Wow it has been a while. . . for anyone who still visits this site, I am off to Japan on Saurday (March 17th) for two weeks.  If you are interested, you can follow along with some pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/gwlea

 

Graham

Hello GM,  I would be glad to pass along my brother's contact info but, alas, I do not have yours.  You can sed it to me via a private message in the guest book (as you did in your last message).  Have fun in Korea.  I am thinking of going to visit Japan myself this winter.

 

best.

G

Well, here is my New Year’s Catch-up entry.  I must say I am glad 2006 is over . . .all in all, it was a rather lousy year.  If you have been reading, you know that my father was ill, among and, among other issues that I shan’t place here 2006 could not end fast enough.  Not that 2007 is shaping up much better but at least there is possibility in it.  I have two potential short-term jobs that I should find out about in the next week or so.  I also am applying to grad school for September.  Right now I have an application in at UBC (University of British Columbia) and am preparing one for UPEI (University of Prince Edward Island).  We shall see how those pan out in the next few months.  Finally, I am thinking of travelling to Japan for a couple of weeks this March.  My brother is living there and what better time to visit Tokyo than when you can get a free place to stay!!!

 

As of right now, I have received 4109 hits on my space.  Not bad for a boring person who never updates!

 

Anyway, that is it for me now

 

Best to you

Graham

To those few who still check my site (Thanks Bonnie, Zaya, and Ella) I wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.  I know I have been rather negligent of this space - I just havn't had it in my to post.  However, I will do a New Year's post that will bring you all up to date on my perpendicular universe.

 

all the best,

Graham

 

best,

G

Hello again

Okay, just so people don’t begin to worry, I am still around. It has, as you can imagine, been a pretty hectic summer. However, today, my father got out of the hospital and my brother got his contract to teach in Tokyo so I guess it was a rather big day. My father will still need fairly regular care for a while but at least he is out of the hospital. Anyway, that is all that is new in my world.

G

Hello everyone, I just wanted to say that I am back and still alive. After I returned from the conference, I dove head first into work. This has meant, for the last two and a half weeks, that I have been operating on 16-20 hour days. On top of this, I have had several other things take up my time: I am renting my barn to a bike tour company and they had to move in during this busy time; I had to re-roof my barn; and most significantly, my father has been very ill (which has involved cross-continental travel, hospitalization, and scarey therapy). So, all in all, things have been pretty stressful.

Our show had it’s second preview last night and we don’t have any rehearsal today so, for the first time since rehearsal started, I have some free time. Tonight (Sat) the show opens and things return to relative normal and I can start to enjoy a summer here on PEI.

Hope everyone is well

Graham

Okay, here goes update number one - the conference.

A few of you know, I was co-presenting a paper at a fairly substantial conference in Toronto a few weekends ago. I managed to get to Toronto a few days early and stayed in a hostel for a few days. That was my first time in a hostel and while not ideal, the price ($25 in downtown Toronto) was right. While in Toronto, I spent a lot of time walking around. I went up the CN tower.

        

Alas, the first time I got in line, I noticed that my camera had run out of batteries. So I had to walk back to the hostel and get new ones. By the time I finally got to the tower, it was getting late and it was dark by the time I reached the actual look-out platforms. One of the oddest look-out platforms was the infamous glass floors. Here, near the top of the CN tower there are several glass floors that you can stand on. Here is a picture of my foot as I look down at the Rogers Centre (Skydome)

 

Here is a shot of the Rogers Centre straight down from the glass floor.

After spending some time on that level, I took the elevator to the "World’s highest observation deck"

 

This is a rather small area with a fantastic view of the City. Here is a shot of me taken by some rather disappointed Chicago White Sox fans (their team lost the baseball game that night).

 

One thing that mystified me about the CN tower. Around the platform, there were emergency exits.

 

Now what troubles me about this is where are you going to go if there is an emergency. Unless there is a stash of parachutes, I think I would rather take my chances with the elevator.

The day before going up the CN tower, I attended a matinee performance of "The Lord of the Rings"

It was an interesting show. While as a piece of theatre, it left a lot to be desired, it was definitely an interesting spectacle. In fact, I spent much of the performance admiring the intricate and effective multi-levelled floor. One of the actors in the show worked at the small theatre down the street from me last summer.

During my time in Toronto it was HOT (about 42 degrees). And I spent a lot of time walking around looking at the dual nature of the town.

 

This was not much of a problem except for the first day I was to attend the conference. I went to the subway station and it was closed, I thought this was odd but decided to walk to the next station. It too was closed. I continued on this path for about 1.5 hours in the searing heat until I was told that there was a strike on the transit system ARCH. I was NOT happy. So I managed to find a cab and got to the conference $40 poorer than I expected to be.

The next day there were no problems getting to the convention and we prepared our presentation on the way. I was quite shocked and surprised that about 30 people attended, including some of the top theatre researchers in the country, so needless to say I was a bit nervous. All in all things went quite well and I hung around the book fair for a while. I left the conference with LOTS of time to catch my plane. But, I don’t know what happened, either I was given bad directions, or I misinterpreted them. Anyway, I ended up at the WRONG side of Toronto two hours before my flight was to leave. I hoped and I prayed that I would be able to get to the airport in that two hours. I played mad subway hopping and I cam very close. However, I arrived at the check-in counter 4 minutes too late, they had closed the plane to boarding. So, after trying, unsuccessfully, to find another flight back, I had to spend the night at Pearson airport.

Now airport sleeping is not the best at anytime I am told (this was my first time). However, things were made worse because they chose that night to test the fire alarm system. So for about 3 hours there was a constant siren going on in the airport. Needless to say, I did not get much sleep that night.

When I finally arrived back in PEI, I had to start work immediately (I was at work 2 or three minutes after I walked in the door). This was fine and I expected it. However, events later last week put a major damper on how the rest of the week progressed however, that is a story for the next entry.

Best as ever,

G

Okay,

I am back on PEI - I have been for almost a week.  The trip was interesting.  I shall update in the next few days.  The last week has been VERY stressfull.  I will post about that too when I have the time/way of wording the events properly.  Needless to say, I think I could almost write a book about the last week and a half!!

 

best

G

With the recent spacing between my postings this doesn't really matter . . . but I will be away from my computer until next Wednesday as I am off to Toronto for a conference. 

 

hope everyone has a great weekend.

G

 

 

[T] I have more than one scar.

[T] I tan easily.

[ ] I wish my hair were a different colour.

[ ] I have friends who have never seen my natural hair colour.

[T] I have/had braces. (Great for the social standing in highschool)

[ ] I have more than 2 piercings.

[ ] I have piercings in places besides my ears.

[T] I have freckles. (Blech)

 

 

[] I've sworn at my parents.

[ ] I've run away from home.

[ ] I've been kicked out of the house.

[ ] My biological parents are not together. (Well they were until one passed away)

[ ] I have a sibling less than one year old.

[T] I want to have kids someday. (Well, this depends on the mood I am in and how good the students I have had have been)

[ ] I've had children.

[ ] I've lost a child.

 

 

[T] I'm in school. (Sort of - I teach.)

[T] I've fallen asleep at work/school. (Only once and my boss told me to)

[T] I almost always do my homework.

[T] I've gotten a perfect attendance award.

[ ] I've been on the Honour Roll within the last year.

[ ] I failed more than one class last year.

[ ] I've stolen something from my job.

[ ] I've been fired.

 

 

[T] Disney movies still make me cry. (I am a Disney movie fan)

[T] I've snorted while laughing.

[T] I've laughed so hard I've cried.

[T] I've glued my hand to something. (Krazy Glue is my nemesis)

[T] I've laughed till some kind of beverage came out of my nose.

 

 

[T] I've gotten stitches.

[ ] I've broken a bone.

[T] I've had my tonsils removed.

[ ] I've sat in a doctor's office with a friend

[ ] I've had my wisdom teeth removed.

[T] I've had a surgery.

[T] I've had chicken pox.

 

 

[T] I've ridden over 200 miles in one day.

[T] I've been on a plane.

[T] I've been to Canada. (Does living here count?)

[ ] I've been to Mexico.

[T] I've been to Niagara Falls.

[ ] I've been to Japan. (Someday)

[ ] I've celebrated Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

[T] I've been to Europe.

[T] I've been to Africa. (And I can't wait to go back)

[T] I've been to the Eiffel Tower.

[ ] I've been to South America

[ ] I've been to Asia.

 

 

[ ] I've gotten lost in my hometown. (Umm, no, the population is about 150)

[T] I've seen a shooting star. (Many of them)

[T] I've wished on a shooting star.

[T] I've seen a meteor shower.

[ ] I've gone out in public in my pajamas.

[T] I've pushed all the buttons in an elevator.

[T] I've been to a casino.

[ ] I've been skydiving.

[ ] I've been in a car crash.

[T] I've been skiing. (Cross country)

[T] I've been in a play. (Used to be my job - only Computer Science Student I know who paid University by acting!!!)

[T] I've caught a snowflake on my tongue.

[T] I've seen the Northern Lights.

[T] I've sat on a roof top at night.

[ ] I've played chicken.

[T] I've played a prank on someone.

[T] I've ridden in a taxi.

[T] I've seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show. (Every Halloween - by myself - how pathetic)

[T] I've eaten sushi.

[ ] I've been snowboarding.

 

 

[ ] I've stolen a tray from a fast food restaurant.

[ ] I open up to others easily.

[T] I watch the news. (Sometimes - but I check news websites regularly)

[ ] I don't kill bugs.

[ ] I hate hearing songs that don't rhyme.

[ ] I sing in the shower.

[ ] I am a morning person.

[ ] I paid for my cell phone ring tone.

[ ] I'm a sports fanatic.

[T] I like being neat.

[ ] I like Spam.

[ ] I've copied more than 30 CD's in a day.

[T] My favorite color is either white, purple, yellow, green, pink, red, black or blue.

[ ] I would wear pajamas to school.

[ ] I like Martha Stewart.

[ ] I know how to shoot a gun.

[ ] i am guilty of tYpInG lIkE tHiS.

[ ] I laugh at my own jokes. (I am just not very funny)

[T] I eat fast food weekly. (Unfortunately for my poor stomach)

[ ] I am online 24/7, even as an away message.

[ ] I've not turned anything in and still got an A in a certain class.

[ ] I can't sleep if there is a spider in the room. (Then I never would have slept in Kenya - between the spiders and the lizards)

[T] I am really ticklish.

[ ] I love white chocolate.

[T] I bite my nails.

[T] I play video games.

[T] I'm good at remembering faces.

[ ] I'm good at remembering names.

[T] I forget people's names.

[T] I've called people some other name.

[ ] I'm good at remembering dates.

[T] I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. (Not good when approaching . . .  well older than I would like to be)

Hey all,

it has been a while and yet this will be a short entry. I have been making a big push to get my house ready for my brother (he was supposed to be out there tomorrow). Unfortunately, I will not have things ready in time for him (frustrated Graham). Aside from that, I have not really been feeling well for a while and it is starting to drain on me and, as a result, I just can’t get the energy to do a post.

Sorry,

G

The title for this entry is taken from none other than Homer Simpson. While I am not really partial to free goo found on a sidewalk, the phrase does have a bit to do with the main topic of this entry - the consistency of food. I was driving my brother out to our house today to do some work (he was raking leaves, I was nailing down a sub-floor). On the way back, we were having supper and somehow the topic of food consistency came up and a phrase that (as far as I know) I created kept entering my head - I will leave the phrase to the end of the entry. To understand the phrase, one must know that, as a rule, I am not partial to crunchy/crispy food. This can be everything from chips/crisps (which I do occasionally enjoy) to fruits and veggies (one noted exception is carrots - nothing beats a carrot picked fresh out of the ground). The food that I least like crispy is cookies. I just don’t understand the point of crispy cookies - they crunch and fall apart but there is no sense of satisfaction when you chew into them and they envelop your mouth. Cookies should be soft and gooey!! One day, a few years ago, when discussion this phenomenon with someone, I described it like this:

Cookies should give your teeth a hug

now, just how can a crispy cookie do that. In fact, I think this would make a great tag line for an ad for a cookie company: "Our cookies give your teeth a hug" - okay, if any of you see this, let me know so I can claim it!!!

As ever,

G

I just want to clarify something - I am known for either:

1. making my writing so obtuse and convoluted that I loose my intent, or
2. just simply being unclear in my writing.

The poem in the last entry (Winter Winds) was not directed at anyone in particular. I hope no one took offense.

Best,

G

Last fall, my father was studying French in Chicoutimi, Quebec. One weekend, I took the long bus ride up to visit him. Here is a run-down of some of the photos I took that weekend.

As always, better copies of the pictures are in the photo folders.

• The General photos are in the Quebec photo folder
• The Zoo photos are in the Quebec - Zoo photo folder
• The Ghost Town photos are in the Quebec - Ghost Town photo folder

General

We went on a rather long, and well known, walk through the mountains on the way, I passed a cut stump of a tree that looked as if a face were growing out of it.

 

 

Also along the walk was this tree whose roots grew around the rock on which it was placed.

 

 

At the end of the walk is a rather large statue of the Virgin Mary erected in the middle of nowhere (about a 1.5 hour walk) by someone, who, in the last century, fell through the ice but survived and credited his life to the virgin. It was quite an accomplishment to see this large statue in such an out of the way place.

 

 

At the end of the walk, I got to see a wild moose (I never had before). They are huge - even from the opposite side of the river, I was impressed by the massive size of the animal.

   

 

 

On our way out this small waterfall caught my eye

 

On the drive around, I took the following pictures.

   

 

Zoo

In the area, there is an interesting Zoo. It features animals primarily from the local biome that are given a great deal of freedom. To view most of the animals, visitors get in a long vehicle and travel through the animals’ habitat.

The animal photos are at the bottom.

Ghost Town

On the way back from the Zoo, we stopped in St. Félician (I hope that is the name of the town). It used to be a thriving lumber town but now has been abandoned and is a true Ghost town. It was fascinating to walk through - it would make a fantastic movie set!!

The Ghost town photos are at the bottom.

That is it for this entry: enjoy the week everyone.

G