the pod bay door

.: If this wasn’t on the BBC site, one would think it was written for The Onion: 21 people were rescued after they fell nine feet when a floor collapsed during a health and safety meeting at an educational supplies firm in Hyde in the UK.

.: February began with the trip to Toronto to present at the OLA Conference, followed by a few days in Winnipeg. Upon returning, I prepared and delivered five lectures to various engineering classes and started working at NINT half-days the same week. In the midst of all this, I was also rehearsing with Amelia for a concert we played today as part of the Music Wednesdays at Noon series, which went quite well, and was appreciated by all who attended. Now I can take a breath or two, and begin working on a presentation for the upcoming 231st American Chemical Society National Meeting in Atlanta. I am participating in the Social Software and Chemical Information program on Sunday, March 24th. While in Atlanta, I will spend some time hangin’ with my lawyer cousin, Adam. I was in Atlanta once before, in 1994.

I need sleep.

.: Steve Martin hosted SNL for the 14th time last weekend. The opening sequence, his monologue, and a later sketch all played off the new record, and featured Alec Baldwin in a couple of hilarious bits. Milk and Cookies has links to the sketches, all worth the time to watch them.

.: A good reason to avoid downloading and installing Google Desktop.

.: Tomorrow I begin my NINT stint, so to speak, and it coincides with the busiest week of my year, as I am teaching in four classes, and also rehearsing for a Feb 22 noon concert with Amelia. This weekend, I made it to the Y twice for 40-minute cycling workouts, a routine I need to reestablish right away.

.: This 30-second commercial about the University of Alberta, where I have worked for 22+ years, will air on CBC television during the upcoming Winter Olympics. Further details here, including who’s in the commercial, and about the host, UA grad and playwright Vern Thiessen. I’m not sure why the commercial was created or of its purpose, other than, as Thiessen says, “if you got it, flaunt it.” Maybe it’s a recruitment ad, but it’s not like we’re wanting for students, with the current number hovering somewhere around 35,000. Blink and you’ll miss three quick shots of researchers working at NINT, where I hope to begin operations early next week,

.: A few very random photos from my Toronto trip.

.: In a few hours I fly to Toronto to attend and present at the OLA Superconference. I will be in Toronto for four days. On Saturday afternoon I fly to Winnipeg to spend a few days there before returning to Edmonton. Time in Winnipeg will be spent visiting relatives, going to dim sum on Sunday morning, watching the Super Bowl with friends over pizza and beer later that day, spending time with my folks, and sleeping.

Tonight I had dinner with seven others at Parkallen Restaurant, which features Lebanese cuisine. Garlic prawns were followed by linguini topped with chicken breast over a garlic-based tomato sauce, and blueberry and vanilla creme brulée for dessert. Most of the others in attendance were members of the Edmonton theatre community. I was invited by one of them to join in, and had a great time.

.: This week is the first of three very busy ones in my life. Tomorrow I deliver the first of six lectures, to a group of 82 4th-year mechanical engineering design students. On Wednesday I fly to Toronto for to attend and present at the OLA Superconference (see Sat 9:05 am, #1722.) Upon my return, I will be teaching five more engineering-related classes, and on Feb 22, perform a concert with Amelia, for which I need to rehearse considerably beforehand. In the midst of all this, I have not had much time to begin working as the NINT Librarian. Last week, I did spend some time there, meeting more people and signing more documents. The office space I will be sharing at NINT will not be available until mid-week, which is when I fly to Toronto. Subsequent to my return, I will settle in and begin more official duties.