Monday, December 14, 2009

Soviet Blocks

Greetings.

Now that the semester is over I will take a few to post a photo spread I had in mind for ages. It was not until I had finished my exams that was able to get around to it. So here is my ode to the modernist master peace that is BCIT.








I really feel that this place was built by a soviet defector hired for cheap.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Food Porn

Greetings bloggies.

For the second house potluck I have made bread. because I had this no knead recipe from a the internet by way of a bakery in Nelson that I have been planning on trying for 8 months or so.

Here is the visual on the out come. And as a revision the meal. This may be the best we eat all season.












Also yet an other use for a Dutch Oven. I love that peace of metal.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Fringe

Greetings Bloggies, No This is not a peace about my hairline but if it was I might use that Title
I went shopping this afternoon.
I was out a fair number of things so I went to the really big Walmart Super Centre By Boundary and Gallardi Way.
For those that take the Sky Train, Rurpert would be your stop.



After spending a chunk of change at WalleMart I headed the block over to Canadian tire.
Where I found what I needed that I failed to find and Walmart. On the way out I spotted a Police car in the underground parking
lot. Not an impossibility, but the Tim Hortons was above ground.

A closer look showed that it was not a real Cop car but a Prop. I had Boston Police painted on it. This pleased me.
For there is only one thing it is likely to be, A prop from the wonderfully Pulpy sci-fi show Fringe. Which was originally filmed in Boston until the moved to Van to save money.
It should be noted that this shopping area, is almost on top of a very large collection of film studios. Saddly I have yet to see any craft with Caprica City licence plates


Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Work space

I caved in after getting back from my thanks giving retreat. I spent some money on improving my workspace. This hard ware will carry forward reasonably well. A new LG 18.5inch wide monitor. It was the second cheapest on, the other being an acer with a lower contrast ratio. It is so good being able to see the details of text with out having to squint. Things have been busy. I have not read a book since I cam here. The norm is to watch an hour of tv before bed. Thankfully the high band width here makes it practical to snag the content from the web.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

The Story of the Chicken

Greetings Bloggies.

The other day before class started. I made one of a few larger shopping trips, this one was to TNT Super Market, home to every thing interesting or ordinary depending on your culture. I had a guild who know the uses of some of the moderately interesting food stuffs. Among the things gottern, were, Squid whole but cleaned, Frog Legs, Pork belly, and Cornish game hens, also duck legs.

On Monday I cooked up on of the chickens. Lacking a BBQ sauce I faked it. The general gist of the thing was, Honey Soy Sauce, a little seseame oil. The bird was roasted in my cast iron dutch oven. In the company of some home grown potatoes and stuffed with garlic ginger and shallots. I cooked it up monday so I could have a good lunch for Tuesday which is one of my longer days.

So come late morning Tuesday I am briefly back in the house and microwaving the food back up to and eatable temperature. Now it should be pointed out that the residence here have some limited house keeping on week days for the common areas.
The house keeping staff was in my building as I was warming it. The more social of the two said it smelled good and my being big mouthed caused me to recall what went into it.


It made my day when I saw some notes being taken on the preparation of a chicken. And yes I have to say having eaten it, is worth reproducing, the potatoes were some of the best part.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

BCIT Week one

Hello Bloggies.

It has been a good time. A fast time and that time will continue. A week ago today I finished off a trip that I started out some 10 days or so ago. The first leg was a two day trip to Vancouver island, a blog worthy thing in its own right. Key points of note, are that I had never been two the island before, a side from when I was an infant, I got to go to a good friend's wedding after not seeing her for years, and saw some Alpacas.
And Ice cream shop near the Bay



A small tug boat named BOOMER CAT, which I want to read as Boomer, Cat!, as I know a dog of that name, but I don't know how he takes to cats.




Above, Passing another Ferry in a tight channel, Some random Alpakas on Somones road. The MacKenzie side of the wedding, party, the bride, husband sister mother and father.


The wedding was quick well done and really showed they cared for each other. The reception was a blast. Side trips included seeing crabs jelly fish and other marine animals on a trip to a local bay. I would have liked to stay there longer and I will have to go back. But I had to make my way to Burnaby to get the ball rolling.

I made it to town with out trouble, the ferry was easier the second time. Moving in was strait forward, I had packed lightly. Not a bad idea, but at some points I realized that I just needed some things I did not yet own. So the first few days before class were costly, with the need to stock the shelves and cover up loose ends. Of the extras I picked the best one is the cast iron dutch oven, filling the need of both a roasting pan and larger pot for the stove top.

Sunday, September 6, 2009

Back to School Value

Greetings Bloggies.

I have to say I like Walmart. Firstly I have to say that I am now in BCIT residence enjoying the state of not yet having started classes and the act of moving in. This moving in business took me to the Walmart super centre to stock up on uninteresting times.

As I had said I like Walmart, but it would seem that Walmart wants to like me even more. I was walking down this very long store
I passed several uninteresting signs for back to school sale priced items. The last one I saw just made me laugh. There front and centre, Just out side of the aisle with the pharmacy themed items was a back to school display. The top banner was average, with clip art style images of pencils rulers and scissors. Down below it got interesting, it was not a display case full of pens of paper, but KY Jelly, his and hers two packs. Yes it turns out back to school is the best time to get personal lubricant.

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

And So it begins

Well Here we are

Tomorrow morning I leave for Vancouver in something of a round about way, stopping in Langley before heading to Duncan for a friends wedding. After that I head off to Burnaby where I will move into residence at BCIT, and Start a new set of projects. It will be fun.

Friday, August 21, 2009

Vancouver the End

So its Friday. I will be leaving town tomorrow and will not have the chance to blog from the big city again. When I do return to town I will have a full time table and will not have the luxury to blog or explore town as much. This images came from my walk down West Broadway after a good and productive meeting. So the things include. A book called Tartan Romancing the Plaid, also, the old London Drugs as a anti bird device made out of old dropper bottle droppers. Lastly a exit sign for the new Canada line, sky train very much making me think of Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure,Way out, Dude.



Thursday, August 20, 2009

Random Tidbit

After having, a good meeting, a long hot walk and doing some laundry I did some surfing. I came across this on critter names.
Cool Criters From i09

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Food Play

I was hungy I wanted something to go with the Wanton,
I cooked up some sweet and lime Cabbage. Very good. Methode, thing slice cabbage, with or with out onion, add 1 teaspoon is of brown sugar, when mostly cooked add juice of one lime. Very tasty.

More Vancouver Again

Greetings Bloggies

Yesterday was a good day. I had an informative networking meeting, followed by a long day at a beach ending at a pub full of nerds. Some where between the beach and the nerds I walked from Kits, beach to down town over the Burrard st Bridge. This got me some good photos. Its a shame I dont have a better camera, but I have motivation to gain the means.

Enjoy the city.




Monday, August 17, 2009

Vancouver Week 2

Greetings Bloggies

An other adventure of sorts. After missing a bus on friday trying to get to a near by movie theatre to go see District 9, I went and got me self out to see it last night. It turned out the theatre I was trying to reach while is physically closer to where I am currently staying is actually harder to get to then one that was farther away. This is due to to the fact I can get to the huge metro town complex on one Skytrain, where as the closer Coquitlam theatre needs a buss that runs less often then the train.

I get to metro town, I know it was big but I did not stop and find out how big. It is a mall built at the root of an tower complex, the mall has three stories and feels like it is 1km by 1km. I must have arrived at both closing time for the shops and the ending of a movie because there was no room to move in the crowd. I got my ticket early, but wandered the mostly closed mall looking for some where to get a cool drink before finding the Chapters and its associated starbucks. That killed a little time.

When I did check into the movie house, it was packed, it was about 10 to 7 and the movie started at 25, only seats nearest the front were free. If I had not finished the book I was reading earlier that evening I could have had a better seat and just read while waiting. As it was it was still a good movie watching experience.

In this day and age, it seems rare to go to a theatre and have every one watching the film, this was the exceptional time, I heard virtually no chatter, and seemingly no cell phones went off. I can't say if people were texting or not, because 90% of the house was behind me. Being that close made it hard to see all of the screen at once, with the subtitles at times that was a pain. The film was good, perhaps not as revolutionary as some of the hype made it out to be. It did a good job on moral grey areas, there were some big jumps in film style as I think Peter Jackson wanted to have a bigger hand in how it felt then perhaps he should.

Prior to the film I checked out the Dinosaur displays, I had seen adds for it on the trains or at skytrain stations. My favorate was the T-Rex model standing ontop of the sign on the floor saying Food Court.







Them Bones Them Bones
Them Dry Bones

Saturday, August 15, 2009

More Vancouver

Greetings Bloggies

Today I went exploring. I got a day pass on translink and just went where I wished. I headed to waterfront station where on a whim I took the sea bus to North Van. Having seen a sign for the Capilano Suspension bridge, an ad that clearly named the needed bus I figured that would be a thing to do. I got as far as standing in line but when overhearing some others mention the cost of admission I said the hell with it. I skipped out of line and got on the bus I had just left, it having finished its loop

I had a better time once I got back to down town. It turned out that this was every thing happening at once day. I missed the best of the happenings. So here is a listing of the things that were happening, on my quest to find a beach and track down a specific eatery I, first came a cross 1 zombie, several annoying packs of pink shirts, people on the run for the cure. Later I would find out I could not get away from those pink shirts.

I took the bus to Kitsalano, and walked away from the pink horde which had followed me that way. I worked my way to 4th where I knew some good places. I made the turn on to the avenue and was greeted with loudness. It turns out today or this weekend was there '60's revival day. Bands were playing generally good music on sever stages along the road which was blocked off for quite a few blocks. I walked took some photos of the classic cars and found the eatery.

The eatery Sophie's Cosmic Cafe, was packed but then nothing with food was slow at that point. It being 2pm and I not having eaten since a late breakfast did not hesitate to order a large rich meal. The Oyster burger was filling, and the pint of Dead Frog Honey Ale topped me up the rest of the way. I have felt hungry since.

I walked through the rest of the street party and headed up and over to where I know the beaches would be. It was a pleasant walk along the Point Grey for shore. I nibbled a few black berries, waded in the surf but did not swim. I stopped and read for a while before heading to Granville island. Where I could take the ferry for I did not feel like looping out to get on the Borrard or Granville St bridges.

Lastly as I approached down town again I started to see more zombies, and well I did not start looking for a Cricket bat I was getting confused. As I took the last leg of the voyage home, the skytrain M Line from Broadway to Lougheed, I met some Zombies. It turns out today was the somethings annual Zombie walk. And I had missed it, some where need 3000 zombies took to the streets and I missed it. Thankfully the zombies are not trying to raise money for any thing, Raising the dead well thats a different matter.

Bits about the photos below. There was a Viking Long boat out in the waters, it had come to steal our Spam.

I liked the railing next to to my table the divider was held up of old Coke bottles.

I liked the cruse ship it had interesting pods mounted on the upper most area of the supper structure.

Some random black berries and flowers.

A plant near Granville island that looks for all the world like decorative Devils Club.

The Vertigo inducing escalator at Granville skytrain station which is Ironically under ground

And a Gull that looks like its drinking form the juice box.













Friday, August 14, 2009

Freud's Mellon

Greetings Bloggies.

I had gone to Safeway yesterday to get some grub. They were fresh out of insect larva so I had to get some fruits and veggies instead. In an effort to have some change in my diet I picked up a Huney Dew mellon rather then the usual cantelope. For fun I got one that was more irregular in shape, all the other ones were too round. Later did I realize that this fruit was very much a mellon. I am sure old Sigmund would say something about my mother with regard to this but some times a fruit is just a fruit.

Vancouver Continued

Greetings Bloggies.

Well I am still in Vancouver, its rained some more. It gets muggy here but at least its been cool at night. I have some random tidbits to go over.

I went to the BCIT campus where I will be studying and living for the better part of the next year. The place looks functional, its drab grey cement buildings. It lacks any real charm, but its not for a long time. It needs to the job and I have to do mine and I am determined to get the good out comes.



Also I was down town after having had a productive meeting with a firm. I went for a good walk, and visited what if I had more money could be a favourate store, Leo's camera ect, on Granville street, where after looking a reasonably priced cameras, and gaining some more information, have opened my self up to considering some other brands, beyond Nikon and Canon, when it comes to my eventual DSL buy. Just out side the door and being photographed by some tourists was this odd creation. Some old wreck of a bike with small gas engine grafted on. I am sure it was breaking 3 bilaws at once just by existing.



And lastly earlier on the same walk a nice slice of city scape near the shore of False Creek, roughly opposite Granville island.

Caprica City Before the fall

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Vancouver Day 4,

Greetings Bloggies

I am in Vancouver right now. This is my prelude to the longer stay starting next month when I will be actively in the GIS program. This visit is both a favor and a business venture. The goal of this trip is to meet up with firms that have active GIS departments and areas of operations that are of interest to me.

Without going into specifics I have had a few solid visits and a dialog has been started that is strongly heading where I might want things to go.

I also found out just after I thought it my self, that my camera and sun glasses are in the car I rode down here in. Its no big but a bit of a pain.

In other news the cats which I am here to keep alive and happy are , certainly alive, happy is hard to tell. The one is constantly whining and speaks in a tone that makes you think you have offended her. The other is well, shy.