Let me say right off the bat, I like Fredericton, but I hate spelling it.
I had a great bus ride where I slept for half, worked for half. I did catch the most interesting fencepost while looking out the window though. Apparently some efficient farmer, needing fence posts but having only a car, decided to cut his car in half (from top to bottom) using the top half as one post and the bottom as the other. I appreciate ingenuity wherever I can find it.
After arriving in F-town, I went to the loyalist cemetery which dates to the 1700s, very interesting overhearing Americans learning about the revolution from the loyalist point of view, which is definitely different from the narrative told in the states (generally the role of the bad guy switches, I mean really, they both tarred and feathered each other, lets move on).
I also spent some time in the York Sunbury Museum. Talk about the little museum that could, they have so much stuff and cover so many topics on what is obviously a very small budget. Good for them. I sometimes wonder what would happen if small museums like this were given the opportunities afforded to museums in other big cities.
I am also curious, where do you think the birth of Canada happened, I have now talked to people from PEI, Newfoundland, Quebec, Winnipeg and New Brunswick, all of whom claim that the birth of Canada happened in their province (each giving a variety of dates). I guess how we define “birth” will change that answer, but I’ll be interested to see what people think and how they define it.
I then had tea at a place called “Trinitieas” which turned out to be a teashop run by some Evangelical Christians…hence the pun. Lovely tea and a nice veggie soup. I then hopped on the bus back to Saint John, where I slept again and had my dinner at a little Thai place where the two ladies on staff both wear Hawaiian shirts and there are fake palm trees, quite the little establishment.
I have two more days here, I am working at the Jewish Museum today and looking forward to it. I also bid goodbye to the Delta tonight and move to the student residences on campus. Goodbye free breakfast, but hello 20 dollars a night.
I miss you all and I will post again soon!
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Wandering around Saint John
Hello all,
I decided I would write today’s post on the bus to Fredericton. I will actually put it up online when I get home tonight and back to the free internet.
So, yesterday I spent the morning working on my CSSR paper got sick of that and decided to do the tourist thing around Saint John. This city has some of the most beautiful rock formations I have ever seen, however everything is overshadowed by the giant factories and processing plants owned by Irving, there is a constant hum to the town along with hundred of other industrial noises.
After getting lost by turning the wrong way (it had to happen once) I ended up at the Anglican Cathedral in town. The history plaque said it was one of the oldest structures in town, pre-dating the Saint John fires. The stones used to build the church were actually brought over in the hulls of ships from England to serve as counter-weights to keep the top heavy boats from tipping (they would be filled with fish and furs on the way back).
The Anglican bishop in Saint John at the time was from England and said he would use the stones rather than dumping them in the harbour (which was the original disposal method). The church is quite lovely and after knocking at the door, a volunteer there took me around to se the stained glass (a little obsession of mine). Realising how much I like it, she took me up into the balconies (on the condition I helped her carry some heavy bags down from storage). On the right hand side of the church on the upper level is an Angel with two right feet, what no one had noticed before is that the angel next to it had two left feet. I suppose that the artist made the feet in advance just attached them incorrectly, regardless, it was the highlight of my day.
It was sobering however, what I wound up carrying were clothes for some local people in town who were down on their luck. The economic downturn has hit hard here and the church actually started a clothing and laundry repair service for men and women who need outfits for job interviews or new clothes for their children. The woman also told me that the food bank is stretched to the max. You can tell by parts of the uptown core that times are tough. The woman who gave me my tour though was hopeful, she said the best thing about this town is that even though she finds people gruff, they help each other out.
After that I took a long walk over to the reversing falls, very anticlimactic, you have to go at just the right time to see the water reversing. They aren’t even really falls, just rapids, but they aren’t even rapids right now because the water is so deep from the spring run off. I took a cab home (my legs still aren’t 100% from the race yet). My cab driver works a second job as a tour guide in the summer so he gave me a little detour and told me where to take some of the best photos in the city.
After that it was dinner with John and some of his colleagues. Very interesting people. It is a good thing I like seafood though, there was one vegetarian option on the menu, and it didn’t look that good. I felt bad for the other woman at the table who was also vegetarian.
I’ll post tomorrow about my time in Fredericton. I have two interviews today, both of which I am looking forward too. However, I m sucking my batteries on my recorder dry, I’ll have to do something to offset the carbon footprint of my research on that count.
Until tomorrow!
I decided I would write today’s post on the bus to Fredericton. I will actually put it up online when I get home tonight and back to the free internet.
So, yesterday I spent the morning working on my CSSR paper got sick of that and decided to do the tourist thing around Saint John. This city has some of the most beautiful rock formations I have ever seen, however everything is overshadowed by the giant factories and processing plants owned by Irving, there is a constant hum to the town along with hundred of other industrial noises.
After getting lost by turning the wrong way (it had to happen once) I ended up at the Anglican Cathedral in town. The history plaque said it was one of the oldest structures in town, pre-dating the Saint John fires. The stones used to build the church were actually brought over in the hulls of ships from England to serve as counter-weights to keep the top heavy boats from tipping (they would be filled with fish and furs on the way back).
The Anglican bishop in Saint John at the time was from England and said he would use the stones rather than dumping them in the harbour (which was the original disposal method). The church is quite lovely and after knocking at the door, a volunteer there took me around to se the stained glass (a little obsession of mine). Realising how much I like it, she took me up into the balconies (on the condition I helped her carry some heavy bags down from storage). On the right hand side of the church on the upper level is an Angel with two right feet, what no one had noticed before is that the angel next to it had two left feet. I suppose that the artist made the feet in advance just attached them incorrectly, regardless, it was the highlight of my day.
It was sobering however, what I wound up carrying were clothes for some local people in town who were down on their luck. The economic downturn has hit hard here and the church actually started a clothing and laundry repair service for men and women who need outfits for job interviews or new clothes for their children. The woman also told me that the food bank is stretched to the max. You can tell by parts of the uptown core that times are tough. The woman who gave me my tour though was hopeful, she said the best thing about this town is that even though she finds people gruff, they help each other out.
After that I took a long walk over to the reversing falls, very anticlimactic, you have to go at just the right time to see the water reversing. They aren’t even really falls, just rapids, but they aren’t even rapids right now because the water is so deep from the spring run off. I took a cab home (my legs still aren’t 100% from the race yet). My cab driver works a second job as a tour guide in the summer so he gave me a little detour and told me where to take some of the best photos in the city.
After that it was dinner with John and some of his colleagues. Very interesting people. It is a good thing I like seafood though, there was one vegetarian option on the menu, and it didn’t look that good. I felt bad for the other woman at the table who was also vegetarian.
I’ll post tomorrow about my time in Fredericton. I have two interviews today, both of which I am looking forward too. However, I m sucking my batteries on my recorder dry, I’ll have to do something to offset the carbon footprint of my research on that count.
Until tomorrow!
Monday, May 11, 2009
Research on the Road, Day one
I’ve decided to record some notes and thoughts about my time in New Brunswick and PEI, and possibly the rest of my research on the road.
So in one day, here are the lessons I have learned thus far from one day travelling and in Saint John:
Lesson One:
Small Planes smell, really bad ‘nuff said.
Lesson Two
Planning for research is more work than actually doing research. Organizing, finding places to stay, budgeting enough to eat, recruiting interviewees, scheduling, getting your questions set up were all much more difficult than actually doing any interview or transcribing it.
Lesson Three:
Hotels are nice, especially fancy hotels. I am in a hotel with my husband for three days and let me tell you, I could get used to this. Having stayed in places where you are afraid that the shower will make you more dirty, a clean bathroom and an included breakfast (which by the way, if your pockets are deep enough can stretch to lunch and dinner) might just soften me up a bit two much for the next two weeks. However I maintain what I always told Andrea’s Mom. “If I eat enough of your food here, I won’t have to feed myself for at least two weeks.”
Lesson Four:
Blend in with the local culture. When someone says, “Are you going to the Lobster Boil Tuesday?” Particularly if said person is a Maritimer, never answer that you don’t like lobster; you might as well claim to not like air. However, a surprising number of the Toronto people on the shuttle agreed with me. It’s not that the taste of lobster is unpleasant, it is just too much work. If a lobster shell were more like an eggshell, then perhaps I would be more inclined to eat it.
Those are my lessons thus far. I only have boring plans for today, doing school work, going out and buying a map of the province, maybe going to see the reversing falls. I brought some textbooks that I am hoping to send home with my husband so I am going to get to writing my paper for the CSSR.
FYI for all who care, my race time for the Half Marathon was 2:36:23. The Elites ran the full Marathon faster than this, but I am happy to have finished with no major injuries. If I do it again next year I will aim to get under 2:30.
So in one day, here are the lessons I have learned thus far from one day travelling and in Saint John:
Lesson One:
Small Planes smell, really bad ‘nuff said.
Lesson Two
Planning for research is more work than actually doing research. Organizing, finding places to stay, budgeting enough to eat, recruiting interviewees, scheduling, getting your questions set up were all much more difficult than actually doing any interview or transcribing it.
Lesson Three:
Hotels are nice, especially fancy hotels. I am in a hotel with my husband for three days and let me tell you, I could get used to this. Having stayed in places where you are afraid that the shower will make you more dirty, a clean bathroom and an included breakfast (which by the way, if your pockets are deep enough can stretch to lunch and dinner) might just soften me up a bit two much for the next two weeks. However I maintain what I always told Andrea’s Mom. “If I eat enough of your food here, I won’t have to feed myself for at least two weeks.”
Lesson Four:
Blend in with the local culture. When someone says, “Are you going to the Lobster Boil Tuesday?” Particularly if said person is a Maritimer, never answer that you don’t like lobster; you might as well claim to not like air. However, a surprising number of the Toronto people on the shuttle agreed with me. It’s not that the taste of lobster is unpleasant, it is just too much work. If a lobster shell were more like an eggshell, then perhaps I would be more inclined to eat it.
Those are my lessons thus far. I only have boring plans for today, doing school work, going out and buying a map of the province, maybe going to see the reversing falls. I brought some textbooks that I am hoping to send home with my husband so I am going to get to writing my paper for the CSSR.
FYI for all who care, my race time for the Half Marathon was 2:36:23. The Elites ran the full Marathon faster than this, but I am happy to have finished with no major injuries. If I do it again next year I will aim to get under 2:30.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Academic's Burden
You want to know what I would love to do more than anything else in the world (short of having a thesis fairy write my dissertation for me)?
I want to be able to answer questions with a simple yes or no.
There is a biblical precedent for this, Jesus said "let your yes be yes and your no be no." Jesus never met a PhD student.
It seems this problem spreads, it began in classes. For example the professor would say "Do you think there should be a separation between church and state." I could say yes or no, but instead I say...
"Weeeeeeellllllll, it depends, we can impose artifical separation on arbitrarily constructed categories that are a product of 17th century enlightenment thinking but the reality is any modern form of the state that exists today developed from and/or with religion, a such the state and religion are already inextribably combined. And this doesn't even begin to address what happens when the state becomes religion."
You may see this pattern in yourself and justify my answer by telling me that in reality it is a complex question that deserves more than a yes or no answer, but remember...it spreads Dun-Dun-DUN
My mom asked if I wanted pants for Chritmas I got into a discussion about sweat shops and ideal body types. My husband asked if we should start gardening, I answered with a discussion about weather patterns. A man on the road asked me if I knew how to drive...I told him to...well that doesn't really count.
The final straw...."did you want fries with that?" Want to know something, a waitress doesn't really care what you think about trans fats.
So I have a new goal, learn to say yes and no again and let that be enough. Is this a feasible or realistic project? Well, that depends.....
I want to be able to answer questions with a simple yes or no.
There is a biblical precedent for this, Jesus said "let your yes be yes and your no be no." Jesus never met a PhD student.
It seems this problem spreads, it began in classes. For example the professor would say "Do you think there should be a separation between church and state." I could say yes or no, but instead I say...
"Weeeeeeellllllll, it depends, we can impose artifical separation on arbitrarily constructed categories that are a product of 17th century enlightenment thinking but the reality is any modern form of the state that exists today developed from and/or with religion, a such the state and religion are already inextribably combined. And this doesn't even begin to address what happens when the state becomes religion."
You may see this pattern in yourself and justify my answer by telling me that in reality it is a complex question that deserves more than a yes or no answer, but remember...it spreads Dun-Dun-DUN
My mom asked if I wanted pants for Chritmas I got into a discussion about sweat shops and ideal body types. My husband asked if we should start gardening, I answered with a discussion about weather patterns. A man on the road asked me if I knew how to drive...I told him to...well that doesn't really count.
The final straw...."did you want fries with that?" Want to know something, a waitress doesn't really care what you think about trans fats.
So I have a new goal, learn to say yes and no again and let that be enough. Is this a feasible or realistic project? Well, that depends.....
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
From Paper to Practise
I am standing on a precipice...a big scary precipice.
The research I have been proposing for two years is about to become reality. I am about to hop in a car/plane/bus digital recorder in hand and actually go out and do research.
Imagine knowing a person exists for two years before you are able to talk to them one on one. it is a little scary, because at this moment, anything could go wrong.
The usual doubts are flying through my head. "what if my data doesn't support my thesis?" "What if all of my contacts fall through."
Well, maybe my blogging will be more interesting when I am on the road. I wouldn't mind a boring trip though, I think I have had enough excitement over the years on various vacations to justify one trip where only minor things go wrong (I apologize in advance to all my fellow travelers if Air Canada goes out of business while I am using their services, it would make airline number three!).
May 10th is the deadline, lets hope I can get my ducks in a row by then and that no one kills them off in the meantime!
The research I have been proposing for two years is about to become reality. I am about to hop in a car/plane/bus digital recorder in hand and actually go out and do research.
Imagine knowing a person exists for two years before you are able to talk to them one on one. it is a little scary, because at this moment, anything could go wrong.
The usual doubts are flying through my head. "what if my data doesn't support my thesis?" "What if all of my contacts fall through."
Well, maybe my blogging will be more interesting when I am on the road. I wouldn't mind a boring trip though, I think I have had enough excitement over the years on various vacations to justify one trip where only minor things go wrong (I apologize in advance to all my fellow travelers if Air Canada goes out of business while I am using their services, it would make airline number three!).
May 10th is the deadline, lets hope I can get my ducks in a row by then and that no one kills them off in the meantime!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Time for some darning
Darn you facebook, you eat up my time as I checkfor my friend's statuts updates, despite not actually having talked to those friends in years. Darn you for your quizzes, games and surveys that I feel compelled to do so people know how cool/sentimental/suave I really am. Darn you for making me think about myself in three lines or less and darn you for keeping the photos of me at that halloween party from so long ago.
Darn you for giving me something else to do other than work on my thesis. Darn you!
Darn you for giving me something else to do other than work on my thesis. Darn you!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Red Tape Math
I am building a theory of math that combines relativity with chaos theory with well, other mathy things that sci-fi shows use to justify bringing people back from the dead.
My newest fact to add to this collection. We have been reading response time lines wrong. When an office says it will take 2-4 weeks to get back to you, it actually means that the office will take 2 to the power of 4 weeks to get back to you (which my calculator tells me is 16 weeks). Likewise, 6-8 weeks is actually way longer than I want to inform you about.
This is why you will get a rejection letter for a scholarship you applied for two years ago.
Please note: this formula does not work when you owe an office at the school money. It only works when there is a chance of you getting money from the school. If you owe the school money the response time is actually simple subtraction. you should pay within 6-8 weeks actually means you should have paid 2 weeks ago, and you are probably incurring late fees/interest which will result in creitors being called in 2-3 days (you have heard from them already haven't you)?
that's all for now, I will add more math tidbits as I learn them, though understand the beaurecratic system is unstable and liable to change anytime a butterfly in China sneezes.
My newest fact to add to this collection. We have been reading response time lines wrong. When an office says it will take 2-4 weeks to get back to you, it actually means that the office will take 2 to the power of 4 weeks to get back to you (which my calculator tells me is 16 weeks). Likewise, 6-8 weeks is actually way longer than I want to inform you about.
This is why you will get a rejection letter for a scholarship you applied for two years ago.
Please note: this formula does not work when you owe an office at the school money. It only works when there is a chance of you getting money from the school. If you owe the school money the response time is actually simple subtraction. you should pay within 6-8 weeks actually means you should have paid 2 weeks ago, and you are probably incurring late fees/interest which will result in creitors being called in 2-3 days (you have heard from them already haven't you)?
that's all for now, I will add more math tidbits as I learn them, though understand the beaurecratic system is unstable and liable to change anytime a butterfly in China sneezes.
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