I am feeling quite lucky today. The parking garage I parked in on Saturday partially collapsed under the weight of the snow here in Ottawa It is the next block over from the local NDP campaign office.
I am feeling quite lucky today. The parking garage I parked in on Saturday partially collapsed under the weight of the snow here in Ottawa It is the next block over from the local NDP campaign office.
Glad you missed it.
I was wondering if it was the one we used to park in during the 90s when we worked on Slater street.
I was in Ottawa last week, unwillingly. I was among those unfortunates whose plane was diverted from Pearson due to the plane crash. We spent four hours on a runway, then another three hours in a lineup in the airport. In desperation to get to Toronto, we booked train tickets leaving the next morning at 4 am. Just before midnight, a single competent airline employee - of the dozen or so I witnessed - managed to squeeze us onto a flight at the very last second, before the pilot would have "timed out." It felt like the last plane out of Afghanistan.
Addendum: although I'd planned to be in The Centre of the Known Universe I didn't propose a shipmeet bc I knew I wouldn't be able to get away. And so it turned out to be. Toronto was merely a week of 24/7 dogsitting a rambunctious five-month-old puppy, and then assisting pup's owners with moving house. Whatever it was, it wasn't a vacation!
Also explains my desperation to get to Toronto, plane crash be damned. The puppy's other caregivers had to leave, and we couldn't leave pupper in his crate for days on end while the airlines sorted out the situation.
I sometimes wonder who actually takes that 4 am train, apart from stranded airline passengers… it seems extremely purgatorial to me, though I’m not an early riser. Glad you got here and everything worked out ok in the end.
Spent the last three mornings, while on vacation from my primary job, marking critical thinking assignments for my first year experience course. When I complain to Ms. C. about marking, she reminds me that it is a self-inflicted wound.
We are starting to get sun and a bit of warmth here… though oddly the furnace working less hard to heat the house as a whole means the basement gets colder…
And signs of snowdrops in the warmer part of the back yard.
I can't remember which end of Canada you're in, Marsupial, but just wait until next week for "Sheila's Brush" ...
Toronto. Sort of the middle… well not really… but we like to think it is.
On that topic, I was early getting downtown for an appointment at Queen and Yonge this morning and decided to walk down Yonge Street from Bloor to Queen. I used to spend quite a lot of time in this part of the world but for various reasons (CD shops closing, my work moving slightly west away from Yonge) I don’t spend much time there any longer. Lots and lots of tall condo developments replacing now often slightly sketchy looking older construction. Whether that’s an improvement may be a matter of opinion. But definitely an improvement is a series of urban parks running over the subway line parallel to Yonge from Bloor to Wellesley Stations. No idea what it used to be but now it’s a stylish outdoor space for the condo dwellers to wander through (and walk their dogs, if the canine population at 8:30 in the morning is anything to go by).
The inevitable consequence of lots of snow followed by warm weather - the river is rising; almost up to the banks behind our house. The Grand River Conservation Authority's website has been indicating lower flow rates downstream than upstream. Eh? It will be an interesting day.
Ouch. Fingers crossed for an orderly movement from upstream to downstream.
We have had a lot of rain overnight and are being warned that the frozen ground is not really in a position to absorb it. Snow is mostly gone though so at least the path to the storm sewers is clear.
Hope the water goes down pronto. Living somewhere where that sort of weather would lead to a flooded garden I know how stressful keeping on looking at the information about river levels can be.
River flooding was quite a regular feature of Spring in Fredericton too; there's a football pitch down by the river, and I've seen it where just the top and crossbar of the goalposts was visible.
Canadian Music Friends, particularly in & around Toronto:
Do any of you have experience with, or know anyone who's had experience with the Tafelmusik Summer Institute at the University of Toronto? Probably too specific of an ask, but I thought I'd give it a try.
I walked past Trinity St Paul’s today where they for decades they have used the main church as their performance space. Interestingly it is now known as Jeanne Lamon Hall - still used for worship as well but Tafelmusik is very much responsible for that building’s continued existence.
Last day of term tomorrow. Handout my take home exam tomorrow and tell my students to sin no more.;^) Quotation of the course tomorrow ( We often write about quotations of the day as a schema activator before class.) us "Test everything. Hold on to the good."
Hopefully your weather is somewhat matching up with your end of term. We’ve been in this bizarre zigzag between rain and snow and cold and pretty much everything else.
If I could vote here, the first candidate promising to fix the weather would get my vote. -11°C forecast tonight. At least the river is back down and no longer in our back yard.
I don't know how many Shippies we have from Vancouver, but know that you're in my prayers after the horrific incident at the Lapu Lapu festival. May those who were killed rest in peace, and may those who mourn be comforted. 😢
Thank you, @Piglet. As far as I know, I am the closest person to Vancouver, living in the Okanagan. However, in my first year at UBC, I lived not far from where the incident happened, and rode the bus by there all the time. This is another instance in my life where I feel like something horrible has happened in my neighbourhood.
I also have a niece in law who is Filipina - I'm thinking of her a lot today.
A question for knowledgeable shipmates: how does one secure a ticket for the Speech from the Throne? I called the parliamentary tour office (there was nothing on their website) and they said Speeches from the Throne are always by invite only. Is this done through an MP or am I better off watching it online?
The King is coming to read this one and I can't contain my inner constitutional and monarchist nerd.
Excited to know that Mrs. The_Riv and I will be visiting Toronto later in June. Our daughter will be performing as part of the Tafelmusik Summer Institute, and we'll travel up for a few concerts. Should be wonderful.
I was born in TO. Off to see BTO tonight. I have seen Randy Bachman perform with Burton Cummings but I have never been to a BTO concert. I assume most of the audience will be 60+.
A question for knowledgeable shipmates: how does one secure a ticket for the Speech from the Throne? I called the parliamentary tour office (there was nothing on their website) and they said Speeches from the Throne are always by invite only. Is this done through an MP or am I better off watching it online?
The King is coming to read this one and I can't contain my inner constitutional and monarchist nerd.
I would suggest contacting your MP’s office; it’s at least worth a try! I don’t know anything about getting into the Throne Speech, but my MP’s office was fabulous about getting me in to watch Question Period last year.
Quite a thunderstorm last night here. It seems to have done something to the ground as we had a skunk in our back garden this morning with its mouth to the ground as if it were at a time-limited all-you-can-eat buffet. Maybe the drenching pushed the grubs to the surface or something of the sort. We definitely have skunks around here but this was the first time I’d seen one in daylight.
Comments
Light wet snow this morning. Probably not the best thing for voter turnout, but not as bad as two weeks ago…
Glad you missed it.
I was wondering if it was the one we used to park in during the 90s when we worked on Slater street.
Also explains my desperation to get to Toronto, plane crash be damned. The puppy's other caregivers had to leave, and we couldn't leave pupper in his crate for days on end while the airlines sorted out the situation.
And signs of snowdrops in the warmer part of the back yard.
Toronto. Sort of the middle… well not really… but we like to think it is.
On that topic, I was early getting downtown for an appointment at Queen and Yonge this morning and decided to walk down Yonge Street from Bloor to Queen. I used to spend quite a lot of time in this part of the world but for various reasons (CD shops closing, my work moving slightly west away from Yonge) I don’t spend much time there any longer. Lots and lots of tall condo developments replacing now often slightly sketchy looking older construction. Whether that’s an improvement may be a matter of opinion. But definitely an improvement is a series of urban parks running over the subway line parallel to Yonge from Bloor to Wellesley Stations. No idea what it used to be but now it’s a stylish outdoor space for the condo dwellers to wander through (and walk their dogs, if the canine population at 8:30 in the morning is anything to go by).
We have had a lot of rain overnight and are being warned that the frozen ground is not really in a position to absorb it. Snow is mostly gone though so at least the path to the storm sewers is clear.
Do any of you have experience with, or know anyone who's had experience with the Tafelmusik Summer Institute at the University of Toronto? Probably too specific of an ask, but I thought I'd give it a try.
Thanks!
ditto.
Unfortunately, there are so few Canadians aboard the ship, that we may not have enough breadth of population to be able to offer any insights.
Coolish day, actually feels like late fall somehow. Stopping for a cortado right now on my way home from a walk by the lake.
Not me either. I've attended performances by Tafelmusik, but can't speak to that program.
I also have a niece in law who is Filipina - I'm thinking of her a lot today.
The King is coming to read this one and I can't contain my inner constitutional and monarchist nerd.
I would suggest contacting your MP’s office; it’s at least worth a try! I don’t know anything about getting into the Throne Speech, but my MP’s office was fabulous about getting me in to watch Question Period last year.