In all truth, this has been the mildest winter I remember this far north. It is frequently at or above freezing, and on the whole, it is quite dry. I am really ok with that, although it could prove disastrous for the pine in Alberta. Mountain pine beetle is a serious concern in this area, and mild winters are pretty hazardous for the forestry business. On the whole, I think we are in store for a great number of changes in the climate. The stuff around here is anecdotal, sure, but I am generally convinced that climate change is happening since the last ten years have been the warmest since NOAA started taking records in 1880 and that the Arctic is likely to be ice free in the summer in a few more years. Now, I am certainly not complaining about a mild winter, but I think it is likely to have severely negative consequences elsewhere on the globe. As usual, it will be the poor that suffer the brunt of the change. This must not be permitted to happen.

Lately, however, my thoughts have been mostly consumed with thoughts about work and the close of the last fiscal year. I think every industry has its caveats, and for me, this time of year is right up there. One might think it would be less stressful for the predictability, but that’s not the case. I think of year end more like a trip to the dentist — a painful, necessary, regular occurrence. However, just as years of visits to the dentist temper childhood fright, so too does experience master the trepidation of the ignorant. One generally improves with time, and my skills have advanced since my last foray. I have a couple of weeks left, so here’s to hoping for a better year than last.

It still feels a little odd to me to be preoccupied with the holiday season and the impending financial year end, but I suppose that’s the nature of the job. I have high hopes that this year will be the smoothest trip through the whole year end process yet. This time last year, I was in blissful ignorance about catastrophe waiting for me in January, but I go into it now with eyes wide open. I like to think that skills handling large amounts of textual data are more finely honed now, though. Over the last year, I have spent more time than I would like to admit in the perl documentation and playing around with sed and awk. I have lots of data files that I receive from an external source as well as data that I am free to access with SQL. It’s my goal this year to better rationalize all of that data so I can quickly and efficiently isolate discrepancies. Well, it sounds like a good idea, we’ll see if I can actually pull it off.

I saw Handel’s Messiah in person for the first time last night at the Winspear; it was impressive. The string section was particularly amazing, as other than the intermission, I think they played for a solid 3 hours. I think I’d be exhausted. The area’s professional choirs that performed also did so admirably. Nearly everyone is familiar with the Hallelujah chorus, and that was just as impressive here, but of course the concert continues on for quite some time after that. The work as a whole is a spectacular display of how important and meaningful Advent really is. It really helps put the “reason for the season” in perspective.

Scotland was quite wet, by far more so than the usual climate around here. Still, I think I’d bring back the rain over the snow that graced my view this weekend. It just seems too early to be bathed in a world of white. I feel blessed to have travelled so much over the past few years, and to have been able to occasionally escape the Edmonton climate. There is still so much of the world that I would like to see, but I think I have been fortunate in my explorations thus far. The title was tweeted by John Piper recently, and it made me think about the faithfulness of God in our lives. It’s usually not what we expect, but it’s always there.

I listened to a great piece on Sunday’s Weekend Edition on NPR today about the rise of Silvio Belusconi and the subsequent changes in Italy. For one thing, they mentioned that 80% of Italians received their news via television only. Since Mr. Belusconi was a media mogul, he was able to reshape the course of the country, which judging by its skyrocketing debt and stagnant growth, was rather unfortunate. I don’t speak Italian, so I can’t speak to the mood of the country, but I think the Economist has done a bang-up job highlighting its problems and what they mean for Europe. None of it was especially good news. I truly hope for their sakes and ours that they are able to conquer their political difficulties — maybe that would bode well for the USA, the other country with huge debts and intractable political problems.

Well, after an extended period out of the country, I am finally back home. I still feel like I am several time zones out of sync, but I suppose that will slowly wear off after a few more work days. It was, in truth, a fantastic respite from a frenetic schedule, and I am very grateful to have had it. It was so easy to disconnect in the Inner Hebrides. They are gorgeous in a stark way, with the dominant features being verdant fields, rock, and sheep. The picture above is from the Isle of Staffa, where Mendelssohn was inspired to write the Hebrides Overture after seeing Fingal’s Cave. Though it doesn’t appear so from the shot above, they are right before an enormous cliff. I got vertigo just from looking off of it.

We stayed on the Isle of Iona, which was the cradle of Christianity in Scotland, having a community founded there in 563 AD. Interestingly enough, the famous Book of Kells which I had seen earlier at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland was actually believed to have been written on Iona, and just later transferred for safekeeping after numerous Viking raids. The island now is less prominent, but still supports a thriving Christian community called the Iona Community which runs services in the Abbey Church daily (this is somewhat more recent, having been revived in the 20th century). They have a strong focus on social justice and were working on a theme of refugees during my stay there.

My time was largely consumed by various hikes around the island, services, and communal meals (which were fantastic). Bread was baked fresh daily. Enough said. I would like to locate a recipe book for a lot of what was cooked. They did a lot of traditional Scottish dishes, like Sticky Toffee Pudding, which were fantastic. There were also excursions and travelling shenanigans, like the aforementioned trip to Staffa. The time went quickly, but it was also deeply invigorating, so I felt prepared for the return. More to follow.

If I’d had to guess at the beginning of the summer when I figured we’d have the best weather, it certainly never would have been September. Still, of 2011, I’d say September was about the most comfortable and driest of the weather we’ve had. And I made hay. Went camping last weekend in Peter Loughheed park, which was truly gorgeous. I have not been able to sit outside in the evening near the end of September in a T-shirt and be completely comfortable in a very long time. Of all the things that I miss most while living in the city, it’s really probably the stars. I never really see them with all of the city lights in the background, and when camping in the west here, they're more spectacular than ever. Between that and the hiking, it's a little slice of heaven.

I have been watching with interest the Republican race, and I don’t know quite what to make of it, but it does underscore to me exactly how much I have changed since leaving the US so many years ago. I’d like to think that I am considerably less dogmatic and myopic in my views. As much as anything, I think leaving gave me a lot more perspective than I might have otherwise gotten. There are few things more valuable to genuine insight than being to step away from a situation to critically evaluate things with a much broader view. I would certainly qualify myself as an Independent, before anything else. Maybe that would have happened anyway, even had I stayed in the US, but I think leaving accelerated the shift. Either way, some of the best laughs of the week come from hearing Jon Stewart lampoon the candidates. Keep it coming, Mr. Stewart, keep it coming.

Obviously, there are many problems currently with current American government in place, and it is extremely frustrating to watch them (not) work. Part of the problem in Washington at the moment in my estimation is the degree of ideological purity being exercised particularly by the right. There is a consistent belief that consequences be damned, spending should be cut dramatically with no rise in revenues. What’s more, it appears so far that they are willing to throw the rest of the nation under the bus to score political points.

Mr. Niebuhr exposits that Americans misidentified the source of the nation's prosperity as being due to their superior virtue and ethic, rather than the technological achievements available to them at the time and the lack of competitors for extraordinarily abundant natural resources available to them at the time. In the current crisis on Capitol Hill, I think that is a very relevant point to remember. In the good times, it is far too easy to claim credit and laud ourselves for the “American Exceptionalism”, when the truth is most of what had been truly exceptional has been God's grace. There is too much of a feeling in the US that people get what they deserve and that their current penury is somehow related to a deficit in their character. With that in mind, the current Congress should focus just as acutely on the plight of the poor and the downtrodden in our society as they do on the current deficit. The economy and the nation will only move forward on the basis of how we treat the least of us rather than the richest of us.

Taxes are the price that we pay for civilization, and individuals that benefit disproportionately from society have an obligation to contribute back in equal measure to that same society. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” Lk 12:48

I can’t go out and spend $5,000 on camera and lens set, though I like to fancy myself that I could put such a device to good and effective use if I had one. This picture was taken this last weekend in BC, and was photographed with such a device (Nikon D700). Again, that sort of expenditure is beyond me, but it’s hard to deny how effective it is. There is really no comparison between the type of shot I can manage with the D700 and what I can do with a Fujifilm EXR. You can take interesting photos with both, but the true stunners require the size and quality sensor only found in a dSLR. Maybe one day, and until then, you can admire nature’s glory in the above (with a bit of my dab hand in Photoshop).

While I blithely fiddle with Photoshop and otherwise squander my summer, the US Congress similarly dithers ineffectively in its duty to the electorate. The difference is that I do this in my leisure time; while at work, I do my job. I am hoping they get to theirs soon. It’s disheartening to see them play political games while the country watches them squander the little time remaining to work out a deal. They’ll need to ultimately cut spending and raise revenues; any other arrangement would be deeply flawed and unrealistic. The deficit problem is too large for anything else. So, why can’t they just get down to it? I can’t even fathom the consequences of a US sovereign default.

Now actually, I went to this concert on the first of June, but as it was definitely the highlight of the month, it has earned its post. This concert was notable for being the first stadium rock concert I have ever been to and by far the closest I have ever been to the stage in a live performance. I was well within the inner circle (between stages) and at the closest roughly ten feet to the massive stage. Little wonder then that it was the best show that I have ever been to. With over 30 years worth of hits, and more Grammy awards than any other rock group, it was over two hours of pure delight. I had been hoping they might perform some new songs, but they stuck to their past successes and a couple of covers. Still, it was brilliant, and they are a phenomenal band to see live. Highly recommended.

I also went to see X-Men: First Class last Tuesday and heartily enjoyed the change in direction over the last film in the series. The change in the directors resulted in a shift from pure special effects to a character driven drama that was rewarding and revealing. The movie was casted well and the richly textured performances added some long needed depth to the narrative. That's one of the highlights of the summer: a string of blockbusters from June through August.

I sure haven’t been all that productive over the last few months, but I guess sometimes it's good to appreciate progress and relax. There are so many new games, movies, and music out there that that could completely consume one’s time if allowed. I should work on getting out a bit more.

There are few things better than a summer long weekend accompanied with beer battered brats cooked on a grill and corn on the cob slathered with salt and butter. Pair that with a balmy sunny evening, and it’s a good recipe for relaxing bliss. It takes a small eternity for winter in Edmonton to end, but when it does, we are rewarded with an above average summer, with exceptionally long daylight hours and moderate temperatures due to our high latitude. I have high hopes of taking advantage of that while it lasts.

The bike featured above I actually won in a draw at work at the end of last week. I was shocked, actually, when the person called me on my office line early in the morning. I thought perhaps it was a telemarketer/scammer, but was proved wrong when I stopped off to pick it up a few hours later. I took it out on Saturday for a pleasant ride, though tarnished by the appallingly poor shape that I am in after this winter. It’s going to have to be a priority over the next few weeks to shed a few winter pounds.

I actually first went to Vulcan years ago while I was a summer research student, but I took my snapshots on this odd Yashica APS film camera that had some serious problems with it’s automatic focus (it had been dropped). I lost the camera at some point that summer, and so I never got the roll developed. I have been meaning to get back ever since to get another photo of the exhibit, but it’s not exactly a convenient location. When my Uncle mentioned last weekend that he needed to pick up a horse trailer out in that area, I seized on the chance to revisit the iconic model of the Starship Enterprise and the somewhat tacky billboard featured above. And if Leonard Nimoy thought it was important enough to visit, then it’s certainly worth a visit by me.

Supposedly they are working on a sequel to the most recent Star Trek franchise reboot with Chris Pine and Zachary Quinto. I had a bit of trepidation going into that movie, but that was quickly stripped away by the production quality. Now I am eagerly looking forward to the next in the series. The time ‘fork’ allows them to explore unfettered by all of the previous backstory, so I am intrigued to find out where they’ll go with it.

On another note, my aunt and cousin are currently bombing around the Netherlands, just a little earlier than I did last year, and I have to admit to a bit of envy. I would love to be visiting over there for a bit, seeing the tulips, my relatives, and all of the museums. It’s a wonderful place to go for a bike ride. It’s not going to happen this year, but maybe I can arrange to make it happen for the next.

For the first time in many months, the Easter weekend weather was downright pleasant, often above 17° C and completely sunny. There’s few things so enjoyable as sitting out in the backyard playing Rummikub® in the sun. It was also fantastic just getting out of the city for a while and away from the usual daily grind. It's wonderful to be able to see the stars and the mountains from time to time.

I am intrigued by the upcoming election on May 3 and what the potential outcome will be. I don’t think anyone expected that the NDP would come on so strong, and that it's possible they could become the official opposition. I'll try to head down to the polls sometime in the next week, and we'll see what comes of it. I think my riding is actually somewhat competitive and was held by a Liberal before the current Conservative MP. I just want my taxes to stay where they’re at or lower.

I spent a healthy portion of Saturday doing a basement demolition, which is an interesting experience that I can't really say that I have done before. A word of advice to those considering this line of work, the steel-toed boots aren't really an optional piece of equipment. I stepped on a nail and regretted my decision to wear sneakers to this job. And there were so many nails, a lot of that wood was completely studded. Kind of a shame, as I would have liked to take some of that wood for campfires, it would have been spectacular, had it not been so dangerous.

]]> tag:www.berserkfox.com,2011://1.343 2011-04-11T01:51:03Z 2011-04-11T01:51:05Z

Despite the fact that Lacrosse actually is the Canadian national game, I have never actually seen a game. I went to correct that Saturday evening at the Edmonton Rush v. the Colorado Mammoth, and it was quite an interesting experience. It was rather cheesy in the pageantry, though in a good way. It’s a decidedly odd experience to watch a game with no conception of the rules whatsoever. It looked like complete chaos, replete with a healthy amount of violence. I am still not sure what exactly merits a penalty, but at least a full bore fight resulted in a 10 minute penalty. Clearly there are some limits. The result? Well, they lost, but at least they did so only after we’d seen multiple audience mini-games, including a wing eating contest, little league games, and a scoring challenge. It’s sure a lot cheaper than a hockey game and they really cater to the fans.

I am also delighted to say that I went to that game in daylight. It’s blessedly getting lighter every day, and I have actually been able to make recent use of my sunglasses. For the first time in many months, I am looking forward to the prospect of going camping in the mountains and hiking in the river valley. The snow is still melting, unbelievably. I feel like going on a road trip.

]]>

I spent a large portion of the day trying to debug my xelatex install. Silly though it may seem (and probably is), the fact that it currently does not work is a serious irritant, mostly because I cannot for the life of me figure out why it doesn’t. Running strace and ltrace show me the failure point, but I can’t figure out why specifically, or what I could do to fix it. The truly peculiar thing is that the whole operation runs fine if I have xelatex generate an xdv file, and then use xdvipdfmx to convert it to pdf. It just doesn’t work if the program does it internally. It give an out of memory error, though it prints to stdout that it can’t write to the file. Bizarre. It's probably a misconfiguration, but I have no idea where.

I guess I am hoping that all of the sed, awk, bash, js, etc, hacking will help me accomplish some of the more tedious tasks at work right now. I process a lot of numbers and reports, and do a lot of integrity and consistency checking, and the more of that I could offload into perl and SQL, the better. Easier said than done. However, so far, all of the practice lately has made me better at scripting ad-hoc solutions, so I’ll keep with it for now.