Canadian Mall – Installment 16: Deerfoot Mall
Today I didn’t feel much like walking, so I just went north to Deerfoot Mall, a mall I’ve been to a few times but never on a Saturday. But now it’s officially my most recent Canadian Mall destination!
Mileage from home to mall (one way):
Pros:
- I like the walking route to get here.
- There’s a big-ass WalMart behind the mall itself. Good for broccoli when they have it in stock.
- The mall never seems too crowded.
- There’s a pretty diverse selection at the food court if you’re into mall food.
Cons:
- The big-ass WalMart NEVER HAS BROCCOLI IN STOCK.
- There aren’t any super interesting (at least to me) stores IN the mall itself.
- Uh…no other cons come to mind, actually.
DONE! Time for Red Bull.
Hmm…
So I really like Calgary.
I can’t compare it to Vancouver yet since I walked practically that whole city and have hardly walked like 2% of the city here.
But I really like Calgary. I can’t wait to explore more of it.
Canadian Mall – Installment 15: Market Mall
It’s walkin’ time!
Today I went west—a little bit past campus—to Market Mall.
Mileage from home to mall (one way):
Pros:
- This mall is circular! It’s actually quite cool. It’s also got like 20 entrances.
- It’s also just one floor, so no getting lost on the upper levels.
- APPLE STORE!
- Huge H&M.
Cons:
- No drinking fountains. What the hell, where am I supposed to refill my water bottle for the walk back? I was going to just fill it from one of the the bathroom sinks, but they all jet out hot water automatically. BAH.
- APPLE STORE was super crowded due to the iPhone 6 release.
- It’s close to campus, so there were students everywhere and it was quite crowded.
So since this mall was not that far away, on my walk back I decided to go the long way up 14th street. Whoever* said Calgary was flat is a LIAR. That street is like a mile of steep hill. It wouldn’t have been so bad if I’d been on mile 2 of my walk, but I was on mile 12 so it wasn’t the most enjoyable little trek. Got a good pic of downtown though:
*Haha, it was me.
Canadian Mall – Installment 14: Southridge Mall
It’s the weekend, the weather’s good, and I’m in a big city that needs exploring.
YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS?
It’s Canadian Mall time!
Because I’m me, I chose a mall that’s pretty far away as my first destination: Southridge Mall!
Mileage from home to mall (one way):
Pros:
- If you don’t feel like shopping at the mall itself, there are a lot of other big stores around, such as Walmart, Bulk Barn, Home Depot, and a giant Safeway.
- It’s not too big, so you won’t get lost in it.
- Want some high-end stuff? This is the mall for you!
- You can get to this mall using two buses from my house, which is pretty impressive given how far away it is.
Cons:
- Almost EVERYTHING is fairly high-end, so if you’re looking for cheap shopping, don’t go here.
- It’s only open until 5 on the weekends. WTF?
- Their online mall directory is terrible.
DONE! I’ve missed walking in a big city, yo.
Edit:
I got a massive sunburn in the shape of the Canadian Tire logo on my chest. I look like a retail superhero. Wear sunscreen, kids.
How many posts have I titled “Blah” now?
Ugh, today was a crap-mobile. And my fridge is broken and all my broccoli is half rotten and I am sad and cold and frustrated.
Drama!
HOLY CRAP I forgot about Degrassi!
So back when I was in London (for like the three weeks I was there…) I had cable in my little dorm room. One night I happened to catch an episode of Degrassi and kind of fell in love with it. They had an episode or two on Nickelodeon every Sunday night or so back in the States, but it’s on EVERY NIGHT up here.
Degrassi is basically like Canadian high school soap opera, but it’s super addictive. Also, it’s weird to see Canadian currency in a show and hear them talk about road trips to Montreal or Saskatoon or other Canadian places.
Haha, sorry. School hasn’t started yet and I don’t have anything else to do.
(More of) Claudia’s Canadian Adventures…Continued!
YAY I’M HERE!
My “apartment” is a basement, but I guess that’s what I deserve. And at least it’s something. Once I get internet it (and all my crap put away) it should be tolerable. Hopefully.
Sorry, I kind of had a freak out this morning and don’t feel much like blogging.
Bye.
(More of) Claudia’s Canadian Adventures
IT’S CALGARY TIME!!
We left around noon today with the U-Haul. After getting through the border crossing in record time (there were NO other cars there and they didn’t even ask us to stop and come inside), we stopped in Cranbrook for the night. Hopefully we’ll get to Calgary around noon tomorrow.
EXCITED/SCARED/NERVOUS/FREAKING OUT/REALLY COLD IN THIS HOTEL.
Last day in Moscow!
Annnnnnnnnnd I’m leaving.
Again.
Hopefully it will be for longer this time, ‘cause I don’t want to screw this up like I screw up everything else in my life.
Everything is IN THE U-HAUL (including, for about 30 seconds, MewMew) and now I just have to finish cleaning the basement.
Annabelle is totally stressed out. She hates change as much as I do.
I’m totally stressed out, too.
SHORTBLOG!
Monay
So since the last time I’ve been to Canada (not counting Vancouver in May), they’ve upgraded their currency to not only get rid of the penny, but to produce polymer bills that are super freaking durable, colorful, and awesome. Check it out!
Also, they have unique quarters for each province, like we did for our states, but I can’t find any good pics of the whole set, so you get NOTHING!
Do Narcissistic Bookshelves post Shelfies?
I FINALLY have an apartment in Calgary now! I shall post piccys when I move in at the beginning of September.
UGH this process has been obnoxious.
Here are more Canada pics.
(Only in Canada, man.)
The Frank Slide
I forgot to blog about this because I was so freaking pissed off about the last few days, but I’ll blog about it now: when we were driving up here, we drove through the aftermath of a disaster called the Frank Slide.
Back in 1903, when Alberta was still part of the Northwest Territories, there was a little mining town called Frank. It sat next to Turtle Mountain where—as you might guess—a lot of mining occurred.
On the morning of April 29 1903, a huge section of the mountain slid down onto Frank, burying its east side under 90 million tons of limestone within 100 seconds. A whole bunch of townspeople and non-town miners were killed.
And when I say we drove through the aftermath of the slide, we literally drove right through it on the highway. Piccy from the Frank Slide Wiki page:
In addition to the mining, the mountain’s anticline formation was unstable to begin with. Also, for several weeks before the incident, there had been very warm days and vary cold nights, causing water in the cracks of the mountain to freeze, melt, freeze, melt, repeat. ALSO, there were tremors near the base of the mountain that miners had felt for a few days.
So yeah. Cool but freaky.
Canada Time
Headed up to Calgary for a few days to see if I can get an apartment, ‘cause I NEED AN APARTMENT. Also had to get my passport straightened out, ‘cause they screwed up my study permit back in May.
But anyway, remember that video I posted which talked about how they basically shaved the U.S./Canadian border into the landscape? It wasn’t kidding:
That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
Also: our hotel is badass.
Also also: my mom and I went to Denny’s tonight and got potatoes. Idaho stereotypes much?
Do geology majors with honors graduate magma cum laude?
Hahaha, this is great.
I AM SO FREAKING STRESSED SORRY
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.
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.
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.)
Claudia Can’t Sleep
(Claudia can’t draw, either, but that won’t stop this blog from happening.)
Remember when I tried to draw the continental US without looking at a map?
Well now let’s try it with Canada! Apologies in advance. Rough sketch:
Oh gods. Manitoba has an oscillating border, Ontario is NOT SHAPED LIKE THAT, and I think I cut off like 6000 square kilometers from the east coast by Hudson Bay.
Let’s take the rough sketch and refine it a bit, eh?
Yeah, Ontario is still screwed up (the dangly bit that dips down into the US is a lot bigger than in the picture) and I have no idea what happens to the northern part of Nunavut (all I knew is that it breaks up in a triangle-like shape, haha), but I guess it could be worse.
Also, ever notice that a lot of the provinces resemble some US states (or vice versa I guess)?
Think about it:
- British Columbia is like a fat California.
- Alberta is like a stretched Nevada.
- Saskatchewan is North Dakota on its side.
- Manitoba is Minnesota with somewhat straighter eastern borders.
- Yukon is a giant New Hampshire.
- Nunavut is an upside down broken-up Texas.
Also, Canada has a hypothetical four corners like the US (Saskatchewan, Manitoba, NW Territories, Nunavut), but it’s in a super remote area and since the NW Territories/Nunavut boundary hasn’t been totally surveyed yet, they’re not sure if they meet at the corner of the Manitoba/Saskatchewan border.
Oh, Canada.
I HAVE NEWS!
So guess where my crazy life adventures are taking me next?
CALGARY!
I got accepted by the University of Calgary will be starting my Masters in statistics in September.
I am SUPER FREAKING EXCITED!
Here are some facts about Calgary/U of C:
- Population: 1,096,833 (third highest in Canada after Toronto and Montreal)
- Hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1988 (Jamaican bobsled team!)
- It’s one of the sunniest cities in Canada, with about 332 days of sun every year.
- U of C has about 25,000 undergraduates and 6,000 postgraduates
- U of C is ranked as one of the best universities in Canada (6th – 8th, depending on the ranking)
- The university library is the sixth largest library in the country.
- YOU CAN TAKE PROFESSIONAL SPEED SKATING LESSONS AT THE OLYMPIC OVAL ON CAMPUS I AM SO DOING THAT
I reiterate: I am SUPER FREAKING EXCITED!
Maps (they don’t love you like I love youuuuuuuuuuu…)
Well this was cool to do.
What the colors represent:
- Red: states/provinces where I’ve not spent much time or seen very much.
- Amber: states/provinces where I’ve at least slept and seen some sights.
- Blue: states/provinces I’ve spent a lot of time in or seen a fair amount of.
- Green: states/provinces I’ve spent a great deal of time in on multiple visits.
I like how I’ve been all over the West Coast and the Great Lakes area, but very few other places (I went to Boston for that APS conference in May 2010; my grandparents used to live in St. Louis).
I also realized after making this that I’ve also been to Washington, D.C., but since that’s its own thing and not technically in a state, I decided to leave it as it is.
If you click here, you can make one of your own!
Space Doctor: “Take Two Moons and Call Me in the Morning”
So I’m apparently into self-torture and mental masochism because I’m writing about Vancouver for my long essay.
Part of the reason is because I can’t write in the first place and so my original idea got scrapped.
Another part of the reason is that I’m dumb and can’t think of anything else to write about.
But I think the main reason is because even though I’ve written quite a bit about grad school here on my blog, I’ve yet to really write about my relationship with the city of Vancouver itself. I’ve yet to really write about how my walking routine probably saved my life up there. And I feel like I need to write about those things.
I doubt that a final essay in an intermediate non-fiction class is the place to do so, but hell, I don’t have anything else and this has been pressing against the forefront of my mind for quite some time now.
So that’s that.
In other news: this semester needs to die.
CANADIAN TAXES TIME!
I am once again in shock regarding how difficult seemingly small/simple things can be when handling things across the US/Canadian border.
I’ve posted this video before, but I’m posting it again to support my point (and because it’s pretty cool):
We’re practically conjoined twins. As such, some of the things one might think as difficult to accomplish on an “international” level (like, I don’t know, moving all your possessions + animals across the border in an unmarked white van with suspicious tinted windows*) are surprisingly easy and hassle-free.
Simpler things, like terminating a Canadian cell phone contract (even after waiting until the contract is up), take OMGWTFBBQ-levels of work.
Taxes? They’re kind of in-between. There’s really no way to explain that yes, I lived in Canada last year, but I lived in two different provinces AND I didn’t actually live there on December 31st because I had to go back to the States in October. So I just wrote a nice little note and stuck it in with my return. Hopefully they’ll get the info they need and not send Dudley Do-Right down to Arizona to get me.
…Though that WOULD be entertaining.
Also: “Dr. Binmidnildedindindin.” God I’m glad Metalocalypse is back.
*Yes, this is how I moved all my stuff up for grad school. Big white just-the-right-size-for-bags-of-illegal-substances van, half-drugged cat on a towel, nervous pair of Idahoans in the front seats. Went inside, showed them my passport and study permit, and we were on our way to Vancouver. Same thing happened going to Ontario.
Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs? More like Loonie for…uh…um…just read the blog.
I had no idea about this until I watched a DVR’ed episode of The Colbert Report tonight, but Iceland is looking to adopt the Canadian dollar as their currency.
WHAT.
Apparently when Iceland’s economy bit it in 2008, their krona lost about 60% of its value. It has yet to recover, causing the country to fall in favor as far as foreign investors go.
To solve this, Iceland is looking outside its borders for solutions; namely, replacing the broken krona with a more stable foreign currency. The currency of choice? Canada’s!
First of all, there are way too many currency-related puns that can come out of this.
I mean, I’ll be Franc…is Iceland’s Yen for Canadian currency Loonie, or do they just have a Nakfa creating close relationships with other northern countries? Even if that’s the case, adopting another country’s currency could present a Rial problem. But assuming that Iceland goes into this with all their heart and Sol, perhaps there won’t be any major issues.
Second of all…another country with a Loonie? But Loonies are so…Canadian! What’s next, geyser-adjacent Tim Hortons? Shark-infused poutine? Rapid acquisition of excess “eh”’s in Icelandic speech?
Interesting stuff. We’ll have to stay updated to see if Canada allows its Loonie to migrate to Iceland.
Eigenblogger 
