Airporter wait: Live Blogging

8:39pm: I am live blogging my airporter wait. Hopefully it will be a short lived live blog.

What appears to be a large number of child violin players just came through US customs, from Boston, it would seem.

8:41pm: Up until now, there has only been me sitting next to the airporter loading zone. I haven't seem much activity except for a bunch of people just within the last minute. Perhaps the shuttle won't be as empty as it would first appear.

8:43pm: Several Air Canada flights just landed and the baggage area is quite busy. Follow along with the arrivals with me!

http://www.hiaa.ca/schedules/arrivals_ns.html

8:44pm: This live blogging thing is not nearly as exciting as Cameron makes it seem.

8:46pm: I am going to pack up my computer and get ready for the shuttle. I want to get a good seat the live blogging is not really that entertaining. The people watching is entertaining though. I wish the airport was closer so that I could people watch more often. I guess I could people watch at the mall, but the people here are more exciting. Like all the kids with the violin cases.

8:47pm: Going offline.

Conclusions: from now on, I'll leave the live blogging to Cameron and Montifax.

CV and research blurbs

Right now I am starting the job hunt process. This will be long and hard and frustrating. But to even start I have to have a CV and a write up about past, current and proposed future research. Yikers. The research blurb is the hardest for me. There are all sorts of directions that I see this can go. Trying to focus that, write sensibly and somehow attract employers seems like an impossible task.

Fingers crossed that I will have some sort of research blurb epiphany and I'll write something magical.

Unpopular Opinions

I often have the unpopular opinion on particular issues. Generally I keep them to myself, but the benefit of a blog is to mouth off.

Many of the people that I went to high school (and even university with) are school teachers. Most of those who choose to do math have jobs, but most of those that did other things like English and History do not have jobs. They get by on substituting and tutoring. What bothers me is the amount of complaining (mostly on Facebook) about the lack of available substituting and other issues surrounding not being able to get enough work. The reason that this bothers me is THIS IS WHAT THEY SIGN ON FOR!!!!! Everyone knew, when we were starting university, that unless you did math or a science or french as a teachable, there were not any jobs. It was common knowledge 10 years ago. So what did these people think?

When I decided to pursue my degree and this whole academia thing, I knew this meant that I would probably have to live and work somewhere for a few years before getting a position I really want. I knew this, and so I am not upset about it.

Anyway, that is my unpopular opinion for today: substitute teachers should suck it up.

Stay tuned for other unpopular opinions in the future...I am full of them

Work Fail

So today, I got up early, made a lunch and headed into my office to get a full day's work. I was so pleased that I managed to get on the go relatively early. I walked in, got there in just over 20 mins, then discovered that I couldn't get into the building. The security system was malfunctioning. Frustrated, I turned around and came back home. On my way home, I recalled an email about a planned power outage today, which was probably the reason for the system fail.

Anyway, all my plans were then turned around. Thus, I haven't gotten nearly as much done as I wanted and needed to get done.

Now to try to make this a better day!

Yoga update

I am continuing to go to yoga, and I am getting better with a lot of poses, but one pose of the sun salutation eludes me: chaturanga
Other students do not seem to have trouble with it, but I do. I think my lack of any arm strength is the problem. I am going to try to improve this, but in the meantime, it is frustrating that, for a beginner, I can do a lot of the poses, but this starting one I have so much trouble with.

Trip to Arizona

I just returned to Halifax after a trip to Arizona. The reason for the trip was a family wedding in Phoenix, but we also fit in some sight-seeing. We went to the Grand Canyon which was amazing (pictures to come!). We also went to the Desert Botanical Gardens, where the wedding was held. Also, lots of other touring around Phoenix.

It was a great trip. I really liked how sunny and warm it was in Arizona. I liked all the cacti and other desert plants. One thing that I wasn't prepared for was how spread out Phoenix and metro area was. There was no walking anywhere. Everything was also big box stores. That was a little disappointing.

Pictures and more about my trip later...

Phoenix

I am heading to Phoenix tomorrow and have been carefully watching the weather. Apparently, there has been a lot of rain and the weather has gotten cold, but last week, it was 41 degrees. It is hard to pack for such weather.

Fingers crossed I won't freeze or melt.

Hair Cut

On Friday, after my tutorials and after my meeting, I quickly went and got my hair cut. The girl cut a little more off than I thought, although I definitely wanted it short. It is a bizarre feeling to go and get 8 to 10 inches cut off my hair.

I think in the future, I might try and get my hair cut more than once a year. Maybe I'll up it to twice a year.

Cable

Oh, boy, do I like cable! Last week we got TV and it is fantastic.

The reason I finally got to have TV is that there was a special that made it cheaper to get TV than to not get the TV.

Awesome!