I volunteered to do this). The kink in the game is that we will be playing with three teams, kin-ball style. I am looking forward to skipping my foursome to victory, though I am not sure that I can afford to buy drinks for two losing teams.
-Tonight is the night, the mustache and cleavage party. For the past month or so I have had my mustache in anticipation of this event. The only problem is that during this month I have grown attached to my mustache. I might have to keep it for beyond tomorrow.
-Back to work tonight, another chance to keep people in clean glassware.
-Today I made a pretty big lettuce and leaf free salad. My salad contained chopped carrots, chopped celery, and chopped red onion. As I don’t eat vinegar, my salad dressing was comprised of lemon juice and olive oil with a few herbs and spices. With two corned beef sandwiches this turned into a very satisfying lunch.
-The pigeons keep coming back to the roof across from me. This really impresses me as there is a pretty intensive construction project ongoing. We will have to see what happens in the future though as their favoured brick structure is no longer available.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Free Books
As I have mentioned before, occasionally at McGill one will find a free book box near the Redpath Library. This tends to be one of the highlights of my day. I have found all kinds of good stuff there.
One of the things about this box that I like in particular is that I am willing to pick up all kinds of things that under normal circumstances I would not consider buying. I have picked up some John LeCarre spy novels, some J. D. Salinger, some Dickens, among many other things.
Yesterday, I was pleased to find an Oprah Book Club selection and a copy of The Merchant of Venice on my way to class. As I was returning from class I came across the weekly Wednesday jackpot, several full bins of free books.
After just a few minutes of searching through these bins I came across a book whose title and cover page I thought that I recognized from an episode of Wonder Years. The book in question is Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex – But Were Afraid To Ask (EYAWTKASBWATA) by David Reuben.
Once I returned home after class I started to flip through EYAWTKASBWATA, as I too have questions that I am afraid to ask. I immediately surprised to find some of the chapters titled as they were. It seems that “Frigidity,” “Male Homosexuality,” and “September Sex” are chapter titles that I wouldn’t expect to find in a book published today.
More importantly, the content was something that I didn’t really expect to find. Most importantly, this guy has never heard of Viagra. His entire “Impotence” chapter needs to be re-written. Another chapter in need of a major re-evaluation is the one on “Male Homosexuality.” In this case there are too many problems to point out here. I would only recommend reading it as a historical document representing the mood of the 1960’s and certainly not as an information source. If one is gay this book would make one more afraid to ask than before.
Hopefully the quality of today’s other two finds will be higher.
One of the things about this box that I like in particular is that I am willing to pick up all kinds of things that under normal circumstances I would not consider buying. I have picked up some John LeCarre spy novels, some J. D. Salinger, some Dickens, among many other things.
Yesterday, I was pleased to find an Oprah Book Club selection and a copy of The Merchant of Venice on my way to class. As I was returning from class I came across the weekly Wednesday jackpot, several full bins of free books.
After just a few minutes of searching through these bins I came across a book whose title and cover page I thought that I recognized from an episode of Wonder Years. The book in question is Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sex – But Were Afraid To Ask (EYAWTKASBWATA) by David Reuben.
Once I returned home after class I started to flip through EYAWTKASBWATA, as I too have questions that I am afraid to ask. I immediately surprised to find some of the chapters titled as they were. It seems that “Frigidity,” “Male Homosexuality,” and “September Sex” are chapter titles that I wouldn’t expect to find in a book published today.
More importantly, the content was something that I didn’t really expect to find. Most importantly, this guy has never heard of Viagra. His entire “Impotence” chapter needs to be re-written. Another chapter in need of a major re-evaluation is the one on “Male Homosexuality.” In this case there are too many problems to point out here. I would only recommend reading it as a historical document representing the mood of the 1960’s and certainly not as an information source. If one is gay this book would make one more afraid to ask than before.
Hopefully the quality of today’s other two finds will be higher.
A Few Quick Notes 80
-Today wasn’t all that bad, though it wasn’t that great either. It became unpleasant this evening once black ice started to form on the sidewalks and streets. Hopefully I won’t have to deal with this on my walk to school tomorrow morning.
-I am now 1/25 on Roll Up the Rim. Clearly I am doing something wrong as the normal distribution rate is 1/9.
-I had to spend several hours in the library this evening. My goal was to find materials related to youth computer game playing in libraries. In many ways I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found. Previous searches have been much less successful. Part of my success must be attributed to using the thesaurus properly, something that I learned how to do in a recent class.
The unfortunate side of things is that many of the articles that I found are not available at McGill. Inter-library loan (ILL) requests had to be filed.
The ILL process at McGill was not fun. I was quite tempted to just forget about it. They have some kind of online system that brings together users from Bishop’s, Concordia, and McGill. The downside of the system is that you can’t search by journal title, you don’t get a request form that is specifically designed for the type of work that you would like, and it assumes that the user has more knowledge than is likely.
-Earlier today I booked my flight to St. John’s. I will be heading back on the evening of the 19th, and arriving early in the morning of the 20th. If the flight is on time I will even have enough time for a quick trip down to George Street for a few rounds.
-I have to work tomorrow and Friday. Between these two shifts I need to do a serious amount of schoolwork.
-I made another batch of cornbread today. It seems that I am really hitting it hard.
It is kind of funny that I made cornbread today because I was too lazy to go back to the store. I wonder if most people would have the opposite experience?
-I am now 1/25 on Roll Up the Rim. Clearly I am doing something wrong as the normal distribution rate is 1/9.
-I had to spend several hours in the library this evening. My goal was to find materials related to youth computer game playing in libraries. In many ways I was pleasantly surprised at how much I found. Previous searches have been much less successful. Part of my success must be attributed to using the thesaurus properly, something that I learned how to do in a recent class.
The unfortunate side of things is that many of the articles that I found are not available at McGill. Inter-library loan (ILL) requests had to be filed.
The ILL process at McGill was not fun. I was quite tempted to just forget about it. They have some kind of online system that brings together users from Bishop’s, Concordia, and McGill. The downside of the system is that you can’t search by journal title, you don’t get a request form that is specifically designed for the type of work that you would like, and it assumes that the user has more knowledge than is likely.
-Earlier today I booked my flight to St. John’s. I will be heading back on the evening of the 19th, and arriving early in the morning of the 20th. If the flight is on time I will even have enough time for a quick trip down to George Street for a few rounds.
-I have to work tomorrow and Friday. Between these two shifts I need to do a serious amount of schoolwork.
-I made another batch of cornbread today. It seems that I am really hitting it hard.
It is kind of funny that I made cornbread today because I was too lazy to go back to the store. I wonder if most people would have the opposite experience?
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 79
-Today was another beautiful winter’s day in Montreal. The temperature as reported by Environment Canada seemed to be a little lower than it actually felt. It seems that Nithum’s prediction was really quite early.
-I am now 1/24 in Roll Up the Rim to Win attempts. This is a horrible record. I just can’t figure out what I am doing wrong. It seems that all kinds of people get two or three wins right off the bat.
-Earlier tonight when I was talking to my mother on the phone she passed a piece of information that she acquired from Shawyer. It turns out that an anagram for my name, Cameron, is ‘Romance.” This was pretty good news as far as I was concerned.
-The election in Quebec is less than a week away and I have not yet received a single flyer or knock on my door. I know that I can’t vote, but I still want to at least pretend to campaign in the Ghetto. Also, I would take the opportunity to try and learn a few things about Quebec politics.
-Yesterday before class I made some cornbread. Today while doing my laundry I made some hummus.
-This looks as though it is going to be a rough project season. It has been building up slowly and will crescendo in a few weeks. Hopefully I will be able to make it through without too many problems. One of these assignments is due tomorrow afternoon.
-I have to work on both Thursday and Friday of this week. After work on Friday I will be attending a “Mustache and Cleavage” party, hence the mustache.
As the mustache has been endearing itself to me I am not sure if it will go on March 24 as originally planned. Maybe it will have to stay around for at least a few more days.
-Over the past few days I watched the third season of a reality TV show called ‘Beauty and the Geek.’ This show was surprisingly watchable and disturbing.
-I am now 1/24 in Roll Up the Rim to Win attempts. This is a horrible record. I just can’t figure out what I am doing wrong. It seems that all kinds of people get two or three wins right off the bat.
-Earlier tonight when I was talking to my mother on the phone she passed a piece of information that she acquired from Shawyer. It turns out that an anagram for my name, Cameron, is ‘Romance.” This was pretty good news as far as I was concerned.
-The election in Quebec is less than a week away and I have not yet received a single flyer or knock on my door. I know that I can’t vote, but I still want to at least pretend to campaign in the Ghetto. Also, I would take the opportunity to try and learn a few things about Quebec politics.
-Yesterday before class I made some cornbread. Today while doing my laundry I made some hummus.
-This looks as though it is going to be a rough project season. It has been building up slowly and will crescendo in a few weeks. Hopefully I will be able to make it through without too many problems. One of these assignments is due tomorrow afternoon.
-I have to work on both Thursday and Friday of this week. After work on Friday I will be attending a “Mustache and Cleavage” party, hence the mustache.
As the mustache has been endearing itself to me I am not sure if it will go on March 24 as originally planned. Maybe it will have to stay around for at least a few more days.
-Over the past few days I watched the third season of a reality TV show called ‘Beauty and the Geek.’ This show was surprisingly watchable and disturbing.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 78
-These past few days have been pretty winter-like. On Friday night we had a pretty reasonable batch of blowing snow, something that held over until yesterday. While today was it bit warmer, it was still definitely winter, with plenty of slush as evidence.
-Celery dropped in price from $2.99 to $1.29 at Lobos. This is great news for me as I eat celery more than just about any other vegetable, maybe even potatoes. I was beginning to wonder if I would have to cut back because of the high prices. Because of this great news I doubled my purchase, I am now the proud owner of two bunches of celery (well, one and a half).
-How about a Vokuhila to go with my Oliba?
Or in more standard English, how about a mullet to go with mustache?
My friend Thomas passed these two terms on to me from Germany. Both of them are derived from the longer and fuller form of the terms. This is key information, if you ever go into a barber shop remember to say ‘nein’ if you hear ‘vokuhila.’
-The Thomson House St. Paddy’s Day Party was a success in my eyes. As far as I can tell the main negative part of the evening was the Francophone/Anglophone fuelled bar fight. Fortunately this wasn’t a big fight and was interrupted quickly.
-Over the past few days I have started to listen to “When We Was Boys” by a Crowd of Bold Sharemen. This seems to be a song in support of Newfoundland nationalism, lamenting Newfoundland’s perceived loss of independence and reliance on Government.
-For the past few months I have had battery problems with my digital camera. In late summer, I purchased some very expensive disposable batteries for my camera. These batteries lasted until January of this year. Since then I have been using a mish-mash of disposable and rechargeable batteries, none of which have been very satisfactory.
It seems that the disposable batteries that I purchased yesterday came pre-depleted, while the rechargeable batteries that I have don’t last much longer.
This is annoying because it limits the functionality of my digital camera. For instance, it was of no use in documenting my celebration of St. Paddy’s day yesterday. I guess there are two solutions, either buy expensive disposable batteries or buy expensive rechargeable batteries. It is unfortunate that both of these solutions mean spending money.
-Celery dropped in price from $2.99 to $1.29 at Lobos. This is great news for me as I eat celery more than just about any other vegetable, maybe even potatoes. I was beginning to wonder if I would have to cut back because of the high prices. Because of this great news I doubled my purchase, I am now the proud owner of two bunches of celery (well, one and a half).
-How about a Vokuhila to go with my Oliba?
Or in more standard English, how about a mullet to go with mustache?
My friend Thomas passed these two terms on to me from Germany. Both of them are derived from the longer and fuller form of the terms. This is key information, if you ever go into a barber shop remember to say ‘nein’ if you hear ‘vokuhila.’
-The Thomson House St. Paddy’s Day Party was a success in my eyes. As far as I can tell the main negative part of the evening was the Francophone/Anglophone fuelled bar fight. Fortunately this wasn’t a big fight and was interrupted quickly.
-Over the past few days I have started to listen to “When We Was Boys” by a Crowd of Bold Sharemen. This seems to be a song in support of Newfoundland nationalism, lamenting Newfoundland’s perceived loss of independence and reliance on Government.
-For the past few months I have had battery problems with my digital camera. In late summer, I purchased some very expensive disposable batteries for my camera. These batteries lasted until January of this year. Since then I have been using a mish-mash of disposable and rechargeable batteries, none of which have been very satisfactory.
It seems that the disposable batteries that I purchased yesterday came pre-depleted, while the rechargeable batteries that I have don’t last much longer.
This is annoying because it limits the functionality of my digital camera. For instance, it was of no use in documenting my celebration of St. Paddy’s day yesterday. I guess there are two solutions, either buy expensive disposable batteries or buy expensive rechargeable batteries. It is unfortunate that both of these solutions mean spending money.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 77
-Today was a beautiful day in Montreal. Things started off a little overcast if I recall correctly, but had brightened up by the time I left school. Though while things were getting brighter they were also getting cooler. It is now a few degrees below zero for what seems like the first time in days. My hands are actually not functioning correctly because of the low temperatures.
-I am now 1/18 at Tim Hortons. What is it with my playing style that is just not working. Maybe a more aggressive strategy is called for.
-A big project is due tomorrow. While I don’t really like it, I think one major edit more and I will call it a day. Or maybe an edit with some content based additions. I really need to make sure that I have been consistent (meaning covered the same content in my tables as in my prose).
-I have been eating a pretty fair number of vegetables in the last few days. It seems that during this upswing my meat consumption has really dropped off. To rectify the situation I think that I should go prepare myself the chicken breast that I have in my fridge.
-I am now 1/18 at Tim Hortons. What is it with my playing style that is just not working. Maybe a more aggressive strategy is called for.
-A big project is due tomorrow. While I don’t really like it, I think one major edit more and I will call it a day. Or maybe an edit with some content based additions. I really need to make sure that I have been consistent (meaning covered the same content in my tables as in my prose).
-I have been eating a pretty fair number of vegetables in the last few days. It seems that during this upswing my meat consumption has really dropped off. To rectify the situation I think that I should go prepare myself the chicken breast that I have in my fridge.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Delinquent blogging
I've been waaaay too slack with my posting. Tomorrow would be a month since my last post. As I'm out of practice, and I'm supposed to be somewhere else in 12 minutes, I'll make this quick.
I had an excellent trip and I made it back safely, three weeks ago today. In the past couple days especially, I've been spending much less time on my computer. I had be trying to spend less time surfing the web, but that lead to more game playing, especially cribbage. Most importantly I haven't been spending much time at all on facebook, which I'm pleased with, but it also means I haven't posted any pictures recently.
In terms of real news in my life, I've been accepted into the PhD programme here. I've also been offered funding from the department, which isn't as much as I'd like necessarily, but it's enough to live off of. I should hear from NSERC by the end of March.
Academically, as opposed to paperwork in academia, I should really get cracking on thesis research. However, I've been cluing up some work from the summer and David Pike (from MUN) and I should be submitting a paper soon.
I'm off to trivia at the Grad House now. Dal had a referendum recently about some issues that concerned the Grad House. The referendum didn't pass and it may be that the GH is only around for another year. The president, Tom Traves, had threatened to knock it down (and not replace it) if the referendum didn't pass.
I had an excellent trip and I made it back safely, three weeks ago today. In the past couple days especially, I've been spending much less time on my computer. I had be trying to spend less time surfing the web, but that lead to more game playing, especially cribbage. Most importantly I haven't been spending much time at all on facebook, which I'm pleased with, but it also means I haven't posted any pictures recently.
In terms of real news in my life, I've been accepted into the PhD programme here. I've also been offered funding from the department, which isn't as much as I'd like necessarily, but it's enough to live off of. I should hear from NSERC by the end of March.
Academically, as opposed to paperwork in academia, I should really get cracking on thesis research. However, I've been cluing up some work from the summer and David Pike (from MUN) and I should be submitting a paper soon.
I'm off to trivia at the Grad House now. Dal had a referendum recently about some issues that concerned the Grad House. The referendum didn't pass and it may be that the GH is only around for another year. The president, Tom Traves, had threatened to knock it down (and not replace it) if the referendum didn't pass.
A Few Quick Notes 76
-Today was another relatively warm day in Montreal. According to the Environment Canada 24 hour trends graph, we were above freezing all day.
If things continue like this we will be out of snow in no time. The problem is that it does not looks as though things will continue like this, snow is being forecast for the end of the week.
-My losing streak at Tim Horton’s ended today. I am now an impressive 1/16. The good thing is that I won a coffee, which I will re-invest in a new losing streak.
-My mustache is doing well. You may recall that it is a horseshoe mustache and a soul patch. Talk about classy.
Amazingly, the longer it stays the more I appreciate it. As far as I am concerned it is a serious step up from the beard in terms of looks, but a serious step back in terms of maintenance.
-I have too much boring work to do.
-It looks as though I will be going back to St. John’s for the summer. If anyone knows of any high paying part-time evening and weekend jobs please let me know, I will be looking to supplement my income. Another goal for the summer is to do some reading (though this will not happen to the same degree that I would like it to).
-Boring work has really helped my dedication to blogging.
-I should make some more cornbread, the batch I made yesterday is gone already.
If things continue like this we will be out of snow in no time. The problem is that it does not looks as though things will continue like this, snow is being forecast for the end of the week.
-My losing streak at Tim Horton’s ended today. I am now an impressive 1/16. The good thing is that I won a coffee, which I will re-invest in a new losing streak.
-My mustache is doing well. You may recall that it is a horseshoe mustache and a soul patch. Talk about classy.
Amazingly, the longer it stays the more I appreciate it. As far as I am concerned it is a serious step up from the beard in terms of looks, but a serious step back in terms of maintenance.
-I have too much boring work to do.
-It looks as though I will be going back to St. John’s for the summer. If anyone knows of any high paying part-time evening and weekend jobs please let me know, I will be looking to supplement my income. Another goal for the summer is to do some reading (though this will not happen to the same degree that I would like it to).
-Boring work has really helped my dedication to blogging.
-I should make some more cornbread, the batch I made yesterday is gone already.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
1st Annual Library Olympics
While in class yesterday I realized that GSLIS needs some kind of organized library sporting event. My initial desire was to have this take place at the end of the term, though it now seems that there isn’t enough time between now and then.
My new idea is that this can serve as part of the orientation process next September. Teams could be comprised of first and second year students. If we get really adventurous would can invite teams from libraries around Montreal, and maybe even from the University de Montreal library school. I guess I have to be careful to make sure that this doesn’t get out of hand or too complicated in the first year.
Possible events:
Book truck races – take a loaded book truck through a course without losing any books. This can be done either individually or in the style of a relay. The other main question seems to be whether or not it should be done head to head, or against the clock.
Shelving races – each competitor would be given a pile of books and have to order them correctly on a shelf as quickly as possible. I am not sure if this would be timed, or whether it would have to be done in a certain period of time.
Head to head ready reference – two people would be seated a computers, each with an data projector. A judge would read a ready-reference question and the two competitors would have to try to find the correct answer as quickly as possible.
Story telling – competitor would have to read/present a story to the audience. The judging panel, comprised of children, would determine the winner.
Costume (Traditional or Theme) – Just before the awards ceremony there would be a costume competition. People could either enter the traditional librarian group or the themed side of the contest. In the traditional category competitors would be judged on such things as tightness of bun, thickness of glasses, and comfort level of shoes. The themed category would be a little more open, basically as long as it could be in some way linked to books or libraries. An example that was suggested today that would fit this category would be “book worm.”
Speed Cataloging – Competitors would be given something to catalogue as quickly as possible. An experienced cataloger would then judge it.
Shushing – competitors would be given situation and then have to provide the appropriate ‘shush.’ An example might be that a patron is on a cell phone in a silent area, or two children are talking.
Suggested events that may never get off the ground:
Book burning – reduce your book to ashes the in the shortest period of time. The concerns regarding this one are rather obvious; one knows that librarians can’t be trusted with matches.
Pimp out your book truck – mainly because we have a shortage of book trucks and this may take too long. If you are interested in seeing a pimped out book truck then check out the latest issue of Unabashed Librarian.
Suggestions for further events are welcomed, particularly if they are archive or knowledge management themed. Also, suggestions for scoring and competition structure are also welcomed.
My new idea is that this can serve as part of the orientation process next September. Teams could be comprised of first and second year students. If we get really adventurous would can invite teams from libraries around Montreal, and maybe even from the University de Montreal library school. I guess I have to be careful to make sure that this doesn’t get out of hand or too complicated in the first year.
Possible events:
Book truck races – take a loaded book truck through a course without losing any books. This can be done either individually or in the style of a relay. The other main question seems to be whether or not it should be done head to head, or against the clock.
Shelving races – each competitor would be given a pile of books and have to order them correctly on a shelf as quickly as possible. I am not sure if this would be timed, or whether it would have to be done in a certain period of time.
Head to head ready reference – two people would be seated a computers, each with an data projector. A judge would read a ready-reference question and the two competitors would have to try to find the correct answer as quickly as possible.
Story telling – competitor would have to read/present a story to the audience. The judging panel, comprised of children, would determine the winner.
Costume (Traditional or Theme) – Just before the awards ceremony there would be a costume competition. People could either enter the traditional librarian group or the themed side of the contest. In the traditional category competitors would be judged on such things as tightness of bun, thickness of glasses, and comfort level of shoes. The themed category would be a little more open, basically as long as it could be in some way linked to books or libraries. An example that was suggested today that would fit this category would be “book worm.”
Speed Cataloging – Competitors would be given something to catalogue as quickly as possible. An experienced cataloger would then judge it.
Shushing – competitors would be given situation and then have to provide the appropriate ‘shush.’ An example might be that a patron is on a cell phone in a silent area, or two children are talking.
Suggested events that may never get off the ground:
Book burning – reduce your book to ashes the in the shortest period of time. The concerns regarding this one are rather obvious; one knows that librarians can’t be trusted with matches.
Pimp out your book truck – mainly because we have a shortage of book trucks and this may take too long. If you are interested in seeing a pimped out book truck then check out the latest issue of Unabashed Librarian.
Suggestions for further events are welcomed, particularly if they are archive or knowledge management themed. Also, suggestions for scoring and competition structure are also welcomed.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Name that ‘stache
For a few days I have been wondering what type of moustache I am currently sporting. Several co-workers have referred to it as a “dirty Sanchez,” a name with which I am not enamored.
The problem is that I hadn’t been able to come up with a better name. It isn’t a handlebar moustache, I didn’t think it was a Fu Manchu, and after that my list of names ran out.
After a bit of quick research I was able to determine that it is a horseshoe mustache, with elements of a Fu Manchu creeping in. In addition to the Horseshoe I also have a soul patch under my lower lip.
The current schedule would indicate that both of these will be gone as of about March 24, 2007. If anything comes back it will likely be a full-ish beard.
The problem is that I hadn’t been able to come up with a better name. It isn’t a handlebar moustache, I didn’t think it was a Fu Manchu, and after that my list of names ran out.
After a bit of quick research I was able to determine that it is a horseshoe mustache, with elements of a Fu Manchu creeping in. In addition to the Horseshoe I also have a soul patch under my lower lip.
The current schedule would indicate that both of these will be gone as of about March 24, 2007. If anything comes back it will likely be a full-ish beard.
A Few Quick Notes 75
-Another beautiful day in Montreal. It seems that this weather is very quickly eating away at the snow reserves. If this keeps up we won’t have all that much snow left in a few days. Some rain would really speed the process up, though also make it much more unpleasant.
-As I didn’t manage to go out for a walk last night I hope to be able take one tonight.
-I am really looking forward to being able to get back on my unicycle. Hopefully I will be able to find a good patch of pavement around my apartment. Unfortunately, I didn’t really come up with a good spot this fall. Maybe I can try and find one tonight on my walk.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streak continues. As I am now beating the odds I am thinking that I should try to start setting goals for myself. My first goal will be to get to 18 straight losses.
Three to go.
-During a discussion after class a classmate reminded me that I make cornbread. It was nice to have this pointed out to me as I had forgotten to make it in a good number of weeks.
Shortly after returning home from class and consuming dinner I went to work on a quick batch of cornbread. It is now cooling in the kitchen. Hopefully I will have a few pieces as I work tonight.
-Apparently McGill will not be having classes on March 26, 2007 because it is election day. Unless this is law it seems like a bit of an overreaction on the part of the university. I can’t believe that they actually need to cancel an entire day of classes because of an election. My experience with voting in Canada would suggest that it is not all that involved a process, one needs to operate a pencil for about 2 seconds.
-This morning as I was preparing for class I was listening to CBC as normal. At one point Bartleman, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, was being interviewed by Ms. Rogers on Sounds Like Canada. One of the first things I recall hearing Bartleman say was about how all Canadians think about Muskoka as summer hangout for movie stars.
This immediately struck me as an overstatement. While I have heard of Muskoka, I certainly would not have associated Muskoka with summer recreation and movie stars. This seems to be another assumption that is based on the belief that “Canada” = “Ontario.” Sadly, this is an assumption that exists all to frequently among people from Ontario (though I should be clear that this is not common among all people from Ontario).
-As I didn’t manage to go out for a walk last night I hope to be able take one tonight.
-I am really looking forward to being able to get back on my unicycle. Hopefully I will be able to find a good patch of pavement around my apartment. Unfortunately, I didn’t really come up with a good spot this fall. Maybe I can try and find one tonight on my walk.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streak continues. As I am now beating the odds I am thinking that I should try to start setting goals for myself. My first goal will be to get to 18 straight losses.
Three to go.
-During a discussion after class a classmate reminded me that I make cornbread. It was nice to have this pointed out to me as I had forgotten to make it in a good number of weeks.
Shortly after returning home from class and consuming dinner I went to work on a quick batch of cornbread. It is now cooling in the kitchen. Hopefully I will have a few pieces as I work tonight.
-Apparently McGill will not be having classes on March 26, 2007 because it is election day. Unless this is law it seems like a bit of an overreaction on the part of the university. I can’t believe that they actually need to cancel an entire day of classes because of an election. My experience with voting in Canada would suggest that it is not all that involved a process, one needs to operate a pencil for about 2 seconds.
-This morning as I was preparing for class I was listening to CBC as normal. At one point Bartleman, the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, was being interviewed by Ms. Rogers on Sounds Like Canada. One of the first things I recall hearing Bartleman say was about how all Canadians think about Muskoka as summer hangout for movie stars.
This immediately struck me as an overstatement. While I have heard of Muskoka, I certainly would not have associated Muskoka with summer recreation and movie stars. This seems to be another assumption that is based on the belief that “Canada” = “Ontario.” Sadly, this is an assumption that exists all to frequently among people from Ontario (though I should be clear that this is not common among all people from Ontario).
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Brier Results
It appears that this has been one of the most disappointing weekends in the history of Newfoundland curling. On Saturday Ms. Devereaux’s team lost in an extra end at the World Junior Curling Championship. On Sunday Mr. Gushue’s team lost in the Brier final.
Mr. Gushue’s team gave up three in the ninth to trail by four. This was a gap that his team wasn’t able to overcome.
Mr. Gushue’s team gave up three in the ninth to trail by four. This was a gap that his team wasn’t able to overcome.
A Few Quick Notes 74
-Today was a beautiful day in Montreal. As has been the case for the past 48 hours or so, the weather was a few degrees above zero. On top of this the sun has been out, and because of daylight savings time is still up. If I didn’t have so much work to do I would like to take a walk.
-“Do you self-identify with, or have ancestry as an Aboriginal person (status or non-status Indian, Métis or Inuit)?” was a questions that I faced on a survey supported by McGill today. This seems to be taking political correctness to a nonsensical extreme. What do they mean by “self-identify with”?
-A classmate of mine attended a “Newfoundland Party” last night. Apparently she met someone from Newfoundland that knows me and reads this esteemed publication. The unfortunate thing is that based on the information that I have been given I can’t quite figure out who this could be. There may be some connection to the law school, but I don’t know exactly what that is.
-My Tim Horton’s losing streak continues. Maybe this means that I am going to win something big?
-I have a big project due tomorrow. Fortunately, over the past few days my partner and I have made a fair bit of progress. We are just tidying things up at this point.
-Neil has not posted in a long time, nearing a month. I know that grad school can take a fair bit out of someone but I also know that he must have the occasional few minutes free, during which he could jot down a quick post.
-Back to school tomorrow after a nice weekend of work and sleep.
-My dinner is currently in the oven. I will be having “Chicken and Rice,” a family favourite that is basically rice, chicken pieces (in this case two breasts), celery, and cream of mushroom soup. All of these ingredients, along with a few added for additional flavour, are baked together until the chicken and rice are done. This dish should be served warm with vegetables.
-“Do you self-identify with, or have ancestry as an Aboriginal person (status or non-status Indian, Métis or Inuit)?” was a questions that I faced on a survey supported by McGill today. This seems to be taking political correctness to a nonsensical extreme. What do they mean by “self-identify with”?
-A classmate of mine attended a “Newfoundland Party” last night. Apparently she met someone from Newfoundland that knows me and reads this esteemed publication. The unfortunate thing is that based on the information that I have been given I can’t quite figure out who this could be. There may be some connection to the law school, but I don’t know exactly what that is.
-My Tim Horton’s losing streak continues. Maybe this means that I am going to win something big?
-I have a big project due tomorrow. Fortunately, over the past few days my partner and I have made a fair bit of progress. We are just tidying things up at this point.
-Neil has not posted in a long time, nearing a month. I know that grad school can take a fair bit out of someone but I also know that he must have the occasional few minutes free, during which he could jot down a quick post.
-Back to school tomorrow after a nice weekend of work and sleep.
-My dinner is currently in the oven. I will be having “Chicken and Rice,” a family favourite that is basically rice, chicken pieces (in this case two breasts), celery, and cream of mushroom soup. All of these ingredients, along with a few added for additional flavour, are baked together until the chicken and rice are done. This dish should be served warm with vegetables.
A Few Quick Notes 73
-Today was quite warm and slushy. The temperature seems to have risen quickly early this morning.
This quick change has made a mess of the large amount of ice that was starting to accumulate on the sidewalks and street corners. This problem is the greatest just up the street form me as we seem to have had a water mane break. This caused a huge amount of ice build up, which is now slush.
-It seems that Ms. Devereaux’s team lost in extra ends at the World Junior Curling Championships. They were up two going into the tenth only to give up a steal of two. They then gave up a steal of 1 in the eleventh for the loss. I was thinking they had it locked up when I saw the score after nine.
-Mr. Gushue plays tomorrow. A win by Newfoundland would be only second Brier win for Newfoundland. The first came 1976.
-As I received my tips last night and had some cash in hand I went grocery shopping today. Some of my first purchases were herbal tea. In total I ended up purchasing three flavours, two of them new to me. At Eden I purchased some Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger (my favourite) and some Stash Mango Passionfruit. At Lobos I purchased some Traditional Medicinals Organic Rose Hips herbal tea. So far I am not all that impressed with either the rose hip or mango/passionfruit.
My total is now nine flavours of herbal tea in my apartment and two in my locker at school for a total of eleven.
Most of my other purchases were either sale items or cheap produce, including a carton of fresh raspberries for a dollar.
-Today was a busy day at library school. All kinds of people, including myself, were in the lounge working on group projects. Hopefully my collection development project is nearing a completion point.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streak has been extended by another loss. Maybe I will keep it going tomorrow.
This quick change has made a mess of the large amount of ice that was starting to accumulate on the sidewalks and street corners. This problem is the greatest just up the street form me as we seem to have had a water mane break. This caused a huge amount of ice build up, which is now slush.
-It seems that Ms. Devereaux’s team lost in extra ends at the World Junior Curling Championships. They were up two going into the tenth only to give up a steal of two. They then gave up a steal of 1 in the eleventh for the loss. I was thinking they had it locked up when I saw the score after nine.
-Mr. Gushue plays tomorrow. A win by Newfoundland would be only second Brier win for Newfoundland. The first came 1976.
-As I received my tips last night and had some cash in hand I went grocery shopping today. Some of my first purchases were herbal tea. In total I ended up purchasing three flavours, two of them new to me. At Eden I purchased some Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger (my favourite) and some Stash Mango Passionfruit. At Lobos I purchased some Traditional Medicinals Organic Rose Hips herbal tea. So far I am not all that impressed with either the rose hip or mango/passionfruit.
My total is now nine flavours of herbal tea in my apartment and two in my locker at school for a total of eleven.
Most of my other purchases were either sale items or cheap produce, including a carton of fresh raspberries for a dollar.
-Today was a busy day at library school. All kinds of people, including myself, were in the lounge working on group projects. Hopefully my collection development project is nearing a completion point.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streak has been extended by another loss. Maybe I will keep it going tomorrow.
Friday, March 09, 2007
Losing Streak
I am now 0-12 on this season's "Roll up the Rim" contest. Maybe I need to switch up my technique, so far I have been ordering the same thing each day. The problem with changing my order is that there isn't anything else that I would really want to order.
I guess I will keep at it with the extra-large black coffees, eventually I should manage to win something, if only a muffin.
I guess I will keep at it with the extra-large black coffees, eventually I should manage to win something, if only a muffin.
Curling
It looks as though Mr. Gushue finished second in the Brier round-robin, guaranteeing him a place in the finals. Earlier in the week things weren't looking that good, I believe at one point his record was 1 - 3. Fortunately, he was able to turn things around and go on a 7 game winning streak to finish the round.
His first play-off game will be tonight with the finals on Sunday.
A Newfoundland team is also competing at the World Junior's. It looks as though Deveraux's team has made the playoffs in that competition also.
It is an odd experience to see people against whom I used to curl at the top of the game. One dosen't expect this sort of things from Newfoundland based sports teams. I guess the St. John's Curling Club after school program has some results to show for its efforts.
His first play-off game will be tonight with the finals on Sunday.
A Newfoundland team is also competing at the World Junior's. It looks as though Deveraux's team has made the playoffs in that competition also.
It is an odd experience to see people against whom I used to curl at the top of the game. One dosen't expect this sort of things from Newfoundland based sports teams. I guess the St. John's Curling Club after school program has some results to show for its efforts.
A Few Quick Notes 72
-Today is another chilly day in Montreal. At the moment it is almost -20, though with little to no wind.
According to the current Environment Canada forecast we should see above zero temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe this is the end of Winter that Nithum predicted a few days ago.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streaks keeps going. I am currently 0 for 11 with no sign of things turning around. I guess “Roll Up The Rim” isn’t really targeted at me anyway, I buy the same amount of coffee each day no matter what the promotion is.
-Tefko Saracevic, a big name in the library and information studies field, will be giving a talk at McGill today. It is my intention to attend.
-Tonight is another work night at Thomson House. I think that there might be some event going on tonight, but I don’t know what that would be.
According to the current Environment Canada forecast we should see above zero temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. Maybe this is the end of Winter that Nithum predicted a few days ago.
-My “Roll Up The Rim” losing streaks keeps going. I am currently 0 for 11 with no sign of things turning around. I guess “Roll Up The Rim” isn’t really targeted at me anyway, I buy the same amount of coffee each day no matter what the promotion is.
-Tefko Saracevic, a big name in the library and information studies field, will be giving a talk at McGill today. It is my intention to attend.
-Tonight is another work night at Thomson House. I think that there might be some event going on tonight, but I don’t know what that would be.
Thursday, March 08, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 71
-Another pretty nice winter’s day in Montreal. I guess it was well below zero, though there wasn’t anything too intense to deal with. It seems that within a few days we may actually be in for some above zero temperatures.
-I had another full day today. The day started with laundry, not one of my favourite tasks. From laundry I headed on to class. From class I went to the lounge to work on a project with a partner for about four hours. From the group work I went to St. Laurent to buy some sinus medication and stop by my bank. Then it was back home, where I had some food and am back to work (though at a less intense pace).
-It has finally come to my attention that I am really in need of a haircut. While I don’t really mind long hair I don’t think that it is for me. The one very nice thing about long hair is that I don’t have to do that much and I don’t have to keep on top of getting haircuts. I guess it might end up going in time for summer employment. The downside of this would be that I will have not really experienced long hair in the way that I had hoped to because it still isn’t really all that long.
-Though we are in the midst of an election in Quebec I haven’t heard that much about it. My studies and napping have been keeping me away from my normal newspaper habit, something I am only indulging in on the weekends these days. Hopefully I will get a bit of a sense of how things will go before the actual election. Maybe I will even be as bold as to make some ill-informed predictions.
-My herbal tea consumption rate is as high as ever. I think that I must have used 5 or 6 bags yesterday, most of them after 10:00 PM.
-I had another full day today. The day started with laundry, not one of my favourite tasks. From laundry I headed on to class. From class I went to the lounge to work on a project with a partner for about four hours. From the group work I went to St. Laurent to buy some sinus medication and stop by my bank. Then it was back home, where I had some food and am back to work (though at a less intense pace).
-It has finally come to my attention that I am really in need of a haircut. While I don’t really mind long hair I don’t think that it is for me. The one very nice thing about long hair is that I don’t have to do that much and I don’t have to keep on top of getting haircuts. I guess it might end up going in time for summer employment. The downside of this would be that I will have not really experienced long hair in the way that I had hoped to because it still isn’t really all that long.
-Though we are in the midst of an election in Quebec I haven’t heard that much about it. My studies and napping have been keeping me away from my normal newspaper habit, something I am only indulging in on the weekends these days. Hopefully I will get a bit of a sense of how things will go before the actual election. Maybe I will even be as bold as to make some ill-informed predictions.
-My herbal tea consumption rate is as high as ever. I think that I must have used 5 or 6 bags yesterday, most of them after 10:00 PM.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 70
-Another chilly day in Montreal. Apparently, with wind chill, it is down to almost -40. While this is the official story I am not sure that it is correct, at least where I live. It was certainly cold on my walk to school today, but not as cold as it has been at other points this year.
-As of today I have had my mustache for a week. While I don’t really think that it is much of an improvement over the beard, it does get more laughs. In fact, frequently when I look at myself in the mirror, say when I am brushing my teeth, I start to laugh. It is nice to bring a smile to people’s faces.
Another nice thing about the mustache over the beard is that I seem to be scaring people a little less. It seems that many people on subway platforms felt a little uncomfortable around a tall, unshaven, scraggily haired, shorts wearing guy. As I don’t consider myself to be a scary person I didn’t really enjoy getting this reaction.
-I have been suffering from a slight cold-type ailment for a few days now. While I have been taking some cold medication I finally switched to a sinus medication and it seems to have eliminated my sinus pain. Part of the problem is that it took me a while to identify the problem as a sinus problem. Even if I don’t get better at least I will be medicated correctly.
-I should get back to work. I have to head back to school this afternoon to work on a collection development policy project. Maybe when I get back I will try to tackle my case study.
-As of today I have had my mustache for a week. While I don’t really think that it is much of an improvement over the beard, it does get more laughs. In fact, frequently when I look at myself in the mirror, say when I am brushing my teeth, I start to laugh. It is nice to bring a smile to people’s faces.
Another nice thing about the mustache over the beard is that I seem to be scaring people a little less. It seems that many people on subway platforms felt a little uncomfortable around a tall, unshaven, scraggily haired, shorts wearing guy. As I don’t consider myself to be a scary person I didn’t really enjoy getting this reaction.
-I have been suffering from a slight cold-type ailment for a few days now. While I have been taking some cold medication I finally switched to a sinus medication and it seems to have eliminated my sinus pain. Part of the problem is that it took me a while to identify the problem as a sinus problem. Even if I don’t get better at least I will be medicated correctly.
-I should get back to work. I have to head back to school this afternoon to work on a collection development policy project. Maybe when I get back I will try to tackle my case study.
Monday, March 05, 2007
A Few Quick Notes 69
-Another winter’s day in Montreal. Though it wasn’t all that cold during the better part of the day, the temperature has now started to drop. According to Environment Canada it is supposed to go as low as -24 with a windchill of -38. I am hoping that it will have warmed up a little by the time I have to head out for class at 8:40. This development also calls into question Nithum’s prediction that winter was on its way out and that spring was here.
-Next week will be a pretty brutal week for assignments. I have two due on Monday (for a total of 65% of the course mark), one due on Wednesday, and one due on Friday. The only one that I am looking forward to writing is the one for Wednesday.
-In preparing for Wednesday’s assignment I have had to read a few articles about the nature of bibliography. I seem to have fallen into the typical trap, just viewing bibliography as a listing of books. It seems that there is so much more to the field, and that this is actually seem in a derogatory way by some bibliographers.
One of the more complex areas of study is called critical or analytical bibliography. Much of the work in this field has to do with analyzing printing techniques and styles to determine the order in which various editions were printed, and by whom. Even though this sounds pretty impressive I don’t think it is for me, I think I will stick with enumerative bibliography, or the listing of books (of course by books I mean a wide range of textual materials).
-I need to do some laundry.
-Several days ago it came to my attention that Gmail has launched a new service. It seems that now one can access other email accounts in one’s Gmail account. Just this weekend I managed to have Gmail import my McGill email account. This has been quite nice, and was easy to set up. The only downside is that there seems to be a delay between the time the message is received by McGill and the time it becomes available in Gmail. A message that I received a few minutes ago seemed to have been delayed for about 47 minutes.
-For the past few days I seem to have had some kind of cold. It seems that many people in that I know in Montreal are currently suffering from a similar illness. The strange thing is that it seems to have remained stagnant for the past few days, not really getting very bad, but also not really getting any better.
-Next week will be a pretty brutal week for assignments. I have two due on Monday (for a total of 65% of the course mark), one due on Wednesday, and one due on Friday. The only one that I am looking forward to writing is the one for Wednesday.
-In preparing for Wednesday’s assignment I have had to read a few articles about the nature of bibliography. I seem to have fallen into the typical trap, just viewing bibliography as a listing of books. It seems that there is so much more to the field, and that this is actually seem in a derogatory way by some bibliographers.
One of the more complex areas of study is called critical or analytical bibliography. Much of the work in this field has to do with analyzing printing techniques and styles to determine the order in which various editions were printed, and by whom. Even though this sounds pretty impressive I don’t think it is for me, I think I will stick with enumerative bibliography, or the listing of books (of course by books I mean a wide range of textual materials).
-I need to do some laundry.
-Several days ago it came to my attention that Gmail has launched a new service. It seems that now one can access other email accounts in one’s Gmail account. Just this weekend I managed to have Gmail import my McGill email account. This has been quite nice, and was easy to set up. The only downside is that there seems to be a delay between the time the message is received by McGill and the time it becomes available in Gmail. A message that I received a few minutes ago seemed to have been delayed for about 47 minutes.
-For the past few days I seem to have had some kind of cold. It seems that many people in that I know in Montreal are currently suffering from a similar illness. The strange thing is that it seems to have remained stagnant for the past few days, not really getting very bad, but also not really getting any better.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Nuit Blanche
As some of you may know, tonight is Nuit Blanche, an all night party in Montreal. Instead of this being a traditional drunkfest, there is a surprising emphasis on family fun. One of the main elements of this evening seems to be that all kinds of museums will be free and open all night, or at least until 3:00 or 4:00. The event finally comes to an end at about 5:00 AM when a giant, free omelet is served to all of those individuals still on their feet.
My celebration (if that is the proper term) of Nuit Blanche started at Nicole’s apartment. She and her roommates had a few people over for some pre-outing food and camaraderie. Though we didn’t make it to the 8:15 flashlight tour of the Redpath Library we did make it to the kitchen utensil music at the Musee d’art Contemporainne.
The next general area was the Vieux Port. It seemed to me that the Vieux Port may have been the hub of the evening’s activities. Several concerts were taking place, as well as many other activities (including a 120 meter ice slide).
As I am feeling a little under the weather, I didn’t stay for the Silent Disco, gospel concert, or omelet. On my way home I ran into another classmate as she was making her way down to the excitement. Her suggestion was that I head to the Spectrum for the free blues show.
While I didn’t make it to the Spectrum I did head home with the intention of preparing myself some food. As I began the preparation process I turned on my radio to find that the show at the Spectrum was being broadcast live on CBC. So far I have been pretty impressed with the content, too bad I wasn’t up for a free concert.
My celebration (if that is the proper term) of Nuit Blanche started at Nicole’s apartment. She and her roommates had a few people over for some pre-outing food and camaraderie. Though we didn’t make it to the 8:15 flashlight tour of the Redpath Library we did make it to the kitchen utensil music at the Musee d’art Contemporainne.
The next general area was the Vieux Port. It seemed to me that the Vieux Port may have been the hub of the evening’s activities. Several concerts were taking place, as well as many other activities (including a 120 meter ice slide).
As I am feeling a little under the weather, I didn’t stay for the Silent Disco, gospel concert, or omelet. On my way home I ran into another classmate as she was making her way down to the excitement. Her suggestion was that I head to the Spectrum for the free blues show.
While I didn’t make it to the Spectrum I did head home with the intention of preparing myself some food. As I began the preparation process I turned on my radio to find that the show at the Spectrum was being broadcast live on CBC. So far I have been pretty impressed with the content, too bad I wasn’t up for a free concert.
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