Mark My Words

Today I think I finally figured out what "marking" and "marks" really are.
marking=grading
mark=a point
mark=your score on an assignment

Why is this confusing, you ask? Because a problem worth 10 marks is marked and the mark is marked on the page. Being "worth 10 marks" and ending up as a "mark" is weird.

I'm still confused about when a "mark" becomes a "grade" and what the difference is. Somehow every assignment gets a mark, but I get a grade at the end of the term (aka "semester").

I also like how Canadians write exams, but Americans just take them. Where do they put them?

Jackpot

I don't really plan on linking to news articles much, but this one made me laugh and is somewhat on-topic with an earlier post about making comments to cashiers. Yesterday someone won the huge Canadian lottery. The best part though is the quote in the article:

But not everyone is enthralled with the lottery madness. Sean Villeneuve, a ticket store owner in Montreal, says he hopes it ends soon.

"The most annoying thing, I guess, are the people who say, 'I want the winning ticket.' I love that one, because I would love it too. I would want the winning ticket and yet they think they're special."

Free Time! Photos!

Well, after a week of way too much to do and no free time to post, I now have a chance! This is due to the fact that I eliminated the need to do my huge homework assignment due tomorrow (that I hadn't started) by dropping the course. There were other reasons that I dropped it!

This has allowed me to post some of the photos that I took last weekend from my new favorite place on Vancouver Island: Mt. Tolmie. I've posted these photos on winkflash, and you can view them with the following info if you've signed up for a free account:
username: seandaug
secret word: mttolmie

If you haven't signed up for a winkflash account, and don't want to, I've solved that problem too! I have created a username and password that you can use to view my photos very easily. Just email me and I will send you the username and password. As long as no one changes the password, it will work for us all.

Here's a preview of the awesomeness that you can find:

And I have a photo of Mt. Baker that is better than Meghann's. (A little friendly competition never hurt!)

The Ads

A few weeks ago I added the Google ads to this blog, mostly to see just how much these things pay. I don't get enough visits to make money from them just being displayed, so it really only counts when someone clicks on the links. I've noticed that it all depends on the ad -- some are juicier than others. Google says I can't tell you exactly how much they pay me, but it really isn't all that much.

Anyway, despite being a poor college student, I've decided that (retroactively) I will give all the money that I get from the ad clicks to charity. I just thought I'd mention that. Do you like charity? Prove it.

What's Missing

I've been keeping a running list of things that are missing from Victoria, BC, for better or worse. Some of these things are just so greatly reduced in number that they may as well be missing. Here's what I have so far (besides things mentioned in earlier posts):

• SUVs
• Pickup Trucks
• People that look like Red Green, or Bob & Doug McKenzie
  
• My Credit History
• Drugstores
• Speed Limit Signs
• Tobacco Smokers ($8.50 per pack)
  
• Large People (measure however you want)
• Jagged Edges on Stamps
• Gas Station Price Variation (completely missing)
• "Servings Per Container"
• Short Term Loan Stores
  

(As usual, I don't extrapolate these things past upstate SC vs. Victoria, BC)

Poster

Today the news is that the teachers and the government are getting much closer to a compromise, so it is likely that after 2 weeks, the strike will be over on Monday. With that in mind, I thought it interesting that today my union provided the timely information of why we are protesting.

Anyway, the real point of this post is to show you this poster that no matter how you stand (or sit, or sleep, or...) on the issue, you have to find it funny:

(From here)

Protest Update

Yesterday's protest could have been worse. It was a disruption, but not really that big. From 7:45AM to about 10:00AM, there was a picket line along the main entrances to the campus, so traffic (cars, bikes, and feet) just redirected to other entrances. Probably the steady rain (not mist) all day contributed to them leaving early. Plus, they had to be downtown for the rally at 11 something.

The buses did not run at all yesterday, but only because the bus drivers did not want to cross the picket line that the telephone company set up around the bus depot. (The telephone company has been on a legal strike at least as long as I've been in Victoria -- 1.5 months.) So, the lack of buses (and probably the rain) made for below average attendance in the classes, but most of my classes were normal because most people bike or walk anyway. However, there was a noticeably smaller number of people on campus between classes.

I don't think that many other unions really took the time off that it sounded like they would. The government threatened to discipline any government employees that took off work. I am not a lawyer, but I'd think that they could do so because the protest was in support of an illegal strike, so the legality of the protest seems iffy.

I'm not sure that the protest or rally did anything to help the teachers' circumstances, despite getting 20,000 people to attend. The government seemed to act like most people do when challenged: it probably now will be less likely to give in and more likely to defend its position.

Another Assimilation Phase Complete

Watch a hockey game. Check.

(I even watched two hockey games, both apparently are rivalries: Toronto-Montreal and Calgary-Edmonton)

Dang, We're in a Tight Spot!

What a mess. I'm not sure of all the details, but just over a week ago all of the K-12 public school teachers in B.C. went on strike due to some legislation that is being passed in the provincial legislature. They are demanding that the government go back into talks with the teachers' union over their contract. Meanwhile, the government has said that this is an illegal strike and thus will not negotiate with the teachers as long as they remain in an illegal strike. (The government has also frozen the assets of the teachers' union and I believe is suing the union over the illegal strike.)

Now, since Victoria is the capital of B.C., there will be a huge protest on Monday. Basically, every union on Vancouver Island will not report for work on Monday and will meet for some march towards the legislature. Thus, the buses and such will all be closed.

Being a TA, I was required to join the TA union, which has decided to participate in the protest. My union has informed its members that the protest is legal because similar ones in the past have been declared legal.

As a consequence, the TA union, and possibly others, will be picketing to close off the UVic campus on Monday. Members are not supposed to cross the picket lines to attend work and are (I believe) eligible for strike pay if they are picketed out of their workplace. For me, it is not really a work issue because I don't work on Mondays.

However, the professors are not unionized and therefore have no right to join the protest. Thus, classes will be held as usual and the non-TA students that can make it to campus (remember, no buses) will probably cross the picket lines and be in class.

So, the real problem is that my union will be picketing to close off the workplace (campus), but I will not be working on Monday. I still feel the need to go to class (I have paid thousands of dollars for them). So, do I still go to campus to attend class? I think so, because I want to get what I paid for.

It has been made clear that many unions, including ours, are threatening a general strike if this protest does not work to get the government to enter into negotiations. Even if I do have to go on strike in the future because my union does, I still plan on going to class. I'm not wasting my money to not attend class, especially when the classes I'm in will never be offered again.

Exchange Rate

I was shopping downtown today (i.e. shopping with tourists) and in one ice cream shop a man said to the cashier, "What's your exchange rate?" "We give 10% [1USD=1.1CAD]" To which the customer replied, "I remember when it was 50%." The girl (cashier) then nearly rolled her eyes and I could tell she was thinking, "I don't care you old fart -- I wasn't even born then."

Seriously, this is a stupid thing to say. Obviously, for one, the cashier has heard this 2,358,542 times before. But more importantly, you must realize that if it was 50% and is now 10% and you are in a foreign country, this is in the cashier's country's favor. So, the cashier is happy about it. What kind of reaction does the customer expect?

No ESPN!

I tried to watch the Clemson football game this afternoon and realized that there's no ESPN! The closest is some TSN thing (mostly hockey) that is owned by the same people as ESPN (even has "SportsCentre"). There's also the NHL Network and Sportsnet (yet more hockey). I think there is also FOX Sports, but, well, yeah. If we pay for digital cable, we can get ESPN Classic, which is totally stupid. No wonder there is no feeling of football season.

We get PBS, which is mostly paid for by the U.S. government, but no ESPN.

Now That's Canadian

I've finally found it. The 6:00-7:30pm block on the Comedy Network has some real Canadian TV. It's reruns of Red Green then Kids In The Hall then Royal Canadian Air Farce. The latter two are authentic Canadian shows because a good portion of them (ok, all of RCAF) is devoted to making fun of Americans. Whereas Red Green is just authentic backwoods North America.

Of course the stereotypical Canadian sits around all day making fun of the stereotypical American (read: "Texan") while pausing to say, "eh?"

There was one sketch on KITH where a Texan was in a Canadian drug store asking repeatedly, "Do you have that kind of thing in Canada?" I realize that I ask this a lot, but I hope I don't do it to any annoying degree or sound rude.

The only problem with RCAF is that the guy who impersonates George Bush looks nothing like the dub-ya.

Yes, I know the CBC exists. No, I have not yet watched it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today is the day that we give thanks that we are nothing like Americans! We beat them to their own holiday!

Seriously though, one gets the [illogical] impression/feeling that there is more thanking going on here than in the U.S. Here, the holiday is not commercialized to anywhere near the same degree. That may be because it is still too early to do Christmas shopping. I don't see anything near the vast amount of decorations found on houses and buildings in the U.S. And, there is no Tim Hortons'/Eaton's Thanksgiving Day Parade (that I am aware of).

Cheesy Cheez-It Chicken

I'm mostly posting this so that I don't forget the recipe. This is something that I concocted a while back and I think is pretty good. You need:

• Chicken breasts (you may want to cut them into smaller pieces)
• Egg (1 per 2 or 3 breasts)
  
• Cheez-Its finely crushed
• Alfredo Sauce
• Cheddar Cheese, shredded

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with cooking spray. Then coat the chicken pieces with egg and roll them in the Cheez-Its to coat them. Put these in the casserole dish and bake uncovered at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. Then pour alfredo sauce over the chicken (just on the top, not the sides) and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Then bake another 10 minutes.

Note: if there are lots of chicken pieces (4 or 5 breasts) or if they are thick, then you may need to increase the baking time to make sure they are cooked in the center.

Ultimate Update

With regard to the earlier post, I checked out the available options for ultimate frisbee. Here are the results:

1. Campus View Elementary School has a vast amount of field space available and it is nice and flat. However, they charge $16/hr (same with any school). As the organizer, I'd also need to have $2,000,000 of personal liability coverage to make the reservations. Also, the fields are closed from Dec. 5 - Jan. 31.
   
2. I wandered around campus and looked for free fields. There is only one that I could find with adequate space, located next to the rugby field. On the macro level, it is flat (a rare find!). However, there are short weeds such as dandelions which make me worry about ankle twisting, especially after everyone keeps mentioning my liability insurance. Otherwise, it appeared to be free of sticks and rabbit holes. I would find it suitable to play on myself. Maybe I could make people sign a waiver (annoying)? Or just tell them that they play at their own risk?

Any comments? Does anyone who lives in Victoria want to please come and give their opinion of the quality of the field?

They've Organized!

Surely Darwin is correct, as the bunnies have demonstrated the ability to use the Internet. Today was the first time I stepped back on campus since posting the vicious bunny suggestion on Friday. I sat down on the benches on the pyramid by MacLaurin to enjoy the lunch I packed. Right before my eyes, I witnessed the bunnies' transformation.

One bunny, who will now be known as Fred (clearly not Winston), stalked his prey from underneath a bench. As soon as the unsuspecting victim would walk by on the way to class, Fred would dart out and chase less than a pace behind. After doing this for some 3 minutes, Fred found a more interesting target sitting 15 feet down the bench from me. In an effort to subvert this man's studying, Fred rubbed up against his leg and sniffed his shoes.

It did not take long, however, to lock onto the real target. Hopping over to me, he proceeded to position himself between my feet and stand up. Placing his dirty front paws on my upper leg, Fred stood poised for the jump. Not being deceived by his lavishly cute looks, I stood up to shoo him away -- he would have none of my lunch. After repeated similar attempts and some shoe shooing, he appeared to give up and be content to sit under me. But no, Fred only became more crafty. Realizing that my bench was attached to the side of a pyramid, he proceeded to walk up the slant where it was trivial to access the top of the bench.

During his dart at my lunchbag beside me, I quickly grabbed the bag and stood up. In his cleverness, Fred remained sitting right in my spot. His nose inspected my backpack for food, and he verified that the backpack itself was not tasty in no less than three locations.

In all, I spent 12 minutes defending myself from Fred's aggression and am pleased to declare victory over this battle. He walked in shame back to his original position under the other bench and resumed the taunting of passers by.

Several hours later on my walk home, I passed Fred gathering intelligence as he munched on grass. A mother and her toddler were approaching him, surprised at how close Fred permitted them to be. As my service to humanity, I warned the mother as I walked by and shortly thereafter heard, "Ok, time to say bye bye to the bunny."

Was I afraid? Not for my neck at least -- Fred is black with brown spots, not white with pink eyes. I would appeal to those bunnies with this new internet superpower to not attack Vikes, but instead target Huskies, Bears, Dinos, and Pronghorns.

Canadian Pizza

Wandering through the grocery store last week I stumbled upon a pizza with the enchanting title "Canadian Pizza." Convinced that this was some sort of ingenious marketing scam, I was immediately hooked. The box touts the topping list as "Pepperoni, Beef topping with soya, Italian sausage, Canadian cheddar, Bacon."

What bunk!

I later found out that Second Slice Pizza on Douglas Street (highly recommended) sells a Canadian pizza that has the correct ingredients: bacon, pepperoni, and mushrooms. You may like your New York or Chicago pizzas, but we'll have none of that. Yessir, 31 million people all prefer bacon, pepperoni, and mushrooms.

My Photo Galleries

Ok I'm sorry this is a pain. I wanted to post some photos online and not have to use my storage space through UVic. The only place that I could find that will let me have unlimited photos for free and have the full size downloads is through Winkflash. The problem is that you have to create a free account with Winkflash to view them. So, if you care enough to see the photos, just follow these steps:

1. Go to http://www.winkflash.com and create a free account.
2. Log into your account.
3. Click the "My Albums" tab on the top.
4. Click the "View Friend's" link on the blue bar.
5. Enter the userid "seandaug" and the secret word "apartment".
6. You should now see my album in your list permanently and can click on the album to view the photos.
7. If you are viewing an individual photo, you can click on "Full Size Download" in the blue bar to view it in all its glory.

Obviously the above steps are for looking at the gallery of photos of where I live (hence, "apartment"). Repeat steps 3 to 5 using the secret word "beaconhill" to view my photos of Beacon Hill Park near downtown Victoria.

From now on I will just post the secret word on my blog when a new album is created. It's not a complete loss; Winkflash does have the best prices and the highest quality prints that I've seen.

Exclusive Footage!

There are just no words.

(click for larger version)

Be sure you view the full size video (MOV, 38.7MB) or the smaller version (AVI, 5.2MB). Sound is a must!

(You might have to right click the links and choose "Save As..." then find the file and run it.)