Interesting how we always seem to have that list of things that we really have to do but have no desire to. It is almost like I always keep that list there just so I can say that I am busy in case I really don’t want to do something else. When I finally get an opportunity to really accomplish said tasks, it is like I have an internal defence mechanism that prohibits me from accomplishing those things such that a steady stream of “I have stuff to do” is maintained.

Man am I lazy!

Merry Christmas

I’ve certainly been lucky to be able to celebrate Christmas for what it really means. Although all durations were short, I was able to see and spend some fun time with family of all types and definitions.

Interesting how at one point Christmas was a known simple formula that involved slight variation from year to year. As we get older, significant others play an important role in our lives, “home” becomes more of a blurred term, and a greater number of people play an increasingly important role in our lives, the formula is unknown. Even though at times it seems daft to run from city to city for short visits here and there, the reward of ensuring that the important people in your life remain close is invaluable.

I hope everyone is having a safe and happy holiday season!

I haven’t posted for a wee while even though I’ve been near a computer the whole time. Basically there have been too many issues in my life all coming to a head such that writing about any one of them seemed to disrespect the others. I guess I must learn the cardinal rule of the web-log in that what is posted doesn’t necessarily imply that said issue is the most important at the time, just what happens to flow out of the fingers at that moment. I guess writing about how I love my new bike lock or how I get easily annoyed by dangerously impatient people in traffic seems petty when my current existence and plan for the next few years of my life is at steak.

Weird thing these web-logs…still getting used to them!

Why letter grades?

I realize that numbers out of one hundred associated with a percentage of the course material understood by the student is somewhat arbitrary, but by the same token we live in a system that cannot accept such rough guidelines. Is the problem with the grading system or our social system? Is the problem that we try to quantify something not easily quantified or is the problem that we require quantification to the most precise degree?

Let the battle begin!

A ray of hope…actually a whole pile of them!

Today I wrote my exam for my course where the average after both mid-terms was 40% and I was extremely pleasantly surprised. I went into it with a bit of a pessimistic point of view because I have to get 80% in both my courses this term just to stay at McGill, and judging by this professor’s track record, an 80% was going to be extremely far out of my reach.

But alas, when I sat down and read the whole exam over, I realized that I knew every question. I actually did something that I have only done a few times in my university career; not only did I complete the entire exam, I got a reasonable solution to every problem. I just may have done it!

I just may be able to continue at McGill!!!! ...well depending on tomorrow's results as well of course.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I like biking,
Where is my eraser?

...think about it...

What is universal and what is culture-specific?

I’ve learned day in and day out over the past couple of months that there is absolutely no predicting what is known to other cultures about our North American way and what does not get across. Things that I figure would not be known to a typical French person quite often is considered common knowledge to them. By the same token, things that I would figure that would be universal do not make it across the culture barrier.

Who would have known that ER, Evanescence, Gilmour Girls, and Avril Lavigne among others would be well known when Matchbox Twenty, Chevy Chase, and Tragically Hip are completely unheard of.

Interesting…

Boredom: I normally associate it with the extremely few times where I have nothing to do. Example: Sitting on a train and having forgotten my book or driving alone with no inspiring scenery and lack of good music.

Currently, I have no lack of things to do, but I am overcome with boredom. Boredom of reading elasticity over and over again hoping that I’ll retain the greek that is before me.

Thursday it’s over…Thursday.

I’ve successfully desensitized my housemates.

Friday morning conversation was normal as Isabelle, Nelly and I sat down for a meal coincidentally at the same time after my morning run. The first turn from normal was when Jean walked in and commented on the fact that I was indeed clad in full spandex that had begun to develop a funky pong. No one – including myself – perceived the fact that I had been back from my run for over an hour and didn’t feel it necessary to disrobe as strange or peculiar.

If there’s one thing that my housemates will bring back to France with them when they return in April is that Canadians are weird!

Success!

What defines a “dangerous” sport. I do agree that some are more dangerous than others, but even the tamest of games have potential for disaster. I get very defensive when people try to attack Adventure Racing as an “unduly dangerous” sport.

I do admit that on the surface it sounds pretty loony. “I’ve got an idea, let’s not sleep for three days while covering hundreds of kilometres in the rough back country where it is questionable if foot has been tread there before while occasionally nodding off going 30km/h on a bike just after the 100m rappel into a freezing lake.”

The truth of the matter is that although the sport isn’t completely devoid of incident, the frequency and magnitude of the incidents are both relatively small. Relative to what you ask? Relative to many sports accepted as safe in our society. I do not claim that badminton, table tennis and chess are just as dangerous, but I do claim that as example, hockey, football, rugby, aussie-rules football, boxing, auto racing, marathoning, base jumping, etc. have just as much if not more risk associated with them.

My deepest regards go to the families of Nigel Aylott, Dominique Robert, René Arseneault and any others who have been claimed by the sport. Both Mr. Aylott and Mrs. Robert were taken by freak incident that could have and do happen to weekend adventurers. Mr. Arseneault was taken as a result of aggressive conditions existing in Eastern Canada’s Bay of Fundy that claims lives every year. I would never say that these incidents are in anyway acceptable, however if Adventure Racing were to not exist, incidents like this would still occur by regular weekend warriors doing their adventures. Considering that the sport has been happening since the mid-seventies, it has a pretty good running track record in comparison with many other sports.

I agree that steps need to be taken to reduce the risk of such incidences to an absolute minimum (which is happening with the advent of the Canadian Adventure Racing Association), but the sport should not be abolished since many other successful sports have many deaths worldwide annually and are allowed to continue.

We need risk in our lives and Adventure Racing is a great way to safely get that fix.

How poetic: I awake the morn’ of December 1st with a child-like grin as I notice that my grass and concrete world is bereft of colour. Uniqueness is found only through shape due to the plump and sparse lattices of ice crystals falling from the Montreal sky.

How typical: my curse of anti-snow returns and it is all but slush by the end of the day with tell-tale www.theweathernetwork.com telling of a warming trend over the week to come.

Man I love snow, but I just can’t get any!