So I went to California. I had a conference. I presented my research, people were receptive. It was great. Afterwards, OC and I went camping in and around Big Sur, Big Basin, and San Francisco. Bottom line? I want to live in California. Because it’s bee-you-tee-full.

So when we came back? We went to OC’s conference in Banff. We went traipsing around and visited Lake Louise, and visited the Athabasca Glacier in the Columbia Icefields so OC could see what the Arctic was *kind of* like.

Then I came back and buckled down to work and gardening. My garden is looking lovely, work is going swimmingly, although we are out of solvent (yay!) which means all I can really do are column runs (yay!) which bodes well for my World Cup viewing. I have currently regained phone privelages and my birthday was wonderful, filled with friends and good food, on my back porch. I have taken up rugby, because I have found that I do really quite enjoy tackling people in a supportive, friendly environment. I forgot to post about the energy issue, and how Premier Dolt-on McGuinty has outrageously defied public trust etc. etc. but I meant to. And I do hope you all called his office to voice your outrage.

Next time? (within a week) I will post a *real* blogpost. Filled with exciting dispatches from the Greater Kingston Area….i.e. “Grass is greener on other side of fence, Gore St. Resident complains……”

I know most of you already know about this? but I’m just going to put in another extra little plug because I think it’s shaping up to be a really interesting conference this year and that more people should go because it’s a valuable learning experience.

The conference is People and the Planet, and it’s put on by Sierra Club of Canada, runs from June 9th to June 11th and it’s all about creating a sustainable future, both environmentally and socially. It’s in Ottawa at St. Paul University.

They have a bunch of amazing speakers lining up, including, future PM of Canada Elizabeth May, Maude Barlow, Paul Watson, etc. etc.

It’s a really great way to feel re-invigorated about all that we can do to initiate changes in policy and behaviour for a more sustainable future. You’ll network, you might come up with a few good, implementable ideas.

Warning: it’s hex-spensive. But…..it is totally worth it. You will be rubbing elbows with the Captain Planet Folk of Canada. Theys has experiences to share and wisdom to dole out.

The dude who shot it is kind of annoyed because he only had a license to shoot polars not grizzlys, and certainly not pizzlys and now is probably being fined, having shot the only pizzly known in existence.

The National Post, in the best practice of journalist professionalism, sorted out the important issues….like….’was it love?’ with a stern biologist’s response: “I don’t deal with things like that”.

Anywhoo, y’all shouldn’t think about going up to the Western Arctic anytime soon. Polar bears are *supposedly* the only bears that actively hunt humans and Grizzly bears are meaner and faster. All this adds up to one enormous, furry super-predator. Nature has certainly created a winning combination with this mammal.

*edit*

This is why I love Canadian scientists.  This man is the nation’s leading polar bear biologist and he was quoted as saying:

“…there could be more of these dudes out there.”

I should be in biology.  Man alive those kids have fun.

Is anybody else totally excited about this? it’s only the best news I’ve had in forevers. Elizabeth May….Prime Minister. The Green Party votes on their new leadership in late August. But really….we all know who is going to win. It’s former Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada, Elizabeth May. A lawyer. A lobbyist. The ‘Rachel Carson of Canada’.

Her goals are to get the youth interested and engaged and challenge Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party. However, I’m a *bit* disappointed to see her taking down Layton. Say what you will of the man, but the dude has done an admirable job in campaigning for the NDPers this past election (based on my opinion only and seat numbers). I also really like that he’s genuine and did you see how happy he was when his wife won her area? it was a beautiful moment captured on film.

I kind of wish the Greens and NDPers could find some sort of medium ground? because it’s too bad that the left is split off into factious groups. I understand the need for it, because some people will never trust environmentalists and some people think that the NDPers aren’t left (or green!) enough. Oh well. Elizabeth May! Potential Future Prime Minister!

Go Greens Go!

And Hawksley last night at Sydenham Church? W-O-W. WOW.

In the meantime, it appears that *another* mouse is infiltrating the space below the sink.  Chateau Bagot is officially infested with rodents. /sigh.

On Thursdays, they have ‘Grad Night’.  Where graduate students can show their ID and claim half price on all food items.  Thursdays are the night where I can show up after school, order my Guinness and my Shrimp Bonanza, which includes one coconut shrimp appetizer, one basket o’ shrimp.

The coconut shrimp are glorious.  They are lightly covered in coconut magic batter, and the dip sauce is this heavenly sweet chili sauce.

EXCEPT: They’ve now changed the menu and the shrimp bonanza is no more.  Coconut shrimp? gone.  Gone! Shrimp basket? much improved, though.  But why would you remove the delicious from your menu? It’s almost too ‘orrible to think about.

And good luck to the many pions in Kingston who have to move today.

1) gardening

2) catching up on cleaning the house. Clean underwears! Hurrah!
3) lab work

4) more gardening.

5)Buy frozen strawberries to drink daiquiries while gardening.

6)Planning in excrutiatingly fun detail my conference trip to California. Or just staring at pictures of where I’m going again.

/sigh. You’ll notice that nowhere did I say schoolwork (labwork doesn’t count), no exams, no groundwater modelling, no stupid finite element nonsense. No sweet peas, I am done school. FOREVER. I will never have to write an exam again. Unless I foolishly CHOOSE to take the course (OF MY OWN WILL). It’s all lab work and self-directed research from here on in.

And that dog that OC keeps yammering on about? that wears sunglasses? you’ll be pleased to know that he will be a fixed feature in the downtown Kingston area this summer as he sits idly, chillin’ while his owner BUSKS!

And now, because I have the time, I am treating OC to breakfast with my zero dollars. I hope they still take zero dollars at Morrison’s. Alternately, I can trade them my camper stove for two steaming hot plates of eggs and homefries. Last time they I got thrown out…but I’m feeling pretty good about it this morning. The ‘good feeling’ is probably because the Big Bike for the Heart and Stroke Foundation keeps riding by my window and everyone’s cheering and there’s upbeat music is playing in the background and I can feel lives being saved already with all that money and who wouldn’t feel good about that?

So I haven’t posted in awhile, as always around this time I have exams. Important exams where I need to desparately cram my head with all sorts of scary things like LaPlace Transforms and Fortran coding. My exam is on Thursday…which makes me feel like I have this comfortable space of time but really I know I don’t because I have sooooo much learning to do and unfortunately this type of math takes hours to do problems and…and… thank GOD it’s been pouring buckets or I’d find so very many things to do outside….like gardening…although on Saturday I was desparate and took to gardening in the rain anyways and I’ve watched a googleplex of downloaded Law and Order SVU and I’m chock full of celebrity gossip sites and now I’m resorting to blogging and run-on sentences because I can’t be bothered to actually understand why or how or when I implement the shift theorem. Thank goodness for The Fear* or else I’d never get anything done.

*The Fear is that sensation where one realizes that they are utterly and totally screwed. Symptons include, but are not limited to: blood running cold, nausea, cold sweats, fast breathing, heart palpitations and in some cases, hyper-sensitivity of the five senses. The Fear can strike at any time, but occurs most often at night, when the victim’s idle mind churns over daily tasks. The Fear arises most often in periods of high stress, however it is commonly agreed upon that Suprise Fear is the worst kind of Fear.