I'm writing this on the train from Ottawa to Toronto. I'm too cheap to pay to use the VIA Rail internet access¹, so I'll post it later. But there's an electrical outlet at every set of seats, so I can actually use my laptop for the whole trip and not worry about the battery dying. It's sweet to be here in the future.

I put together the syllabus for the course I'm teaching in January and gone so far as to start putting together my first lecture. And I've even jotted down a few ideas for assignments². So I feel like I've actually accomplished something, sort of. So now I can goof off and blog and perhaps take a wee nap as I'm kinda sleepy³. However, I am suffering from a wicked case of writer's block⁴, so nap time it is! Night!

¹but it's nice to know that it's available in case I some day make enough money to both buy a train ticket *and* pay for Internet access.
²It's my first time teaching this course and I'm not in love with the assignments that were given last year, so I'm trying to come up with new ones.
³This may or may not have anything to do with staying up 'til 2 a.m. watching Veronica Mars.
⁴Which may or may not have anything to do with being distracted by the teenagers sitting next to me, yammering loudly about how they are in the cadets. It's all "drinking game" this and "drinking on army base" that.

Either Ottawa hates¹ or loves me so much that it really, really wants me have a reason to return, because everything we tried to do today was a no go.

First, we couldn't go to the Diefenbunker as the tour was all booked up when we called to make a reservation. Then, The Green Door was inexplicably closed when we tried to go there for dinner. Bah!

It worked out in the end though. We hung out at Sarah's parents place, where we had lunch, chatted for a bit, and then Sarah's mom gave me three (3!) pairs of shoes²! Then we watched more Veronica Mars and we ended up going to another restaurant, a veggie Thai place, that made most delicious food, for dinner. And, honestly, Sarah & Dave are just fun to hang out with, no matter what you are doing. And now I have an excuse to come back to O-town - 'cuz I totally need to check out the Diefenbunker!

¹Since they put a giant spider in front of the National Gallery, I'm leaning towards the former.
²And you all know how desperately I need more shoes!

Choose My Own Adventure, Ottawa Style!

For my Christmas present, Sarah and Dave offered me a "choose my own Ottawaian adventure." In the interest me not having to carry a bunch o' stuff back on the plane, they gave me some options of fun things to do in Ottawa, including:

• Canada Science and Technology Museum
• Museums of Civilization and/or War
  
• The Green Door vegetarian restaurant
• watching the Senators game¹
• the Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum
• National Gallery²
• chainsmoking episodes of Veronica Mars

I chose: most of the above. I'm unable to go to the National Gallery due to the fact that they have sculpture of a giant spider outside. And you know how I feel about spiders. Museums of Civilization and/or War are out because, um, I'm neither civilized nor war mongering.

Today, Dave had to work today in order to keep us in the style to which we have become accustomed while Sarah & I picked up the cats from the cat spa³, then went to the Canada Science and Technology Museum. The C.S.T.M. kinda made us feel like Canada hasn't done a whole hell of a lot in science and technology that isn't related to snow and/or hockey. Although we did learn that Ernest Rutherford did the work which earned him his 1908 Nobel Prize while in Canada. Which, you know, you think they would have mentioned when we learned about the Rutherford model of the atom in high school and university chemistry classes, given that we went to high school and university in Canada. But whatevs.

After the C.S.T.M., we came home and Sarah made us some super delish veggie sushi. Just like The Eatery, but with much better service. We chain smoked the first four episodes of Veronica Mars, which Sarah has been telling me about forever, but which I had never watched before. Now I'm totally into the mystery and need - and I mean NEED - to find out whodunit. Then we watched the Sens game, followed by the Canucks game - both which had happy endings. And now I be tired. But before I head to bed, I give you me, in a stupid large snowbank. With a pink hat on:

¹although not live, since it's sold out. But with PVR-y goodness, we can watch it without pesky commercials
²I can't link to this site, because I am afraid that a picture of the giant spider will be on their site.
³Where they had been living a life of cat luxury while S & D were away for a few days of family Christmas visiting.

Reporting from the Nation's Capital

I'm now on the second leg of my Christmas tour - at Sarah & Dave's place in Ottawa. Tired and should go to bed soon, but first I thought I'd show y'all a few Christmas photos.

Like this one, a picture of my niece with the stuffed Quatchi¹ that I gave her:

And here, she's tucking Quatchi into the new bed she got for Xmas:

And this is my sister's boyfriend, my niece and I, looking out the window of her new playhouse. The house is about 3 feet tall², and was packed with all the toys she got for Christmas, which she carefully placed into this house before insisting we join her in said house. Translation: it was rather crowded.

OK, Beth sleep now. Beth will blog more coherently tomorrow.

Update: For the record, I'm in Ontario, but my blog timestamps using Pacific Time. So I'm really not going to bed at 9:40 p.m.

¹Aunt Beth, spreading the love of Quatchi eastward!
²Disclaimer: I am completely useless at estimating heights.