With windchill that's supposed to be like -38 ... I hate Calgary today (actually, I hate Saskatoon, I wish I was in Calgary) ... whine, whine, whine, I know.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Am I Nervous About Something?
I didn't sleep very well last night, and my tummys a little rumbly this morning. Sounds like physical manifestations of stress, but I don't feel particularly stressed about anything (more than usual) today.
Any thoughts on what it could be?
Our contracts class is cancelled (again) today, so I have constitutional at 10:00, and then property at 4:00 ... a painfully ridiculous break inbetween, it's true. I was going to try and be at school by 7:00 today to hit the gym, but it looks like it's going to be more like 8:00, so maybe I'll try and hit the gym in the ridiculously long break. As long as I don't opt to sleep on my books in the law library ... it's only 7:21 in the AM, and I'm already looking forward to a nap? Yikes.
I finished the Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, and it was fabulous. If you need a good book for your Xmas list, this could be one. LOVED IT. I want to read more by Philippa Gregory now.
Jason is coming this weekend, and I'm counting down the days, hours, minutes. I'm going to have to scramble a bit to get everything done that I should, so that I can do nothing with him in a guilt free kind of way.
I've started thinking about Xmas shopping ... maybe that's the anxiety feelings ... thinking of the Xmas crowds at the mall, the Xmas traffic, the masses of people that make everything take forever ... could be.
Oh well - I'm off to school.
I didn't sleep very well last night, and my tummys a little rumbly this morning. Sounds like physical manifestations of stress, but I don't feel particularly stressed about anything (more than usual) today.
Any thoughts on what it could be?
Our contracts class is cancelled (again) today, so I have constitutional at 10:00, and then property at 4:00 ... a painfully ridiculous break inbetween, it's true. I was going to try and be at school by 7:00 today to hit the gym, but it looks like it's going to be more like 8:00, so maybe I'll try and hit the gym in the ridiculously long break. As long as I don't opt to sleep on my books in the law library ... it's only 7:21 in the AM, and I'm already looking forward to a nap? Yikes.
I finished the Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory, and it was fabulous. If you need a good book for your Xmas list, this could be one. LOVED IT. I want to read more by Philippa Gregory now.
Jason is coming this weekend, and I'm counting down the days, hours, minutes. I'm going to have to scramble a bit to get everything done that I should, so that I can do nothing with him in a guilt free kind of way.
I've started thinking about Xmas shopping ... maybe that's the anxiety feelings ... thinking of the Xmas crowds at the mall, the Xmas traffic, the masses of people that make everything take forever ... could be.
Oh well - I'm off to school.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
I'm a Brave Little Toaster
I decided to drive my car home today. It wasn't bad at all, so I'm lucky. Lots of snow clearing appears to have been done, so I pat myself on the back for acting like I'm from Saskatchewan (except for how slow I was driving), and driving my butt home.
BUT - I really need long underwear. Yup. I need it, like I need chocolate at certain times of the month (those of you who know me understand that this is therefore a need that rates with food, shelter, and water). Yup. long underwear. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it has to be warm. Any suggestions that seasoned long underwear users have would be appreciated.
I decided to drive my car home today. It wasn't bad at all, so I'm lucky. Lots of snow clearing appears to have been done, so I pat myself on the back for acting like I'm from Saskatchewan (except for how slow I was driving), and driving my butt home.
BUT - I really need long underwear. Yup. I need it, like I need chocolate at certain times of the month (those of you who know me understand that this is therefore a need that rates with food, shelter, and water). Yup. long underwear. It doesn't have to be pretty, but it has to be warm. Any suggestions that seasoned long underwear users have would be appreciated.
Battlestar Galactica, My New Bedfellow
A classmate told me about a site where you could watch Season 1 and 2 for free - and I found it the other day:
http://tv.quicksilverscreen.com/watch-the-new-battlestar-galactica-free/
And ... it looks like they have a bunch of other shows you can watch, too.
Finally, my heart's desire has been met (besides having my husband here with me - I love this since I have no TV hookup in my room).
I'm excited about getting caught up with that show. I LOVE it, but I'm a little lost right now. The added bonus of no commercials is truly divine.
Today I'm prepping for a Constitutional tutorial where we're going through some exam examples. This is going to be great, as this is my only 100% final in December (the rest of my exams are 20% midterms). I already wrote the practice midterm for this class, and did OK, but I definitely am a little fuzzy on how to answer an essay question (this is where the undergrad in CPSC doesn't help out so much). I think we're going to go over that, so that should be good.
In our LRW class today, we're going to go over exam prep/writing strategy. So ... I suppose that we officially approach exam season (nope - not the holiday season, that won't approach until my hard exams are over). So ... Merry Exams to you, and you, and you, and you.
My little car is safe in the parkade at school, and I think I'll bus it all day today, and let her remain covered. It just hasn't stopped snowing, and last time, the roads were way better after a few days of plowing. I've lived and learned, so to speak.
I still can't believe that Saskatoon is warmer than Calgary, and that the west coast got close to a foot and a half of snow. What is this crazy world coming to? I thought we were fighting global warming? Doesn't feel too warm now. This article explains the way I'll feel today when I'm trudging to the bus in -38 degrees C with windchill: Kyoro-Schymoto by: Karen Walchuk
A classmate told me about a site where you could watch Season 1 and 2 for free - and I found it the other day:
http://tv.quicksilverscreen.com/watch-the-new-battlestar-galactica-free/
And ... it looks like they have a bunch of other shows you can watch, too.
Finally, my heart's desire has been met (besides having my husband here with me - I love this since I have no TV hookup in my room).I'm excited about getting caught up with that show. I LOVE it, but I'm a little lost right now. The added bonus of no commercials is truly divine.
Today I'm prepping for a Constitutional tutorial where we're going through some exam examples. This is going to be great, as this is my only 100% final in December (the rest of my exams are 20% midterms). I already wrote the practice midterm for this class, and did OK, but I definitely am a little fuzzy on how to answer an essay question (this is where the undergrad in CPSC doesn't help out so much). I think we're going to go over that, so that should be good.
In our LRW class today, we're going to go over exam prep/writing strategy. So ... I suppose that we officially approach exam season (nope - not the holiday season, that won't approach until my hard exams are over). So ... Merry Exams to you, and you, and you, and you.
My little car is safe in the parkade at school, and I think I'll bus it all day today, and let her remain covered. It just hasn't stopped snowing, and last time, the roads were way better after a few days of plowing. I've lived and learned, so to speak.I still can't believe that Saskatoon is warmer than Calgary, and that the west coast got close to a foot and a half of snow. What is this crazy world coming to? I thought we were fighting global warming? Doesn't feel too warm now. This article explains the way I'll feel today when I'm trudging to the bus in -38 degrees C with windchill: Kyoro-Schymoto by: Karen Walchuk
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Oh. Boy.
Evil. Fish.
I had a bite, and now I'm paying the price. I'm sitting on my couch, trying not to move. Luckily typing doesn't take very much effort.
Well, on Sunday the flight back to Saskatoon went very smoothly, and Sunday evening I hunkered down and finished the memo. I chopped it down, edited it as much as I could, and came in just under the word count.
I feel like I did as good a job as I could, but I still feel insecure about how it actually went. After editing it down and re-reading it over and over again, the words stopped making sense to me, so when it came to looking for cohesion, I kind of couldn't tell anymore.
Oh well, it's done.
Our Constitutional class was cancelled in the morning, so I made a quick trip to school to hand in the memo before the deadline. My next class wasn't until 3:30, so I went home and caught up on everything that I had been neglecting in deference to my memo. At 3:30 I went back to school for Contracts, just to have the prof cancel it, since many students were already at the bar.
So, we went to Louis to wait for the Evil Fish event, then came back to the student lounge for the event itself. The last person who hands in their open memo is labeled as the Evil Fish, and festivities ensue around that.
It was a late night, and I'm paying the price today.
One thing I did learn last night, though, is that to cure the hiccups - just take a shot of vinegar. No joke. It works.
Evil. Fish.
I had a bite, and now I'm paying the price. I'm sitting on my couch, trying not to move. Luckily typing doesn't take very much effort.
Well, on Sunday the flight back to Saskatoon went very smoothly, and Sunday evening I hunkered down and finished the memo. I chopped it down, edited it as much as I could, and came in just under the word count.
I feel like I did as good a job as I could, but I still feel insecure about how it actually went. After editing it down and re-reading it over and over again, the words stopped making sense to me, so when it came to looking for cohesion, I kind of couldn't tell anymore.
Oh well, it's done.
Our Constitutional class was cancelled in the morning, so I made a quick trip to school to hand in the memo before the deadline. My next class wasn't until 3:30, so I went home and caught up on everything that I had been neglecting in deference to my memo. At 3:30 I went back to school for Contracts, just to have the prof cancel it, since many students were already at the bar.
So, we went to Louis to wait for the Evil Fish event, then came back to the student lounge for the event itself. The last person who hands in their open memo is labeled as the Evil Fish, and festivities ensue around that.
It was a late night, and I'm paying the price today.
One thing I did learn last night, though, is that to cure the hiccups - just take a shot of vinegar. No joke. It works.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
It's Done
And ... the word count is way over (actually, only by about 400 words).
Yikes.
Tomorrow = editing and chopping.
After the flight back to Saskatoon. I'm eager to finish up my memo, but I'm so very sad to be leaving home. These last few days in Calgary have been heaven. I haven't done very much, but I've gotten lots of home time, which I've really been missing (and of course, lots of Jason time, which I always super miss).
Early flight tomorrow.
Must ... go ... to ... bed.
And ... the word count is way over (actually, only by about 400 words).
Yikes.
Tomorrow = editing and chopping.
After the flight back to Saskatoon. I'm eager to finish up my memo, but I'm so very sad to be leaving home. These last few days in Calgary have been heaven. I haven't done very much, but I've gotten lots of home time, which I've really been missing (and of course, lots of Jason time, which I always super miss).
Early flight tomorrow.
Must ... go ... to ... bed.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Back to Work
I drove Jason to work, had breakfast, watched What Not To Wear, and am now hunkering back into the legal writing position (i.e. hunched shoulders over a keyboard, half-frown furrowing my brow).
I (more or less) finished the legal framework part of my memo, and now move onto applying it to my situation at hand. Wow ... you have to sort through a lot of stuff to GET THERE.
I think, for next time, that I would split my research into two phases; phase one to get a general idea and see where you're going to go with the memo, start writing the memo, and then phase two of research to supplement your framework. Like pay as you go, but slave as you go instead.
Calgary is even colder today than it was yesterday, but my car is nestled into her garage (sigh, how I love my garage).
I'm going to try and hit the U of C law library today to find a couple of parallel citations ... hopefully this is an easy endeavor. Scary ... rival school (not really) law students!
I drove Jason to work, had breakfast, watched What Not To Wear, and am now hunkering back into the legal writing position (i.e. hunched shoulders over a keyboard, half-frown furrowing my brow).
I (more or less) finished the legal framework part of my memo, and now move onto applying it to my situation at hand. Wow ... you have to sort through a lot of stuff to GET THERE.
I think, for next time, that I would split my research into two phases; phase one to get a general idea and see where you're going to go with the memo, start writing the memo, and then phase two of research to supplement your framework. Like pay as you go, but slave as you go instead.
Calgary is even colder today than it was yesterday, but my car is nestled into her garage (sigh, how I love my garage).
I'm going to try and hit the U of C law library today to find a couple of parallel citations ... hopefully this is an easy endeavor. Scary ... rival school (not really) law students!
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Sitting at Home, Writing my Memo
Sigh (of contentment). It's super snowy and mildly cold here in Calgary, but I'm loving every second of it. Even the fact that I'm busy working on an assignment isn't getting me down.
I got to have coffee with a friend of mine that's home for American Thanksgiving (she lives in Texas), which was a treat, and a good way to get my brain going for all the rock-star legal writing that I've been allowing to pour out this afternoon.
It's been a slow start to the Open Memo writing process ... the research took awhile, but I'm happy with the things that I've found. It's awkward, almost. I know how to write, I know how to research, and I know how to read cases - but putting it all together in one spot ... it's like I'm learning to ride a bike. By the same analogy, I hope that it gets easier as time goes on. I feel like it would ... but I guess only time will tell (unless anybody wants to leave me a reassuring comment ... it might make me feel better).
I've finally refined the bare-bones legal structure part of my memo into
something that I really like. It took longer than I thought it would, but I feel like this may be the most important part. Now ... for applying the law. This is where I'll have to incorporate most of my rogue research (i.e. what I call cases that weren't covered in class). SCARY!
Jason and I are hitting up Costco tonight, I have to get some ink for my printer in Saskatoon. I find that I like printing things out so that I can highlight them, mark them up, refer back to them etc.
Ah .... Duty of Care ... how I love you as a concept, but not as a friend ...
Sigh (of contentment). It's super snowy and mildly cold here in Calgary, but I'm loving every second of it. Even the fact that I'm busy working on an assignment isn't getting me down.
I got to have coffee with a friend of mine that's home for American Thanksgiving (she lives in Texas), which was a treat, and a good way to get my brain going for all the rock-star legal writing that I've been allowing to pour out this afternoon.
It's been a slow start to the Open Memo writing process ... the research took awhile, but I'm happy with the things that I've found. It's awkward, almost. I know how to write, I know how to research, and I know how to read cases - but putting it all together in one spot ... it's like I'm learning to ride a bike. By the same analogy, I hope that it gets easier as time goes on. I feel like it would ... but I guess only time will tell (unless anybody wants to leave me a reassuring comment ... it might make me feel better).
I've finally refined the bare-bones legal structure part of my memo into
something that I really like. It took longer than I thought it would, but I feel like this may be the most important part. Now ... for applying the law. This is where I'll have to incorporate most of my rogue research (i.e. what I call cases that weren't covered in class). SCARY!Jason and I are hitting up Costco tonight, I have to get some ink for my printer in Saskatoon. I find that I like printing things out so that I can highlight them, mark them up, refer back to them etc.
Ah .... Duty of Care ... how I love you as a concept, but not as a friend ...
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Caveat Lector is Out
And ... my article is in it. If you click on the link below, you can see a scanned version of my article. Fun.
A Necessary Evil by: ME!
There's going to be a website up soon, and a national version of the Caveat Lector is also coming ...
... prepare for the onslaught.
And ... my article is in it. If you click on the link below, you can see a scanned version of my article. Fun.
A Necessary Evil by: ME!
There's going to be a website up soon, and a national version of the Caveat Lector is also coming ...
... prepare for the onslaught.
Monday, November 20, 2006
I Love Being Home, and the Open Memo
What an amazing weekend. I flew home after Criminal on Friday, my lovely Mom picked me up (PS. Thanks Mom), and we went for manicures. I felt ever so pampered. Friday night, I went for sushi with my husband and my sister, at Sushi Kawa on 4th Street, and I basked in the glory of their Alaska rolls. MY. Favourite.
Saturday morning, Jason and I got up, and drove west. We stopped for a leisurely panini in Canmore, and then pushed on through to Lake Louise, where we hiked around the lake (through the snow ... it was funny, there was ZERO snow in Calgary, and then in Lake Louise, it looked just like Saskatoon). Then, we checked into the Chateau Lake Louise, where we got ready to go to one of their dining rooms for Jason's work Christmas party. I got to meet a bunch of the co-workers for the first time, which was great. Everyone was very nice (and very dapper looking in their fancy duds). The party was great, and the food was YUM.
Here's a picture that we took while standing in front of the hotel. We hiked around the lake to where the mountains appear to meet in a V in the middle of the picture.
In the picture below you can see the Chateau, with the Lake Louise ski resort behind it ... from the end of the little hike that we took to the back of the lake. We wanted to bring our skates so that we could go for a glide around the lake, but obviously, it's just not cold enough yet.
The picture below was the view from our room!
Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, and then checked out and drove home. We got dinner at my parents house, and then I flew home. Got in at about 12:30 last night, and I'm already up and doing laundry.
It was a great weekend. A great escape from the student life, and just enough of a taste of luxury that it seemed more like a fantasy, and returning to my student life wasn't too hard. AND ... on the way to Lake Louise, I had a chance to read some of the cases that I've printed for my open memo. I think I've managed to still the bees, but the Queen Bee (which I've come to call my direct and applicable line of thinking for the memo) was buzzing away, and I was only too happy to let her. No matter what, I'm thinking about this thing at the back of my mind, and it seems to be getting clearer ... which makes me happy.
Laundry, on the other hand, does not make me happy.
What an amazing weekend. I flew home after Criminal on Friday, my lovely Mom picked me up (PS. Thanks Mom), and we went for manicures. I felt ever so pampered. Friday night, I went for sushi with my husband and my sister, at Sushi Kawa on 4th Street, and I basked in the glory of their Alaska rolls. MY. Favourite.
Saturday morning, Jason and I got up, and drove west. We stopped for a leisurely panini in Canmore, and then pushed on through to Lake Louise, where we hiked around the lake (through the snow ... it was funny, there was ZERO snow in Calgary, and then in Lake Louise, it looked just like Saskatoon). Then, we checked into the Chateau Lake Louise, where we got ready to go to one of their dining rooms for Jason's work Christmas party. I got to meet a bunch of the co-workers for the first time, which was great. Everyone was very nice (and very dapper looking in their fancy duds). The party was great, and the food was YUM.
Here's a picture that we took while standing in front of the hotel. We hiked around the lake to where the mountains appear to meet in a V in the middle of the picture.
In the picture below you can see the Chateau, with the Lake Louise ski resort behind it ... from the end of the little hike that we took to the back of the lake. We wanted to bring our skates so that we could go for a glide around the lake, but obviously, it's just not cold enough yet.
The picture below was the view from our room!
Sunday morning we got up, had breakfast, and then checked out and drove home. We got dinner at my parents house, and then I flew home. Got in at about 12:30 last night, and I'm already up and doing laundry.
It was a great weekend. A great escape from the student life, and just enough of a taste of luxury that it seemed more like a fantasy, and returning to my student life wasn't too hard. AND ... on the way to Lake Louise, I had a chance to read some of the cases that I've printed for my open memo. I think I've managed to still the bees, but the Queen Bee (which I've come to call my direct and applicable line of thinking for the memo) was buzzing away, and I was only too happy to let her. No matter what, I'm thinking about this thing at the back of my mind, and it seems to be getting clearer ... which makes me happy.
Laundry, on the other hand, does not make me happy.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Still the Bees
Exciting news - I just spotted a mention of MY BLOG in the Canadian Bar Association newsletter, the Addendum (student edition)! I feel famous, and appreciated, and validated, and oh-so very special (or ... "spesh" as my Dad would say). How very cool. It's an article about law student blogs ... so I'm going to have to check out some of the other blogs that were mentioned.
As for the bees - it's the ones in your head. It's Open Memo
season, officially, and I've been given my Torts problem. After being given serious talks about ethics and academic honesty, I'm now almost too paranoid to even write about my experience thus far (i.e. 2nd day in), but I'm going to go for it anyway ... I'd like to think of myself as a risk taker.
First, I'd like to start by saying that the legal research flow chart that we were given in our Legal Research and Writing class - GOLDEN. It's pretty much a forehead slapper if you even try to start researching your issue without looking at what this flowchart says (i.e. START with a textbook). I can't emphasize this enough - START WITH A TEXTBOOK. It may not have the answer to your problem directly, but it gives you a starting point ... which is pretty valuable when it comes to searching aimlessly through a HUGE database of legislation and case law.
I have a lot of ideas buzzing around in my head regarding my problem ... as it was designed to NOT be directly on-point with anything that is currently around ... the bees are buzzing with different takes, some of them feel a little crazy, some feel pretty conservative. I created a flowchart (I'm into flowcharts right now, obviously) about Duty of Care (with group input from some classmates), and I'm going to try and stick with that, ignore the bees until I'm done, and then let the bees run wild, and see if they have anything interesting that could still be worked into my problem. Does that make sense? Is it scary if it makes sense to me?
I had an interesting comment a couple of posts back from Yorick, who asked "...if you had to describe your law school experience up to this point with a single word, what would that word be?" I answered "VAGUE". I decided to pose the question to some fellow law students, and the answers I got were: vague, confusing, arbitrary. Yup - it's a consensus.
AND ... I'm so excited about going home this weekend. It's been almost distracting in a bad way to be apart from my Husband, and I get a whole weekend with him, and most of next week too (I'm flying back home on Tuesday, since I have no school on Wednesday or Friday ... extended long weekend for me, and lots of quiet time to write my memo).
Exciting news - I just spotted a mention of MY BLOG in the Canadian Bar Association newsletter, the Addendum (student edition)! I feel famous, and appreciated, and validated, and oh-so very special (or ... "spesh" as my Dad would say). How very cool. It's an article about law student blogs ... so I'm going to have to check out some of the other blogs that were mentioned.
As for the bees - it's the ones in your head. It's Open Memo
season, officially, and I've been given my Torts problem. After being given serious talks about ethics and academic honesty, I'm now almost too paranoid to even write about my experience thus far (i.e. 2nd day in), but I'm going to go for it anyway ... I'd like to think of myself as a risk taker.First, I'd like to start by saying that the legal research flow chart that we were given in our Legal Research and Writing class - GOLDEN. It's pretty much a forehead slapper if you even try to start researching your issue without looking at what this flowchart says (i.e. START with a textbook). I can't emphasize this enough - START WITH A TEXTBOOK. It may not have the answer to your problem directly, but it gives you a starting point ... which is pretty valuable when it comes to searching aimlessly through a HUGE database of legislation and case law.
I have a lot of ideas buzzing around in my head regarding my problem ... as it was designed to NOT be directly on-point with anything that is currently around ... the bees are buzzing with different takes, some of them feel a little crazy, some feel pretty conservative. I created a flowchart (I'm into flowcharts right now, obviously) about Duty of Care (with group input from some classmates), and I'm going to try and stick with that, ignore the bees until I'm done, and then let the bees run wild, and see if they have anything interesting that could still be worked into my problem. Does that make sense? Is it scary if it makes sense to me?
I had an interesting comment a couple of posts back from Yorick, who asked "...if you had to describe your law school experience up to this point with a single word, what would that word be?" I answered "VAGUE". I decided to pose the question to some fellow law students, and the answers I got were: vague, confusing, arbitrary. Yup - it's a consensus.
AND ... I'm so excited about going home this weekend. It's been almost distracting in a bad way to be apart from my Husband, and I get a whole weekend with him, and most of next week too (I'm flying back home on Tuesday, since I have no school on Wednesday or Friday ... extended long weekend for me, and lots of quiet time to write my memo).
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
So Much to Talk About, So Little Time
I've been hard pressed to find time on the computer lately, as I've been stepping it up into high gear.
We get our open memos assigned to us tomorrow, and in anticipation of that I've gotten a couple of Tort textbooks out of the law library (yup ... I paid attention in the Legal Research and Writing class ... I've obtained secondary materials for myself to start initiating my legal research plan). I'd also like to find time to take a look at any of the sample memos on reserve.
I realized today that we only have three weeks of classes left (less, really) after this week. YIKES.
Jason and I went cross-country skiing on the weekend, and it was great. I've been hitting a yoga class, and I love it.
I also think, depending on the problem, that it would be really funny to cite my Torts prof in my memo by finding one of his books. It would be funny, but may not work out, depending on the problem.
I'm tired ... going ... to ... bed.
I've been hard pressed to find time on the computer lately, as I've been stepping it up into high gear.
We get our open memos assigned to us tomorrow, and in anticipation of that I've gotten a couple of Tort textbooks out of the law library (yup ... I paid attention in the Legal Research and Writing class ... I've obtained secondary materials for myself to start initiating my legal research plan). I'd also like to find time to take a look at any of the sample memos on reserve.
I realized today that we only have three weeks of classes left (less, really) after this week. YIKES.
Jason and I went cross-country skiing on the weekend, and it was great. I've been hitting a yoga class, and I love it.
I also think, depending on the problem, that it would be really funny to cite my Torts prof in my memo by finding one of his books. It would be funny, but may not work out, depending on the problem.
I'm tired ... going ... to ... bed.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Near Death and a Cough
Yup ... you read it straight - had a near death experience yesterday (well ... perhaps I'm adding a bit of drama, but I'll give you the story anyway), but it isn't related to the cough - keep reading.
I was so excited to be leaving Saskatoon yesterday, after class, with a classmate. She was driving home to Calgary, and offered a ride. I ecstatically accepted, as I haven't seen my Husband in a couple of weeks.
We started out right after class, and were leaving the city of Saskatoon by about 12:30 or so. The roads were pretty icy, but there was other traffic out there, so we felt secure in my friend's Blazer. Right before we got to Delisle (45 KM away from Saskatoon), we had our "incident".
We were in a line-up of cars, all heading the same direction, all going no more than the speed limit. For some reason, our truck started fish-tailing (I'm still not sure why, I can't tell what was different between when we weren't sliding and when we were). We started drifting into the other lane (i.e. on-coming traffic), spun around, and wound up in the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. HOW we got lucky enough to avoid any oncoming traffic at that moment, I'll never know.
My classmate kept her cool, and eventually got us out of the ditch (took some fancy maneuvering to get out of the powdery snow ... how we wished we had our snowboards and a hill), and we kept going.
When we got to Delisle, we stopped at a gas station to recheck the windshield washer fluid, and as we were getting ready to hit the highway again, we actually talked about whether we should keep going or not.
My vote was to go back, and my friend agreed (I can't tell if it was the other way around though). So ... here I am in Saskatoon, writing about the harrowing highways that are holding me prisoner here (all the flights sold out between me getting home from the Delisle trip, and phoning the airline to book one - no joke).
My Husband is on the road right now, and will be here by supper time, so all is not lost, and I still get to see him this weekend.
As for the cough - I woke myself up last night (a few times) with a cough, cold, and congestion (just kidding, just saw a cough syrup commercial, really just a cough). I think I'm getting sick again, and now my weird craving for orange juice last week seems to make sense.
I'm going to try and rent some cross-country skis for my Hubby and I, and we'll see if we can head out tomorrow. As long as the weather follows the Weathernetwork forecast ... because if it stays around -20 C, I'm staying inside!
One of my roomies and I now have a pact that we're moving to California, because we can't handle the snow. I know, we'll get used to it, but we're enjoying being wimpy right now. I think we're supposed to get even more snow tonight. YIKES.
Another really funny thing is that it's kind of a Stat holiday here in Canada (i.e. the U of S is closed, most Government offices are closed, etc. BUT ... some offices are taking Monday as the holiday instead, so not everybody is off) in lieu of Remembrance Day tomorrow. Today's the day that the condo maintenance crew where I live decide that they need all the cars moved from the parking lot from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. So ... on a day when a lot of people probably aren't working, when there is so much snow that (for me, anyway) parking on the street would mean that I wouldn't get my car out without a push, they want us to move our for 9 hours. Hmmmmm .... doesn't seem to add up, to me. I actually started my car this morning, and drove around looking for somewhere that I could park, but all I encountered were huge banks that my car CLEARLY wouldn't CLEAR. So ... I'm back in my stall, and they'll have to plow around me. I did try, though. Oh well.
I bought a pomegranate at Co-Op yesterday (mmmm ... pomegranates), and there was a sign there illustrating (with pictures) how to dice one up. I've always taken the brute force method, and resulted with tiny sprays of pomegranate juice staining my clothes (usually white t-shits, which I always seem to be wearing for some reason when I attempt the feat of seeding a pomegranate). The pictures showed filling a bowl with water, seeding the pomegranate under the water (I'm guessing, so stifle the juice spray), and then straining the resulting seeds. GENIUS! I'm going to try it today.
Yup ... you read it straight - had a near death experience yesterday (well ... perhaps I'm adding a bit of drama, but I'll give you the story anyway), but it isn't related to the cough - keep reading.
I was so excited to be leaving Saskatoon yesterday, after class, with a classmate. She was driving home to Calgary, and offered a ride. I ecstatically accepted, as I haven't seen my Husband in a couple of weeks.
We started out right after class, and were leaving the city of Saskatoon by about 12:30 or so. The roads were pretty icy, but there was other traffic out there, so we felt secure in my friend's Blazer. Right before we got to Delisle (45 KM away from Saskatoon), we had our "incident".
We were in a line-up of cars, all heading the same direction, all going no more than the speed limit. For some reason, our truck started fish-tailing (I'm still not sure why, I can't tell what was different between when we weren't sliding and when we were). We started drifting into the other lane (i.e. on-coming traffic), spun around, and wound up in the ditch on the opposite side of the highway. HOW we got lucky enough to avoid any oncoming traffic at that moment, I'll never know.
My classmate kept her cool, and eventually got us out of the ditch (took some fancy maneuvering to get out of the powdery snow ... how we wished we had our snowboards and a hill), and we kept going.
When we got to Delisle, we stopped at a gas station to recheck the windshield washer fluid, and as we were getting ready to hit the highway again, we actually talked about whether we should keep going or not.
My vote was to go back, and my friend agreed (I can't tell if it was the other way around though). So ... here I am in Saskatoon, writing about the harrowing highways that are holding me prisoner here (all the flights sold out between me getting home from the Delisle trip, and phoning the airline to book one - no joke).
My Husband is on the road right now, and will be here by supper time, so all is not lost, and I still get to see him this weekend.
As for the cough - I woke myself up last night (a few times) with a cough, cold, and congestion (just kidding, just saw a cough syrup commercial, really just a cough). I think I'm getting sick again, and now my weird craving for orange juice last week seems to make sense.
I'm going to try and rent some cross-country skis for my Hubby and I, and we'll see if we can head out tomorrow. As long as the weather follows the Weathernetwork forecast ... because if it stays around -20 C, I'm staying inside!
One of my roomies and I now have a pact that we're moving to California, because we can't handle the snow. I know, we'll get used to it, but we're enjoying being wimpy right now. I think we're supposed to get even more snow tonight. YIKES.
Another really funny thing is that it's kind of a Stat holiday here in Canada (i.e. the U of S is closed, most Government offices are closed, etc. BUT ... some offices are taking Monday as the holiday instead, so not everybody is off) in lieu of Remembrance Day tomorrow. Today's the day that the condo maintenance crew where I live decide that they need all the cars moved from the parking lot from 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM. So ... on a day when a lot of people probably aren't working, when there is so much snow that (for me, anyway) parking on the street would mean that I wouldn't get my car out without a push, they want us to move our for 9 hours. Hmmmmm .... doesn't seem to add up, to me. I actually started my car this morning, and drove around looking for somewhere that I could park, but all I encountered were huge banks that my car CLEARLY wouldn't CLEAR. So ... I'm back in my stall, and they'll have to plow around me. I did try, though. Oh well.
I bought a pomegranate at Co-Op yesterday (mmmm ... pomegranates), and there was a sign there illustrating (with pictures) how to dice one up. I've always taken the brute force method, and resulted with tiny sprays of pomegranate juice staining my clothes (usually white t-shits, which I always seem to be wearing for some reason when I attempt the feat of seeding a pomegranate). The pictures showed filling a bowl with water, seeding the pomegranate under the water (I'm guessing, so stifle the juice spray), and then straining the resulting seeds. GENIUS! I'm going to try it today.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
What a Gong Show
So ... I decided to take the bus yesterday, on account of the icy roads NOT disappearing before 9:30. I called the bus lines to confirm that my route was on schedule, and then hoofed it out to the bus stop (walking mostly on the grass, since I'd bail for sure if I actually walked on the icy, icy sidewalks). The bus was 15 minutes late, and then halfway through the bus trip to school, we were all ushered OFF of the bus, and told to wait for the next one. While we waited outside for 10 more minutes, we watched trucks and cars slide through the 4-way stop right next to us. Marvelous.
I finally got to school, and the bus ride home was much more uneventful, which was great.
This morning, I woke up to the following pictures:
Out My Front Door, and then Looking to the Left and Right
So ... I decided to take the bus yesterday, on account of the icy roads NOT disappearing before 9:30. I called the bus lines to confirm that my route was on schedule, and then hoofed it out to the bus stop (walking mostly on the grass, since I'd bail for sure if I actually walked on the icy, icy sidewalks). The bus was 15 minutes late, and then halfway through the bus trip to school, we were all ushered OFF of the bus, and told to wait for the next one. While we waited outside for 10 more minutes, we watched trucks and cars slide through the 4-way stop right next to us. Marvelous.
I finally got to school, and the bus ride home was much more uneventful, which was great.
This morning, I woke up to the following pictures:
2 Views From My Bedroom - Notice the Falling Snow:
Out My Front Door, and then Looking to the Left and Right
So ... needless to say, it looks like I'm going to be taking the bus again today. On the radio, all they could talk about was how horrific all the roads are, and to stay home if you can. Crazy, really, when it doesn't have to be that way. If they'd just freakin gravel the main roads, it'd all be dandy ... but I suppose it's more complex than just waving a magic wand.
Sigh.
BIG sigh.
Sigh.
BIG sigh.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
I'm Stiff Today, and I Love It
I hit the gym again yesterday, for the first time since before Thanksgiving. I know, I'm lazy. But at least I'm back into it now. I also went to yoga at Yoga Central. This place is great, the first class was free (woo hoo), and they were very welcoming, and went at a good pace. Now my poor muscles are crying, but I'm proud, since it meant that I was doing more than just reading.
I forgot to mention, last post, about the Under the Paper Moon Pro Bono fundraiser that I went to last Friday night. We listened to the U of S Law Jazz ensemble, and were privy to the chocolate buffet at the Saskatoon Inn. It was heavenly. They had an art auction, and I was tempted to bid on a water colour of the law building, but it quickly moved out of my price range (yeah ... I didn't think I'd get it for $30 or under).
The first guest lecturer that we had yesterday, John Whyte, was great to listen to. Good ol' Alan Blakeney was there too, and got to add his two cents, which is always a riot. The focus of the talk was on November 5, 1981, the 25th anniversary of the confederation pact which was the precursor to drafting our constitution. John Whyte spoke about how regarding merely the constitutional text isn't sufficient in moving forward with our country, but that looking into the constitutional narrative that surrounds the development of our constitution is an essential element. Pretty interesting stuff.
The second guest lecturer yesterday, Madam Justice Beverly Brown, told us about her time in Nunavut, and what the criminal justice system there is doing to improve the delivery to the Inuit people; they've initiated youth panels to sit on young offenders cases, and they've integrated Elders into the criminal proceedings. Pretty neat stuff.
It was raining here early this morning, and I was ready to take off to go to school, but when I walked outside I almost did a feet reversal with my butt. It could have been pretty embarrassing. I decided to wait the ice out, since it's warming up here pretty quick. Hopefully by 9:30 it looks ok to drive, since I have no confidence in the city of Saskatoon to gravel any kind of important roadways.
I hit the gym again yesterday, for the first time since before Thanksgiving. I know, I'm lazy. But at least I'm back into it now. I also went to yoga at Yoga Central. This place is great, the first class was free (woo hoo), and they were very welcoming, and went at a good pace. Now my poor muscles are crying, but I'm proud, since it meant that I was doing more than just reading.
I forgot to mention, last post, about the Under the Paper Moon Pro Bono fundraiser that I went to last Friday night. We listened to the U of S Law Jazz ensemble, and were privy to the chocolate buffet at the Saskatoon Inn. It was heavenly. They had an art auction, and I was tempted to bid on a water colour of the law building, but it quickly moved out of my price range (yeah ... I didn't think I'd get it for $30 or under).
The first guest lecturer that we had yesterday, John Whyte, was great to listen to. Good ol' Alan Blakeney was there too, and got to add his two cents, which is always a riot. The focus of the talk was on November 5, 1981, the 25th anniversary of the confederation pact which was the precursor to drafting our constitution. John Whyte spoke about how regarding merely the constitutional text isn't sufficient in moving forward with our country, but that looking into the constitutional narrative that surrounds the development of our constitution is an essential element. Pretty interesting stuff.
The second guest lecturer yesterday, Madam Justice Beverly Brown, told us about her time in Nunavut, and what the criminal justice system there is doing to improve the delivery to the Inuit people; they've initiated youth panels to sit on young offenders cases, and they've integrated Elders into the criminal proceedings. Pretty neat stuff.
It was raining here early this morning, and I was ready to take off to go to school, but when I walked outside I almost did a feet reversal with my butt. It could have been pretty embarrassing. I decided to wait the ice out, since it's warming up here pretty quick. Hopefully by 9:30 it looks ok to drive, since I have no confidence in the city of Saskatoon to gravel any kind of important roadways.
Monday, November 06, 2006
So Hard To Get Going this Morning
I had a great weekend, kept busy with catching up on everything that I've been putting off lately. Didn't get to see Jason (sad), but did get a lot done (happy). Still VERY behind on my e-mail, though, which makes me sad as well. Hopefully I'll clear that up by the end of the day, though, since I brought my laptop to school with me today.
I got my closed memo back, and didn't fare too badly ... right on the class average, which is OK (not stellar), but OK. I got really great feedback on my memo (I think I was approaching the analysis from an exam perspective i.e. spit out everything possible, as opposed to a refined, clarified perspective, as we were supposed to). Two of the things that I was worried about, writing and citations, were two of my strengths (go figure), which leaves my mind at peace over the open memo.
I've gotten my passwords for Westlaw, and for Quicklaw, so I'm going to practice doing some research before the open memo is assigned (I have some stuff that I can look up for my Pro Bono project).
When I walked into school this morning, I saw a banner for a public lecture called "The Novelist as Physicist", where Alan Lightman will be giving a talk. Alan Lightman wrote Einstein's Dreams, and will be comparing the way that scientists and artists approach the world. I think the alternate title for this lecture could be "Exactly What Lisa is Interested In".
The lecture is Wednesday evening, so I'm going to have to check it out. I may have to put Einstein's Dreams on my reading list too ... we'll see how the lecture turns out.
We have a guest lecturer in Constitutional law this morning, Dr. John D. Whyte, a Senior Policy Fellow at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy (which made me think of my friend Chris, who's in Montreal doing a Masters in Environmental Policy). Should be interesting.
We also have a special lecture today in Criminal law, with one of the judges that travels on the circuit through the territories, with emphasis on native law issues (I think talking about sentencing circles, etc.). Should be very interesting.
Looks like an enlightening week. And a busy one.
I can't believe it's November already. Time is going a little too fast (and a little bit - not fast enough - I miss my Hubby)!
I had a great weekend, kept busy with catching up on everything that I've been putting off lately. Didn't get to see Jason (sad), but did get a lot done (happy). Still VERY behind on my e-mail, though, which makes me sad as well. Hopefully I'll clear that up by the end of the day, though, since I brought my laptop to school with me today.
I got my closed memo back, and didn't fare too badly ... right on the class average, which is OK (not stellar), but OK. I got really great feedback on my memo (I think I was approaching the analysis from an exam perspective i.e. spit out everything possible, as opposed to a refined, clarified perspective, as we were supposed to). Two of the things that I was worried about, writing and citations, were two of my strengths (go figure), which leaves my mind at peace over the open memo.
I've gotten my passwords for Westlaw, and for Quicklaw, so I'm going to practice doing some research before the open memo is assigned (I have some stuff that I can look up for my Pro Bono project).
When I walked into school this morning, I saw a banner for a public lecture called "The Novelist as Physicist", where Alan Lightman will be giving a talk. Alan Lightman wrote Einstein's Dreams, and will be comparing the way that scientists and artists approach the world. I think the alternate title for this lecture could be "Exactly What Lisa is Interested In".
The lecture is Wednesday evening, so I'm going to have to check it out. I may have to put Einstein's Dreams on my reading list too ... we'll see how the lecture turns out.
We have a guest lecturer in Constitutional law this morning, Dr. John D. Whyte, a Senior Policy Fellow at the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy (which made me think of my friend Chris, who's in Montreal doing a Masters in Environmental Policy). Should be interesting.
We also have a special lecture today in Criminal law, with one of the judges that travels on the circuit through the territories, with emphasis on native law issues (I think talking about sentencing circles, etc.). Should be very interesting.
Looks like an enlightening week. And a busy one.
I can't believe it's November already. Time is going a little too fast (and a little bit - not fast enough - I miss my Hubby)!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Oh You Closed Memos
I found out we get them back on Friday at 2:30. It'll be a mad dash to the general office to pick them up ... I kind of feel sorry for the nice ladies that work there.
I'm taking it easy this morning, just finished eggs and toast, since I only have 3 hours worth of school today, starting at 11:30, and ending at 3:30. Shouldn't be too bad.
Had a meeting with the law school newspaper people yesterday, which went swimmingly. I'll be working on the next issue quite extensively, so I'm pretty happy about that. I've got to dust off my cynical wit and get it back in shape (or find it at all in the first place ... hmmmm).
ANTM is on tonight - I'm looking forward to that, as I am looking forward to the Night Under the Paper Moon fundraiser that Pro Bono is throwing on Friday. A chocolate buffet and an evening of jazz. Who could as for anything more?
Had the pleasure of chatting with some 2nd/3rd year law students, who confirmed my suspicions about law school in general. In the illustrious words of Graham Lang ... "THE ANSWER IS IN THE TEXTBOOK." Words to live by.
I found out we get them back on Friday at 2:30. It'll be a mad dash to the general office to pick them up ... I kind of feel sorry for the nice ladies that work there.
I'm taking it easy this morning, just finished eggs and toast, since I only have 3 hours worth of school today, starting at 11:30, and ending at 3:30. Shouldn't be too bad.
Had a meeting with the law school newspaper people yesterday, which went swimmingly. I'll be working on the next issue quite extensively, so I'm pretty happy about that. I've got to dust off my cynical wit and get it back in shape (or find it at all in the first place ... hmmmm).
ANTM is on tonight - I'm looking forward to that, as I am looking forward to the Night Under the Paper Moon fundraiser that Pro Bono is throwing on Friday. A chocolate buffet and an evening of jazz. Who could as for anything more?
Had the pleasure of chatting with some 2nd/3rd year law students, who confirmed my suspicions about law school in general. In the illustrious words of Graham Lang ... "THE ANSWER IS IN THE TEXTBOOK." Words to live by.
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