They're also starting to play with each other, as well as us. Here's one responding to having its belly tickled. Too stinkin' cute...
30 April 2007
Kitty Playtime
Kitty cuteness continues to grow in leaps and bounds. The kittens are nearly three weeks old now. They can see quite well, and are learning to walk and climb. Interestingly, the runt of the litter was the first to walk, last week (though to be fair, the 'walking' at the moment consists of a few tottering steps, before falling over...hee).
They're also starting to play with each other, as well as us. Here's one responding to having its belly tickled. Too stinkin' cute...
They're also starting to play with each other, as well as us. Here's one responding to having its belly tickled. Too stinkin' cute...
29 April 2007
Family Weekend
My mum was in town this weekend, for her annual Neptune musical visit. We had quite a nice day yesterday - some shopping, a trip to the Farmers' Market (where we ran into Stephane Dion, who was pressing the flesh with the electorate - how weird is that?!), and an afternoon spent watching Jane Eyre on DVD.
Went to dinner at Piccolo Mondo, which was excellent as always, then went on to Neptune. The show was...well, it was Beauty and the Beast. Capably produced and acted though, as always. We renewed our subscriptions for next year - the 2008 musical will be The Producers, which I'm quite excited to see.
Went to dinner at Piccolo Mondo, which was excellent as always, then went on to Neptune. The show was...well, it was Beauty and the Beast. Capably produced and acted though, as always. We renewed our subscriptions for next year - the 2008 musical will be The Producers, which I'm quite excited to see.
27 April 2007
Field Trip
This week, the project I coordinate has been hosting a training workshop in watershed management, for faculty members from our Asian partner universities. Six participants arrived from Vietnam and the Philippines last weekend, so I've been busy looking after them.
Yesterday, the group got out of the classroom and had a field trip. Luckily, we had an absolutely beautiful, sunny day to head down to the Annapolis Valley. The trainees visited a bunch of sites related to their work, like the tidal power plant in the Annapolis Basin, a farm using ecological drainage methods, and a couple of research test sites measuring water quality. But most of the day was spent at the offices of the Clean Annapolis River Project in Annapolis Royal. The trainees were all very interested, as the folks at the River Project are working on things like river water quality and the viability of the local clam fishery (which has been decimated in recent years by the opening of the tidal power plant).
All that was very well, but since I'm not an environmental scientist, I was far more interested in the building in which the River Project is housed. They're in the old train station in Annapolis Royal, which was restored by a private benefactor a few years ago to its original Arts & Crafts glory. The restoration job is fabulous (there's a short account of it, with a few pictures, here), and it's wonderful to see. Apparently, of the four showcase stations built around 1914 for tourism purposes in NS, Annapolis Royal's is the only one left standing - the others were in Yarmouth (for the ferry to Maine), Digby (for the ferry to New Brunswick and the Pines Resort) and Kentville (for the old rail hotel there). The director of the River Project told me that the woman who spearheaded the restoration spent about $300,000 of her own money, as a labour of love - and now rents the building to the River Project for a mere $500 per month!
Yesterday, the group got out of the classroom and had a field trip. Luckily, we had an absolutely beautiful, sunny day to head down to the Annapolis Valley. The trainees visited a bunch of sites related to their work, like the tidal power plant in the Annapolis Basin, a farm using ecological drainage methods, and a couple of research test sites measuring water quality. But most of the day was spent at the offices of the Clean Annapolis River Project in Annapolis Royal. The trainees were all very interested, as the folks at the River Project are working on things like river water quality and the viability of the local clam fishery (which has been decimated in recent years by the opening of the tidal power plant).
All that was very well, but since I'm not an environmental scientist, I was far more interested in the building in which the River Project is housed. They're in the old train station in Annapolis Royal, which was restored by a private benefactor a few years ago to its original Arts & Crafts glory. The restoration job is fabulous (there's a short account of it, with a few pictures, here), and it's wonderful to see. Apparently, of the four showcase stations built around 1914 for tourism purposes in NS, Annapolis Royal's is the only one left standing - the others were in Yarmouth (for the ferry to Maine), Digby (for the ferry to New Brunswick and the Pines Resort) and Kentville (for the old rail hotel there). The director of the River Project told me that the woman who spearheaded the restoration spent about $300,000 of her own money, as a labour of love - and now rents the building to the River Project for a mere $500 per month!
25 April 2007
Drama
Whooeee. Drama in the office today. Big, big drama.
I see resignations in the near future, I do. People are not happy, and I don't blame them one bit.
I see resignations in the near future, I do. People are not happy, and I don't blame them one bit.
Dickens World?!?
Oh God. A new theme park is just about to open in the southeast of England. It's...wait for it...Dickens World. Jesus. I can see the baying packs of schoolchildren - not to mention busloads of waddling North Americans on package tours - now.
I know plenty of historic places have cheeseball tourist attractions (the Loire's Parc des Mini-Chateaux, anyone?), and I suppose they have their place - after all, people have to take their kids somewhere. But a Dickens theme park just seems wrong - especially given that it's sited somewhere out in the wastes of Kent, wedged between a shopping mall and a multiplex cinema. A journo from The Guardian, visiting the site last week, was suitably appalled:
Flume??!?! It's especially galling given that (in my opinion) no one in the world does a better job of interpreting and presenting heritage than the Brits. They're really letting themselves down with something as naff as Dickens World.
I know plenty of historic places have cheeseball tourist attractions (the Loire's Parc des Mini-Chateaux, anyone?), and I suppose they have their place - after all, people have to take their kids somewhere. But a Dickens theme park just seems wrong - especially given that it's sited somewhere out in the wastes of Kent, wedged between a shopping mall and a multiplex cinema. A journo from The Guardian, visiting the site last week, was suitably appalled:
Dickens World feels like Disney gone to the dark side. In place of the Magic Kingdom there is Newgate Prison; instead of talking animals there will be shady characters loitering in dark corners. Although the attractions are all faithfully Dickensian, the larks are very much 21st century. The centrepiece is a boat ride which, loosely speaking, is Great Expectations presented as a log flume.
Flume??!?! It's especially galling given that (in my opinion) no one in the world does a better job of interpreting and presenting heritage than the Brits. They're really letting themselves down with something as naff as Dickens World.
21 April 2007
Lovely Spring Day
At lunchtime today, it was an unbelievable 21.7 degrees on the deck. I sat out, drank coffee and enjoyed the sunshine for the first time this year.
Had an inspection tour around the garden this afternoon. The snowdrops (below) seem to have survived the Easter Sunday snowstorm unscathed, and are still blooming. There are a few crocuses about to pop - maybe tomorrow? And the libanotica and daffodils are just on the verge - I imagine we'll see blooms from them in another week or two.
Had an inspection tour around the garden this afternoon. The snowdrops (below) seem to have survived the Easter Sunday snowstorm unscathed, and are still blooming. There are a few crocuses about to pop - maybe tomorrow? And the libanotica and daffodils are just on the verge - I imagine we'll see blooms from them in another week or two.
Kitten Update
The kittens are ten days old today. As you can see in the pic above (click to enlarge), their eyes began opening earlier this week. They're still a bit rheumy and bleary though - A. says their vision won't be very good for a while yet.
Happily, they all seem to be doing very well, as is Mother. They're still not very interactive, and don't do much other than sleep, nurse, and wobble about their little cage. I tried introducing one of them to the buns on Thursday, but there wasn't much response. Maybe in another few weeks...hehe.
20 April 2007
All Done
So...as of now, my formal teaching duties are discharged. I just submitted final marks for my course.
Results were fairly standard, I think. I awarded two A- grades (yay!), eight B-range grades, eight C-range grades, and four Ds. Unfortunately there were six Fs. Feel kind of bad about that, but I had no alternative - none of those students submitted their final exams, and five of them didn't submit essays, either. Those two assignments together were worth 70% of the final mark. What can you do?
Still, I really enjoyed the experience. I hope I might have another opportunity next year to teach again. Problem is, the conditions have to be right, given the fact that I already work full-time. But we'll see what opportunities arise...
Results were fairly standard, I think. I awarded two A- grades (yay!), eight B-range grades, eight C-range grades, and four Ds. Unfortunately there were six Fs. Feel kind of bad about that, but I had no alternative - none of those students submitted their final exams, and five of them didn't submit essays, either. Those two assignments together were worth 70% of the final mark. What can you do?
Still, I really enjoyed the experience. I hope I might have another opportunity next year to teach again. Problem is, the conditions have to be right, given the fact that I already work full-time. But we'll see what opportunities arise...
17 April 2007
Facebook Again
I was just going to blog about Facebook when Jonathan beat me to the punch. In the last two months or so since I updated my profile there, that place has really started to blow up. It's quite amazing. Despite the fact that I go there only once or twice a week, and haven't really sought anyone out, I've already got 15 friends. And the truly amazing thing, as Jonathan already pointed out, is that 14 of them are people I actually know in real life. This is in stark contrast to MySpace - where I've only met about 5 of the 40 people on my friends list there.
Perhaps it's the fact that people on Facebook use their real names that makes it so much easier to find people. Certainly, I've actively taken steps to make myself semi-anonymous on MySpace - I don't necessarily want people finding me there. Recently, I even made my profile there private after accidentally emailing one of my students from a non-university email account - I certainly wouldn't want my students seeking out either my MySpace page or this blog, as both contain a bit more personal info about me than I feel they really need to know.
Which brings me back to Facebook. Anyone can type in my name there and find me - but all they'll get is generic info about my work and education. I've no plans at the moment to include any personal info there (if for no other reason than that I don't want to get stuck having to update yet another internet presence). And I actually find the mini-feed and status updates can be a little creepy - I know I can set up filters for different users to see different levels of information about me, but that seems like an awful lot of work.
It's very amusing, though. Earlier this week I had a giggle looking at the Facebook profiles of some of my students (four of them found me and added me to their friends). Of course, this includes the running 'wall' commentary among several of them, that took place early last week on the subject of their final exam for me. Hilarious. Have they forgotten that by adding me as a friend, I can see all their posts? Or do they just not care?
In any event, I predict the rise of Facebook will soon see the demise of MySpace, for sure - at least for social applications.
Perhaps it's the fact that people on Facebook use their real names that makes it so much easier to find people. Certainly, I've actively taken steps to make myself semi-anonymous on MySpace - I don't necessarily want people finding me there. Recently, I even made my profile there private after accidentally emailing one of my students from a non-university email account - I certainly wouldn't want my students seeking out either my MySpace page or this blog, as both contain a bit more personal info about me than I feel they really need to know.
Which brings me back to Facebook. Anyone can type in my name there and find me - but all they'll get is generic info about my work and education. I've no plans at the moment to include any personal info there (if for no other reason than that I don't want to get stuck having to update yet another internet presence). And I actually find the mini-feed and status updates can be a little creepy - I know I can set up filters for different users to see different levels of information about me, but that seems like an awful lot of work.
It's very amusing, though. Earlier this week I had a giggle looking at the Facebook profiles of some of my students (four of them found me and added me to their friends). Of course, this includes the running 'wall' commentary among several of them, that took place early last week on the subject of their final exam for me. Hilarious. Have they forgotten that by adding me as a friend, I can see all their posts? Or do they just not care?
In any event, I predict the rise of Facebook will soon see the demise of MySpace, for sure - at least for social applications.
14 April 2007
Kittens
Today, A. brought more visitors home from the clinic - a cat and her five, three-day-old kittens.
This cat's owners brought her in to the clinic about two weeks ago, to be spayed. At that time, A. discovered she was pregnant - but the cat's owners didn't want to deal with kittens. So A. agreed to house mother and kittens until the babies are weaned and he can re-home them (at that time, mother will go back to her owners).
As there's some respiratory infections going around the clinic at the moment, A. wants to keep them all here, at our place. We'll see how we get on with that - our house isn't exactly cat-proofed - but in the meantime, the babies are tiny, helpless and adorable. I made a little video of them, for posterity:
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