Ottawa pics

At the National Gallery:

At Randall and Don's local:

Back at the National Gallery:

Walking to dinner:

Things I had forgotten about Canada

1) They have the nicest immigration officers, hands down.

2) A hat is not optional in the winter if you plan to spend any time out of doors. Had to buy one after half an hour of walking today so I could keep going.

3) The amount of salt on the sidewalks is immense. My boots are now sporting the telltale white lines around the edges -- I also don't walk anywhere seriously in SLC so I guess it may be that and not Canadian over-salting...

4) People walk much faster.

5) Many, many men wear backpacks to carry their stuff around with them.

6) Far fewer people seem to be on their mobiles while walking, maybe because it is so cold and they are going so fast?

7) And it isn't even super cold.

odds and ends

"Do you think there is any connection between the amniotic sac and the...." beginning of just one of the scintillating questions @ our Classics job talk.

Heard at our most recent chairs meeting:

"I just had to meet with that very long acronym that kicks back a department's revised RPT guidelines." I like the idea of meeting with an acronym.

And, spotted around the office yesterday: a random woman washing her hair in the kitchen sink with dish soap... When it was suggested that this wasn't really the place... she rinsed and dried off with paper towels and left.

From around the office

Subject line of an email this morning:

[uaac-all] FW: list of deceased students

....

And then this posted on one of our bulletin boards...

MI-5

Craig and watched the last episode of MI-5 available on Netflix last night. What will we do now? I now there is one last season coming out in March, but then....? suggestions for a series we might get hooked on?

Valentine's Day - blech

Not my favorite holiday but Catherine, Craig and I had a nice dinner at our local Mexican hole in the wall. I outdid Craig because I actually got him a gift. Usually he is much better at this sort of thing, but this year he came up with nothing which I said was actually a good gift because I could look good by contrast.

Today was also Sam's first filling - a rite of passage. He did just fine and got to experience that fat lip feeling for the rest of the afternoon.

Work continues to be entertaining.

We are down to the final stages of our search for a new chair. Three candidates were brought in and each regaled us with a scholarly talk and a 'vision' talk. On Thursday we meet to discuss their relative pros and cons and from the hallway buzz it is clear that people are feeling passionately, but not necessarily in a unified way (what a surprise). I am tempted to do a secret recording because I suspect serious gems will be uttered....

The search committee met with the staff yesterday and the staff were completely traumatized. The dominant committee members revealed their true hierarchical nature--we've invited you to share your opinion, but, actually, your opinion is irrelevant, because you are mere staff...

Our wonderful Administrative Officer remarked this morning that she hadn't realized she worked at Downtown Abbey and wondered if a basement would be excavated to which she and the rest of the staff could be relegated.

good times.

Where is everyone?

Where are my commentators? And what happened to Alison's daily blogging pledge? And mum, what have you been up to lately?

Sam and I are reviewing the horrors of the French Revolution. Catherine and I have to finish the horrors of the FAFSA; for which Craig had to plumb the horrors of our 2011 taxes. We are all suitably horrified.