A melody softly soaring through my atmosphere

This week kind of got away from me and even though I thought of blogging (a lot) I never actually sat down long enough to want to do it.
The FF/DCFC concert was great except for the ridiculousness of allowing people to have General Admission in an arena, so it was somewhat chaotic and annoying searching for a seat, but otherwise things were ok. Oh, and the fire alarm went off during DCFC's set which was funny at first because it kind of blended into 'Soul Meets Body' and even Ben G. mentioned that he thought someone had started playing a recorder in order to fuck him up but then it was clear that it was the fire alarm which also added an impressive light show to the ambiance. This went on for 10 minutes because apparently no one in the building knew how to turn it off and the response time by the Fire Department was fucking pathetic, which was also commented on by the band. It was a fair point. I thought there was a fire department station on the CNE grounds because there is definitely a police station and some of the police horses are stabled there. Oh well, that was a bit silly...
But speaking of Franz Ferdinand I heard a catchy loungey-type version of 'Take Me Out' done by the Scissor Sisters. I recommend giving it a listen.
And while we're on music... doesn't that single ('Out of My Head') by Mobile kind of sound like The Stills?

So the "Walmart" site that we are working to clear now has a prehistoric component to it which thrills the 'historic' crew to no end. Basically we have to adjust to different site protocol and paperwork in order to record this stuff. I'd say in general I don't mind working at prehistoric sites with other crews when it's a p.h. site, but it's a pain in the ass to find p.h. artifacts at a place that was only expected to be a historic settlement. If anything it just shows you that people (from all cultures) think the same when it comes to the basics of living.

I woke up yesterday morning with a cold for the second time this month, so I'm feeling on the low end of health at the moment. I also got another slight burn on my face earlier this week. I think I am going to have to change the SPF on my facial sunblock... I suspect the ozone has depleted even further over Toronto, lovely haven of pollution and smog.

Again, I have been ogling the MacBook Pro... that sweet little duo-core intel processor allows people to run any Windows OS on it as well, which is handy for using programs that don't have universal versions yet. I think more than anything that fact will nulify any reluctance on my part in jumping ship from a Windows based PC to the Apple planet. And I discovered that people can have their notebook covers etched which looks much classier than putting stickers all over it. Check out some of these designs... etch a Mac.

I Will Follow You Into the Dark

Death Cab for Cutie/Franz Ferdinand double header tonight! Can't wait... except for all those teeny boppers who watch the OC and love DCFC because of that.

Long Weekend Season Begins

It's awful that January to April is such a dry period in terms of living without a long weekend, but such is life in Canada (or even North America), the home of the 40+ hour work week and very few holidays. Well, that changes this weekend with the arrival of chocolatey goodness or the Ascension of Jesus or the Angel of Death passing you by. It's the Easter long weekend although I'm being deprived of Easter Monday because ... I don't really know why. If it's good enough for government it should be good enough for everyone else, but I guess the powers that be just can't function with two four day work weeks in a row. On the other hand, I'm perfectly fine with it.
This week feels like it's been overly long and exhausting. Even though today is Thursday it deserves the designation of Friday which it is kind of acting as since tomorrow is a holiday.
I think I am dwelling on this whole holiday factor a little too much here, but I am really looking forward to some rest. This Easter is going to be just Dad and I heading out to the fam in Etobicoke... Michaela being holed up in exam hell and M-A being holed up in Conservative country. It does figure that I have missed the past two Easters and this one, the one I am home for, won't be normal. What can you do though? Soon I'll be missing all sorts of family holidays again, save for Christmas which I hope to always be home for in some capacity.
And the one thing I really look forward to is still 12 weeks away... I should stop looking at the calendar.

Slumming in Scarborough

I've been out of commission for a few days due to my annual spring cold which left me knocked flat on my ass on Friday. Thursday was spent out at the Guild Inn in Scarborough doing some test pitting and I can't believe that I have never made the time to go hang out at the Scarborough Bluffs. I blame it on the fact that I didn't ever really spend much of my summer vacations in the city when I was a kid. The bluffs are like another world, it didn't feel like I was in Toronto, yet it was a mere 20 minutes from my house..
The most interesting thing about the property is that the owners of the Guild Inn property have collected architectural pieces of old buildings that were going to be demolished (from downtown Toronto) and they have set them up throughout the gardens. As a result it feels like you could be walking through the ruins of Athens or Rome yet you remember that you're in Canada. Of course the architecture is all neo-classical, but still it's like a little wonderland, you can almost imagine that on a hot July day with all the flowers and trees in bloom that you might be in Europe on a spring day. I'll definitely be heading back in the summer with my camera and some friends.

Since I was ill on Saturday as well my weekend didn't really start until Sunday when I felt a bit better and of course by that time I just felt ripped off because my weekend was gone.
Sunday was spent exploring a bit of Morningside Park in Scarborough where you can still see the effects of last August's flash flood and then the evening was going to see 'Thank You for Smoking'.
That movie is absolutely hilarious. There's not a dull moment -- probably because it is perfectly paced at 90 minutes -- and the dialogue is very witty. It's not even really about the smoking industry as much as it is about the use of rhetoric and clever argumentation. I definitely recommend going to see it. You'll definitely appreciate some of the conversations had by the so-called 'merchants of death'... I think I might have to go see it again.

A day in the life of...

I regret not watching Saturday Night Live to watch this awesome spectacle:
Natalie Portman raps!
It just gets funnier every time you watch it.

April's manic weather gives way to May flowers?

I know I've complained of our manic winter weather before and I really shouldn't be doing it again because March and especially April are so messed up when it comes to the seasons fighting for supremacy, but, I'm just amazed that it was 18 degrees and I got a sunburn last week and now this week it is snowing. It's too much of a mindfuck. STOP IT!
Things at work are a little busy right now. I go between the field and the office as needed and of course the field season is starting up so there is lots to be done on the Admin end of things... so much more that you never even realize what's going on behind the scenes when you're digging and filling out artifact tags all day. There was also a 3-hour long general staff meeting on Monday... I admit I had a "beverage" beforehand which probably helped me stay awake through most of it, or I was at least entertained by the buzz. I appreciate that I got to hear about all the projects that were finished in 2005 and what is slated for 2006, but it was so crammed that it reminded me of how graduate seminars used to be... get as many presentations as possible done in 3 hours... except in school we at least had a 15 minute break for snacks and bathroom breaks in the middle.

I've been reading the most god awful book ever this week but like a car accident you can't peel your eyes from, I have to finish this story because if I leave it hanging it might actually bother me that my suspicions of total suckage at the end are unconfirmed. More importantly I am glad I didn't BUY this book because I was interested in it at Chapters in the autumn. I opted instead to use my local library card and read it for free.
Man, I would have been pissed off to drop $35 on this pile of drivel. The funny thing is that there are all these glowing reviews on the back, but then again, I guess there will always be someone in the world that thinks one thing is pure genius whereas someone like me may not. Besides, it's not like I've had this book recalled on me yet and I have renewed it once. That alone should tell me that the masses are not clamouring to read it. I don't know what I was thinking, I guess I got sucked in by the little summary on the inside flap which is way more engaging than the author's own writing style. Sad, but true, this book BLOWS GOATS. Stay away! I think I will have to vow to next read a classic just to purge this crap out of my mind. Perhaps a return to the Count of Monte Cristo will be appropriate for this spring. It is one of my favourite books... and it's too early in the year for Pride and Prejudice. I haven't felt utterly in despair or in need of comfort yet this year so I'll need P&P in reserve for that, just in case.

So the Blue Jays had their home opener last night at the SkyDome* and they had a great first win over Minnie. Hopefully we will see that money spent on building a real team pays off unlike that other crappy team in Toronto that people still feel the need to drop $300 a seat on. Come on Leafs Nation... get fucking real. If you have to pay that much for a seat, there should at least be results. The eternal hope is mind boggling and a waste of energy. Yes, the NHL lockout embittered me deeply, mainly because the Leafs management chose to NOT improve themselves when they had the golden opportunity.
Turning to the Raptors who have also had a rough season, at least I can say that they have heart and they actually aren't a bad team. They consistently score over 100 points in a game and are always within two or three baskets of the win. I just don't know what happens in that last quarter that makes them drop the lead or the hope of securing the win. But perhaps my point here is that I can actually afford to go to a Raptors and Jays game. Seeing the Leafs? Not a chance.

*aka the Rogers Centre but I can't bring myself to call it that -- Have I mentioned that I loathe arenas named after their corporate owner? It's stupid... I understand that Ted Rogers feels the need to stamp his name all over TO but couldn't it be called the Rogers SkyDome?

Now More Than Ever

I wish I had had the energy to write more this week but I spent four of five work days out in the "Walmart field" digging difficult test units. Let's just say it felt like a brutal re-introduction to field work even though I have spent the winter at the gym, swimming and lifting weights. More than anything I think being outside in fresh air all day is what got me so tired in the end - I was going to bed at about 9:30pm every night. I conclude that breathing recycled office air all winter is not healthy.
It was weird to be outside working this week because it was still March and the temperatures were so warm. I actually sunburnt my face on Tuesday. Obviously I have never considered getting a sunburn in March in Ontario, so I am paying for that right now. Remember the sunblock people, remember the sunblock.
It's hard to get used to the new crew right now because with K. we had an established system over the last two years... now it's different. I'll get used to it but I guess I have to work through my growing pains; everyone else seems to be ok. Maybe it's just me that's out of the loop.
In geek news, I ducked out of work early on Wednesday to catch an AIA lecture in Hamilton given by Dr. Penelope Davies who wrote a great book on imperial funerary monuments in Rome. I read it a lot last year when doing my papers for my Topography of Rome class. She gave an interesting talk on the continued use of Nero's imperial property (i.e. the Domus Aurea et al) after his death. Actually it seemed more like she was developing a new thesis and challenging established, out-dated beliefs, which is always interesting to witness, participate in, etc. There really haven't been many AIA talks in southern Ontario (there are at least 4 chapters I can drive to easily) that I've been interested in sitting through this year so I haven't gotten a really good dose of classical history and archaeology since I left school. I have to take more initiative and keep up on my reading and ask friends still in school what's on their reading lists.

Last night I went to see the musical 'Hair' (a CanStage production) with Gosh and it was excellent -- I was concerned it might be lacklustre. I had looked up the premise of the story beforehand because I have never seen the film but Gosh always raves about it and says it was seminal in her personal growth from the age of 14 when she first saw it. Anyways, it was an excellent production and the closing scene of "The 40-Year Old Virgin" made so much more sense after seeing the 'Aquarius' and 'Let the Sunshine In' numbers. Afterwards we went out to eat a late dinner and I got some sort of allergic reaction on my chest... since I have no known food allergies this was weird. However, the excessive amounts of alcohol that I drank at Republik night club seemed to clear it right up. How curious. All in all it was a very full Saturday considering Gosh and I also spent 4 hours in the afternoon shopping at the One of a Kind show at Exhibition Place. If I made more money I would have been dropping it like crazy on some of the stuff I saw there but as it was I settled on a spring jacket that will be getting it's fair share of wear this year. Watch out for it...