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Notes from a bemused canuck

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I'm baaaaaack

Posted on May 3, 2005 By admin 5 Comments on I'm baaaaaack

First day at the office is almost done (I'll be leaving in about 15 minutes) and as first days go, it's a winner. Met the people I'm going to be working with, and they seem like a good bunch. There's a new intern that also started today, so I wasn't the only newbie to be shown around, which is always good for morale :)

We talked a lot about the project and where I'll most likely be working. Had a good high-level architectural discussion about the codebase and I'm chomping at the bit to actually get my hands elbow-deep in code. It feels weird to be actually doing something at work. Now I know this may sound weird, but my last posting at McGill wasn't going to win me any productivity awards, mostly because I was waiting for a certain big blue company to get back to me all the time. I seriously doubt that there will be any of the bureaucracy and latency in getting stuff done. Hell, I got my shiny new laptop just after lunch!

I'm going to be getting the shuttle back to the apartment soon. I had a bit of a workout this morning because I didn't really know where the pick-up point was, but now that I do, things should be a lot more sedate tomorrow morning :) The commute will be about 20 minutes by bus and a 5 minute walk home. I can live with that; it took me longer to get to McGill/Sequence.

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Today was my last unemployed day

Posted on May 3, 2005 By admin 5 Comments on Today was my last unemployed day

Today was a bank holiday here, which meant a day off for the EBI, which means that I start working tomorrow. I fell… too many things to write down in a short blog entry. The main ones are positive, with just a touch of anxiety because I want to make a good impression. I'll be happy to be working again. Goofing off is fun in the short term, but I'm looking forward to have the contented feeling that comes with a hard day's work well done :)

Katy and I took advantage of the glorious weather today to go grocery shopping. We had a big of a grill-up tonight, with bacon mushroom cheeseburgers and onion rings and grilled potatoes. Good, very good, but not to be had too often. A bit of an artery-clogging meal, but good for the soul in moderation :)

Oh, have I mentioned that I'm building a tabletop zen garden?

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Hmmm, curry!

Posted on May 1, 2005 By admin 9 Comments on Hmmm, curry!

Tonight as curry night at the Grogan residence. Chicken curry and cauliflower curry and basmati rice. In a word, NUMMY! We're in Leicester for the weekend, so Katy can bond with Jeff, pick up some more things to bring back to Cambridge and generally cause we felt like it :)

Walked around the city center today. I bought some really loverly wood roses to add a splash of colour to the apartment without the onus of having to actually take care of a living plant. We're going to go to B&Q tomorrow so I can fiddle with a plan to make a tabletop zen garden. Those things are really cute, completely useless and therefore I want one. I will not however pay £20 for basically a box filled with sand; not when I have two hands and half a brain to make my own.

Katy, Rita and I went to see “Hitchhiker's guide to the galazy” at the cinema tonight. Good movie, I'm probably going to buy it when it comes out on DVD cause there are a ton of inside jokes that I know I missed.

Rita is a tough nut to crack. I've been in social situations with her for a few times now and I still don't know if she likes me or not. Hell, I have no idea what she thinks of me. Ever tried to engage somebody in conversation that just doesn't seem interested in talking to you? I do my best, cause she's Katy's best friend, it's just a bit frustrating and I have no idea how to deal with it.

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My apartment

Posted on April 28, 2005 By admin 21 Comments on My apartment

Here are a few pics of my apartment. It's starting to feel hom-E-y. I didn't put any pictures of the bedroom because there's only a clothes rack with my laundry in there right now, but I'll put some more when I get my own furniture.


Edited cause you're all pervs.

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Edward Monkland is love

Posted on April 28, 2005 By admin 3 Comments on Edward Monkland is love

 

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The swinging 70s are coming back

Posted on April 28, 2005 By admin

Nurses warn over teen group sex

Teenagers are taking part in a group sex activity known as “daisy-chaining”, nurses have claimed.
School nurses at the Royal College of Nursing's conference in Harrogate said colleagues in parts of London had become aware of the practice. Nurses warn daisy-chaining, where acts are performed with multiple partners, puts teenagers' health at risk.

They said the problem showed how school nurses' work had changed from checking for “nits” or giving immunisations. Concerns about binge drinking and drug abuse had also changed their role, school nurses said.

Judy McRae, a sexual health nurse in London, said: “Colleagues are coming across reports of groups of young people having sex in large groups. “It is known as daisy-chaining and is obviously very worrying as far as sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy is concerned.

“As we understand it, it involves groups of older teenagers going round to each other's homes and having sex in a similar way as swinging. It is very new and is only just starting to be talked about.”

Steve Jamieson, an RCN sexual health adviser, highlighted a case involving a 14-year-old boy who was diagnosed with HIV, which he had contracted through sexual activity, though not through daisy-chaining. The boy had been shocked to realise that someone so young could be diagnosed with HIV.

Other sexual health nurses said peer pressure was causing young boys to become sexually active earlier. Liz Allan, chairman of the RCN School Nurses Forum, said some children felt under pressure to provide sexual favours because they are part of a gang culture.

“Most school nurses at some time in their career will work with children and young people who are subjected to sexual exploitation, that's boys and girls who prostitute themselves. “These are children who are being exploited sexually who prostitute themselves as a result of coercion, violence, trafficking,” she said.

Ms Allan said children could also sell sexual favours for money.

Research involving more than 1,200 school nurses in the UK, conducted by the RCN, found that 90% were dealing with providing sex advice and support. Two thirds said they had also supported youngsters with substance abuse, and 90% had dealt with obesity problems.

A spokesperson for Terrence Higgins Trust said: “Risky sexual practices like this are the fastest way to spread sexually transmitted infections like HIV.

“It's very worrying that young people are putting themselves at risk in this way.

“Sex and relationship education must improve so that young people know how to protect themselves and their sexual partners.”

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/4489967.stm

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Humdrum

Posted on April 28, 2005 By admin

Apparently, British weatherpeople are just as useless as their North American counterparts. After being soaked yesterday, they were forecasting more of the same today so I didn't really want to go out, but it ended up being a nice day. Went to run an errand for the Katygirl at Barclay's bank – which they bunged up – and then went to Tesco's again to get a new frying pan (the one that I had here was poo), a potato masher (cause mine is probably somewhere on the Atlantic at the moment) and a roast chicken (cause they make a really nice richard-no-death-allergy one and it goes well with chip night). I'm starting to get my bearings now. I know how to get to Tesco (food), Asda (walmart), Boots (pharmacy), Heffers (bookstore) and a few interesting shops I will need to patronize when I get paid.

We tried the fare from the chippie near my house. Nice. Really nice. It's times like this that I really really hate my allergies, cause the smell in that chippie is something else. Their curry gravy for the chips is droolworthy but would proably be death-in-a-styrofoam cup. I keep saying that the day I want to off myself, I'll simply sit down at an all-you-can-eat international buffet. One very positive point about moving to the UK is that their label laws are really good for my peace of mind. I've discovered a ton of new stuff I can eat, which is good for morale but potentially bad for my waistline. Hmmm, jaffa cakes and penguins.

Going to stay in tomorrow and start doing a bit of background reading for the job I'm going to start on tuesday. Yup, tuesday. Time stops for no man.

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I'm all wet.

Posted on April 26, 2005 By admin 3 Comments on I'm all wet.

And no, not that sort of wet. Pervs, all of you. For shame.

I went walkabout again today. It was raining softly when I left and never really stopped for the whole time I was out. Now that I'm home and enjoying a warm drink, there's a glorious sun shining outside. Took the bus to the Grafton center and did a bit of shopping, then went walking along Newmarket road to find out where the Tesco and the Asda are. Managed to get turned around 3 times on the same piece of road, a record even for me. Bewildering moment of the day: when you take the bus, you pay according to the route you're taking (meaning that there's no fixed bus fare for anywhere in the city). Amusing moment of the day: the bus driver I had going uptown was the same I had getting back home, and apparently, he recognized me (“didn't I drive you up here a while ago?”).

I bought a plant. Now granted, it's a pot of coriander, but it's still green and requires water, so it counts as a plant. The good news is that even if I kill it, I can still eat it :D

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Oh, and another thing

Posted on April 25, 2005 By admin 15 Comments on Oh, and another thing

I've already mentioned the fact that there are no screens in my windows and this freaks me out. Here is further proof of this. The rental people finally came and cleared out the couch and bed that came with the apartment this morning. They took them out through the french doors in my bedroom. The ones I promised myself would never be opened. About 5 minutes after I shut them for good, I hear a “thonk' from their general direction; to see this FRIGGIN HUGE bumblebee flying into them. Now let me rephrase that. When I say FRIGGIN HUGE I mean golf-ball sized.

This does not make me happy.

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My first day in Cambridge

Posted on April 25, 2005 By admin 1 Comment on My first day in Cambridge

It's a good thing I have my leatherman with me these days.

So far, I've used it to build my couch, my TV stand and my breadbox. Yes, I have a breadbox. I feel so domestic, saying I have a breadbox. I just like the word. breadbox, beadbox, breadbox. Anyway, as I was saying, with my tools in a box somewhere on the Atlantic, it's a Very Good Thing I'd packed my leatherman in my suitcase.

I'm trying to make my apartment into a home. It still doesn't feel like that yet; more like a hotel. The sofa-bed is actualy really comfortable, and I have high hopes for the rest. I just need to start decorating it. Getting my furniture in will go a long way for the rest. I got my TV this morning, and I should be getting online tomorrow. They're also supposed to come pick up the old furniture then.

Katy and I went on a walkabout in Cambridge yesterday. We walked to the train station, where Katy's going to take her train to work and I'm going to catch my shuttle to work. After that, we walked up to the Granfon Center, a cool shopping area. There are a few shops I'm going to patronize when I get a bit of loose money. Funny detail, when I asked the shopkeepers for business cards, none of them had any. Seems that cards are not a british affectation.

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