Managing Canadian Heat

It's getting to about 28c here in Vancouver, so here's a tip from a local newspaper on how to handle the heat:

Try the Grouse Grind [hiking up the rather large Grouse Mountain]. It'll be tough, but at the top you can sit down and enjoy a nice cool drink.

What???

Here's my suggestions for handling the heat, as an Australian:

• Sit down in the shade
• Drink plenty of cool or cold water
• Go swimming if you want some exercise
• In extreme heat, spray water on exposed skin to simulate sweat
• Use a fan or find a breeze to evaporate the water on your skin
• If you really want to, sit at the base of Grouse Mountain and enjoy the same drink you would at the top

Silly people. :)

Physio Report

Went to see the physio for the second time because of the pain that I get across the backs of my hands and in my forearms. Turns out that there is a tendon or nerve (or something like that) running from my hands all the way to my shoulder. My typing screws it up in my hands, and carrying the laptop on my back screws it up in my shoulders. The end result is a tug-o-war running the length of my arm. With treatment and exercise it will improve.

Cycling Trip

Every year the company I work for has a little retreat hosted by one of our founders. I went last year when I visited the company and was (thankfully) given a lift to the retreat. This year I'll go again, but will get there under my own steam. The plan so far is:

• Ride my bicycle 20km to the ferry terminal
• Catch the ferry across the strait to Vancouver Island
• Catch a bus north to the next ferry terminal
• Catch a ferry to Denman Island
• Ride my bicycle 10km to the next ferry terminal
• Catch a ferry to Hornby Island
• Ride my bicycle 10km to the retreat

Will make a couple of rides to the first ferry terminal and back, just for practice, before I go. :)

Vancouver Skyline

Another photo from last weekend. This is the Vancouver skyline, on a day when it was not cold. :)

Corean Soccer Crazy

Last weekend a few of us from work went down to a pub to watch the soccer. It was Corea vs France, and we sat around and watched Corea being thoroughly beaten for the first half. We left at halftime, not wanting to see Corea being slaughtered. Turns out that they managed to equalise, and by the time I got home there were heaps of red-shirted Coreans out on the street chanting. Was amazing to see buses turn up, heaps of people pour out, form into a chanting mob, and start walking up and down Robson St. I guess they really like their football.

Beach Photos

So I finally rode back past the beach again. And then about 5 days later I had time to sit down and get the photos off my camera. :)

So this is a Vancouver beach. It's called Second Beach I think. Normally those mountains in the distance would have snow on them, but they've lost it now it's so not-cold (I refuse to call it warm yet).

Mysterious Swan Lake

Can anyone explain how I ended up with a promotional Chinese Swan Lake DVD on my harddrive? :| This is very weird.

Canadian Eh?

How'd they name Canada? They pulled letters out of a hat! "C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?"

Canadians have this thing about 'eh'. It is the part of Canadian language that really sets them apart. "So you liked the food, eh?". "Nice food, eh." It's almost as bad as the Cantonese "la".

However, if you come here you won't notice a lot of difference between Canadians and Australians. You won't notice this "eh" very much at all. That's because they're the only people in the world who spell "ay" as "eh". The great Canadian "eh" is actually the lazy form of "hey". "So you liked the food, hey?". "Nice food, hey." They dropped the 'y' and then reversed it.

Finally the joke makes sense.

Bus Signs

Walking home tonight, I saw what had to be best sign for recycling I have ever seen. It was a 3 frame comic printed on the sign of a bus. It was roughly this:

1. Girl with dog, holding a softdrink bottle
2. Girl with dog, tossing the softdrink bottle
3. Girl with dog, being bitten by a shark that jumped out of nowhere (she was in the middle of a park, so no idea where the shark came from), and a subtitle "Don't mess with karma! Recycle!"

The only other advertisement I remember that was as cool was the one in Scotland which read "312 days of rain per year. Brilliant." on a background of Scottish highlands and a rainbow. It was an advertisement for beer, obviously made with the excessive amount of rain water.

Château Frontenac

So one of the most exciting things to see in Quebec is the Château Frontenac. I have to be honest - it's big and fancy. It's quite impressive in this photo. It's less impressive in real life. Though I guess it's a matter of taste. And at the time I just wanted an ice-cream because it was hot, so that may influence my feelings on the matter.

Cleaning with Vinegar

Recently tried cleaning some baking trays but boiling off some vinegar in the oven. End results:

• The oven is cleaner.
• My unit smells like the inside of a pack of salt+vinegar chips.

No real change to the baking trays though.

The French are Strange

Just got back from Quebec and have some photos to share. The first is this, from the Citadel inside the old city. Was a bit odd to see a man in uniform with a goat...

Romantic Horse-drawn Carriages

Went walking through Quebec city today with one of the guys from work. A stench wafted past, accompanied with the clopping of hooves. Apparently horse-drawn carriages are a romantic way to get around this old (and beautiful) city. Just a pity that the whole horse itself smells as bad as its backside. I'd wonder how you'd smell after the ride. :(

I've Been Around The World...

For my birthday I was flying to attend a workshop in Quebec. That was about 2 weeks ago. Now I'm back for another conference in Quebec, having just come from a conference in Victoria. In a single 20 day period I think I spent 6 days at my actual desk at work. I'm just being bounced around Canada right now.