As I sit looking down on my japanese garden, I'm studying about the cosmic fall and the garden of Eden. I've been trying to convince some people at the American Scientific Affiliation that the Garden of Eden really was a paradise. Of course, the Septuagint uses the word paradieson to describe the garden, so the case is an easy one to make.
Now, the one thing I am discovering about my garden here is the inordinate amount of spiders. There are hundreds of massively large spiders, all sitting in the middle of their geometrically perfect sails of silk. The sway back and forth in the breeze, glistening in the sunlight. I hate spiders. They keep making these small wonders of engineering right across my walking path, and especially at night, it creeps me out to get a full web in the face. This garden is a mini paradise - a centre of calm and serenity in the midst of a busy city. But if gardens mean spiders, I'll have to rethink my estimation of Eden.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
I'm positive!
... positive with Strep Throat that is...
I just got my test results back today. And even better, they are not going to treat me! Why? I'm not bad enough. Of course, the fact that I live with a 95 year old lady, whose mother actually died of Strep throat, doesn't seem to matter. Nope, no penicillin for you!
I'm a little annoyed. Even more annoyed because they had the results in yesterday and didn't bother to look at them until I harassed them today - even though they came back positive. I could be dying dammit! (ok, well, not really. Not yet. But it is annoying all the same.) (And, while the bracketal voice of reason is speaking, I should also add that strep C is not very severe, and the side effects of antibiotics are more risky, and they never treat non-severe strep C). But still!
In other news, school is great. I love Regent just as much as ever, and Hebrew is maybe not quite as much of a suicide-thought-invoking course as I thought it would be. Of course, talk to my friend Diana and you might get a different perspective.
But either way, being back and having lots of interesting discussions is everything it should be. Except that I'm contagious with strep throat.
Thanks for reading. Here is another picture from my room. It looks better in real life, I promise. The mac cam just doens't do it justice.
I just got my test results back today. And even better, they are not going to treat me! Why? I'm not bad enough. Of course, the fact that I live with a 95 year old lady, whose mother actually died of Strep throat, doesn't seem to matter. Nope, no penicillin for you!
I'm a little annoyed. Even more annoyed because they had the results in yesterday and didn't bother to look at them until I harassed them today - even though they came back positive. I could be dying dammit! (ok, well, not really. Not yet. But it is annoying all the same.) (And, while the bracketal voice of reason is speaking, I should also add that strep C is not very severe, and the side effects of antibiotics are more risky, and they never treat non-severe strep C). But still!
In other news, school is great. I love Regent just as much as ever, and Hebrew is maybe not quite as much of a suicide-thought-invoking course as I thought it would be. Of course, talk to my friend Diana and you might get a different perspective.
But either way, being back and having lots of interesting discussions is everything it should be. Except that I'm contagious with strep throat.
Thanks for reading. Here is another picture from my room. It looks better in real life, I promise. The mac cam just doens't do it justice.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Some pictures...
Ok, I know these pictures are bad, but I had to take them from my computer because my real camera broke. This first one is part of the Japanese garden outside m
y 
study.The second and third ones are from my bedroom. You can see the furniture made by Margaret's late husband Mack. And the last one is the view from my bedroom, although you can't see the mountains well, and that blue strip is the ocean.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Well, I'm back.
No, unlike Sam from Lord of the Rings, "I'm back" means my adventure is starting, not finishing.
I've moved in with a remarkable 95 year old woman. She is bright as a button and very witty. She also walks up the massive hill beside our house and carries her own groceries down, reads voraciously, listens to The Vinyl Cafe on CBC radio, and rarely turns on the TV. She's lived in this house since 1941.
Speaking of the house, it is incredible. As I sit now, I'm looking down into a Japanese garden (perfectly maintained, and complete with pond), and to my right I can see cruise ships gliding past in the ocean, and watch the sun setting on the top of Sycamore mountain. Fantastic. From my bedroom, I look back onto downtown. I'd post pictures, but my camera died in England and I didn't bother bringing it here, because it's not worth repairing (being the 4-5th time it has needed costly repairs). So either I'll get a camera, or use the bad one of my computer to get pictures.
The house itself is remarkable. It was built by Margaret's family, mostly by her father. It has been modified by Margaret's late husband into a bit of a Japanese style - hence the garden. He was also a furniture maker and clock enthusiast, so most of the furniture is hand made by him, and there are several remarkable clocks around, including the "guts" of one from the 17th century, sitting beside me here in the study.
The drive out here, with my friend Diana, was wonderful. She drove the whole way (even though I offered!) and we stayed with some friends of hers from eMI in Kamloops. They were wonderfully hospitable, and I ended up staying up far later than I intended to talking to our hostess Joan.
Today, I helped Diana move, and then we went for dim sum with her parents who had also driven out with some of her stuff. The night we arrived, Di and I went for sushi with two Edmonton friends who were in town for a couple of days, and then had some bubble tea afterwards. The next day we walked in the ocean and through a forest.
So, ocean, forest, sushi, dim sum, and bubble tea. Now I'm ready for term to start. Well, perhaps I still need to visit Wolf and Hound for a pint, but I'm pretty much ready for term to start. Freshman orientation is tomorrow, so I don't need to be there, but I think I'll show up for a bit - even though I should be working on my paper for the geology/paleontology course I took with Denis this summer. That can wait. Orientation only happens once a year.
Well, that's all for now. Do check back for further updates as time progresses! I'll try and do one a week or so, but who knows?
I've moved in with a remarkable 95 year old woman. She is bright as a button and very witty. She also walks up the massive hill beside our house and carries her own groceries down, reads voraciously, listens to The Vinyl Cafe on CBC radio, and rarely turns on the TV. She's lived in this house since 1941.
Speaking of the house, it is incredible. As I sit now, I'm looking down into a Japanese garden (perfectly maintained, and complete with pond), and to my right I can see cruise ships gliding past in the ocean, and watch the sun setting on the top of Sycamore mountain. Fantastic. From my bedroom, I look back onto downtown. I'd post pictures, but my camera died in England and I didn't bother bringing it here, because it's not worth repairing (being the 4-5th time it has needed costly repairs). So either I'll get a camera, or use the bad one of my computer to get pictures.
The house itself is remarkable. It was built by Margaret's family, mostly by her father. It has been modified by Margaret's late husband into a bit of a Japanese style - hence the garden. He was also a furniture maker and clock enthusiast, so most of the furniture is hand made by him, and there are several remarkable clocks around, including the "guts" of one from the 17th century, sitting beside me here in the study.
The drive out here, with my friend Diana, was wonderful. She drove the whole way (even though I offered!) and we stayed with some friends of hers from eMI in Kamloops. They were wonderfully hospitable, and I ended up staying up far later than I intended to talking to our hostess Joan.
Today, I helped Diana move, and then we went for dim sum with her parents who had also driven out with some of her stuff. The night we arrived, Di and I went for sushi with two Edmonton friends who were in town for a couple of days, and then had some bubble tea afterwards. The next day we walked in the ocean and through a forest.
So, ocean, forest, sushi, dim sum, and bubble tea. Now I'm ready for term to start. Well, perhaps I still need to visit Wolf and Hound for a pint, but I'm pretty much ready for term to start. Freshman orientation is tomorrow, so I don't need to be there, but I think I'll show up for a bit - even though I should be working on my paper for the geology/paleontology course I took with Denis this summer. That can wait. Orientation only happens once a year.
Well, that's all for now. Do check back for further updates as time progresses! I'll try and do one a week or so, but who knows?
Monday, July 28, 2008
I lied, it wasn't over.
I thought it was, but it wasn't.
Sunday morning, I was trying to get to King's College Chapel for a Eucharist service, but got lost because I took a new route and there was this rather confusing traffic circle where instead of walking around, you walked underneath. Also, the typical lack of visible street signs meant I took off in the wrong direction.
Anyways, late and lost, I saw this church that seemed to have people streaming in. So in I went, and it was a nice evangelical service. Then I had a coffee after service and was hanging around looking awkward and a woman asked me who I was and what I was doing. As I told her, she started laughing. Her husband is starting a new research facility in Cambridge on science and religion, and they were having their first lecture series that night. So I was invited along. As it turned out, this was a pretty big thing. We had one of the top archeologists from the British Museum there, a guy from Germany who is working on a dig in Jerusalem, and several other experts in their fields. Everyone (including the director of the Faraday Institute with whom I'd just taken this course) had had a private invitation. Except me, I just showed up. It was fantastic!
Anyways, I've left Cambridge, I'm now back in Staines, and head home tomorrow!
Cheers!
Sunday morning, I was trying to get to King's College Chapel for a Eucharist service, but got lost because I took a new route and there was this rather confusing traffic circle where instead of walking around, you walked underneath. Also, the typical lack of visible street signs meant I took off in the wrong direction.
Anyways, late and lost, I saw this church that seemed to have people streaming in. So in I went, and it was a nice evangelical service. Then I had a coffee after service and was hanging around looking awkward and a woman asked me who I was and what I was doing. As I told her, she started laughing. Her husband is starting a new research facility in Cambridge on science and religion, and they were having their first lecture series that night. So I was invited along. As it turned out, this was a pretty big thing. We had one of the top archeologists from the British Museum there, a guy from Germany who is working on a dig in Jerusalem, and several other experts in their fields. Everyone (including the director of the Faraday Institute with whom I'd just taken this course) had had a private invitation. Except me, I just showed up. It was fantastic!
Anyways, I've left Cambridge, I'm now back in Staines, and head home tomorrow!
Cheers!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Well, it's all over folks!
Well, maybe not quite yet. I suppose there is still two more days in Cambridge and the flights home, but just about everyone has left now. I'm heading out again soon with Dean Zimmerman for lunch. He's the prof. of philosophy from Rutgers university who also likes old slasher movies, punk rock, and Dr. Horrible's musical weblog. (I'd love to link all these, but right now it is not working on this computer. I'll have to come back and change this when I get to a real computer.) Last night we went out and saw a bunch of local punk rock bands at a tiny venue. Tons of fun. There was this absolutely fantastic group called The Sills. I got their CD so if you are interested, let me know and I'll give you a listen.
In other news, one of my buddies here has been keeping a VERY good blog where he is actually talking about the lectures and the responses to them. He's a physics professor from Ireland, and a nice and interesting guy. I give you: Cormac.
http://coraifeartaigh.wordpress.com/
He'll also soon have pictures up. My camera died, so I got a disposable for a couple of important shots, but you can see what things looked like from his perspective there. And if I download them later, I'll post my favourites.
Well, so long, dear reader! I may post again before coming back, but no guarantees.
In other news, one of my buddies here has been keeping a VERY good blog where he is actually talking about the lectures and the responses to them. He's a physics professor from Ireland, and a nice and interesting guy. I give you: Cormac.
http://coraifeartaigh.wordpress.com/
He'll also soon have pictures up. My camera died, so I got a disposable for a couple of important shots, but you can see what things looked like from his perspective there. And if I download them later, I'll post my favourites.
Well, so long, dear reader! I may post again before coming back, but no guarantees.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
I love this country!!
Simon Conway Morris presented this morning. If you don't know, he worked on the Burgess Shale, which is tons of fun biologically. He gave a brilliant presentation, and I may have a new hero.
In other news, a couple of us were taking a back alley/road (they are hard to tell apart here) last night to the pub, and who should be getting in/loading into a van right in front of us but Stephen Hawking. So yes, I saw him, he crossed the street right in front of me.
Speaking of the pub, the pub we went to (The Eagle) was where Watson and Crick dreamed up the double helix form of the DNA molecule. It's also where they announced it to the world. I didn't have such a brain wave, though I tried to think of one while I was there. I did, however, have a fantastic and far too long talk with Dean Zimmerman, our philosophy expert at the conference. Definitely a cool guy, who likes Flight of the Conchords and old slasher movies.
Today is "evolution/biology" day, so I'm actually coherent on the issues being presented, which is really nice. Unfortunately, the pseudo-theology being presented was horrid, but so they've only been tag-ons to excellent scientific work presented by scientists. The theologian is up next, so let's hope it is good. I'll let you know.
In other news, a couple of us were taking a back alley/road (they are hard to tell apart here) last night to the pub, and who should be getting in/loading into a van right in front of us but Stephen Hawking. So yes, I saw him, he crossed the street right in front of me.
Speaking of the pub, the pub we went to (The Eagle) was where Watson and Crick dreamed up the double helix form of the DNA molecule. It's also where they announced it to the world. I didn't have such a brain wave, though I tried to think of one while I was there. I did, however, have a fantastic and far too long talk with Dean Zimmerman, our philosophy expert at the conference. Definitely a cool guy, who likes Flight of the Conchords and old slasher movies.
Today is "evolution/biology" day, so I'm actually coherent on the issues being presented, which is really nice. Unfortunately, the pseudo-theology being presented was horrid, but so they've only been tag-ons to excellent scientific work presented by scientists. The theologian is up next, so let's hope it is good. I'll let you know.
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