Sunday, April 30, 2006

Vifa Nia Rama Squafa

The Bruce Trail was fantastic! We could practically watch the leaves unfurl on this perfect sunny sunday. We hiked along the cliff at Rattlesnake Point conservation area. The most prevalent flowers were the white Trilliums and Trout Lillies and Violets. However, I did see some Purple Cohosh - an obscure plant that I took a while to identify some years ago.

We've moved the furniture around and unpacked a little - and it is starting to sink in that I'll be staying here a while.

Tomorrow we're off to Barrie to inspect Georgian College - then maybe we'll explore a bit around Barrie. I'll be studying economics on Tuesday and job hunting Wednesday. Thursday will be a mix of jobs and unpacking. Who knows what is in store for Friday.

Trillium thriving
On rocky limestone soil -
Purity rooted

Night,

Jennith

Yamma nia kiem! Posted by Picasa

THE ROAD GOES FORWARD

Alright, we are heading out to rattlesnake point today for a view of the spring flowers. I'm hoping to apply there for a job too.

I'll hopefully have some nice pictures to post later after our hike and some new Haiku.

Congratulations to James and Kelly on their engagement!!

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Farewell to New Brunswick

Well, I actually didn't get many pictures between Fredericton and Mississauga. Its a bit hard when you leave late and decide to drive through. We arrived in Mississagua at about 2:45 Ontario time or 3:45 our time.

I picked the Nacawic Irving Station (Pokiak technically speaking) as it seemed the most symbollic.

We actually are leaving soon, so I can't blog long, but I'll try and get back at it soon.

My final exam never happened owing to a computer glitch - but I seem have it reschedule for Tuesday with a promise to get my marks in before the cut off for graduation - it just means more studying economics. Sigh.

Well, I"ll write something more exciting later or in a few days or when I get some nice pictures.

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

Exam complications

I'm waiting for my exam to start - my professor who happens to be in russia hasn't released it yet. Sigh! Not fun.

JP

AAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!


The car holds less than we hoped, so were reconfiguring our plans. We're still optimistic and stressed, but we'll make it.

Jennith


Moving makes your things
Into liabilities -
Headache, stress, dismay

Sun sets, Season ends
My life crowds into a car -
Insanity reigns

Spruce limed by fire -
The horizin's sentinals
Gaurd the distant viewPosted by Picasa

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Stormy Skies

Stormy sunset fades
Wind blows raindrops in my eyes
Future clear skies seen

Jenn Posted by Picasa

42 Hours Until We Hit the Road Jack


Hey everyone,

I suppose Jack won't really care when we start our travels. . . besides an 8:30 am start with only 12 hours budgeted for sleep and apartment cleaning and final car packing is a more than a little ambitious especially for me. That said - we are close to 90% packed and Gabe has volunteered to clean while I finish my economics course. (Sorry ladies, he's definately taken).

The plan is to head for Ottawa on Thursday and meet up with my "cousin" Liz who I haven't seen since Trudi got married May of 2000 or 2001. All I remember is that it was on a long weekend, and we were stuck in 3 hours of traffic - arriving as the wedding party excited the church in spite of leaving double the time needed for the trip to Saint Catherines. Actually, Liz went to some get together before the wedding rather than the wedding itself, but regardless its been about 5 or 6 years.

The next part of the plan (assuming of course that we don't change our minds) is to head for Barrie (Georgian) via backroads - assumming we don't' decide to drive straight through. Anywho, we are looking forward to a scenic view and and a picnic somewhere between A and B. We are considering podcasting on route too - but regardless I'll take some photos and post them.

This is actually the second version of this post today -the spell checker ate the other one. I have some guest content in the form of haiku poems and a boggy photo - but I'm at school so they may not get posted until I am back home.

I have no idea where the picture came from, I found it on my H drive - its likely an internet image, but it is certainly not mine. I'm hoping to see some soon as we swing back toward the peak of the solar cycle.

I'm not sure what the glow in front of the hill is - unless it is the northern lights reflected on water or something. I miss the North.

Willo-wisp candles -
A flaring curtain dances
Wisdom on my soul

Beckoning fire -
Sky ghosts call my soul howl
Across the distance

Anywho, enough poetry - back to to money, banking and fiscal policy

Jennith

Monday, April 24, 2006

The winner is.....

Amanda MacIvor

Brown paws with black mud,
Through trails along river side
exploring is fun!

The runner up is Erin with:

Overdue Haiku
Never hand stuff in on time
procrastina-spring

Yeah!!!

I actually wrote more, but I'm waiting to see if picasa gets around to publishing the last entry I wrote before I repeat myself too much. This is our living room - kind of bare. My computer is also on the floor.

Lucky Number Slevin is a great movie - if you are into the genre - excellent directing and filming.

Back to pakcing/studying I go

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Going, going, gone

Hey everyone,

Sorry about the wait on the announcement of the winner of the Haiku contest - I have to check on a possible error before posting the winning entry - But the Winner is:

*imaginary drum roll*

Amanda M from Thunder Bay who is also moving this week.

I'll post her entry as soon as possible. As I said they were all excellent, some were funny, some gave useful advice and other were just poetic. Erin was the runner up - but she has an unfair advantange because we think too much alike. I liked the imagry in Amanda's poem. She painted this great picture - I could see the dog and the mud and the river. I miss Thunder Bay.

So, we're really leaving on Thurday and everything you see in that picture as well as this computer will have to fit in a car. There was a great picture of this computer - I'm sitting cross legged on the floor and the moniter is sitting on a milk crate - as my desk was sold yesterday. We don't have much left, we were pretty lucky with selling stuff. So I just have to write one more exam - and we need to finish packing and cleaning and we are out of here on Thursday.

We went to a movie last night - our first this year - just to unwind a bit. We had intended to see the New Ice Age movie, but it started before we had a chance to leave. Instead we went to "Lucky Number Slevin" We really really actually enjoyed it, considering that we didn't expect much of it except tht I've never seen Morgan Freeman do anything bad yet.

I'm not sure who I'd recommend it to. I think Pat, Geoff and Andrew would like it for sure and possibly Margo. The directing was outstanding - from the sets to the camera work to the acting to the level of detail - everything was brillianty executed.

here is a link to the trailer.

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Saturday, April 22, 2006

Happiness is a blue sky and weather shaped pine

Wow! The end is really near! We sold the couch today and the chair, by this time tommorrow we won't have a bed or dishes or bookshelves.

I'm really getting excited about the trip - mind you I still need to go through my stuff again and get rid of more stuff. Sigh. . .

Musing on judging the Haiku contest: The winner is selected - but won't be announced until the next blog entry as I need to contact them first. They were judged based on format, creativity, and imagery with bonus marks for interesting words, humour, advice and a season word. I haven't marked anyone's work since 2nd here - and it was just a bit awkward since I was judging the creative work of my closest friends and family. They were all great, and I enjoyed reading them. Please feel free to submit any others to my site for prostarity. It turned out not so hard to mark them - but initially I was "hah, silly me - look what you have gotten yourself into". More to follow.. .. .. THANK YOU everyone for your submissions.

Recomended song: Mr. President by Pink and the Indigo Girls. - It sounds more like the Indigo Girls than Pink - and its smart, very smart.

Hmm, other thoughts. . . I guess I'll have to remember them when my head hurts less.

Night

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Friday, April 21, 2006

Haiku Contest Ends Today!!! - Bogged down with Calculus

Okay - quick link to Haiku Rules - Entries due at midnight.

Red grained vessel filled -
Stomach acid protein shake
Toasting survival

Line integral traces
Smooth curve in a vector field -
Path independent?

Anywho, speaking of math - I'd better get back to studying before I end up in the bog house or worse.

I'm heading home in 6 days - it'll be an interesting 6 days for sure.

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Thursday, April 20, 2006

2 Days Left to Haiku - 6 Left to Pack

Sun sets at storm edge -
Glory uncapturable
By mere camera

Haiku Contest Rules - deadline is Friday, April 21st, 2006 at midnight

Lesson of the day: if you get a good quote on a rental vehicle tentitively book it. We were just shopping around 2 days ago, still unsure what we were doing in an attempt to compare the cost of shipping to renting a vehicle - we called back yesterday for more details to find some of the prices had gone up $150. We've decided to go for a car rather than a van and hope that we don't end up with a Kia Spectra as a full size vehicle. Grrrrrr, Discount Rentals. The last time I rented from them (2 months in advance) they didn't have the van I requested when I went to pick it up - instead they offered me a discount on the Ferrarri sports car - seeing how I was moving my stuff to various places in Fredericton. I did eventully get a discount on their shuttle vehicle (a van). Sigh.

It does look like we'll be driving down to check out Humber and Georgian, move my stuff and a few other things. Not as exciting as the road trip to Cape Breton, but at least we don't have to worry about camping in 6 feet of snow.

Anyhow, I must return to the glorious world of vector calculus. . . but as a mostly unrelated aside here is a link to my math teachers Giant Pumpkin Growing website. You can click on the more giant pumpkin link for more pictures and details of last years growing season. He even has a variety of seed named after him. You can also click on the 2513 link if you want to check out the kinds of math assignments I've been doing.

CHeers,

Jennith

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Stormwater Pond

Evening,

Here is a shot of a local stormwater pond at dusk. I'm not sure if the big pile of silt is a design feature or a hint that erosion may be an issue. Perhaps it is most indicative about the local construction boom.

Here is the Haiku of the day:

Half moon silt in pond
Seeks new home downhill from old -
mysterious cause

Stormwater races
Off hard impermeable
Surfaces - recharge?

Porous pavement can
Reduce peak volume - keeping
Outfall streams healthy

See... they are so much fun to write... contest rules - I look forward to your entries :D

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Border Fences Canadian Style


While enjoying Easter with my boyfriends family the topic wandered initially towards the problems with crossing the Canada-US border and related paper work and passport issues. Somehow we can to talking about donating wood for a border fence and the effectiveness of the Berlin Wall in keeping people on one side or the other. Gabe suggested a picket fence - since this is traditional sign of neighbourliness, which led to the suggestion that the only true way for Canadians to mark the border is to drink a lot of Canadian beer and Tim Horton's Coffee and mark our territory like wolves (and/or Farley Mowat).

:D The picture above is by my all time favourite artist: Harriet Peck Taylor of Washington State, USA. Her website is found here. She does fabulous nature batik prints. I highly recommend checking it out.

Cheers,

Jennith

Monday, April 17, 2006

Quick Note

I've changed the posting rules so that you don't have to be a blogger member to post anymore. I haven't enabled the word verification thing - but I will if I start getting spammed.

So good luck with your haiku's - I'll be picking my favourite (okay - being an ex-teacher I'll probably come up with a fair evaluation matrix for it) on Saturday, April 22nd. 2006

Happy Birthday Grampa and Pam, and happy anniversary to the A & K Page.

Gotta Run,

Jennith

If you don't want to post your poems - you know tip of the competitiion or what not - you can email them to me.

Look - Bunny Tails Growing on a Tree

Hi Everyone,

Quick post as I'm trying to plow through as much economics as I can before running off to Sussex.

Against cornflower -
The pale soft blooms disguised as
Q-tips, dangle free

Jenn Posted by Picasa

Sunday, April 16, 2006

The Joy of Economics

I'm picking my way painfully through chapters and chapters of my online economics course. On the upside, this course has been my nemisis for no good reason. I think it is simply so elementry I can keep interested in it. Alternatively, I'm simply so irked that I have to take it, after getting an A+ in the second course that I have some kind of mental block.

The picture was taken about a week ago while going for a walk. I'm at the start of the bridge from the North Side of Fredericton.

quiessent wishes
soar on calm winds - storm cages
not yet free to burst

symbolled lines across
pages of dry paper crest -
the flood of knowledge

Okay - trying to write poems about studying economics is painful.

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Saturday, April 15, 2006

Blog Review/ Haiku Contest Rules

Part 1: Blog Tour Review

I took a quick tour of other people blogs using the "NEXT BLOG" button located in the top right hand corner of most blogger blogs. Unfortunately, I didn't keep statistics, but I'd say there is an even mix of blogs based on religious missions, kinky sex, and newly newly minted parents. Other topics common themes included art, photography, plain undecipherableness, groups, manga, and teenie stuff. I didn't count the foreign language blogs - although I'd guess that Spanish was the most common language that I couldn't read. Some of the blogs were borderline content for kids - or at least they could lead to a lot of awkward questions for parents. What's a flechette for?

It was cool to compare the visual effectiveness for different backgrounds and styles. I've come to the conclusion that it might help if I used a bigger font and shorter paragraphs. If anyone knows how I can make the sidebar narrower and the main part wider, I'd appreciate advice. Please feel free to comment on how I can improve either the content or visual aspects of my blog.

Part 2: Haiku Contest

I thought it'd be fun if people had a few minutes to piece together a haiku poem and post them in the comments - I'll pick a winner next Saturday. The rules are:

  1. 3 lines - 5 syllables on the first line, 7 on the second and 5 on the third.

  2. There has to be one word or phrase that could be interpreted as a season word - but it can be relatively obscure

  3. Cutting words (i.e. a dash that splits the poem into two part) are optional, but might count for points

  4. You have to not mind me posting your poem if you win.

  5. The deadline is Friday midnight, but the comment can be attached to any post

  6. You have to identify yourself to win
7. The poems with be judged on the use of interesting words and images, overall effect and originality.

EXAMPLE:

Roots sheathed in cold peat
Hungry sundews ache for blackflies –
Their nitrogen snacks

Good Luck,

Jennith

Spring is really here

Yesterday was all sun, today is grey and rainy. Lots of people visiting this weekend - being easter.

I seem to be still thinking in Haiku.

Cool poems - fun to write

TTYL,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Bud Burst Haiku

Bud burst - trumpeting
The first freedom from scaly walls
Triumph unfurling

Embracing soft wind
Gently draws ice from hard ground -
Roots wiggle their toes

Lime, mint, emerald
Bright fingers arise from the -
Tattered zombie grass

Jewel-toned notes flutter
On hungry wings - hopeful dads
Tenor their resumes

Ice thunder crashes
Rising rivers sweep debris -
Leaping salmon smolt Posted by Picasa

Friday, April 14, 2006

Underbelly of the Plate

Here is the back of the plate I made at the clay cafe.

If I were to do it again, I'd put more coats of glaze on - but otherwise I'm really happy with it.

The link in the title takes you to the original Clay Cafe in Halifax, NS.

Jenn Posted by Picasa

Top of the Plate

Here is the top of the plate I made at the Clay Cafe. Posted by Picasa

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Conversations with a Nutritionist

Monday, I took advantage of the free nutrition consultating service on campus, and engaged in conversations with a nutritionist. I found my visit with the school nutritionist to be very positive and helpful. First of all, she told me that for the most part I had good habits, and that I was pretty aware of all my bad habits (a.k.a. - chocolate). That was encouraging. Here are a few tips that she shared with me, mixed with a few more interesting tidbits I came across on the internet. (Nothing earth shattering - but still good to review)

1. Fill half your plate with vegetables.
2. For many North Americans - 40% of their calorie intake comes from "OTHER FOODS" - i.e. not grains, milk, fruits and vegetables, or meat and alternatives.
3. Read labels - looks for good things like grams of fibre/serving in addition to calories, grams of fat etc.
4. Try to make more snacks fruits and vegetables
5. If you want to absorb calcium, you need to have vitamin D kicking around in your system.
6. Buyer beware of labelling rules especially for health food products. According to a CBC marketplace study, many probiotic supplements fell short of their promised quantities - I would assume this would apply to other products too.
7. Look for an updated Canada's Food Guide in the next few months.

Her mention of Probiotics - foods containing active cultures of healthy colon bacteria - caught my interest and this afternoon, I've been poking around the internet looking for some solid science on Probiotics, seeing how I bought a container of Activia Yogourt to try yesterday. This link takes you to a educational video sponsered by Activia Yogourt explaining how it works in a very cautious manner. It probably won't win any entertainment awards, but it is cute if you can endure 14 minutes of cartoonly education video with muzak in the background.

There appear to be a lot of glowing reports for Probiotics and skeptisism. Here are a few articles which hit the highlights:

"A Bug for what is bugging you" - USA Today
"Some Bacteria is Good to Eat" - CBC Marketplace
"Microorganism Warfare"

Note that all of the above come from the Canadian Research and Development Centre for Probiotics. However, the articles are interesting if you have a bit of time for a read.

Jennith Posted by Picasa

A Perfect Day for Snowmobiling

Greetings,

The last 2 days have been busy and packed with crazy experiences. I went snowmobiling and snowshoeing yesterday (technically 2 days ago) with Pete to check out conditions on the Little Main Restigouche River. Shamefully, my camera battery died while I was trying to take a picture of Grand Falls at full torrent and I wasn't able to capture the beautiful day in the woods. We saw a doe up close at Boston Brook lodge and lots of tracks. It felt strange going snowmobiling in 14 C weather - the snow was getting pretty slushy by the time we left, what shockling little was left of it. About a week ago, there was appearantly about 4 feet of the stuff and roads that were unpassable then, were dry by the time we got there. We managed to get stuck - thank goodness for the come-a-long, and at one point thought we'd run out of feul 6 km from the truck - fortunately we were wrong. Snow machines are just cranky in warm weather - something to do with being air cooled.

I met baby Clayton and kidnapped his mother for tea. Then Gabe and I went out for our scheduled night on the town - dancing at the Hilltop. I'm not sure how energetically we danced (I thought I did okay for someone who'd been snowshoeing earlier that day), but it was fun to watch everyone else dance. The crew there included some entertaining characters. This morning we got up early to run errands downtown and ended up painting plates at the clay cafe. It was exactly what we needed to relax our brains after 4 weeks of crazyiness. After that, we ate some wings, our first and only meal of the day, went home and finished the fourth season of Due South. I'm sort of sad that we've run out of episodes, I have to admit that it's become my all time favourite TV show. Brilliant humour, great acting and heart warming human moments, not to mention the footage of Mississauga's city council chambers and the frozen north - all made the story memorable. I guess we'll have to watch it again, although there are still a few episodes I missed in the first season, so I may be able to enjoy a few more hours of it. I'll post a picture of the plates if they don't turn out too poorly. Its hard to imagine how they'll turn out from what they looked like when we handed them over to the lady. We get to pick them up sometime in the next few days. Now it is back to packing, cleaning and learning about economics, until my next blog. . .

Cheers,

Jennith

BTW - the photo is again taken in Fundy this April 3rd. Posted by Picasa

Sunday, April 09, 2006

Packrat's Update

Well, I've been at it all day and I've gone through 3 boxes of papers and most of the stuff on my bookshelves. I've managed to chuck about 1/3 of it. Analyzing the procress, it is interesting to note that being stapled saved a lot of things and having feedback saved others I could probably go back and get rid of another 1/3 - I somehow doubt I'll ever look at my first year calculus notes or even the handouts from Mechanics of materials. I kept most of my assignments and exams, but through out most of my course notes. I kept a lot of print outs of articles that I probably could have gotten rid of, but it seems a waste to get rid of an article. I haven't even gotten to the 100's of pages from last summer. Those at least I may need to look at again. Dr. Wilson's notes fared pretty well. I justified keeping my calculus notes because I might just be teaching calculus come september and my computer science notes because Gabe is really interested in programming.

In my defense - about 1/3 of it is on a shelf/box that warrents a second going through. I'm hoping that if I keep on repeating the process I'll eventually get rid of some of it. I'll say "Geez, I'm never going to look at my geology lab manual from first year or I really hated that course - and don't even want to look at my exam again" So I guess I'd better keep at it while I still have momentum or go for a bike ride while its still a beautiful day.

Cheers,

Jennith Posted by Picasa

The trials of a packrat

I have reached the point where I must sort through 5 years of odds and ends and papers and decide what to keep (and drag halfway accross the country), what to give away and what to simply throw out. I started with old notes, thinking that they'd be an easy toss -seeing as they're messy and unindexed - but even then - I felt like I was throwing knowledge away. (I can see my mom itching to write a comment now)

Sigh - even kitchen stuff - is it worth moving? Most of the pots were between $10-$20 (not Paderno or anything), but add them up and they turn into $100 pretty quick. We'll see. I'll be a process and a growing experience, but I'll survive it. Really it is just a warm up for doing the same thing to 5 years of biology notes and other papers from Lakehead when I get back home. Between teaching and Girl Guides I've learned to save things, because as soon as you throw them out you wish you hadn't.

So, off I go into the sunset or lunch anyways.

Jennith Posted by Picasa

P.S. The link is to the blog of another packrat - but the artical made me chuckle so I've attached it for your reading pleasure.

Friday, April 07, 2006

Urban Havens

Greetings,

After reading a fascinating article in Canadian Geographic (May/June 2005), I was inspired to write about my own interest in urban natural spaces. I've included a link to the Credit Valley Conservation area for anyone back home who was interested in what they are doing.

Jennifer Wells article "Secret Hollows" tells the story of a photographer-conservationist who has made a project of recording the Toronto's tiny nooks and crannies of urban wilderness and their interaction with the concrete and asphalt city infrastructure. Philip Jessup's (here are some of the pictures) amazement with the dogged survival of green spaces in spite of human citification has resulted in a series of photos intended to capture the "pentimento" or "trace of one painting faintly visible beneath another"(Wells, 2005) of the landscape. The story also briefly touches on some historic aspects of both the urbanization of Toronto's watersheds and the conservation movements that have moved towards protecting them. A related link on the Canadian Geographic site features "Lost River Walks" in Toronto.

My interest in the story is both personal and academic. In two of my courses, I have been working on problems related to mitigating the impacts of development. - How do you expand without obliterating the area's natural beauty? Or sometimes, simply how to expand without making a mess out of your watersheds? - I found myself often drawing on the example of my own neighbourhood for solutions, finding myself increasingly impressed with their success in creating a fantastic place to grow up.

My own connections to these "secret hollows" date back to childhood. When I turned 8, I earned the privledge of going for bike rides on the nearby trail system with my friend Simone. Where were we drawn to? Not the fancy parks for us, but the patch of woods on the far side of Derry Road (over the DeeHacheBee or Down Hill Bridge). Here, woodland flowers still manage to bloom in May and June and trees offer shade and that peacefulness that only forested places can possess. (Trees innately possessing a certain dignity of age and permanency) Certainly, Lake Aquitaine was one of my favourite places to visit (Lake Aquitane being a large stormwater/flood management facility disguised as small lake).

As I got older and we moved a few km away, Edenwood and Lake Wabakyne became new haunts. The trilliums of Edenwood (not to mention Trout lilies) continue to draw me to this ever more over-used patch of trees. I was lucky. I lived in a place safe enough for children to explore the world beyond their backyard and endowed with the paths and trails to get there. I had supposed that this was the rule not the exception for subdivisions, but I was wrong. I'm glad someone took the time to design a community to live in, rather than pack as many houses as they could onto what was once fertile farmland. I have not only enjoyed living there, but have benefited from their example.

Cheers,

Jennith

(The picture was taken at the UNB Woodlot in Fredericton) Posted by Picasa

Thursday, April 06, 2006

A Perfect Day in a Sea of Rainy Ones

Its been grey and rainy since Monday - with a few random patches of bright sun. Luckily, our trip to Fundy was on Monday, which was as perfect as weather could be!!

I've included a photo of Fundy as the tide was coming in. You can see the cliff that protects the bay, fishing boats stranded by the tide and a sky so blue it hurts. I think Alma is my favourite human altered viewscape in Canada.

I've finished most of my writing for the term. I have a few things to tidy up for our senior report project and a map to colour and presentation to give - but I think I can actually take this evening off and possibly go socialize with people or better yet - paint and go to bed early or maybe watch a movie.

Yesterday, I had more random conversations with strangers (like the librairian and a fellow student) that I ran into in the halls than usual. Good conversations too!!! When we were in Fundy, we stopped and talked with all sorts of people. Partly because everyone knows Gabe, and partly because new faces are probably exciting there in April. I had a great chat with the local utilities technition (perhaps guru is the right word since he does everything from street sweeping (as he was when we met up with him to running the local water, sewage and storm systems.) He is currently taking courses increase his qualifications with respect to running the water and sewage systems. I'm going to miss friendly people when I go back to Mississauga. Its probably one of the things that bothers me the most about Toronto - most people react to a friendly greeting (like Good Morning) by staring at the ground, walking faster and protecting the wallet. Sigh. . . as if a 30 year old with her hair in braids and decent shoes (well, I suppose they are a bit deceptive after all the hiking I've done in them) is going to attack you. Its sad that people have become so paranoid.

Of course, after reading about that horrible attack in an Edmonton school - I suppose I don't blame them. (CTV STORY)

Growl at the world for evils and injustices and cruelty and greed and . . . you get the point.

Jennith

Well, in general, I have personally - fatigue aside - had a great week. I found my missing ball cap, and had a nice trip and visit with my brother, moved lots of stuff, accepted my iron ring, finished up the bulk of my remaining school work and got to eat cheese cake! Posted by Picasa

Tuesday, April 04, 2006

Hearing the sound of bells

Two more milestones on my journey through engineering are complete. My senior report project presention has been completed and I am relieved. Geoff has taken most of my belonging back to Ontario and now we have no glass dishes, but no worries we still have lots of tupperware.

Andrea and Geoff and Gabe all made last night special and memorable, even if Gabe and I lost badly in pool. We kidnapped Geoff and took him down to Fundy Park and watched the tide come in in Alma. Watch for more photos in the next few days.

Unfortunately, I have to get back to work now, but a quick hello until the weekend.

Jennith Posted by Picasa

Sunday, April 02, 2006

100 Most Banned Books 1990-2000


Check out the list of banned books. I was not suprised to see Harry Potter among them, however, several others shocked me throughly.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson is a fantastic book. A link to a blurb on her website is at: http://www.terabithia.com/books/terabithia.html

Julie and the Wolves, Roll of Thunder - Hear my Cry and a Wrinkle in Time are also personal favourites.

I'm just shaking my head. The world seems to have more people who want to stamp out even the suggestion of magic.

This puts the issue of the middle East war book that is under fire in a new light. I think parents underestimate childrens ability to handle challanging topics. These aren't books that'll give kids nightmares, they're just good books that tackle some of the tougher asspects of growing up.

Jenn

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Westwind Subdivision

Greetings,

I'm working away on my Site Planning Group Project, trying to subdivide large areas of Fredericton into people friendly, low road chunks while following Fredericton's Subdivision by-laws regarding lot size and road width and cul-de-sac lengths and turn around radius and consider topography and existing features. Sound confusing? Well it isn't too bad. This is a project that I did earlier in the term. (Note the extensive park area)

I have included a link to a 28 page report on Urban Sprawl from the David Susuki Foundation, for anyone looking for a little light reading (don't worry - lots of pictures). Its pretty comprehensive, but not particularly technical. An interesting read.

So, back to work I go.

Jenn Posted by Picasa