List Time!
So I’m trying to make this Calgary vs. Ottawa decision as objectively as possible, but I’m still having a lot of trouble with it. You might be thinking, “hey, you idiot, it’s not that hard of a decision.”
Well, it is for me, okay?
So let me look at the pros and cons for both choices and see if that helps me decide.
Calgary PROs:
- University of Calgary is a research university and it’s ranked fairly high in Canada.
- I’m already in love with the city, even after just watching some walking tours on YouTube.
- I’d be about the same distance away from Moscow as I was in Vancouver, which was a pretty ideal distance.
- The move up there won’t be too expensive and will only take a day (or two).
- Mayor Nenshi!
Calgary CONs:
- Monthly rent is approximately the same as in Vancouver (i.e., expensive).
- Since my original supervisor is leaving, I’m basically going to get stuck with someone who didn’t originally want me. That’s really stressful to me, especially given my last supervisor/student relationship and how horrible that whole thing was.
- I’m scared of the city flooding as badly as it did last summer.
Ottawa PROs:
- My supervisor who’s moving there seems like a really nice and genuine person and really wants me to work with him.
- I’d get more money there, especially if I decided to be a TA.
- Lower cost of living than Calgary.
- It’s the capital of Canada! How cool?
- Carleton University (where my supervisor’s headed) has a math department that does a lot of things jointly with the University of Ottawa, which means a more diverse offering of classes.
Ottawa CONs:
- I’d have to move all the freaking way across the continent again. Expensive and time-consuming and stressful.
- I’m not “feeling” the city of Ottawa the same way as Calgary.
- Carleton isn’t a research university. It’s actually the level below a true university, which is a bit concerning to me (it’s on the same level as Simon-Fraser University, which is a “comprehensive university” and not a research university).
- I already have my study permit for Calgary; I’d have to get that changed if I go to a different school. PLUS I’d have to get all sorts of new paperwork showing that Carleton “accepted” me.
- If I end up going for a PhD, one of the requirements that must be fulfilled is that I’d have to be fluent in another language enough so that I could read and comprehend a mathematical paper in said other language. While that’s a good skill to have, obviously, I am about as unilingual as a person can get and I don’t know if I even have the capacity to learn another language. Y’know, ‘cause I’m an idiot.
- I’m scared of Quebec.
THAT DIDN’T HELP AT ALL.
Eye See You!
RAINBOW EYE!
I’m sooooooo bored. Wanna draw, but can’t think of an idea.
(Ignore the giant shadow that makes me look like I have a black eye. Crappy lighting, yo.)
FEAR THE SPHERE
This suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. Got nothing else today, though.
Book Review: The Great Gatsby (Fitzgerald)
Have I read this before: Yar! First time was in 10th grade English. We had a choice between this and some other book that wasn’t on my list. Hence, I chose Gatsby. I think I was the only one who did.
Review: Don’t make me review this. I don’t think I can. I love this book, yo. If you’ve read my 100 Things, you’ll know that character-wise, this is my favorite book. It’s such a compact story, but there’s so much in it. I think Gatsby is fascinating and for some reason I really like the fact that Nick, the narrator, doesn’t really have a voice of his own (at least compared to a lot of other narrators of books). He exists for things to happen around, it seems, and that puts an interesting twist on the whole story. He’s almost limited omniscient in that sense because he really gets the story from everybody’s angle but doesn’t get to be in anyone’s head but his own.
LSAjflakdjfasfjaskflj I just really like this story.
Also, if you ever want to listen to an audiobook version of this, I highly recommend the one read by Alexander Scourby. It’s unabridged and fantastic.
Favorite part: Oh, jeez.
“They’re a rotten crowd,” I shouted across the lawn. “You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together.”
I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time. His gorgeous pink rag of a suit made a bright spot of color against the white steps, and I thought of the night when I first came to his ancestral home, three months before. The lawn and drive had been crowded with the faces of those who guessed at his corruption—and he had stood on those steps, concealing his incorruptible dream, as he waved them good-by.
UGH GORGEOUS.
Rating: 10/10
Book Review: The Three Musketeers (Dumas)
Have I read this before: Nopers. I started it back in the summer of 2008 but only got like 30 pages in for some reason. Not sure why I stopped.
Review: I really like Dumas. The idea of four sword-fighting dudes fighting for the king sounds like an appealing story on its own, but Dumas seems to up the intrigue quite a bit by the way the story proceeds. Also, poisonings. That seems to be a thing for Dumas.
Anyway. I’ve always enjoyed stories that have characters with very distinct, almost trope-like personalities/personality traits. This is one of them. It’s like the three Karamazov brothers, but with more swords and less Russian name confusion.
(Okay, it’s not, really, but can you imagine how fantastic that would be?)
Also, Porthos will forever look like Oliver Platt in my mind. THANKS, DISNEY.
Favorite part: The death of Constance is really freaking sad. I hate to call that my favorite part, but it is. The vast majority of The Three Musketeers is either action or humor (or both), but that part was definitely very sad.
I also really liked the friendship that built between Athos and d’Artagnan.
Rating: 8/10
In the key of C++
Cool info for my birthday:
- When you were born there were approximately 5,132,112,262 other people alive on Earth.
- January 15th, 2001
Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, launches on the Internet over half your life ago! - 13th Feb 1988
The opening of 1988 Winter Olympics held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (you were 11 days old) - 9th Nov 1989
The Berlin Wall falls (you were 1 year old) - 1st Oct 1992
The Cartoon Network is first broadcast on television (you were 4 years old) - 10th Dec 1993
DOOM, a science fiction horror-themed first-person shooter video game is released (you were 5 years old) - 22nd Nov 1995
Pixar/Disney animated movie “Toy Story” is released (you were 7 years old) - 19th Nov 1996
Microsoft’s Clippy is unleashed on the world with the release of Microsoft Office ’97 (you were 8 years old) - 14th Jul 2000
A powerful solar flare, later named the Bastille Day event, causes a geomagnetic storm on Earth (you were 12 years old) - 24th Aug 2006
The International Astronomical Union demotes Pluto which is no longer regarded as a planet (you were 18 years old) - 18th Nov 2011
Minecraft, a sandbox indie game is published as a full release version (you were 23 years old) - Out of 100,000 people born on the same day as you, approximately 97,854 are still living.
The question is, “why DIDN’T the chicken cross the road?
So I just found the greatest freaking website to demonstrate that correlation != causation.
Check it out.
Some of my favorites:
- http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=7
- http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=3857 (Look at how freaking strong that correlation is, holy hell)
- http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=1273
- http://www.tylervigen.com/view_correlation?id=36
You can also discover your own:
In This Blog: Claudia Drinks 16 oz of Red Bull and Tries to Write Shit
I…I don’t really remember writing this. I just remember Red Bull coursing through my soul and then passing out in my chair around 8 AM.
I, the Strawberry
Bold and Red
In silken sun, in garden bed
Firm and ripe with seeded tread
No darkness do I see
I, the Strawberry
Bold and Red
Human hands tear off my head
Now I lay bitten, frayed, and dead
No sunlight left in me
Um.
Whyyyyyyyyyyyy
My big sweet Humane Society cat, Jupiter, got adopted, and I am simultaneously very happy and very sad. I could have never taken her to Calgary (practically no apartments allow pets there), but I wish I could have loved her one more time. I haven’t felt such a connection with a cat in a loooong time. I’m sad I didn’t get to say goodbye, but I’m glad someone else out there will love her.
Gonna go cry now.
Survatron
A – Act your age?
Probably not. I feel like I act like a teenager, but I don’t really know.
B – Born on what day of the week?
Tuesday, bitches! I believe it was a full moon, too.
C – Chore you hate?
I hate hanging up my clothes in the closet. HATE IT. It’s like the easiest chore ever, but it’s super stressful for me for some reason.
D – Dad’s name?
Robert/Bob.
E – Essential makeup item?
Probably just foundation, though I really dig wearing inappropriately gaudy eye shadow.
F – Favorite actor?
I dig Tom Hanks. He’s awesome.
G – Gold or silver?
Gold. I like silver, but I really like the look of gold.
H – Hometown?
The ‘Scow.
I – Instruments you play?
Uh…clarinet, bass clarinet, alto and tenor sax, flute, oboe, tuba…I might be missing something.
J – Job title?
Lecturer! I FREAKING LOVE MY JOB AND I’M SO SAD IT’S ALMOST OVER.
K – Kids?
Nooooooooo thank you. I don’t think I could handle spawn. I can’t even handle other peoples’ spawn.
L – Living arrangements?
…Not ideal. BUT THEY SHALL BE A’CHANGIN’ SOON!
M – Mom’s name?
Karen!
N – Need…
Reassurance that everything’s going to work out in the next few months.
O – Overnight hospital stays?
Twice, both in Vancouver. I was…not having a good time for a few months there at the end.
P – Phobia?
I don’t think I have anything that would qualify as a phobia.
Q – Quote or phrase you like?
Can I give a palindrome? “Massive Levi’s, Sam!”
R – Religious affiliation?
Don’t have one. My beliefs are somewhat similar to hylozoism, but that’s not really a religion.
S – Siblings?
I have ZERO!
T – Time you wake up?
Uh…9:30 AM? I go to bed around 7 AM though, so…
U – Unique talent?
I can twirl a PVC pipe like a baton with my toes. Or at least I used to be able to…haven’t tried it in like 12 years.
V – Vegetable you refuse to eat?
Celery is disgusting. Stringy water is narsty.
W – Worst habit?
Um…let’s not talk about that.
X – X-rays you’ve had?
I had one done on my leg once because I had a baseball bat thrown directly at my shin. Yay for high school P.E. I don’t think I’ve had any others…?
Y – Yummy food you make?
My salads are pretty rockin’. Carrots, radishes, cauliflower, broccoli, and, of course, lettuce.
Z – Zodiac Sign?
Aquarius!
They Still Don’t Love You Like I Love You
ZOMG new favorite Tumblr.
Do you like maps? This is the site for you! Here are some good ones:
Hahaha, ouch.
Population of Wyoming by square mile; i.e., “No One Lives in Wyoming”
I want to live in Suddenly Bright Bosom.
Edit: Hahaha, Canada:
Here’s the link to a huge version of this map so you can read all the text.
Slippery Slopes
So remember that post I did awhile back that talked about why we use “m” for slope? Well, I mentioned in it that some other countries use different letters. Here’s a handy dandy map of those different letters, based on this info.
So…consider this a follow-up blog?
Uh…
I have a suspicion that this missed connection is talking about me…I’m not beautiful, but I’m shy, I teach stats, and my name starts with C. I wonder if it was posted by the VGH guy…I haven’t met anyone new in like 4 years.
(I’d be totally cool with it being the VGH guy.)
How the hell do you respond to an ad like this without looking weird? Should I respond at all? WHY AM I EVEN CONSIDERING THIS I’M LEAVING IN ~2 MONTHS AND NO ONE WILL EVER LOVE ME ANYWAY ALSDKFJALFJASFASDFSFLF
(drama is my friend)
Veggies + Math = YAY
It’s fractalicious!
I Drew!
For the first time in like 500 years!
And I still suck!
Help
I’m in love with a cat at the Humane Society.
Serious love.
But I’m heading north in like two months.
Her name is Elle, but I call her Jupiter because she’s waaaaaaaaay huge. She’s at least 20 pounds, is super bow-legged, and is a big roly-poly love.
I really, really, really like her (and I think she likes me, too) and I’d totally adopt her and take her with me to Calgary if I knew that she’d be okay. I’m not taking Annabelle because she was phenomenally miserable in Van and I think it would be a repeat of that…that’s another thing I’m afraid of, I don’t want Jupiter to be miserable, either. I also have no idea how she’d handle a car ride that long.
But NNNNNNNNF I love her.
I hope that she gets adopted by someone who can really care for her and give her all the love she deserves.
Dancin’ Pants
So the dude at VGH put in a new hard drive and reinstalled windows, so now Vaio III lives once again. Except he’s empty.
And now I’m paranoid that this is going to happen again, especially since no one knows exactly why the hard drive failed. Just watch: as soon as I get to Calgary, BAM! Dead Vaio.
I reiterate from yesterday: it’s a damn good thing I’m paranoid about things like this happening. Three backups in three different locations across Moscow = good.
Also, props to the super nice VGH guy who could probably tell I was in panic mode and stayed nice and calm and congenial. Thanks for all your help, dude!
R.I.P. Vaio III
Well, it’s a good thing I do monthly backups of all my important files, ‘cause Vaio III just bit the dust totally out of the blue. Apparently the hard drive crashed but no one knows why.
BUT I HAVE EVERYTHING BACKED UP ON TWO DIFFERENT HARD DRIVES IN TWO DIFFERENT LOCATIONS BECAUSE I’M PARANOID ABOUT THIS TYPE OF THING.
Back up your crap, people.
Edit: DAMMIT I lost the order for all of May’s songs (hadn’t backed that up ‘cause it’s not June yet). I guess I’ll just list them alphabetically rather than by date acquired this month. BUGGER.
Again: back up your crap, people.
S-s-s-sad
Holy hot Jesus pitas, I miss Vancouver.
Border Art
So after an incident with carrots at the border, we’re back in the US!
Speaking of the border, check out this sculpture that was there:
After Googling things like “wire sculpture border crossing” I found out that it’s actually a piece of art made to look like a billboard advertising clean air.
Pretty snazzy, eh? I also think I was about to get my camera confiscated because I took this picture just as we were pulling out from getting questioned by the guard.
I’m abruptly falling apart; you interrupt me by breaking my heart
EEEEEEEEEEEEE REAL CANADIAN SUPERSTORE TIME!
But seriously.
It’s kind of overwhelming being back here. I remember the city pretty well and I really miss being here, but I have a lot of really screwed up memories of some really screwed up things that happened during my two-year stay here (remember this post?)
So yeah.
I’m excited to be here, but I’m also rather unexpectedly sad.
Which is making it hard to go out and walk the city.
WHICH IS MAKING ME EVEN MORE SAD.
GUESS WHERE I AM
HERE ARE SOME PICTURE HINTS
Any guesses?
VANCOUVER!
My mom and I drove to the Seattle-Vancouver border crossing so that I could get my study permit for fall. We were under the impression that you could only get those at the large (or at least moderately-sized) crossings, not dinky ones like the one in Idaho.
But apparently you can, according to one of the border guard dudes.
So darn, I guess this fun little jaunt to Vancouver was unnecessary.
Darn.
(Not sure if the sarcasm is getting across here. I’m being sarcastic, y’all.)
Eigenblogger 
