Funny Thing About Water…,

November 20th, 2009 Thomasso

I am at my saturation point with water, or rain, over here on the “Wet Coast.” We have had three pacific storms in the last week hitting the Fraser Valley, and there are rumours that we may see a bunch more for next week. When I compare daily entries in my journal from this time last year, we are shovelling snow, setting records for snow falls and low temperature, and here we are this year with weather that makes me want to wear shorts – but is still too cool for that.

The other side effect with these fall and winter storms are the winds. Last Monday I woke up with no power, and had to really watch the road when I drove into work becuase most of the traffic lights were out. People here still have  a hard time with the 4-way stop procedure at intersections. The pattern for wind-storms seems to be occurring mostly at night and early mornings, but fairly calm during the early afternoons.

Flooding locally is now an issue. I noticed that some of the little creeks and ponds along the countryside have swollen to little rivers and lakes. It is amazing to see a golf course completely submerged in water, and yet people are still golfing on them? Tards? I have seen it rain here before but not like this; however, what is different is that the flooding this time is caused from all the fallen leaves blocking ditches and storm drains. We are getting our usual 100mm to 200mm of rain, so nothing new there. But what happens when all those little rains drops have no where to go? Funny thing about water… .

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Another Rip-Snorter of a Breeze Coming Through

November 5th, 2009 Thomasso

I was going to write about the sorry state of our environment, particularly from the perspective of where I work, but instead I’m going to dedicate this post to “bitching about the weather” because we have a lovely storm currently on top of use in the Fraser Valley. It’s ugly outside.

I’m in class right now, waiting for it start, so I figure I might as well use this time to scribe some stuff on the old blog, and crying about how crappy the weather is one of my favorite rants.

So, how bad is it right now? On a scale of one to five, this one is only a two on my scale. It is blowing in gusts, and giving off a little bit of rain, but not enough to knock out the power or anything. Actually, this morning at my work the power was only out for about an hour, then flickered on and off for the rest of the day.

The drive in to class was interesting. With the poor visibility, debris across the roads, people were still driving like it was a hot sunny day. One person in a very large black pick-up truck hit the curb and ran over a “no parking” sign when he swerved to avoid a tree branch laying across the road. The poor sign.

It will be interesting to see if the power goes during class. That would fun. I heard a rumour that the university has generators, so if the power goes out it would only go out for a few seconds. But this is only a rumour.

Well, class starts is a couple of minutes. See ya on the flip-side!

Posted in Bitching about weather, General, Humour, University classes | Comments Off

It was the night before Halloween, and all through the town…

October 30th, 2009 Thomasso

Yikes-I have being going like crazy! I lost track of time here. I am so tried, I just got from a nap, and my circadian cycles are shot to hell. An example of how screwed up I am—I didn’t get home from class until 10:45pm. This morning I had to get up at 4:30am, run some stuff, then head off to work which started at 6:30am, then off for a meeting for 3:00pm till 5:00pm.

Last night I had my class after the huge midterm in physics, the 30 percent exam that I dreaded. Just about everyone in the class was feeling the same way. The weird thing about this science class, as compared to most of the classes I normally take, is that the prof handed out the exam right at the beginning of the class so could go through it. In my liberal arts classes, profs always wait until the end so that we are fully focused on the lecture of the day, then dump the final results on us so we can ride the emotional roller-coaster and leave. The prof told us that the class average was very high for a third science class, a whopping 67 percent. Now, I would say that a mark of 67 percent really sucks, but then I sort of felt better knowing that if I did poorly then I wasn’t alone. I was happy that I didn’t fail, but I never got the happy mark I wanted. I was one percent off from a “A-”, so a mark of B+ will have to do for the first 30 percent of the term.

In amongst all of the hours of stuff going in my daily routines I managed to perform the upgrade on my home desktop to the Karmic Koala, aka Ubuntu 9.10 today. Actually it was fast because I was running the Beta for the last month, so the upgrade was only an hour long, including downloading, instilling and the final reboot. I’m very happy with it. I will blog more about it very soon.

Whoa! It just started to rain. It’s coming down in buckets! Might have to order in a pizza.

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My Toes Are Cold!

October 12th, 2009 Thomasso

It was a cold one last night. I remember rolling over in bed grabbing as much blanket as I could to wrap around me becuase the room was freezing. I was too cold to turn the heat up. When I did get up, the sun was shining through the cracks of my window blinds and  so I was tricked into thinking that it was warming up outside. Boy was I wrong.

Apparently it was about minus one degree, and cold enough that when I went outside the grass had frost in it still, even after the sun was out for a couple hours. It is just weird seeing trees around me with so much green on them and dealing with below freezing nights. I felt my nose sniffle–flu season?  Great!

But we are the lucky ones in Canada so far becuase I was talking to my mother, who lives in Alberta, and she told me that as of today the temperature was a killer minus fourteen with ten centimetres of snow on the ground where she lives. Now that sucks! But at the same time it makes me happy, and warmer, to think that we are only dealing with much warmer temperature where I live. So I’m taking out the winter gear: coats, boots and socks. I am not going to freeze this year if I can help it. Right now my toes are still cold from a short walk into town.

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OK, I’m Dealing With it

October 4th, 2009 Thomasso

OK, I’m dealing with it. Leaves are falling from the trees like crazy and the nights are frick’n cold now. A friend of mine today said, “What’s a guy to do? Ain’t none of us have any say in the matter, and the seasons are going to change regardless of how much we gripe about it, so we just got to deal with it.” Oh, he is so right.

I started the last stage of winterizing the home today. I bought storm windows for my bedroom and kitchen, so I figure that might save me a few dollars this winter. I’m still remembering last year when we got the mother-dump of snow that stayed around for almost a month. That image of driving on ice for several weeks is firmly implanted in my memory still, and I shutter to think what we are in for next. I noticed a lot of people in Fort Langley doing the same thing, buying storm windows. I remember many people saying last year how their heating bills shot up, right with the unemployment rate–that was an awful time for most. We, in the Fraser Valley are not used to such harsh conditions like it was last year, and we are not equiped to deal with that kind of environment-period. I know, you can stop playing the violins now!

I am glad someone else has to rake them. This is why I pay the big buck to live where I do, so I don’t have to rake and mow the lawn. We also want the lovely trees around us too, that shade thing during the summer, but they are a pain in the butt when they drop their leaves. I’m dealing with it.

Posted in Bitching about weather, Diatribe, General, Humour, Photographs | 2 Comments »

They didn’t say it was Going to be This Ugly Out?

July 26th, 2009 Thomasso

Yesterday had turned out to be a very muggy, wet, stormy day as a small thunder storm rolled through over top of us. It sort of approached us really slowly, and we could hear it from about 5:00pm onwards, but by 9:00pm, it was right over top of us, and it seemed to have just parked for the night. Right up until 2:00am there were random flashes of light and the distant rumbling of thunder.

What was so bad about yesterday was the sudden down-pour of rain. It came down hard and fast. And the temperature was not dropping either, so you had this muggy effect that left us hot and sweaty, but soaked from the rain.  I was with some friends doing the BBQ over on Brey Island, aka the Fort Camp site in Fort Langley, when all this happened.

Awe-yes, the barbecue. We planed for this a few weeks ago, and the weekend looked like it was going to be one of those very nice ones, you know, with the sun and all of that perfectness that you need for the best group outing ever. In fact, right up until Friday we figured that we were going to be in camping utopia.

The video was taken from the cell-phone.  The resolution is garbage, and there is no audio; however, I may have access to a copy of it taken from a really nice video camera that one of our compatriots had with her—who braved the elements and took some really good scenes of the lightning. When I get a copy of it, I really want to post that here. The lightning was spectacular! We don’t get lighting shows like this very often here.

Posted in Bitching about weather, General, Video | 5 Comments »

Asphyxiated with Bibliophile Tendencies

July 7th, 2009 Thomasso

Is it me, or did summer just end? It is cold outside now.

I actually have the heat on, and it’s July?

I just went through a period of two huge homework assignments.  The glum weather has even made my ambitiousness to aggressively research texts weak as all I want to do is sleep. The amount of reading I have done in the last three days is almost 450 pages from about 25 sources. Now, I have about a week to get this data into presentation format and then write two papers on these topics by the 15th of this month.

Fortunately, I have already started my drafts on the papers, and the presentation is a group one, so we will be gathering this weekend to delegate and organize. Based on experience our five member group should be able to have a finished format by then, and then another meeting to do a dress rehearsal before curtain time. This presentation will be a total of 25 percent of the overall course for each of us: half personal performance, and half group effort. (I’m bragging now…).

This is the part about my degree program that I dread most, these group presentations. I am so happy that I will need only three more courses that are upper level fourth year, and these are fairly light compared to the ones that I have just completed. I sort of saved the best for last; so to speak, not that these courses are easy, but only just in terms of extra curricular activities such as group work. I want my very last semester to be a mellow one.

I’ll be burning the candle at both ends this week.

Posted in Bitching about weather, Diatribe, General, Homework and deadlines | 8 Comments »

Jumping Jeepers its June Already!

June 3rd, 2009 Thomasso

So, how is everyone doing with the little heat wave we got going here in Southern British Columbia? I promised myself that I would not complain about the weather being too hot after the over extended winter that just passed. No-way am I going to say that it is too hot outside, nor am I going to tell everyone how much summer sucks—because it doesn’t. In fact I am loving it! We need more! Bring it on!

Now for the truth…. I have being trapped up inside for the last three days due to me needing to meet my assignment requirements. In other words, I have a ton of homework, and I’m still not finished. This week is the start of the first batch of midterm assignments, and in the true sense of the summer semester, we were given just two weeks to complete these papers. All of my classes have assignments due this week. I completed my Monday class already, CRIM4900 International Crime, but I still have a law class to complete and hand that paper in—which is due tomorrow.

Right now I’m sick of writing—even though I’m writing here—but I don’t need to critically think the way I hate writing on the blog…, or do I? Regardless, my brain is going through writer’s block and living indoors when I could be outside frolicking along the sandy beaches of Bray Island is gnawing at my self-esteem. And the truth be told, yes, the air-conditioner is on and is working properly.

Today is also part of my weekend, or time off from work, for good behaviour, depending on which way you want to look at it. When I saw the thermometer almost reach 30C, I felt sorry for those people who have to work in buildings with no central air. So it was a pleasure not to come into work because we do not have a working air conditioner there anymore—it quit working for some reason. But tomorrow I’m back, albeit for only four hours, but nonetheless it will be for four hot hours. I am so looking foreword to that—NOT! (I’m still not complaining… .)

OK, now I must muster up the energy and fight my way back to the paper I was working on and get it completed—or else.

Posted in Bitching about weather, Bitching about work, Criminology, General, Photographs, University classes | 1 Comment »

I need more time…, At Least 24 More Hours!

May 31st, 2009 Thomasso

OK, the paper writing did not go as well as I planed, even though I got a lot done, there is still just so much more to do. I’ve fully completed one of my assignments, and started the other, but I can see that I’m going to need every night until next Thursday to get it finished, and here’s hoping that work doesn’t turn me into a zombie with the summer heat and possible explosion of new duties that are expected. I’m sure it will all get done—I’ve done it before—working under pressure like this—late nights going into classes half asleep.

I finally got to talk to my sister J.M. who lives on Vancouver Island. Today is her and husband’s twelfth year anniversary.  I am so happy for them. She told me that they are staying home and her husband is doing all the cooking. They have a son and daughter too who will be their helping with the celebrations, so they will be one big happy family.

J.M. Told me that her going back to college and getting her licence to become a care worker, (I know I’m using the wrong terminology) was the best thing she has ever done, and she is already getting lots of job offers. She might be the breadwinner in the home for the next while as the rescission rumbles onward. Her husband, who is in construction, has been since laid off. Sounds a lot like everyone I know around here in the Lower mainland, and Fraser Valley area. Everyone is moving very slowly, and not spending any of their hard earned money. Hang in there J.M. and family!

Well, that’s all for now. I’m going to try and add some more words to my last paper. Next week is going to hot and miserable with all these class assignments due!

Just adding this becuae I got destracted while looking out my window.

What a sunset! I just had to get a shot of it. Tobad, by the time I got my camera set up and outside, I missed the best part of it. It was incredable. Of course, I’m a sucker for a good sunset anyways.

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A Great Day for Doing Nothing

May 23rd, 2009 Thomasso

Thomasso’s Blog, May 23, 2009. All is quiet now in the neighbourhood.  It was a hot day, but I’m not complaining.

Today was incredible! Not one cloud in the sky, and the temperature was close to perfect. The only tragic part was that I had a ton of homework to do. These damn papers are taking longer to do than the last batch I did. Anyway, enough about homework.

Yesterday I heard that my next door neighbour received his lay-off notice after his employer went through a huge  down size and restructuring phase. He works for the local retail store and hearing that they were laying off people was a real big shock as we all thought that the economy was on the mend. I guess we are still on a downward trend as the markets continue to go through corrections. Sadly he may need the E.I. more than ever as finding a job that would give him the same wages that he was receiving is next to impossible. So he asked me for some advice on dealing with this government and all the bureaucracy that he will face, and some tips on what to do now that the axe has fallen.

I suggested to him that he first pay off as many debts that he can and throw away any credit cards that he has because this would the be worst thing to do by having anything that could generate debt again when you have no solid income.  A lot of people think that credit is there as the last salvation to hold them through an economic downturn, but the truth is Banks are going to pull that back once they get wind that your income has being lost. Fortunately, my friend saw the logic in that, but whether or not he will throw those cards out is another matter.

We went through the forms which can all be done now on line. I member in the olden days, about ten years ago, doing anything with the government was so taxing, especially with time, as you had to personally go to the offices, then fill out the forms with a pen, and then wait as everything went back and forth by snail-mail. Even the on-line forms were a bit tricky and I don’t think even someone with a high school education could have caught all the pitfalls that I saw; it was too easy to check off the wrong box as some of the sentences and terminology were a bit ambiguous.

A lot has changed in such a short time, and this can be hard on someone who is less than a decade from retiring to grapple with as not everyone has jumped on the cyber world bandwagon. But nonetheless he laughed as he took the honours of clicking the send button with the mouse to send his forms, personal information and hopes of a happy tomorrow through cyber space.

My friend was grateful that I helped him. Going over the forms helped me too as I may need them when my employer bites the dirt.

So other than that, is was generally a peaceful and happy day. May we all get another one tomorrow.

Posted in Bitching about weather, General, Social economics | Comments Off