Heading Back into Lockdown

With cases surpassing 2,000 a day, Ontario has announced a renewed lockdown starting Boxing Day.  This will last four weeks.  Middle of winter, too.  It should be fun!  Although Ottawa itself has relatively few cases (30-ish for a population of 1MM), the fear is that people from Quebec and other parts of Ontario might come into Ottawa if we don't also lockdown.  So, here we go again!

Overall it doesn't really matter much to me, other than minor inconveniences like perhaps longer lines at supermarkets, no haircut, etc.  I have stopped going to the gym since the first lockdown anyway, and have not really returned.  And I don't go into malls in the best of times.  But it's the unavailability of it all, you know?

I don't know how things are where you live.  Actually, on a population of over 15MM in Ontario, 2,000 new cases a day is bad, but really rather good compared to many other jurisdictions (like Maryland, Wisconsin, or most US States for that matter).  Still, it's not a good trend.  Back in the summer we had it down to 1,000 a day or so.  Where is this all going to take us?

Folks, 2020 is a crap year.  I am happy to see it go to the dustbins of history.  But it's also unwarranted optimism that most of us have about 2021.  What makes me think that it will be any better, and not worse?  That optimism is probably more wishful thinking than anything else.  As I have frequently maintained, life sucks and then you die.  Well, at my age, as long it comes fast and painless, I really don't mind.  Bring me Soylent Green!

My exams are done now.  Semester is over.  And the new one is coming in a few weeks.  Already one of the profs has sent out his syllabus etc.  Oh well, another course with a 40% final exam and a 50% term paper.  Gonna fun :)

Wherever, and whoever, you are, I wish you all the best for the new year, and a happy (all things considered) holiday season.  Make the best of it, eh?  As they say, when life gives you lemons, make Whiskey Sour.

More Power to the Student Union!

The UOttawa Student Union announced today that the university has agreed to allow students to choose one course this semester (and next) to be graded Pass/Fail.  This is a departure from official UO grading policy that does not allow P/F grading even for electives.

In its efforts, the Student Union garnered over 5,000 signatures from students, and presented some 300 stories of student hardship etc due to Covid.  More power to them.  It's a lot of work, and I am very glad that the union took the initiative to care for their fellow students.  And more power to the university for relaxing their stringent grading policy during these difficult times.

While the change in policy doesn't really affect me, I was for it and signed the petition.  Never give up my right to vote in any context.  I know many students are suffering from mental and physical stress, as well as financial strain, due to the virus situation.  This must be a good bit of news for many, to help relieve them of some stress.

I know this doesn't matter to any of you, but I am so happy about it that I just HAD to share it with you.  This Student Union is a new one, replacing the previous one that students were unhappy with.  All newly elected executives too.  They have done well so far.

Prolonged Absence

It's been a while since my last post, but I've been lazy and also I really didn't have anything new to report.  The semester is almost done, with finals coming up next week.  So it's down to reviewing for the finals and stuff, and the fun begins again in January!

Well, here's a bit of news.  I applied to both a second undergrad degree (this time in social science) and to an MA in sociology.  Just heard from the undergrad that I've been accepted, so I'm waiting word from the MA to see if I get in.  If I do, then I will have a decision to make.  I know I've been through this numerous times, but both have things I like (and dislike) that makes the decision not quite so easy.  I guess I will just have to wait and see what the MA people say.  I will keep you posted.

Winter is here, sort of.  For Ottawa, things will no doubt get a lot nastier in terms of temperatures.  We haven't had anything below -10 yet, which is actually unusual for Ottawa.  Usually by now we are talking -10 or -15 during the day everyday.  I don't mind.  And I certainly don't miss the ice on the sidewalks.  But I know too that this mild spell won't last...

Rucking gets harder in the winter.  When it snows, walking is much harder because it takes much more effort.  And if there's ice, well, I'd rather not go at all.  And when you start, it's cold, so you're dressed for that, but half an hour in, you're sweating profusely.  So you need layers and waterproof layers.  Because if the sweat gets through, and then the wind blows, it's a sure way to catch pneumonia or bronchitis.  Anyway, no more super long rucks for me now.  Besides, I don't have time because I have classes and stuff.  About two hours is as much as I do these days.  Quite a drop from the crazy 12 mile rucks I did in the summer.

With the holidays coming, I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas season.  And the best to everyone for a much better 2021.  I really can't wait to see the last of 2020.  Hope we will somehow be rid of this Covid next year.

Stay healthy, stay safe.  And always remember, just be glad you weren't born in Syria or something.  Things could always be much worse.

When you take a second year undergraduate course

I am guilty of many things, and one of them is that I typically only has one speed -- warp 9.8 -- and another one is that I over-estimate people's level of intelligence.

Often these traits (among others) come back and bite me.  Take the most recent example of my Greek Mythology midterm.  One of the questions was to describe three examples of how mortals got punished by the gods for transgression, even though the mortals' actions were purely innocent and it was actually the gods themselves that overreacted.

Now bear in mind that was the question.  Identify and discuss three examples where mortals were innocent, etc etc.  OK?

So I gave my answer, which I thought was on point.  What happened?  I got 36/50 for that question.  WTF?  I emailed the TA and asked what I had missed.  I was thinking maybe I had missed some parts of the stories, or got the characters' names wrong or something.

The response (and I gave him credit, he replied in five minutes!) was that I didn't explicitly state that these mortals were innocent.

Come again?  The whole point of the question was their innocence, no?  So why is it necessary to state that they were innocent if I identified them for the answer?  I mean, I wouldn't be using these stories if the characters were not innocent, right?

Well, ok, I still aced the midterm despite that question, but it seems kind of silly to me that I should need to state it explicitly.  I think my fault there is that it's a second year course, and the TA is marking based on a grading scheme the prof sent, which called for this and that to be stated.  Lesson learned.  Play the part of the stereotypical 19 year old second year student.  I said stereotypical, since I know from experience that there are very many exceptional students in that category who will likely think the way I did.

It also probably didn't help that I sent in my exam with an hour to spare.  The guy probably felt I didn't make use of time available...  Oh well.  That's just me.  When it's done, it's done.

OK, got two more midterms this week, so it's time to get back to studying.  Note to self: spell it out.

The Dental Saga Continues

This morning, in consultation with my dentist, I decided not to do the root canal after all.  Instead, we will remove the old bridge and extract the problem tooth.  And then deal with the gap afterwards.  Apparently the root canal might not totally solve the problem which can resurface and bite me (pardon the pun).  Plus, the bridge costs thousands...  Now that I am a poor student...

On a side note, my student health plan (via the student union) actually gives me BETTER prescription drug and dental and vision benefits than I got from Blue Cross via Etown.  Pretty damn amazing.  Yet another reason to be a student forever!

So anyway, this Thursday, instead of a root canal, I will go and have the old bridge removed (part of it anyway).  And then at a later visit (to be scheduled) I will go in and have the tooth extracted.  The good thing is it reduces the impact this has on me this week, when I face two midterms.  So, back to studying now.

More later!

University Administrative Staff Who Give a Damn

A typical view of university/college administrative staff (e.g. Registrars, Academic Advising, Student Affairs, etc.) is that these are heartless folks who don't give a shit about students.  I don't mean departmental staff, like support staff who help keep a department organized.  You know, folks like Shari at Etown, etc.  They are basically part of the faculty, IMO.  But administrative staff, like those in central offices, most have a tendency towards a god complex when it comes to their interaction with students.  At the last two colleges I worked for, this view would be demonstratively justified.  For those of you reading this, if you are of the same opinion, you know what I mean.  Regardless, share your comments with me even if your experience is to the contrary.  Perhaps I am simply biased.  I have been known to be exactly that.  As (one of my idols) Sir Charles once said, I may be wrong, but I doubt it.

I'm happy to note, though, that the administrative folks I have had the pleasure to interact with at the Faculty of Arts at UOttawa are every bit the opposite of this stereotype.  Since even before I enrolled at UOttawa, I've had nothing but pleasant experience dealing with the folks in the Faculty of Arts.  Really first rate people who actually give a damn about students.  So what prompted me to put up this blog entry?

A couple of days ago, out of the blue, I received an email from Student Advising at the Faculty of Arts.  First off, the email was very courteous and friendly (you know, like starting with Hi, Ed, I hope you are doing well and that the semester is progressing wonderfully, that sort of thing).  Nice touch.

Anyway, the person, who is one of the academic advising staff, wanted to check in with me to ensure I take all the right courses to graduate.  She listed out what I still have to complete, etc., which is very helpful especially since at these big institutions, there's no individual advising like we had at SNC or Etown.

I am on the right track to finish in May next year, so I just thanked her and so on.  Then, on second thought, I re-read the email and noticed an anomaly.  You see, the program I am in, a Bachelor of Arts (no major or minor) was changed this year to a Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies.  And some of the program requirements have changed as well.  Under the new program, we must complete X number of 3rd and 4th year courses from the Faculty of Arts, as opposed to X number of 3rd and 4th year courses, period.  I am still okay, since I meet  the new requirements (that's why I didn't think much of it at first).

But wait, I switched into the program BEFORE it got changed.  So I thought, shouldn't I be grandfathered under the old regime?  As I said, I am okay either way, but you know how anal I can get.  So I emailed them this afternoon, and asked for clarification (in a VERY nice way, seriously).  I was just curious.

Okay, so you email an administrative department at 4 pm on a Friday.  When do you think you'll hear back?  Well, I got a reply from them (actually the same person I interacted with before) at 5:22 pm.  On a Friday.  No shit.

So it was a computer glitch that put me under the new program requirements.  She was very apologetic, and confirmed that my suspicion was correct.  I am NOT under the new program.

See, it's really a small thing.  But it's nice to know that they cared enough to respond right away, and clearly communicated what the status is.  Stuff like that.  Makes me feel like I am more than a number to them.

I am so happy that I chose to come to UOttawa for this adventure.  This has been a wonderful experience, and the admin folks at the faculty of arts are simply wonderful.  Now, I don't really know what the folks at the other faculties are like first-hand.  But this is such a nice personal experience that I can't help sharing with you.  I am sure I will look back with very fond memories once this degree is done.

Happy Halloween!

 No trick or treat in Ontario this year, but hope you enjoy this:

If you can't see this on email, try the link to the blog https://chunskiundergrad.blogspot.com/2020/10/happy-halloween.html

Going with the flow

This is reading week for me, so last weekend I took a short trip to Toronto to say the boys.  In many ways, it was a rather weird experience, but I'm glad I made the trip and that I am close enough to do so.

Other than somewhat thinner traffic on the highway, the drive was uneventful.  Hwy 401 is just this long stretch of road that borders on monotony, with Formula 1 wanna-bees going at breakneck speed just because they could.  In case you're wondering, I no longer drive at excessive speeds.  These days I hardly ever go above 75 (~125 km), so most of the time I stayed on the slow lane.  Yup.  Kid you not.

There was this surreal feeling, you know, as I drove down the highway.  Passing places I'd been.  Brought back memories and stuff.  Made me wonder if things will ever get back to "normal" again.

It's been a while since I'd been to Toronto.  Come to think of it, it's been something like 9-10 months?  The last time I went was before this Covid shit storm.  And that seems like eons ago.  No indoor dining.  The hotel didn't even offer room service.  No valet parking.  I asked the front desk person what the occupancy rate was, and he told me that for the weekend, they were having maybe 7-8%.  Holy crap.  That's below breakeven. Even those who remained on the job must be wondering when that might end...

Had some fun patio dining experience while there (yeah, patio dining was allowed, but no indoor).  Was it fucking cold.  I don't know how these patios will manage when winter actually comes.  Seriously, even in Toronto, winter temps can get way below freezing.  No outdoor heater is going to keep the cold out.  And worse, think Ottawa when winter temps dip to -25 or lower, how the hell will they (or the diners) survive?  

Well, I had a nice break from my Ottawa routine, so that was good.  But now back in Ottawa, I have to actual "read" during reading week, for as I told you, I have a week from hell coming up.  That should be fun.

In Ontario, we are now experiencing the second wave, and new cases are averaging something like 800-900 a day.  That's alarming, especially when you consider that a couple months back, we were having as low as 100 a day.  But then putting it in perspective, I realize that 800 or so is what Maryland experiences these days, only that MD's population is only 1/3 that of Ontario's.  So that means the infection rate per capita is three times worse.  And Maryland is one of the states that are doing relatively well.

I read the other day that Green Bay, my old haunt, is averaging 230 new cases a year.  Green Bay, my friends, has a population of under 100,000.  You do the math.  I have a dear good friend who still lives and works there.  And his college has him teaching classes in person.  WTF.  

Well, to all you readers out there (I mean, the three of you or something), please stay safe and be cheerful.  Things could always be worse.  One day at a time, my friends.  One day at a time.

Wonderful News!

This is going to be fun!

I have to have my 20+ year old root canal and bridge repaired!  First they have to remove the old bridge on a Monday.  Then, on that Wednesday, I have a 3-hour mid term.  On Thursday morning, they will do the root canal.  That evening, I have a 6-11 five hour mid term!  I am going to stock up on pain killers and shit.  I think I will come out of it as House, MD.

This will all take place in a couple of weeks.  In lieu of flowers, please send monetary donations to Chunski Foundation.  Cash in unmarked small bills is preferred.

UOttawa Support Staff on Strike

Some 1,300 support staff at UOttawa are now officially on strike.  These are administrative folks, like advising staff, lab assistants, counselling people, etc.  Their functions are vital to the operations of the university, especially one as large as UOttawa.  Apparently the union had been negotiating with administration for 19 months!  Sticking point?  The university wanted to cut back on the staff's medical benefits.  The union balked, of course, especially in the current Covid environment.  Doesn't seem like there will be a compromise any time soon.

As you know, I support unions.  I think strength in numbers is the only way the underprivileged can hope to have fair bargains with those in charge.  Having said that, the university is offering the staff the maximum pay increase allowed by provincial law -- how does 1% sound?  On that, the university's hands are tied.  Just think though, for someone making, say 100 a year, a 1% raise can buy a pretty nice night on the town.  For a typical staff, a 1% raise is probably worth, well, maybe a Big Mac dinner.  Personally, I am always of the opinion that those at the top should sacrifice more to help those at the bottom, if nothing more than to build morale.  If the administration folks who are all making six figures will take no pay raise, maybe that money would more than offset the cut in medical benefits for the staff.  See that happening?

Not in a million years.

It's the same shit everywhere.  I still remember the time at Etown..  anyway, no point bringing up ancient history.

Gramsci was right.  Those below have to shore up their resources to counter the hegemony from the elites.

See, I am actually quite pleased, in general, with how UOttawa is run.  I think they run a fair ship.  They've had their criticisms etc., but from my vantage point, the university could be in much worse hands (just think, any of the Etown administration you know).  But at this time of the pandemic, with so much economic uncertainty, those running the school should show some leadership and not take away from those at the bottom.  If anything, they should cut their own benefits so those below don't have to.  That, to me, is what real leadership is about.  And on that, I'd like to share with you a brief story about this guy... Horrocks.

Horrocks was a British general, pretty senior corps commander. His headquarters was a tank.  He ate the same rations his troops ate.  He was always on the battlefield with his troops, suffering the same shit as they were.  Indeed, he was shot multiple times, including one right through the chest by an aircraft cannon.  And survived and went back to the front.  How could his troops not go that extra mile for a commander like that?

A lot of these university and college administrators have so much to learn about leadership.  Sad to say, really good university and college administrators are so rare.  Seven years at St. Norbert, and fourteen at Etown.  I have not seen a single good one.  Sigh.  As Walter Cronkite used to say, "that's not news, but that, too, is reality."

UOttawa Prof used N-word in class. Hell broke loose.

 It was revealed today that some time this semester, a prof at UOttawa used the N-word in class.  A firestorm ensued in social media, and it was reported in the student newspaper, picked up by TV news, and got into mass media.  It prompted the president of the university to come out and make a statement.  Three hundred professors at the university signed a petition in support of the prof.  This then created even more uproar.  And the prof in question has been suspended, pending further investigation.

Is your blood boiling over the prof's use of the n-word?  She claimed (I think it's a she) that she didn't think the word in question would be offensive.  My immediate reaction was, WTF, she is living in the 21st century?

But as you know, it is a good idea to fact-check before getting too worked up, right?

Apparently it was some humanities class, in which she was talking about how words can become resignified, as in its usage and meaning takes on new nuances as society changes.  Something like that.  The lecture was on "the major theories in feminist, gender and sexuality studies, what queer theory is" etc etc.  She was giving the example of how word "queer" has been resignified, from what used to be a derogatory term to become appropriated by the affected community and used in a resignified context, as a marker of identity.  Then she gave other examples, such as cripple, which has given rise to Crips theory.  And she asked the class if they thought the n-word might follow this path.  Now, she didn't say n-word, but she said the n-word itself.  But really, context is everything, no?

I think if she had used the term to refer to someone, and not to talk about it in terms of language and identity development, that would be offensive.  But from what I can gather, this is really a shit storm because of what?  Get a grip, people.

You can't just take things out of context and blow it all out of proportions.  But hey, I've been married 36 years.  I know exactly how that is.

***********************

And so, in a related context,  this whole mess has prompted my Greek Mythology prof to issue a statement, saying that the next class will touch of homosexuality in Greek myths.  And that people who might be offended should just not attend the session between 8-9.  WTF.  You want to learn about Greek Myths but only the parts that you want to hear?

Similarly, my Constitutional Law prof did a preemptive apology when he was about to discuss the Indian Act, saying that sorry, he knew the term offends, but that's the official name of the Act and so on and so on.  Fuck, are we dealing with 5 year olds?  As they say, if you can't handle the heat, get out of the kitchen.

All I can say is, I'm glad I no longer teach.  This world has become too fucking ridiculous.

A couple of random thoughts

I know, it's been quite a while since my last post.  Yup, I've been busy, but probably it's more because I just wasn't in the right mood to post anything.  Besides, my life has been pretty much SSDD everyday.  And now with Ontario hit by the second wave, and a lot of things are back on lockdown, it's just like a recurring nightmare, if you know what I mean (ha, the Neil Diamond song keeps playing in my head now).

Anyhow, I do have a couple of things to share.  One is more of a rant.  The other more of an ongoing unresolved (yet) issue.

At the university level, there are few things that are concrete black and white, right and wrong.  Yeah, I guess a balance sheet must balance, there's one correct answer to for the NPV (if you know all the data), and an adjusted R-square means exactly this and so on.  But for things like the humanities, that's really not so much the case.  At least in my humble opinion.

I am taking this 3rd year course in history.  The prof seems a personable, friendly kind of guy.  That's actually why despite the crazy amount of work, I stay in the course.  Well, it's history, yeah?  History is subject to interpretation, and there are various perspectives on almost anywhere historical.  For example, was Alexander great?  Who started the cold war?  Was FDR a good president?  Was Napoleon a great general, etc etc.  You know what I am saying.

Well, this prof is of a particular school of thought regarding the subject in question.  And it seems that whenever someone posts comments that are not consistent with that school of thought, the prof always jumps in and basically corrects the person.  That's tunnel vision, in my opinion.  In less polite terms, that's bullshit.  It's not as though there is only one single perspective on the subject that is universally accepted.  As long as a student can find support for her/his position, how can you say she/he was wrong!  That really turned me off.  To the point where I have actually given up on the course.  I don't even care if I get a good grade on it anymore, as long as I don't get a sucky grade.

Am I too picky?  Do you think I'm too staunch on the issue?  I think not.  But I would love to hear your views.  Seriously.

And the other thing, the ongoing unresolved issue.  As you know, I've been toying with whether I should pursue a graduate degree after this one, or continue on with yet another undergrad degree.  Both options have their pros and cons, and I won't bore you again with the details here.  Lately I am leaning towards the MA again.  Why?  Yes, it's less variety, because an MA is well, more focused.  It would be an MA in sociology, by the way.  What really got me very tempted is how the coordinator of the program responds to my emails.  I mean, holy shit, the man is so nice.  He is a prof at the school, and is the coordinator of the MA program.  Every email I sent to him, he replied within a day, sometimes hours.  And the responses were always personalized (not just name, but how he answered the questions).  And so very friendly and encouraging.  I just feel so welcomed, you know?  You may find this weird, that the overriding reason for me is how nice and decent the coordinator is.  But I have this thing about dealing with people.  I don't like assholes.  I mean, I seriously don't like them.  To the point where if I consider X an asshole, I want nothing to do with X, and will not hesitate to let X know what I think of her/him.  Those of you who know me well can no doubt come up with some people who would be an X in my mind.

So right now I am leaning towards the MA.  Yeah, yeah, this seems to go back and forth for me.  I guess I like both options, that's why.  Talk about Buridan's ass.  But I think I will do the MA.  I will likely send in my app later this month or early next.  There's really not much to do other than to fill in the forms, I guess.  Hmm, on that note, I should check what else they want.  Maybe some kind of statement of intent.  Well, those things I wing in five minutes.  No worries.

Will keep you posted!  Meanwhile, stay safe, stay healthy, and stay sane!

And so it starts again

Today marks the start of another school year for me.  I mentioned before that my classes are all online, so I have no in-person lectures.  But there are some 5,000 students who are on campus to attend in-person classes.  I guess those are courses that require face to face interactions and such.  Maybe lab work and so on.

Happily, so far there's only one case of a UOttawa student tested positive, and an unrelated case of a staff.  Considering the number of people on and around campus, things aren't out of control, it seems.

It's interesting how different profs engage this online teaching thing so very differently.  UOttawa has a whole menu of different online platforms that profs can use, and so far I have two that use Adobe Connect, one using Zoom, and another using Microsoft Teams.  And a fourth using our virtual campus portal.  All over the place.  So that's a bit of a learning curve for yours truly, since you all know how much I embrace this online stuff.  Haha.  I just need to remember how everything works!  Tall order for someone who can't even remember people's real names :)

In addition to different platforms, some of my classes are synchronous, while some are asynchronous.  It will be interesting to see how well students keep things straight.  I can imagine how easy it is to miss deadlines and stuff.  I try to diarize everything, but I am basically running out of colours to mark each thing!  Makes things interesting, though.

I'm not complaining.  It's a new experience for everyone, and I think the learning curve is steep for most, and steeper for some (like me) than for others.  But it's good to be doing something different.  I will miss the interaction, even if it's just body language etc., of fellow students.  And of course this online format reduces the possibility of me reporting via the blog "interesting" conversations I might pick up in an actual classroom.

One of my courses is The Cold War.  Here the prof does something interesting, but also tedious.  He wants us to each create a virtual greeting card by answering some questions.  I won't bore you with the details, but basically they have to do with how we see the Cold War, what we know about it, and our own lived experience related to it (assuming some were alive before the Cold War officially ended).  On that last note, I wrote that I don't think it has ended at all, but that's another story.

What's interesting about this exercise is that it allows me to see where the other folks are coming from.  Quite an interesting mix of experiences and expectations.  And on an aside question about what one's favourite drink is, NO ONE said coffee, Diet Coke, or Johnny Walker Blue.  WTF!

In another course, Political Philosophy, I read the syllabus and said to myself, wow, so little reading!  Well, spoke too soon, didn't I?  It turns out that while a reading may be 10 pages from one of the books, the damn thing is actually printed in font size 4 or something.  My eyes are going to really love it, haha!  Anyone with a spare magnifying glass?

Let's see how well I cope with this online stuff.

Well, onward we go.  Let's see what this brave new world brings!

Fall Course Selections

So many of you have been kind enough to give me suggestions for the fall, either privately or via the comments on the blog.  After much deliberation (and frequent changes), I THINK I have finally decided on my five courses (subject to further changes, of courses, haha).

Why such frequent changes?  Well, oftentimes, as you can attest, a course might sound interesting on the course catalogue, but once you get the syllabus things clarify.  Sometimes I just don't like how a course is structured, the kinds of assignments required, and so on.  Especially if F*#ING group work is involved, it's adios for me.

Anyway, here are my five for the fall:

The Cold War
Political Philosophy
Sociology of Ethics
Classical Mythology
General Public Law

I am very sure I will drop one of them as the term progresses.  I don't need five (just need eight more to finish, so two per term), and I'd rather have more free time.

Some time in September or early in October I will be applying for admission for another degree (to continue my life as a student after this current degree).  Still haven't decided what I'll do.  But most likely it will be another undergraduate degree.  Maybe this time with minors in sociology and political science, or some such combination.  Who knows.

So, thanks for the input.  Hope this collection of courses will make things interesting for the fall.

Be well!

Remember this plant?

During my first semester here, I got a little plant when I went to a Parks Canada event.  If you were reading my blog back in the fall of 2018, you might remember.  Here's what the plant looked like then.

BTW, I still have no idea what the plant actually is...

Anyway, after almost two years, this is what the plant looks like today.

Yeah, I had to repot it last year because it had grown so much, and as it was getting too tall, I ended up getting stakes too so that it wouldn't break.  Hope it doesn't grow any taller.  Or bigger.

If only it would bear some money...

Thinking about planting a herb thing, just for fun.  We shall see.

Trepidations

In a couple of weeks the fall semester begins.  I mentioned in a previous post that I'm not looking forward to online classes, but well, such is life and it can't be helped.  Some of you may be surprised to hear that I have post-summer jitters every fall.  And now as a student, the same jitters are back.  Not that I'm worried or anything, but after a summer off, it's hard to get back into gear, you know?

I've signed up for five courses, though I likely will drop one (four will allow me to stay full time).  I need eight more to finish the degree, so taking five this semester doesn't do much other than to give myself more work.  As to which one I'll drop, well, that depends on how I like the prof and the way the class is run.

This will be a strange semester, naturally.  Not only are my classes online (there are classes that are in-person, but mine happen to be all online), thus obviating interaction with others, the lack of a need to actually be on campus kind of negates the whole point of my undergraduate venture.  I mean, hell, it's not like I need another degree.  But in these unusual times, what can you do, eh?

But as autumn sets in, and as classes get started, it will be harder for me to maintain my present routine.  On an average day, between my rucking and working out at home, I need about five to six hours of free time a day (in a block).  How the hell will I get that when I have classes to attend to, readings to do, assignments to work on, etc etc?

And as you can imagine, Ottawa is not a particularly hospitable place for rucking by the time November comes along.  By winter, when temperatures plummet to thirty below, who the F*#k wants to go rucking?  And for hours?

Well, my gym told me that they have reopened.  But you have to make appointments to go, and you only have a one-hour block.  And there's no shower.  So okay, if I want to swim, say, which itself means 50 minutes in the water, what am I to do?  Come out dripping and smelling like a pool and go home?  Or a workout without showering afterwards?  But actually more important, I am not sure I want to go to a gym.  Isn't the weight room going to be a cesspool of germs in the air and equipment?  I asked them to freeze my membership for now, but there will come a time when I have to decide what to do.  Especially when I can't continue my present routine.

Do you have any thoughts?  Any experience to share?

I think anyone reading this is a student no more.  So the beginning of a new semester doesn't really mean much to you.  Or classes, for that matter.  But I am guessing that all of us, in some way, shape, or form (you have noticed that I LOVE the Oxford comma?), are affected by the covid virus.  Life as we knew it is disrupted.  Let's just hope it's not a permanent situation.  Stay safe!  Till next time...

Fall Semester Doesn't Appeal

Well, looks like the fall semester for me will be all online.  UO is offering some in-person classes but none of my classes fall into that category.  You probably know how I feel about online education, so it won't be a surprise to you if I'm not leaping with joy over this.  But such is life.  Thanks to this damn covid 19 thing, who knows when things will (if ever) go back to normal?  We make lemonade if we're dealt lemons, I suppose.

Recently there's been a lot of talk (from students) about how tuition should be reduced since courses are online.  Of course I would welcome any tuition reduction, but I think much of this talk is (1) wrongly argued, and/or (2) bs.

Many suggest that since courses are online, it's less costly for the university, and so tuition should come down.  Since most of you readers are business majors (assuming you were students or colleagues of mine), you would of course recognize that a university is a volume-driven business.  Fixed cost reigns supreme.  The cost to run these courses online is actually higher for a traditional university, since all the bells and whistles online are additional costs that the university didn't have to incur when things were "normal."  So if one argues that tuition should be lowered because the cost of production is lower, well, it's just wrong.

But more important, as marketing folks, we know that it's NEVER about how much it costs you to make something, but rather, how much customers are willing to pay.  Think a Chevy Suburban.  GM makes tens of thousands per Suburban.  Yet people rush to buy them.  Same goes for university education.  It's not how much it costs the university.  It's how much students (and their parents) are willing to pay for that degree.

Now, really, what do Canadians have to complain about?  My tuition for Fall comes to C$3000.  Including all the fees etc, and after taking out my scholarship (still getting it, haha), I pay C$2,500 for the semester.  That's like US$2,000.  And they are complaining?  Should try it south of the border.

In any event, it's what that degree is worth to the student.  END OF STORY.  So, if one doesn't want to pay, then don't.  It's a free country, no?

Naturally, consumer researchers know that customers of course want a lower price, all things being equal.  So why not jump on the bandwagon and DEMAND that universities lower their tuition.  Hell, what do you have to lose?  The truth is, and this is never gonna come out in a survey, the reason why people demand a lower tuition is not the simple math they profess to subscribe to.  It's just self-interest.  Nothing wrong with that.  Just recognize and admit it.

As you know, I don't like hypocrisy.  Like that time when a certain college, one which proclaims its all loving character, and equality for all and all that jazz, declined to hire a professorial applicant because the person is transgender (of course without ever admitting it, just saying it's not the right fit, or that it will be a shock to the students.  What bullocks.)  I digress.

Well, border is still closed, and judging from what's going on south, it will stay closed for a while yet.  If you are American, you do realize that the infection rate per capita in the US is something like 10X in Canada, right?  That's why 80% of Canadians want the border closed.  Not because we don't like Americans.  But because we're scared shitless what might happen if the border were open.

Summer is coming to an end.  Here in Ottawa, give it another month, and it will be too cold for t-shirt and shorts.  Sigh.

Hope you are all safe and healthy.  Be well!

Heat Warning Today, but the blog must go on!

Man, it was hot today, and humid as well.  I only did a three hour walk, but was absolutely exhausted afterwards.  I passed by the National War Monument today, and they were changing the guards.  So here's a short video of that.  I imagine it must be very hot in the uniform and stuff!

I then decided to go down to the river (Ottawa River) and see what's happening.  Taking a path along the Rideau Canal, I was rewarded by some nice views of the canal and the Chateau Laurier.

You can see the locks as the canal empties into the Ottawa River below.  The Chateau Laurier is on your right.

There's a path alongside the Ottawa River, and I took it to be nearer the water, hoping to cool down.  Didn't help.  But it offered a different view.

Took some videos:

This is a view of Gatineau as I looked out from the Ottawa side.  The highrise buildings are where Gatineau is.  And towards the end of the video you can see the Alexandra Bridge, which I showed you before.  Then looking back at the Ottawa side,

I was looking up on Parliament Hill, and then further along you can see the back of the Supreme Court.

All nice and scenic, but then I realized I had to walk back up the trail to the city proper.  I even thought about filming the walk up, but it was just a lot of grunting, haha.

Till next time!

If my pics and vids didn't come through on your email feed...

I heard from some folks (those who subscribe to the feedburner email  feed) that some of my pics and vids aren't coming through on the emails.

I think that's because the emails have size limits and sometimes they omit some pics and vids.  The material however are on the blog itself, so if an email seems somewhat interesting, maybe go to the blog and read it in all its glory?  Haha.

The blog, again, is at  https://chunskiundergrad.blogspot.com/2020/08/strategies-emerge.html

Hope this is useful!

And THANK YOU for reading!!!!!

Strategies Emerge

Feeling rather low in energy, I decided to go for a short walk today.  Four hours later I got home.  If I need proof that strategies emerge, this certainly qualifies.

You might remember the bridge in the distance.  It's the Flora bridge again.  I was going down Queen Elizabeth Driveway, which they have blocked off everyday 8-8 to let pedestrians and cyclists use it free of car traffic.  Notice the empty road on the right of your screen?  That's the QED.  Anyway, this is along the Rideau Canal, and there's also a path right alongside it.  Very pretty it is.

Well, I kept going for reasons unknown, and I ended up here:

This is one of the locks of the Rideau Canal.  It is right next to Carleton University, and connects to Dow's Lake (remember?).  Pretty neat.  You can see the boats up there waiting to come down the canal.  Sometimes you can see dozens of boats on both sides.  Quite a traffic jam at times.

I crossed over to the other side of the canal, and found myself in the Dominion Arboretum!  It's part of a large area which includes the experimental farm, a wildlife refuge, an ornamental garden, and so on.  Here are some pics:

Quite pretty, isn't it?  I walked around the arboretum and soon found myself lost somewhere.  And I looked up, and realized I was at the foot of a small hill.

See the kids going up the hill?  Should I?  What if I roll back down the damn thing?  After a 30-second debate,

Actually it got rather iffy half way up.  I felt my backpack dragging me down, as if I was about to flip over and fall down the hill.  But fortunately I made it up, and was graced by this view.  How do you like my heavy breathing?  Haha.  You can see Dow's Lake from here.  The tall building you see on your right is one of Carleton University's building.  I think it's where their business school is, but I'm not sure.

After this I began to find my way back.  What started out as a brief stroll turned into a walk that took almost four hours.  But what a nice day to do it though!

More Monkey Wrenches

As you know, I have had a bit of a problem deciding among all the many interesting courses I can take.  I thought I had my Fall course selection all set, but then I came upon this course which seems interesting.  Would like your thoughts if you don't mind.

Currently I am scheduled to take the following in the Fall:

The Cold War
Greek Mythology
Greek Philosophy
General Public Law
Religions and Spirituality in the Contemporary World


Yesterday I noticed there is a history course I missed the last time around, and its title is Medicine and Modernity in the US.  That sounds quite interesting.  But to take it I would have to drop one of the above.

I'm pretty sure I am going to take The Cold War.  I guess the likely candidates to drop are the last three.  For what it's worth, the profs for Greek Philosophy and the Religion courses both have exceptional teacher ratings (most of you know how I view course evaluations, but they are at least a data point).  So I am not sure what to do.

Thing is, if I don't sign up for the Medicine course it will get full.  But I can't sign up for it until I dropped one of the above.

Anyone?  Thanks in advance!

A Different Route Today

Today I decided to take a different route, and at first I had in mind to do a short walk.  The weather forecasts all called for rain and possible thunderstorms, so it seemed prudent to be closer to home base.  Well, as usual, after half an hour or so, my legs took me on a whole new itinerary, and the walk eventually took over three hours.

You'd think I would have learned by now!

Things started innocently enough.  Somehow I found myself in Landsdowne Park.

The area, Landsdowne, is actually a rather large urban park, comprising some 40 acres.  The building shown in the picture is an important landmark.  It's called the Aberdeen Pavilion, and originally was for military purposes, especially during WW1.  It then took on a new life as an exhibition hall, among other things.  On the other side of the building you can see a monument dedicated to the Princess Patricia Light Infantry, a very famous unit in Canadian army history.

Landsdowne is now a shopping and dining mecca, and offers a lot of fancier stores and restaurants.  Whole Foods, for instance, is there.  But it is also home to a sports destination.

The pictures above are of TD Place Stadium.  The original stadium was simply called Landsdowne Park, and for the longest while that was its name.  Then in the 1990s (I think) it got renamed Frank Clair (?) Stadium, and more recently, TD Bank bought naming rights and the stadium was renamed TD Place Stadium.  Notice the seats are red and black?  The local CFL (Canadian Football League) team is called the Ottawa Red Blacks.  I have no idea (nor interest) what that means.  It was called the Rough Riders in my day, and one of my favourite players (TONY GABRIEL) was on the team.  If you're reading this, Tony, you now know why.

Moving out of Landsdowne, I continued on and came across the Bank Street Bridge.  Yes, another bridge in Ottawa.  You shouldn't be surprised by now!

Quite a nice looking bridge, I think.  The current bridge was built in 1912, replacing previous wooden structures that collapsed.  The bridge crosses the Rideau Canal, which can be seen in the picture as well.

Further along, I saw this really nice cove.

At the southern edge of an area called The Glebe, this is Brown's Inlet and comprises two ponds.  It's quite a pleasant spot, and there are lots of rather expensive rooms (not surprisingly) in the area.

I had little idea of where I was heading, but I kept going forward, and next thing I knew, I was at a park!

Turned out this was a part of what is called Commissioner's Park (a much larger area than the little spot I show here).  And, Commissioner's Park is where the annual Ottawa Tulip Festival takes place!

In case you're wondering -- Ottawa, Tulips, huh???? --- after WW2 Holland gifted thousands of tulips to Canada for its role in liberating the country.  Yeah, I know, judging from Canada's military presence today, you would never guess, but during WW1 and WW2 Canada was actually a major player (e.g. One of the five Normandy beaches was assaulted by Canada, and after WW2 Canada had the world's fourth largest navy).  Anyway, so every year, around May, a massive tulip festival is held in Ottawa.  At Commissioner's Park.

And not far from there, in fact, right across, is this large body of water.

This is Dow's Lake, named after an early settler in Ottawa.  It's an artificial lake, which feeds into (or from?) the Rideau Canal.  There's even a railway tunnel underneath, which today is used as part of the Ottawa Light Rail system.  In winter, one can rent skates, etc., and in summer, canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, etc.  Pretty neat to have this right on the edge of the downtown core!  I took a short video of the lake as well, as shown below.

Spielberg I'm not, but hopefully it gives you a better idea about the lake.

Well, after that, I was homeward bound.  And running low on water too.  Till next time!

Oh, and the thunderstorms?  They didn't come.

Too hot for a real ruck

It's 34 C today!  That's like 93 F.  Man, I took just an easy stroll for two hours, and I thought I was in the broiler.  Broiled Chunski!

Don't have a lot of new stuff to show you, but take a look at some of these:

OK, I know what you're thinking.  What?  Some grey concrete thing?  Nah, this is cool, my friends.  It was built around 1938 (?) and is the Hunter Building, which apparently contains a lot of telephone switching mechanisms for the downtown area.  It doesn't look much now, but once it was quite the gem.  In the deco style.  I found this online, so you can see what it was like in its better days.

Pretty neat, right?  I confess, I am a sucker for the art deco era.  So...

Anyway, I don't think I ever showed you pics of the Bank of Canada, so here goes:

Here is the Bank of Canada.  It occupies an entire city block downtown.  The museum thing can be interesting, and I will go visit one day when things reopen.  See the glass tower behind?  And then behind the original building, and behind THAT another glass tower.

Let me show you another angle.

You know me, I like the old stuff better.  I mean, glass towers are so bland.  This original building is quite neat.  You should see the door.  Man, the whole point is to give a sense of security, I guess.  In case you're wondering, the Bank of Canada is like the Fed in the US.
Both established during the Great Depression.

Talking about old stuff, I passed by this one today.

This used to be the Ottawa Jail, built in the 19th century and discontinued around the 1970s.  Nowadays it's a hostel, and you can claim you have stayed in a jail!  It's actually open for business right now, despite the virus thing.  Not my cup of tea, but hey, a bit of history there!

And right next to it is the Ottawa Art Gallery.

I think I mentioned it before.  It's free admission.  Pretty cool if you're into art.  See that Labo building, the grey cube thing in front?  That's the UOttawa theatre!  Never been.  Maybe one day when they have interesting performances, I might go check it out!  The tall building behind it is the Le Germain Hotel (and some condos above).  Pretty fancy.

Well, that's that on a hot day.  Can you feel the steam coming off those pictures?

Crossing to the Undiscovered Country

For the first time my walk took me across to Quebec.  I've been avoiding that, for personal reasons, but today I decided to take the plunge and do a detour into the Quebec side.  It was a relatively short ruck today, and it took just two and a half hours.  Funny how things changed, too.  When this whole lock down thing started, I did an hour and a bit, and anything approaching two hours would be a very long walk.  Now, when I feel like resting, I'd do two hours.  Anyway, compared to my five hour debacle on Saturday, it was a breeze today.

I went up to Rideau Hall and then onto Sussex, and came upon this

This is the Canada Research Council, the institution which gives government grants to people doing research work.  Many moons ago, when doing my PhD, I had applied to them for a grant.  And they turned me down.  Oh well, no grudges :)  Pretty impressive edifice, no?

And as I continued on Sussex, I was at the MacDonald-Cartier Bridge again (remember I showed a pic of it a few days ago).  Today I decided to venture over to the Quebec side, so

It's like going into foreign lands.  Notice how all the signs are in French?  Not in Kansas anymore.

I crossed over, and did a little loop on the Voyageurs Pathway, with a view of Ontario back across the Ottawa River.  Then I went through Gatineau a bit, planning to go back to Ontario (i.e. civilization) via the Alexandra Bridge.

And just at the foot of the bridge, still in Quebec, was the Canadian Museum of History.  It's closed now, due to Covid, but here's a video of the building itself.

Heading up Alexandra Bridge to go back to Ontario.  It offers pretty neat view of Ottawa.

On your left, the castle thing is Chateau Laurier.  Right next to it you can see the Rideau Canal coming down to the Ottawa River.  The canal was built in 1832, mainly for military purposes, since Canada was still fearing another American invasion following the War of 1812.  Now it's for pleasure boats and what not.  You can see, if you look very closely, a boat coming down on the canal.

Next to the canal is the Parliament building.

Once safely back in Ontario, here's a view of the bridge and the Museum of History on the Quebec side.

Continuing on, I came to the Canadian National Art Gallery, with a spider monstrosity outside the entrance.

You can see the egg basket thing under its belly too.  Pretty gross.  Kinda like some alien space invader.

Right across the Gallery is the Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, which was originally built in the mid 19th century but was restored in the late 20th century.

After that, it was time to head home.  And to stretch!  Till next time!

Westward bound today

What started out as an easy stroll on a hot day (around 33C or 92F), without warning, became a 5-hour ruck.  I kept going west, and by the time I decided to turn back, I had already gone just about 2.5 hours.  I brought two liters of liquid (1 of gatorade and 1 of water) but I still had to stop and get a drink from a store.  And in the end I still managed to lose 5 pounds due to sweating.  I'm sure they will all come back after I drink 10 Diet Cokes...

Anyway, as I was saying, I headed west, for no particular reason.  Passed by the War Museum again, and saw this

See the white things on the grass?  Those are Canadian seagulls doing social distance!  Typically Canadian, eh?

Turns out that they close off some lanes of the Sir John A MacDonald Parkway (which is large road that goes along the banks of the Ottawa River on the Ontario side) so people can walk, run, bike, etc. on weekends.  Nice.  That's probably why I kept going...

You probably get a sense that there are very many bridges in the area, what with the Ottawa River, the Rideau River, and the Rideau Canal crisscrossing everywhere.  I have no idea what this bridge is called, but it's purely a railroad bridge and it's not used anymore.  Sort of reminds me of the scene in Stand By Me.  It crosses the Ottawa River, and the buildings on the other side are in Quebec.

Further along I came across a place called Remic Rapids, and there's a rock sculpture garden.  It's quite pretty.  It is apparently quite well known, and is the result of some international rock balancing festival a few years back (I think).  There's even a Youtube thing about it.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tktz9VjFnGU 
Check it out!

Well, I kept going, and came upon Westboro Beach.  I thought it would be large piece of real estate, but it's really just a couple hundred feet of sand bordering the Ottawa River. Didn't even take any pictures of it.  Some people were sunbathing and stuff, but surprisingly on a hot Saturday it wasn't packed with people.   I think people in Ottawa in general are very good at following rules.  After all, most of them are federal government employees and they are the ones who make the rules, so...  :)

Kept going a bit more, but the scenery didn't change much afterwards, so I didn't take more pictures.  I had thought about going to Britannia Beach further west, but decided against it since I was getting rather tired.  Maybe on a future expedition I will make it there!  Anyhow, it's been exhausting.  Hope you like the pictures!

Some new pics

I was quite exhausted today, so I decided to take it easy and do a slow two-hour stroll around town.  The humidity didn't help, though, and I came back from it more worn out than before.  Oh well, at least it helped kill a couple of hours.

Took some new pics and I thought I'd share them here, and lead you through another one of Chunski's wandering picture show.  Here goes, in the order I came upon them today.

I started the trip by going on to campus, and here is the administrative building, Tabaret Hall.  It's the Alpha Hall (for Etown references) or Main Hall (for SNC references) of UOttawa.  Looks pretty grand, what with Greek columns and such.  The building is closed, so I can't show you the interior.  But it has a rotunda inside which is quite pretty.

Further along, here's the Department of Theatre (the theatre itself is across the street, housed alongside the Ottawa Art Gallery). Next to it, the smaller beige building, is an administrative building for graduate studies.

After that, I left campus and headed towards downtown.

A few minutes off campus we have the Shaw Centre, which is Ottawa's main convention space.  I've never been inside, but it looks quite high-tech.  At night, they have some colour lights inside, which shine through the glass walls.  Neat.  The taller building behind in is Westin.  In front of the Shaw Centre is the Canal.  The next pic shows it better.

This pic doesn't show the Shaw Centre, which is off the frame on your right.  The bridge across the canal is the Plaza Bridge, which was built in 1912 (which replaces previous bridges which had collapsed over time).  You can see the Chateau Laurier, the castle-looking thing, arguable the best hotel in Ottawa.  Right in front of it is the Senate Building, which was once a main train station. It went through extensive renovations, so I guess it's quite nice inside.

Crossing the Plaza Bridge you'd see the Parliament buildings.  See that copper dome thing?  And the green roofs?  They are in the process of refurbishing the Parliament buildings.  And just to your left, if you look back along the canal, there's the National Arts Centre and its patio restaurant along the canal.

Shortly we come across the Lord Elgin Hotel, which is a rather recent hotel built in 1941.  Its original aim was to compete with the Chateau Laurier (hahahahahahahaha).  Anyway, it is named after Lord Elgin, the first Governor General of Canada.  The hotel has yet to reopen after the closure due to Covid 19.

On my way home, I see this condo again.  This is by far my favourite condo in Ottawa.  It's called The Merit.  I almost half expect Hercule Poirot to come out of it.  It's really a stunning.  If I were to buy a condo, I'd love to have this.  But the average price is over a million, so....

Remember the picture I showed you a few days ago with the algae in the canal?  And I said the city is in the process of getting rid of them?  Well, here's one of the machines in action.  But since the canal is some 120 miles long, it will take some time though....

OK, well, that's all, folks.  I'll see what else I can find next time!  Thanks for reading!

A couple other bridges

Took a very long ruck today (11 miles).  Despite drinking a litre and a half of liquid, I actually weighed three pounds less after the walk.  Of course that's deceiving, since once I drink more, the weight comes back anyhow.  But still...

Well, towards the end of my walk I found myself trucking alongside the Rideau Canal.  Here are a couple of bridges I didn't show you before.  See what you think.

This is the Pretoria Bridge, built in 1915 to replace a wooden bridge that had collapsed.  The name Pretoria is based on captured Boer capital during the Boer Wars, though in the latter half of the 20th century some people thought it was too closely connected to Apartheid.  That's insane, of course.  It's not like the bridge was named to commemorate Apartheid.  But you know, idiots existed back in the 70s too.  Don't let boomers tell you otherwise.  Good thing the bridge was never renamed.

It's a vertical lift bridge.  The centre span of it goes upwards when boats need to pass underneath (it is a canal after all).  Pretty cool with the stonework and the turrets, and even something that looks like a guard house at each end.  See all the crap on the water?  That's an overgrown lot of algae that the Capital Commission is beginning to eliminate.  Will be a long process though.  I wouldn't want to be swimming in it, lest I see the Blob!

This footbridge also crosses the Rideau Canal.  Unlike the Pretoria Bridge, this is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge only.  No car traffic.  See the stairs going up on your right, and the bicycle ramp next to it?  It's the same design on the other side of the Canal.  This is the Flora Footbridge, and it actually just opened in 2019!  It's named after Flora MacDonald, Canada's first woman foreign minister.  Pretty cool, eh?  It's a really pretty bridge, one of my faves in Ottawa.

OK, well, that's it for today, folks.  Let's see what the next instalment looks like :)  Till then, stay safe.  And chill!

Sights from today's ruck

Since school is out, I don't have much to share that's related to academic stuff.  So I thought instead I'd share some of the things I see regularly on my rucks.  Previously I did a run of embassy pics.  Well, that ran its course.  Today I passed by some places that I never show you pictures of, so maybe it's time I did.

These following pics I took on my ruck today.  I am putting them here in the order I came across them on my route.  Weather was nice, and it wasn't too hot.  So I did a three hour trip.  Maybe you can even plot out my course, at least roughly, if you follow it on a map...

This is the Minto Bridge, which was built around 1900.  It crosses the Rideau River (not the canal).  In the background you see a brown lego block building.  That's the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.  The pyramid looking thing and the big antenna you see are part of the secondary building of the Ministry.  This is a cool bridge, and has a lot of history.

Once crossing the bridge, and directly across from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we have this monument constructed to commemorate the Canadian soldiers who fought in the defence of Hong Kong in 1941.  Almost two thousand Canadians fought there, and were killed or captured as Hong Kong fell.  It brings a lot of emotions every time I pass by this monument.

The Macdonald-Cartier Bridge, connecting Ottawa with Gatineau, and traverses the Ottawa River.  This view is from the Ottawa side, looking over to Gatineau (which is in Quebec).  BTW, Macdonal and Cartier were two of the "founding fathers" of Canada.  And Macdonald was our first Prime Minister.

 You can see the Alexandra Bridge, another one that connects Ottawa with Gatineau, and it also crosses the Ottawa River.  Built at the end of the 19th century as a railroad bridge, it is now a major vehicular and pedestrian bridge connecting the two provinces.  The high rise buildings you can on your right are offices in Gatineau, mainly Federal Government buildings.

Passing the Alexandra Bridge, I hang a right by the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, pass parliament, and then I come to the Supreme Court of Canada.  No more need to be said, I suppose.  Not too grandiose, but it has a certain solemness.  Very nice architecture inside as well.

Continuing on, pass the National Library and Archives, is another bridge that connect Ottawa and Gatineau.  You see the street lights?  That's the bridge.  It's called Portage Bridge, and was built in the mid 1970s.  Nothing much to say about it, other than it's one of many bridges connecting the two cities.  Gatineau, in case you don't sense it by now, is pretty much a bedroom community for Ottawa, and also a location for myriad federal government offices (likely to appease the Francos).

Getting rather tired now.  But can't help coming over here to show you the Canadian War Museum.  Doesn't it look like the alien spaceship in Independence Day???  Seriously!  It's a really cool museum.  If you ever visit Ottawa, I highly recommend it.

And so turning back on a homeward leg.

This is the old Waterworks building.  I can't find much about it, but it's an old building which was EXTENDED in the 19th century!  Looks so cool I just have to show it to you.  See that little water fountain in the foreground?  It's so cute.

Anyway, getting hot and bothered, so I head back through downtown on my way home.

OK, so sue me.  Not much of a photographer am I.  This is a view of the Laurier Bridge which spans the Rideau Canal, connecting downtown with University of Ottawa.  The building you see in the background is part of the Department of National Defence.  Laurier, by the way, is named after Sir Wilfrid Laurier, Canada's 7th Prime Minister.

This is taken from the Corktown Footbridge, which spans the Rideau Canal.  It's for pedestrians only, and is a convenient to get to and from campus from downtown.  See those locks?  I guess people thought they were in Paris or something.  In the distance you can see a castle.  That's the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, one of my favourite hotels.  And the Laurier Bridge can also be seen.

This is another view of the Corktown Footbridge.  The building in the background is the Faculty of Social Sciences.  See the Rideau Canal at the bottom?

Well, almost there! 

On the other side of the canal, right on campus, you come to the UOttawa light rail station.  It only started running last year.

And so as I keep going towards home, I come across one more footbridge.

This is the Adawe Crossing Bridge, which spans the Rideau River.  It's for pedestrians and cyclists only, and it's my typical route to cross the river to get to campus.

And shortly after, I am home!

I hope you've enjoyed this little tour.  Don't you feel as if you were me on my ruck today?

Till next time!