MISADVENTURES
When out running, I often like to pick out a different route to head out on to keep the sense of adventure and discovery higher. I figure it also doesn’t hurt the sense of accomplishment when you get out in a new area. It’s a good reward to oneself when the further you run, the more you can open up in the way of new areas previously uncharted. I have learned much about the neighborhood that I live in simply by running through various areas of it. On Monday, I was running by the Alberta Provincial museum, and wondered if I would find anything by running around it. As is turns out, it’s rather nicely groomed, and there is access near the rear to the river valley trail system. After shooting the picture above, I ran down a rather steep hill and found a paved path running alongside the North Saskatchewan river. It’s gorgeous down there, and you could honestly believe while down there that you were no longer in the middle of a metropolitan city at all. Needless to say, I’ll be running a bit more down there now as I try to tease out where all of the different paths lead.
FAR
6.5 km. I have something of a goal to get to a good solid 10k before the Edmonton Marathon that takes place in August, and so far, my efforts have been rewarded with slowly appearing results. So far, I am on the sunnier side of 6k, so I should be able to make the race, which is the shortest offered that weekend. They also offer the normal 26.2 mile jog, which I doubt I will be participating in any time soon. I am somewhat surprised how long I have been able to keep this up but gratified none the less. It’s been a great way to enjoy the Edmonton summer weather, which is actually quite nice.
CHEAP EYEGLASSES
After years of wearing the same glasses, I have finally bitten the bullet and purchased new eyeglasses. It’s a good thing, too, as passing my eye exam with the old ones in the end proved to be too much. My prescription has apparently changed over 50% from my previous pair. And the lenses on those, I think, were in the midst of disintegration. If nothing else, I would swear that I’d worn all of the coatings off.
DVOŘÁK'S CARNIVAL OVERTURE
The weather is warming up, and my vacation is now a few weeks past me. Now that life is progressing on more or less as normal, it’s time to start figuring out out to mix it up a little. That, and work out where the next vacation will be. I have more than just a tad bit of wanderlust, and getting out for a little bit was rather like fanning the flames. I am strongly tempted to dispense with my tax refund in the most irresponsible of ways — bombing around the Netherlands. It has always been a lifelong goal after all, and the interest rates on my loans are awfully low at the moment. Oh decisions…
HEROICA PUEBLA DE ZARAGOZA, MÉXICO
Well, for the first time in nearly ten years, I was actually able to leave the country. Ironically, it was once more to Latin America, though this time I never left the continent. It was a gorgeous trip; the food and the weather were truly excellent for the entire trip. I tried pretty much every kind of food that I was offered, even partaking of a chili that Alberto dared me to bite into. And really, I had fantastic hosts, which allowed me to see much more of the area than if I had been left to my own auspices. I definitely plan on returning one of these days, and heartily recommend it. However, it may be a little while, given that my vacation time is minimal, and many are the demands upon it.
PIECES OF EIGHT
It’s amazing how much the economy comes up in normal conversation lately, but unsurprising given the current meltdown occurring throughout the world. Thankfully, thus far, I have been able to avoid the worst of it, but then I wasn’t really ever a high-flyer in first place. In order to be really feeling the pain (at least for most), one had to have owned equities and real estate, two things I am rather short on. That being said, this is producing a lot of pain out there, so the sooner it’s over, the better for everyone. It’s like watching a California wildfire they just can’t get a hold of — you just don’t want the winds to blow your way. And also, with outlays looking to be over $2 trillion, I am terrified that the remedy is worse than the disease…
WINTERTIME
As I suppose is painfully obvious, the weather has taken a plunge for the chilly. It’s painfully cold outside right now, about -15° C. That’s actually warmer than it has been, this picture for instance was taken around -28° C , if I remember correctly. Thankfully, cross country skiing has a way of keeping one quite warm even in far subzero temperatures. The car certainly had a hard time of it. It took us about 15 minutes to get the car warm enough to get it moving. For the curious, this is a portion of the Goat Creek trail that goes from Canmore into the Banff National Park town site. I have to say, I hope to do this trip again sometime soon.
COUP D'ÉTAT, EH?
It sounds like Canada is going to have it's own particularly Canadian brand of government upheaval, on par with what's been seen in places like Thailand, where the military junta steps in for the "good of the people". But just once, I'd like to ask the question to Mr. Dion - didn't the people of Canada decide what what was their good when they elected another Conservative minority government? In any case, naked power grab or not, if Mr. Harper cannot survive a confidence vote, then his government is finished. However, in that case, despite the fact that we just had a general election, we will have to have another one. Mr. Dion's and Mr. Layton's coalition government proposal is fraught with difficulties, that should be put to the test before Canadian voters. For one, in order to form a government, they require material support from a Separatist party. Canada would have a government formed with a party whose very mission is to secede from Canada! Mr. Dion's leadership itself, the proposed PM for the new coalition, was put to the test a mere 46 days ago, and on this critical confidence vote in the form of the general election, Mr. Dion and his Liberal party lost seats. This strongly questions Mr. Dion's assertion that Canadians want him and his new government in charge of their affairs. Coalition governments themselves are a rare form of government in Canada, the last being a short lived on in the 1920's. Mr. Harper has announced that he will request the Governor General, Michaëlle Jean, to prorogue Parliament until January, at which time his government will present a new budget. If this budget is not supported, then he should call a general election to put a new government before Canadians. The government of the nature that Mr. Dion proposes should only come to power with an electoral mandate -- not mere royal assent. It would be best if Canada's parliamentarians could work this out in debate and then decide on a suitable course of action between them without the political posturing and charades, but it seems that this is beyond them.
SILVER BELLS
For the first time in years, I find I am in a more conciliatory mood to Christmas. In years past, I suppose I was concerned utmost with my impending academic doom than I was with Santa Claus. However, being somewhat recently unburdened with such concerns leaves me freer to contemplate the incarnation and the beginning of Advent. Of course, as I frequently joke around the office, the only reminders of Christmas found in my apartment are some Christmas tunes and the eggnog in the fridge. I should probably get at least a miniature tree to keep up appearances. I'll have to see what I can get away with in the dollar store. I have never been the sort of person who could bear buying frivolity in the form of decoration in the first place, and then only for one season to boot. Still, I am working Christmas Eve this year, so perhaps its some sort of subconscious compensation that leads me to believe that I should make more of an effort this year. There, the sort of Christmas reasoning that would make Freud or Jung happy. Something about sentimentality immediately brings to the fore the latent psychoanalytic in me. It is also the first Christmas that I will not be flying back to Michigan. Operational constraints at work and budget constraints on my end make that infeasible, at least for the next couple of years. I won't miss the air travel at that time of year, in any case. Despite my recent Christmas proclivity, there is not a hint of snow in the air for Edmonton, a fact that is only noteworthy due to uncommon occurrence here. I seem to remember a blanket of white easily by this point, but it's the end of November, and our streets remain blissfully clear of the white filth. I normally do like snow, but its status as the harbinger of subarctic temperature leaves me more negative about it that in past years. It may be late, but I am still banking on a white Christmas up here. Whether there is a tree to accompany it remains more in doubt...
OCTOBER: HALLOWEEN
The year treads quickly by, and it's difficult to believe that October is a heartbeat from breathing its last. It could be the time goes by faster without the ebb and flow of academic life to measure it, or it could be simply that experience of aging, but nevertheless, time marches on. I keep busy, but I can't help but feel that I am not accomplishing a whole lot either. I have actually been playing a lot of games lately. For the first time that I can remember in years, I actually spent 22+ hours in a row playing a game, a tour de force. Metal Gear Solid 4 was absolutely spectacular in nearly every way. I could not help but be impressed with that as a singular work of art. Astonishingly, I think it had over 6+ hours of cutscenes, really making it something of a playable movie. And what a movie. Controls were tight, atmosphere was realistic and compelling, and the story was engaging. I highly recommend the game, even if it means picking up a PS3 just to do so. Also about 2/3 of the way through Gears of War (the original). Will definitely have to pick the sequel sometime this fall for a play through. The game has a great co-op mode, and that might possibly be my favorite way to play through a game. It's surprising how few games have a good co-op mode. The Halo series did, and Gears of War, but other than those, I can't think of a great deal. I think it's rather difficult to program, and so it's often left out. Which is too bad. Perhaps it's no great secret why I haven't accomplished a whole lot lately...