Well, I am here in Philadelphia waiting for my plane up to Canada with some time to kill, so I figured this would be a good opportunity to update ye olde blog. Exams and papers finished up earlier this week, which was pretty good, and then it was time to stop and catch our breath before everyone scatters for the holidays.
I think the semester went pretty well, all told. I mean, it wasn't exactly what I expected it would be, but then again I'm not completely sure that I knew what to expect. American law school is pretty fundamentally similar to Canadian law school, and school is better than work, sooooooooo I guess that means all is good in the world.
And now... it is time to switch gears and enjoy the Christmas season. It snowed most of yesterday in Charlottesville, which was a nice primer for what awaits me back in Edmonton where I hear they have been getting pounded by snow and cold weather recently. I guess it is also time to start looking forward to the things that we have planned for next semester, namely:
1) A trip to the Big Apple at the end of January
2) A trip to Nashville for a Fulbright conference mid-February
3) A Washington Capitals Montreal Canadiens game in February
4) A Josh Ritter concert March 3rd
5) Spring Break
6) More exams (???)
7) More papers (!!!!)
8) Convocation
9) And some good times with new friends...
Hope to see you all soon, and in case we don't talk in person Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Post Script
Just about forgot. How about the Large Hadron Collider. Am I the only one who is afraid of this thing? I mean, come on people, they claim to have just produced a precursor to the stuff that started the universe...ya the big bang material. And they are doing this all underground in a huge circular tube with accelerated particles moving at speeds just slightly under the speed of light. OMG.
Here is a link to a description of it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider
And here is a link to a rap about it (seriously):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM
Here is a link to a description of it:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_Hadron_Collider
And here is a link to a rap about it (seriously):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j50ZssEojtM
Shark Fins etc.
Good evening!
I decided to turn in early tonight, and predictably that means I cannot sleep. Consequently, here I am blogging!
I realize my blog has kinda sucked for most of November, but then again I'm not too sure anyone is reading it, and so this could be like one of those "if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, does it make a sound" sorta problems. Hopefully not!
This month has been quite exciting on the whole school front, and not because I have been going to great classes or stuffing my brain with law knowledge. It has been awesome because I have been working on my shark finning paper. I bet most of my readers are aware of this issue, but in case you are not here is the skinny:
1) 73-100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins
2) Shark meat is only occasionally consumed, but fins are quite the commodity for their use in shark fin soup
3) Shark fin soup has been consumed as a traditional Chinese banquet dish since the Ming Dynasty, c. 1360
4) It is still a status symbol today
5) International regulation has failed... and Hawaii just released innovative legislation that essentially makes fins contraband.
Cool, right? It sure is if you are a bit of an eco-nerd like me. In addition to the paper on this very set of facts that I am writing for my animal law class, I also applied for an Eco-leadership award through Fulbright to hopefully take my show on the road and deliver a talk on this issue to my LLM classmates and local Cville high school students at eh Virginia Aquarium and Marine Sciences Centre next semester. Fingers crossed!
Other than that time is really flying right along here in Cville. Classes end this Wednesday and my two exams are tentatively set for the 12th and 14th of December, and then I fly on home on the 17th! Just over three weeks away!
Also, I highly recommend Harry Potter. I might have seen it twice ;)
Have a great night, and excellent week, and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
I decided to turn in early tonight, and predictably that means I cannot sleep. Consequently, here I am blogging!
I realize my blog has kinda sucked for most of November, but then again I'm not too sure anyone is reading it, and so this could be like one of those "if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there, does it make a sound" sorta problems. Hopefully not!
This month has been quite exciting on the whole school front, and not because I have been going to great classes or stuffing my brain with law knowledge. It has been awesome because I have been working on my shark finning paper. I bet most of my readers are aware of this issue, but in case you are not here is the skinny:
1) 73-100 million sharks are killed annually for their fins
2) Shark meat is only occasionally consumed, but fins are quite the commodity for their use in shark fin soup
3) Shark fin soup has been consumed as a traditional Chinese banquet dish since the Ming Dynasty, c. 1360
4) It is still a status symbol today
5) International regulation has failed... and Hawaii just released innovative legislation that essentially makes fins contraband.
Cool, right? It sure is if you are a bit of an eco-nerd like me. In addition to the paper on this very set of facts that I am writing for my animal law class, I also applied for an Eco-leadership award through Fulbright to hopefully take my show on the road and deliver a talk on this issue to my LLM classmates and local Cville high school students at eh Virginia Aquarium and Marine Sciences Centre next semester. Fingers crossed!
Other than that time is really flying right along here in Cville. Classes end this Wednesday and my two exams are tentatively set for the 12th and 14th of December, and then I fly on home on the 17th! Just over three weeks away!
Also, I highly recommend Harry Potter. I might have seen it twice ;)
Have a great night, and excellent week, and I look forward to seeing you all soon!
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Two Posts in One Day! Wow, Some Sorta Record...
The countdown is on...
5 days till the new Harry Potter is out!
Woop
5 days till the new Harry Potter is out!
Woop
A Visit, A Concert, A Project, The Homestretch
Hello my friends,
I apologize for the extended delay in blogging. I hope that not too many of my readers have abandoned my because of my extended absence!
So it is mid-November now, and I suppose that quite a lot has happened since we last spoke... how about I tackle this chronologically:
(1) Halloween
Yep. We did it. Seemed like a good idea, and it was. Halloween is massive down here, and a a last minute costume idea my roommate and I purchased pretty great knight costumes. Here is a picture of some of us all ready to go out:
It was all rather random, and apparently we were in charge of many years worth of LL.M. costumes that our predecessors left for us since we found a box full of the weirdest shit. All good.
(2) A Visitor from the West
At the end of last week I had a most excellent visit from my mom! The weather was not ideal, but the company and conversation were superb! We didn't let the rain stop us from doing anything, and in 4 short days we visited Monticello for the full tour, travelled the length of the Skyline drive (including a stop at the fabled Shenandoah river), went to the Vintage Virginia Apple Festival (for some cider, music, local food, and a pretty crazy hay ride), and finally had some great meals!
The highlights:
(3) A Concert
Earlier this week a group of us went to see Bob Dylan who was playing at the John Paul Jones Arena here in Charlottesville (and for those of you wondering, the arena is not named after the Led Zeppelin band member as I thought aha). It was an interesting concert to say the least, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to see Bob, but we really were unable to make out anything that he was saying!
(4) A Project
As I may have mentioned on my blog previously, I am currently writing a paper on shark finning regulation and I am hoping to turn this paper into an educational presentation at the Virginia Aquarium through my Fulbright sponsor Eco-leadership Program. I will be submitting a proposal for this within the next few weeks, but this is something that really interests me and I hope it works out! Needless to say, it has been consuming a fair amount of my free time!
(5) THE HOMESTRETCH!
Well, as it is middle of November, students here at UVA are starting to gear up for finals and the last push on papers/projects. I have one short paper due yet for a federalism course, and revisions to my shark fin paper, and then two exams that I am planning to write on December 14 and December 16. My flight home is booked for December 17, and I a definitely looking forward to seeing everyone for the extended Christmas break!
Until then, I promise to me more diligent on my blogging!
Have a great Sunday!
I apologize for the extended delay in blogging. I hope that not too many of my readers have abandoned my because of my extended absence!
So it is mid-November now, and I suppose that quite a lot has happened since we last spoke... how about I tackle this chronologically:
(1) Halloween
Yep. We did it. Seemed like a good idea, and it was. Halloween is massive down here, and a a last minute costume idea my roommate and I purchased pretty great knight costumes. Here is a picture of some of us all ready to go out:
It was all rather random, and apparently we were in charge of many years worth of LL.M. costumes that our predecessors left for us since we found a box full of the weirdest shit. All good.
(2) A Visitor from the West
At the end of last week I had a most excellent visit from my mom! The weather was not ideal, but the company and conversation were superb! We didn't let the rain stop us from doing anything, and in 4 short days we visited Monticello for the full tour, travelled the length of the Skyline drive (including a stop at the fabled Shenandoah river), went to the Vintage Virginia Apple Festival (for some cider, music, local food, and a pretty crazy hay ride), and finally had some great meals!
The highlights:
Earlier this week a group of us went to see Bob Dylan who was playing at the John Paul Jones Arena here in Charlottesville (and for those of you wondering, the arena is not named after the Led Zeppelin band member as I thought aha). It was an interesting concert to say the least, and I am glad that I had the opportunity to see Bob, but we really were unable to make out anything that he was saying!
(4) A Project
As I may have mentioned on my blog previously, I am currently writing a paper on shark finning regulation and I am hoping to turn this paper into an educational presentation at the Virginia Aquarium through my Fulbright sponsor Eco-leadership Program. I will be submitting a proposal for this within the next few weeks, but this is something that really interests me and I hope it works out! Needless to say, it has been consuming a fair amount of my free time!
(5) THE HOMESTRETCH!
Well, as it is middle of November, students here at UVA are starting to gear up for finals and the last push on papers/projects. I have one short paper due yet for a federalism course, and revisions to my shark fin paper, and then two exams that I am planning to write on December 14 and December 16. My flight home is booked for December 17, and I a definitely looking forward to seeing everyone for the extended Christmas break!
Until then, I promise to me more diligent on my blogging!
Have a great Sunday!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
A Most Underrated Musician
Johnny Flynn.
This past Wednesday we drove down to Chapel Hill in North Carolina to see Johnny Flynn who is on a solo tour of the eastern seaboard in support of his new CD Been Listening. Johnny usually plays with a band (The Sussex Wit), but he is doing this tour solo with his nephew as roadie since they don't have the funds to tour together with all of their equipment etc.
I had a great talk with Johnny before the show and we talked about the state of the music industry (independent music shops to be specific), their first and only show in Edmonton thus far (at the 2009 Folk Fest), the first bear that he saw on this tour aha, and also his hopes to come back and play the Edmonton Folk Fest again.
In our current pop culture society, driven by flavour of the month next-great-things that fill the bars and the clubs, it is rare to find music that seems to transcend all of those things to create something that could have come out now, 5 years ago, 10 years ago, or 30 years ago and still be good.
I truly hope that Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit will continue to produce music and to be able to travel and share this music with their fans. If you have not heard them before I highly recommend giving their music a chance, and I would also recommend purchasing either of their first two albums.
Good night, and happy Halloween!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Goals and Preference Shaping
When I set out from Edmonton I thought I had a pretty good idea about what I wanted to get out of my experience at UVa. I was excited about the possibility of pursuing my interest in whale conservation, and getting the opportunity to rekindle my marine biologist interest...
And then something changed...
I guess I never really realized how much I actually care about Alberta. Since I have been down here, I have been literally captivated by the oil sands developments. Dr. Schindler's water quality report. The end of the duck trial. The first remediated tailings pond. The Alberta Environment independent assessment currently being implemented. And of course todays deja vu...
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Duck+death+toll+mounts+Syncrude+tailings+pond/3728911/story.html
I get it, I really do, and at the root of it all I am just as blameworthy as every other regular joe and average jane. I like a heated house, a full tank of gas, the occasional road trip, the occasional jet ride, air conditioning (especially down here in hot and humid Virginia), and this list could go on and on... the difference is that I am convinced that there has to be a better way. It has to be possible to develop fuel without creating toxic tailings ponds that can be seen from space, and there has to be a better way to develop our province, which is so fortunately positioned and has such great natural beauty.
Whale conservation remains one of the great challenges for the international community moving forward in the 21st century. But, I am starting to recognize that Alberta might be, as well.
And then something changed...
I guess I never really realized how much I actually care about Alberta. Since I have been down here, I have been literally captivated by the oil sands developments. Dr. Schindler's water quality report. The end of the duck trial. The first remediated tailings pond. The Alberta Environment independent assessment currently being implemented. And of course todays deja vu...
http://www.edmontonjournal.com/business/Duck+death+toll+mounts+Syncrude+tailings+pond/3728911/story.html
I get it, I really do, and at the root of it all I am just as blameworthy as every other regular joe and average jane. I like a heated house, a full tank of gas, the occasional road trip, the occasional jet ride, air conditioning (especially down here in hot and humid Virginia), and this list could go on and on... the difference is that I am convinced that there has to be a better way. It has to be possible to develop fuel without creating toxic tailings ponds that can be seen from space, and there has to be a better way to develop our province, which is so fortunately positioned and has such great natural beauty.
Whale conservation remains one of the great challenges for the international community moving forward in the 21st century. But, I am starting to recognize that Alberta might be, as well.
Monday, October 25, 2010
This is Virginia Calling
The campus right now is stunning! The colours make it look like the whole world is on fire!
It is really going to be a busy month, here is some of what is in the works:
1) Halloween (gotta love Halloween. My roommate and I had no idea what we were going to dress up as until we found a box of some really random costumes that our predecessors from years past must have accumulated and passed on... there are some wigs, a cap gun, various masks, a monkey suit, weird fake hands, a clever with blood on it, a cape, and butterfly wings. Pretty strange, but luckily I called dibs on the butterfly wings... )
2) Johnny Flynn is playing a couple hours south in North Carolina Wednesday and a few of us are going to make the trek down. I wont pass up an opportunity to see this guy live, he is simply fantastic!
3) In terms of school I just turned in another paper on American Constitutional law and its impact on environmental law... ugh... really should have taken con law before this class, thats for sure. Maybe just a little confused... but on the bright side my shark finning/conservation research paper is coming along quite nice and proves to be an excellent distraction from some of my more rigorous and slightly less interesting areas of study!
4) We will be checkin out Bob Dylan on November 10th, which should be great, and just found out that Jeff Tweedy is playing a solo show here on December 8th, and so long as my studying is going okay I will probably check it out too!
5) I am in the process of having my christmas flights home booked for December 17 (note, mark it in your calendars) and I will be in Edmonton until January 23rd, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing everyone!
6) I am expecting a visit from my mom early in November, so here's hopin that the weather and the colours stay nice for at least a couple more weeks!
Well, I promise that the next post will be a little more exciting... this is what happens when you spend endless hours thinking about the American Constitution... it just seems to suck a little fun outta ya!
Ciao for now...
It is really going to be a busy month, here is some of what is in the works:
1) Halloween (gotta love Halloween. My roommate and I had no idea what we were going to dress up as until we found a box of some really random costumes that our predecessors from years past must have accumulated and passed on... there are some wigs, a cap gun, various masks, a monkey suit, weird fake hands, a clever with blood on it, a cape, and butterfly wings. Pretty strange, but luckily I called dibs on the butterfly wings... )
2) Johnny Flynn is playing a couple hours south in North Carolina Wednesday and a few of us are going to make the trek down. I wont pass up an opportunity to see this guy live, he is simply fantastic!
3) In terms of school I just turned in another paper on American Constitutional law and its impact on environmental law... ugh... really should have taken con law before this class, thats for sure. Maybe just a little confused... but on the bright side my shark finning/conservation research paper is coming along quite nice and proves to be an excellent distraction from some of my more rigorous and slightly less interesting areas of study!
4) We will be checkin out Bob Dylan on November 10th, which should be great, and just found out that Jeff Tweedy is playing a solo show here on December 8th, and so long as my studying is going okay I will probably check it out too!
5) I am in the process of having my christmas flights home booked for December 17 (note, mark it in your calendars) and I will be in Edmonton until January 23rd, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing everyone!
6) I am expecting a visit from my mom early in November, so here's hopin that the weather and the colours stay nice for at least a couple more weeks!
Well, I promise that the next post will be a little more exciting... this is what happens when you spend endless hours thinking about the American Constitution... it just seems to suck a little fun outta ya!
Ciao for now...
Monday, October 18, 2010
Virginia Fall
This weekend my roommate and I took a drive up to the Shenandoah National Park for a hike. We have been told numerous times that fall in this area of the country is absolutely gorgeous and that it is not a window to be missed. For me, it seems a bit weird that it is fall but still 25 degrees outside... but in any event, the colours are starting to change and it was awesome to take a stroll though the woods!
Here are a couple of pictures that exemplify the region:
The last picture posted above is of the Appalachian Trail (the famous trail that runs 2175 miles north south through the eastern mountain ranges). This trail is blazed by the white mark on the tree to the right--I can now say that I have hiked on this trail (although it was only for about 1 mile aha)!
Well, off to study!
Here are a couple of pictures that exemplify the region:
Well, off to study!
Friday, October 15, 2010
An All Purpose Blog
This is a really random blog, I have decided. Every post is an adventure. Sometimes its Climate Change, sometimes its softball musings (p.s. we tied 8-8 today, which for us is as good as a win!), and today it is about an emerging band out of the UK.
As a few of my earlier posts suggest, I love music. And I especially love independent folk music. One such artist that I followed for a bit was Jay Jay Pistolet. He never really broke over here, but he had a couple catchy little songs, such as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVeBa-4G8Zc
To the best of my knowledge he disappeared off the music scene for a bit, and to my surprise it looks like he has surfaced again in a much different form. I was perusing the NME this week in some downtime, and the suggested that a hot track to check out is The Vaccines - Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra), which can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzEyOz8A4Q0
These guys have a couple of other songs out, but no official single released or release date in sight. But, it is quite different from Jay Jay Pistolet's last efforts but seems to be quite awesome--and I predict good things ahead for this band!
Only time will tell...
As a few of my earlier posts suggest, I love music. And I especially love independent folk music. One such artist that I followed for a bit was Jay Jay Pistolet. He never really broke over here, but he had a couple catchy little songs, such as:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVeBa-4G8Zc
To the best of my knowledge he disappeared off the music scene for a bit, and to my surprise it looks like he has surfaced again in a much different form. I was perusing the NME this week in some downtime, and the suggested that a hot track to check out is The Vaccines - Wreckin' Bar (Ra Ra Ra), which can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzEyOz8A4Q0
These guys have a couple of other songs out, but no official single released or release date in sight. But, it is quite different from Jay Jay Pistolet's last efforts but seems to be quite awesome--and I predict good things ahead for this band!
Only time will tell...
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Climate Change Debate -- Worth Watching if you Have the Time!
I am a nerd. We all know this. This blog is pretty nerdy, and this post in particular will ramp up the nerdy factor exponentially, but please bear with me...
So on Monday, the University of Virginia School of Law hosted a most interested climate change debate. Each side (i.e. climate change believers & climate change skeptics) was represented by a respected scientist and a respected law professor. The debate was great in that it was informative and went well beyond the ordinary superficial rhetoric that the daily media is inundated with.
For me the debate really hit home on two key points:
1) A wise professor once told me that the ideal LLM program should both push the boundaries of your closely held preconceived notions since this sort of challenge helps you formulate a properly informed response, and also there should be good free food lectures.... Well I can say that this debate satisfied both of those prerequisites...
2) Climate change, whether you believe it or not, is something that the general public should (in my opinion) inform themselves about given the importance of this issue moving forward. This debate accurately captured the difference between climate change denial (i.e. CO2 is not a greenhouse gas, or there is not any warming) and climate change skepticism (i.e. the complex interaction between positive and negative feedback loops that impact the climate system are still being investigated, we cannot rely completely on computer models to tell us what is happening in the real world, and while a 2-3 degree celcius warming is likely happening does this magnitude require immediate and alarmist action).
I, for one, believe quite strongly in the precautionary approach to these problems and would have not problem sacrificing some amenities in the here and now if it means future generations will be able to enjoy the same sort of world that we enjoy now. I also value wildlife and biodiversity generally quite highly, and as a moral judgment call think we should act now to avoid causing more harm than is necessary. Have you thought about any of these issues today? How about my readers back in Alberta, where climate change and also the conventional pollution issues associated with our fossil-fuel-frenzied society are front and center? Something to consider on a Thursday, perhaps...
If you are at all interested in listening to what the experts down here had to say about it all, here is the link to the YouTube video of the debate (I apologize that this link is not accompanied by the Mexican food that was enjoyed in person):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Sh1B-rV
So on Monday, the University of Virginia School of Law hosted a most interested climate change debate. Each side (i.e. climate change believers & climate change skeptics) was represented by a respected scientist and a respected law professor. The debate was great in that it was informative and went well beyond the ordinary superficial rhetoric that the daily media is inundated with.
For me the debate really hit home on two key points:
1) A wise professor once told me that the ideal LLM program should both push the boundaries of your closely held preconceived notions since this sort of challenge helps you formulate a properly informed response, and also there should be good free food lectures.... Well I can say that this debate satisfied both of those prerequisites...
2) Climate change, whether you believe it or not, is something that the general public should (in my opinion) inform themselves about given the importance of this issue moving forward. This debate accurately captured the difference between climate change denial (i.e. CO2 is not a greenhouse gas, or there is not any warming) and climate change skepticism (i.e. the complex interaction between positive and negative feedback loops that impact the climate system are still being investigated, we cannot rely completely on computer models to tell us what is happening in the real world, and while a 2-3 degree celcius warming is likely happening does this magnitude require immediate and alarmist action).
I, for one, believe quite strongly in the precautionary approach to these problems and would have not problem sacrificing some amenities in the here and now if it means future generations will be able to enjoy the same sort of world that we enjoy now. I also value wildlife and biodiversity generally quite highly, and as a moral judgment call think we should act now to avoid causing more harm than is necessary. Have you thought about any of these issues today? How about my readers back in Alberta, where climate change and also the conventional pollution issues associated with our fossil-fuel-frenzied society are front and center? Something to consider on a Thursday, perhaps...
If you are at all interested in listening to what the experts down here had to say about it all, here is the link to the YouTube video of the debate (I apologize that this link is not accompanied by the Mexican food that was enjoyed in person):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9Sh1B-rV
Have a great day!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Oh wow such a shame, you came all this way just to lose the game
Today my Russian compatriot and I ventured into Washington, DC for some sight-seeing and the Washington Capitals v. New Jersey Devils game at Verizon Center. The day started early and ended late, but all told it was quite excellent.
I have decided that American hockey fans are just as ravenous about the sport as we are up past the 49th parallel. There were some good goals, bit hits, a successful penalty shot, and 5-7 fights (depending on how you determine what actually constitutes a true hockey fight).
It was 30 degrees in Washington, DC, and it was an awesome time to check it out again a bit into the fall!
Keepin it short an sweet tonight... talk again soon!
PS check out the tunes linked below!
I have decided that American hockey fans are just as ravenous about the sport as we are up past the 49th parallel. There were some good goals, bit hits, a successful penalty shot, and 5-7 fights (depending on how you determine what actually constitutes a true hockey fight).
It was 30 degrees in Washington, DC, and it was an awesome time to check it out again a bit into the fall!
Keepin it short an sweet tonight... talk again soon!
PS check out the tunes linked below!
Some Excellent Solo Efforts
Since I am not there in person to recommend some new tunes, figured this is as good a platform as any to kick out some jams (in the form of some solo efforts):
1) Caral Barat from the Libertines - ignore the weird cover art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhJ84m5glMQ
2) Philip Selway - Drummer from Radiohead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwxDra-xyg
3) Laura Marling - nuff said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvwWzcLfH-k
Enjoy!
1) Caral Barat from the Libertines - ignore the weird cover art:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhJ84m5glMQ
2) Philip Selway - Drummer from Radiohead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xwxDra-xyg
3) Laura Marling - nuff said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvwWzcLfH-k
Enjoy!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Boston, and back again...
So. Back safe from Boston! Besides some weird flight delays and cancellations and other such regular travel stuff, all is good!
Boston is for sure a super cool town, and it was fun to check it out with my Pops! Especially the way that they have integrated history and modern business all in the same spot, for example see the buildings contrasted below:
The Freedom Trail is a great walk through old and new sites, and it is hard to fathom some of the history that is really all right there is Boston: Paul Revere, John Hancock, Sam Adams (ya that bitter beer guy), Ben Franklin, the USS Constitution (Ol' Ironside), Boston Commons, and the Public Gardens! All great!
Here is Ol' Ironside:
We had the chance to check out a Boston University hockey game (an exhibition game) against the University of Toronto, and all told it was a rather chippy affair and pretty one-sided, I believe that the final score was 9-3 for BU. I'm glad I got a chance to show Pops how seriously college sports are taken down here. Even at an exhibition game the band and the cheering and the painted fans wee out in full force!
After the Freedom Trail and the sports we went over to take a look around Harvard, which is a very eclectic place to say the least--the students and profs all look like you would expect, a little nerdy and sun deprived aha! The campus is pretty nice, but maybe not as nice as UVa ;)
There was seafood, and there was some beer, some awesome walks, and some much needed familiar conversation and a proper bed (ya, mine here kind of sucks)! All told, pretty successful weekend!
Now, back to the books!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Where I'm At, Where I've Been, And Where I Am Going
So this seems to be a logical time to do a bit of a summary of my time thus far in Ol' Virginia. We are now on our fall break (which is something we don't have up in Canada), and I am taking advantage of a few days off to meet Pops up in Boston where I have a good friend studying dentistry. I am definitely excited to see what Boston has to offer and get near the ocean again!
Tonight was also quite cool because I had the opportunity to go to the first meeting of the Virginia Central Fulbright Chapter to welcome all of the visiting Fulbrighters. The reception was held at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum (which was founded by a former Fulbrighter who started their Australian Aboriginal art collection whilst in Australia on their Fulbright scholarship). The museum is situated in a great little park on the outskirts of Charlottesville, and here is a link to the museum for those who are interested:
http://www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe/
It was actually quite cool and I definitely felt privileged to be in attendance. The other visiting Fulbrighters include a lady from Indonesia and one from Hong Kong who are pursuing a PhD in nursing, a visiting Political Science teacher from India and an Environmental Engineer from India, an MBA student from Norway, a fellow from Russia, and a lady from New Zealand pursuing a PhD. Also in attendance were former Fulbrighters who had studied abroad and now meet up 3 or 4 times every year to welcome newbies like me and to reminisce. The live entertainment was provided by a great little trio, the lead singer was influenced quite heavily by the Mali African tribe with whom she lived amongst while in the Peace Corps and as a researcher performing cultural studies for her PhD. She played an awesome African guitar-equivalent percussion instruments and told stories about her time with the Mali peoples.
The semester is starting to fall into place. It definitely took some time to get back into the whole school routine, and now one-third of the way through semester one I think I am back into the groove of reading, writing, and researching!
I would have to say that the two best experiences in Virginia so far have been:
1) the completely unexpected awesomeness that is Animal Law. I enrolled in this class kind of as an afterthought initially not really knowing what it was going to be like, but the range of guest speakers that we have had so far on everything from basic animal cruelty protections to the Michael Vick dog fighting trial and emerging issues in animal rights, coupled with the fact that I get to research and write on novel regulatory reforms for the regulation of shark finning combine to make it all a sad, yet gratifying, area of study;
2) the people are great! My roommate is awesome and it has been a blast getting to know him and his story and to experience America through the eyes of a German! The rest of my class is really solid as well! Getting to know them academically and then recreationally (through the Deportable softball team) and then socially has been a blast!
With all of that said and done, without a doubt I miss Canada. The old adage that the people make the place is definitely true, and while I always knew that the group I have around me in Edmonton is awesome, you don't really realize exactly how awesome and in how many ways that awesomeness affects your life until they are not there! You all know who you are!
Well, I am going to try to enjoy this weekend because I can tell that the semester will kick into high gear after the break. Papers, readings, and assignments are all going to pick up in intensity and frequency... ugh!
Until we meet again...
Tonight was also quite cool because I had the opportunity to go to the first meeting of the Virginia Central Fulbright Chapter to welcome all of the visiting Fulbrighters. The reception was held at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum (which was founded by a former Fulbrighter who started their Australian Aboriginal art collection whilst in Australia on their Fulbright scholarship). The museum is situated in a great little park on the outskirts of Charlottesville, and here is a link to the museum for those who are interested:
http://www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe/
It was actually quite cool and I definitely felt privileged to be in attendance. The other visiting Fulbrighters include a lady from Indonesia and one from Hong Kong who are pursuing a PhD in nursing, a visiting Political Science teacher from India and an Environmental Engineer from India, an MBA student from Norway, a fellow from Russia, and a lady from New Zealand pursuing a PhD. Also in attendance were former Fulbrighters who had studied abroad and now meet up 3 or 4 times every year to welcome newbies like me and to reminisce. The live entertainment was provided by a great little trio, the lead singer was influenced quite heavily by the Mali African tribe with whom she lived amongst while in the Peace Corps and as a researcher performing cultural studies for her PhD. She played an awesome African guitar-equivalent percussion instruments and told stories about her time with the Mali peoples.
The semester is starting to fall into place. It definitely took some time to get back into the whole school routine, and now one-third of the way through semester one I think I am back into the groove of reading, writing, and researching!
I would have to say that the two best experiences in Virginia so far have been:
1) the completely unexpected awesomeness that is Animal Law. I enrolled in this class kind of as an afterthought initially not really knowing what it was going to be like, but the range of guest speakers that we have had so far on everything from basic animal cruelty protections to the Michael Vick dog fighting trial and emerging issues in animal rights, coupled with the fact that I get to research and write on novel regulatory reforms for the regulation of shark finning combine to make it all a sad, yet gratifying, area of study;
2) the people are great! My roommate is awesome and it has been a blast getting to know him and his story and to experience America through the eyes of a German! The rest of my class is really solid as well! Getting to know them academically and then recreationally (through the Deportable softball team) and then socially has been a blast!
With all of that said and done, without a doubt I miss Canada. The old adage that the people make the place is definitely true, and while I always knew that the group I have around me in Edmonton is awesome, you don't really realize exactly how awesome and in how many ways that awesomeness affects your life until they are not there! You all know who you are!
Well, I am going to try to enjoy this weekend because I can tell that the semester will kick into high gear after the break. Papers, readings, and assignments are all going to pick up in intensity and frequency... ugh!
Until we meet again...
Where I'm At, Where I've Been, And Where I Am Going
So this seems to be a logical time to do a bit of a summary of my time thus far in Ol' Virginia. We are now on our fall break (which is something we don't have up in Canada), and I am taking advantage of a few days off to meet Pops up in Boston where I have a good friend studying dentistry. I am definitely excited to see what Boston has to offer and get near the ocean again!
Tonight was also quite cool because I had the opportunity to go to the first meeting of the Virginia Central Fulbright Chapter to welcome all of the visiting Fulbrighters. The reception was held at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum (which was founded by a former Fulbrighter who started their Australian Aboriginal art collection whilst in Australia on their Fulbright scholarship). The museum is situated in a great little park on the outskirts of Charlottesville, and here is a link to the museum for those who are interested:
http://www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe/
It was actually quite cool and I definitely felt privileged to be in attendance. The other visiting Fulbrighters include a lady from Indonesia and one from Hong Kong who are pursuing a PhD in nursing, a visiting Political Science teacher from India and an Environmental Engineer from India, an MBA student from Norway, a fellow from Russia, and a lady from New Zealand pursuing a PhD. Also in attendance were former Fulbrighters who had studied abroad and now meet up 3 or 4 times every year to welcome newbies like me and to reminisce. The live entertainment was provided by a great little trio, the lead singer was influenced quite heavily by the Mali African tribe with whom she lived amongst while in the Peace Corps and as a researcher performing cultural studies for her PhD. She played an awesome African guitar-equivalent percussion instruments and told stories about her time with the Mali peoples.
The semester is starting to fall into place. It definitely took some time to get back into the whole school routine, and now one-third of the way through semester one I think I am back into the groove of reading, writing, and researching!
I would have to say that the two best experiences in Virginia so far have been:
1) the completely unexpected awesomeness that is Animal Law. I enrolled in this class kind of as an afterthought initially not really knowing what it was going to be like, but the range of guest speakers that we have had so far on everything from basic animal cruelty protections to the Michael Vick dog fighting trial and emerging issues in animal rights, coupled with the fact that I get to research and write on novel regulatory reforms for the regulation of shark finning combine to make it all a sad, yet gratifying, area of study;
2) the people are great! My roommate is awesome and it has been a blast getting to know him and his story and to experience America through the eyes of a German! The rest of my class is really solid as well! Getting to know them academically and then recreationally (through the Deportable softball team) and then socially has been a blast!
With all of that said and done, without a doubt I miss Canada. The old adage that the people make the place is definitely true, and while I always knew that the group I have around me in Edmonton is awesome, you don't really realize exactly how awesome and in how many ways that awesomeness affects your life until they are not there! You all know who you are!
Well, I am going to try to enjoy this weekend because I can tell that the semester will kick into high gear after the break. Papers, readings, and assignments are all going to pick up in intensity and frequency... ugh!
Until we meet again...
Tonight was also quite cool because I had the opportunity to go to the first meeting of the Virginia Central Fulbright Chapter to welcome all of the visiting Fulbrighters. The reception was held at Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Museum (which was founded by a former Fulbrighter who started their Australian Aboriginal art collection whilst in Australia on their Fulbright scholarship). The museum is situated in a great little park on the outskirts of Charlottesville, and here is a link to the museum for those who are interested:
http://www.virginia.edu/kluge-ruhe/
It was actually quite cool and I definitely felt privileged to be in attendance. The other visiting Fulbrighters include a lady from Indonesia and one from Hong Kong who are pursuing a PhD in nursing, a visiting Political Science teacher from India and an Environmental Engineer from India, an MBA student from Norway, a fellow from Russia, and a lady from New Zealand pursuing a PhD. Also in attendance were former Fulbrighters who had studied abroad and now meet up 3 or 4 times every year to welcome newbies like me and to reminisce. The live entertainment was provided by a great little trio, the lead singer was influenced quite heavily by the Mali African tribe with whom she lived amongst while in the Peace Corps and as a researcher performing cultural studies for her PhD. She played an awesome African guitar-equivalent percussion instruments and told stories about her time with the Mali peoples.
The semester is starting to fall into place. It definitely took some time to get back into the whole school routine, and now one-third of the way through semester one I think I am back into the groove of reading, writing, and researching!
I would have to say that the two best experiences in Virginia so far have been:
1) the completely unexpected awesomeness that is Animal Law. I enrolled in this class kind of as an afterthought initially not really knowing what it was going to be like, but the range of guest speakers that we have had so far on everything from basic animal cruelty protections to the Michael Vick dog fighting trial and emerging issues in animal rights, coupled with the fact that I get to research and write on novel regulatory reforms for the regulation of shark finning combine to make it all a sad, yet gratifying, area of study;
2) the people are great! My roommate is awesome and it has been a blast getting to know him and his story and to experience America through the eyes of a German! The rest of my class is really solid as well! Getting to know them academically and then recreationally (through the Deportable softball team) and then socially has been a blast!
With all of that said and done, without a doubt I miss Canada. The old adage that the people make the place is definitely true, and while I always knew that the group I have around me in Edmonton is awesome, you don't really realize exactly how awesome and in how many ways that awesomeness affects your life until they are not there! You all know who you are!
Well, I am going to try to enjoy this weekend because I can tell that the semester will kick into high gear after the break. Papers, readings, and assignments are all going to pick up in intensity and frequency... ugh!
Until we meet again...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
"Management, it smells like a family of skunks died in the sewer"
Yesterday construction started on the lateral sewer drainage system for our apartment complex, and let me tell you, it suuuuuuuuuure smells nice!
There, that's all I have to say about that, now onto bigger and better things!
How about that them there softball, you may be wondering. Well, let me tell you! Last game we actually were winning after one inning and things were looking good. Them I took ball off the shin bone and that was fun! A nice little hematoma formed and that was pretty much it for my playing that day... The other team was polite enough to stop while I was crouched over and ask if I was okay, to which I replied "ya, in Canada we play hockey, this ain't no thing...". Well, it appears that the softball league got the last laugh after my quip with the following comment posted on this weeks power rankings:
The Deportables flashed some brilliance in their first at bat against J-Woww, belting a home run. Things quickly went downhill from there with the LLM pitcher taking a line drive off the shin. Fortunately, he was Canadian so no one felt bad.
We have another game tomorrow, and that team is not highly ranked either, so maybe it will be a different result for us!
In other sports news, the hockey season is about 2 weeks from starting, eh! Right on! I will admit that I am already suffering some Montreal Canadiens withdrawal... not good. RDS has an online live feed option that I thought I might be able to take advantage of but it looks like that is locked down outside of Canada. One of my Peer Advisors allowed me to chip in so that we could get NHL Center Ice which plays almost every game, and I am hoping that I can at least watch all of the Montreal games that are on Hockey Night in Canada!
I will get a bit of my hockey fix this weekend when me and pops visit Boston, since a good friend there got us tickets to BU season opener! Should be fun!
Hard to believe that the semester is almost one-third over!
Well, off to read!
There, that's all I have to say about that, now onto bigger and better things!
How about that them there softball, you may be wondering. Well, let me tell you! Last game we actually were winning after one inning and things were looking good. Them I took ball off the shin bone and that was fun! A nice little hematoma formed and that was pretty much it for my playing that day... The other team was polite enough to stop while I was crouched over and ask if I was okay, to which I replied "ya, in Canada we play hockey, this ain't no thing...". Well, it appears that the softball league got the last laugh after my quip with the following comment posted on this weeks power rankings:
The Deportables flashed some brilliance in their first at bat against J-Woww, belting a home run. Things quickly went downhill from there with the LLM pitcher taking a line drive off the shin. Fortunately, he was Canadian so no one felt bad.
We have another game tomorrow, and that team is not highly ranked either, so maybe it will be a different result for us!
In other sports news, the hockey season is about 2 weeks from starting, eh! Right on! I will admit that I am already suffering some Montreal Canadiens withdrawal... not good. RDS has an online live feed option that I thought I might be able to take advantage of but it looks like that is locked down outside of Canada. One of my Peer Advisors allowed me to chip in so that we could get NHL Center Ice which plays almost every game, and I am hoping that I can at least watch all of the Montreal games that are on Hockey Night in Canada!
I will get a bit of my hockey fix this weekend when me and pops visit Boston, since a good friend there got us tickets to BU season opener! Should be fun!
Hard to believe that the semester is almost one-third over!
Well, off to read!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
So that's what all fuss is about!
Today some of us went to the UVa football game against VMI (Virginia Military Institute). I have been told that UVa is not known for it's football (I mean come on, Mr. Jefferson, or TJ for short, was an architect, President, lawyer, vegetable-grower-extraordinaire, etc. but I don't think he could claim QB was amongst one of his many talents).
(*As an educational aside note that the first professional football game in America was not played until approximately 1890. I mean, I guess this explains why TJ wasn't all over it considering it was well after his time.)
The game was actually a really good time! All the navy dudes came out to support VIM, as evidenced by the sea of white in the picture below...
Fortunately for UVa fans the result was great--48-7 win. And, for all of you back in Edmonton, I think the temp. reached 35 Degrees in the stadium. So, all told it wasn't as good as a Habs game, but it was pretty great.
The other exciting news of the day is that I think I have found the topic that I am going to pursue for my independent research paper next semester. Since I have been down here there has been considerable activity up in Alberta about the Oil Sands. From the Dr. Schindler study regarding mercury and toxic releases into the Athabasca River to the deformed white fish and the visit from James Cameron (ya, the Titanic director) it really is heating up a bit. I think this is the perfect opportunity to tackle this issue from an American perspective, hopefully bringing some international attention to the issue along the way. I will definitely keep everyone posted on this as it progresses.
This is going to be a busy week with fall break just ahead so not too sure about the next time I will be able to blog, but hopefully soon.
Until then, take 'er easy.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Oh hi, it how are you? It has been a while, I know...
So!
Where to begin?
The semester is definitely in full swing now. I handed in my first paper today (oh dear American Constitutional Law... ugh), and every other course has started with the deadlines and the heavy readings. But the challenge is a good thing, and the learning curve challenges me for sure... and that is why I came to the U.S. of A. to study!
On a lighter note, the update that you all have been waiting for--The Deportables!
So far this is our record:
O wins, 3 Losses, and an A for effort
The law school softball league has the following to say about us:
"Don't worry LLMs, softball is a lot like cricket. Minus the wickets... and the pads... and with a different scoring system... On second thought, you guys might be in trouble."
"Some of the LLMs thought that reaching first base got you a point. An intriguing thought. But what they lack in softball prowess, they make up for in spirit. Making them # 12 on the power rankings, but # 1 in our hearts."
"We've got faith in this year's LLMs. We think they have the potential to be the winningest LLM team ever. Sure, they're already the winningest LLM team with 0 wins, but we've got a feeling."
I would say that this is showing some pretty steady improvement! They even have faith that we might win a game...
Today our team got a boost when our custom made Jersey T's arrived in the mail... and here is what they look like:
Pretty good, I'd say! We also obtained some sponsorship from a cafe here in C-ville called Cafe Europa, which is suitable in my opinion!
In other news the Corolla goes into the shop tomorrow to get some minor bodywork done after having an incident in the parking lot (don't worry, no biggie, I definitely was not in the car at the time it happened)!
Tomorrow is another big game for The Deportables, and I am counting on a win! Here's hoping!
Anyway, off to watch a movie and do a bit of reading for tomorrow's classes!
Until we meet again...
Where to begin?
The semester is definitely in full swing now. I handed in my first paper today (oh dear American Constitutional Law... ugh), and every other course has started with the deadlines and the heavy readings. But the challenge is a good thing, and the learning curve challenges me for sure... and that is why I came to the U.S. of A. to study!
On a lighter note, the update that you all have been waiting for--The Deportables!
So far this is our record:
O wins, 3 Losses, and an A for effort
The law school softball league has the following to say about us:
"Don't worry LLMs, softball is a lot like cricket. Minus the wickets... and the pads... and with a different scoring system... On second thought, you guys might be in trouble."
"Some of the LLMs thought that reaching first base got you a point. An intriguing thought. But what they lack in softball prowess, they make up for in spirit. Making them # 12 on the power rankings, but # 1 in our hearts."
"We've got faith in this year's LLMs. We think they have the potential to be the winningest LLM team ever. Sure, they're already the winningest LLM team with 0 wins, but we've got a feeling."
I would say that this is showing some pretty steady improvement! They even have faith that we might win a game...
Today our team got a boost when our custom made Jersey T's arrived in the mail... and here is what they look like:
Pretty good, I'd say! We also obtained some sponsorship from a cafe here in C-ville called Cafe Europa, which is suitable in my opinion!
In other news the Corolla goes into the shop tomorrow to get some minor bodywork done after having an incident in the parking lot (don't worry, no biggie, I definitely was not in the car at the time it happened)!
Tomorrow is another big game for The Deportables, and I am counting on a win! Here's hoping!
Anyway, off to watch a movie and do a bit of reading for tomorrow's classes!
Until we meet again...
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
When the goin' gets tough
What's that old saying?
When the goin gets tough (i.e. a Canadian law student has to learn key American constitutional law clauses and apply them in a novel way to a paper which they have to write on one weeks notice...)
The tough get goin?
Nah, I'm pretty sure the tough, they go to the pool!?!?!
Well, at least that's what this guy did today. After slogging through approximately 300 pages on wetlands protection and the U.S. Constitutional Congressional power over regulating Interstate Commerce. I know, I know, I am making all 7 of my devoted readers and all 20 of my total readership really excited with this post... but hey, that', my life right now down here in C-Ville! All I can say is that I do not envy the position of my fellow LL.M.s who are trying to pick up English on the go as they grapple with some of these heady legal concepts which are undoubtedly just as foreign to them as they are to me!
As an aside, I found out two very exciting pieces of news today...
1) I will let Miss Autumn properly announce this news item on her blog, so I suggest you check it out some time in the near future...
2) Which really pales in comparison to the first item, but is still kind of exciting to a transplanted Canadian hippie... I found out today that one of our Peer Advisors has pretty much unlimited cable, and at a small cost to me I will be able to access NHL Centre Ice any time I want, meaning that the Montreal Canadians are within my reach once again. Ahhhhhh the forecast for what was looking like a dark dreary winter without Les Habitant has just become somewhat brighter (it takes a true Habs fan to know the relief that I felt today...)
Well, time for some sleep since tomorrow I start the unenviable task of actually trying to formulate some original thought on this whole Constitution thing as it relates to wetland protection!
Wish me luck!
When the goin gets tough (i.e. a Canadian law student has to learn key American constitutional law clauses and apply them in a novel way to a paper which they have to write on one weeks notice...)
The tough get goin?
Nah, I'm pretty sure the tough, they go to the pool!?!?!
As an aside, I found out two very exciting pieces of news today...
1) I will let Miss Autumn properly announce this news item on her blog, so I suggest you check it out some time in the near future...
2) Which really pales in comparison to the first item, but is still kind of exciting to a transplanted Canadian hippie... I found out today that one of our Peer Advisors has pretty much unlimited cable, and at a small cost to me I will be able to access NHL Centre Ice any time I want, meaning that the Montreal Canadians are within my reach once again. Ahhhhhh the forecast for what was looking like a dark dreary winter without Les Habitant has just become somewhat brighter (it takes a true Habs fan to know the relief that I felt today...)
Well, time for some sleep since tomorrow I start the unenviable task of actually trying to formulate some original thought on this whole Constitution thing as it relates to wetland protection!
Wish me luck!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Jumpin' for Joy
Why you might ask?
1) The weather has temporarily cooled down a little bit. This week hovered somewhere around 25 degrees and it was not as humid as it has been. A nice respite for a Canadian kid;
2) We have wireless in our apartment. This might seem trivial. It might seem simple. But, when your DVD player is broken, you are too cheap to order cable, and your ethernet cable is 3 feet long, being able to blog whilst sitting on the sofa two rooms away is awesome!
3) My man-crush (Johnny Flynn) is coming to do a tour of the southeast sea board in late October, and I am definitely driving to see that show. Also, Titus Andronicus will be bringing their act to the Jefferson Theatre on the 22nd, and I think that is worth checkin' out!
4) I have a destination for fall break! We have a reading-week equivalent in the fall, and I will be meeting Pops in Boston for some sightseeing, Sam Adams drinking, and relaxation!
5) I found an awesome library to study in (Note: this is where the blog gets even nerdier than usual, and if you are adverse to such things stop reading now)! But really, it is excellent... right on old campus, old wooden chairs (Miss Autumn, maybe we could borrow them for our wedding??), big old tables, that excellent old book smell, and a cafe right in the library for a mid-morning pick me up! Supreme.
6) Hockey season is right around the corner, and one of our Peer Advisors is a big hockey fan who said he will help hook me up with some Habs games!
7) Wedding planning has kicked into high gear back in Edmonton, and I am starting to get really really excited!!!!!!!
Life is good!
Friday, September 10, 2010
Swinging for the fences...
So today was the first softball game for the LL.M. softball team, aptly named "The Deportables". The final score was 18-8 I believe in favour of the other team, but it was just awesome, and here is why:
1) For me this was the first time that I felt we all were really together as a team, and I don't mean as a rag-tag softball team, but rather as a group of people that are all really over our heads a little bit in one way or another (exemplified by our excellent play on the field and at bat aha) that are all supporting each other and working towards a common goal;
2) Once again our Peer Advisors were excellent! Not only did all of them that were available come out to support us, they also took an active role playing with us and directing traffic as it were as the game progressed;
3) In the 4th inning when push came to shove and the umpires told us that we either had to score of the game would end prematurely because of the "Mercy Rule" (which mandates that if one team fails to score by the end of the 4th inning and the other team has at least 15 runs the game will be called), we came out swinging for the fences and scored 8 runs! My very excellent German roommate hit an elusive in the park home run which had the entire team cheering!
All and all this was an excellent experience and I think we are all looking forward to the season ahead!
Pow!
1) For me this was the first time that I felt we all were really together as a team, and I don't mean as a rag-tag softball team, but rather as a group of people that are all really over our heads a little bit in one way or another (exemplified by our excellent play on the field and at bat aha) that are all supporting each other and working towards a common goal;
2) Once again our Peer Advisors were excellent! Not only did all of them that were available come out to support us, they also took an active role playing with us and directing traffic as it were as the game progressed;
3) In the 4th inning when push came to shove and the umpires told us that we either had to score of the game would end prematurely because of the "Mercy Rule" (which mandates that if one team fails to score by the end of the 4th inning and the other team has at least 15 runs the game will be called), we came out swinging for the fences and scored 8 runs! My very excellent German roommate hit an elusive in the park home run which had the entire team cheering!
All and all this was an excellent experience and I think we are all looking forward to the season ahead!
Pow!
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
And What a Wonderful Wedding Weekend it Was!
Yo yo yo!
Sorry for the delay since my last post, but it has been hectic times as of late. Last Thursday I flew out of my home away from home to my real home, had a lovely whirlwind dinner with my family and Miss Autumn's family, and drove down to Canmore for a good friend's wonderful mountain wedding!
What can I say?
There was wine!
There were mountains!
There was GREAT food, awesome friend's, a beautiful bride and groom, and MISS AUTUMN! I mean, really, could you ask for any more in a wedding?
The whirlwind tour continued as I am back in Charlottesville and hitting the books once again! Things are starting to get into full swing here, but this weekend was a lovely reminder that our big day is just over a year away!!!
I should have some more funny stories to tell a bit later this week since our first softball game goes down this Friday, and it should be a bit of a disaster! Also, this weekend should be somewhat relaxing as we are planning to go see some classical music at the amphitheater in old downtown!
Until we speak again!
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Charlottesville: Socializing Civility and Civilizing Sociality
Law school is High School. Actually... strike that. Law school is Junior High School. This I already knew.
And now, without further ado, tonight's anecdote:
My first year of law school at the University of Alberta consisted of 3 student sections with 60 students per section. Here at UVa here are many more sections, I believe 12 in total, labeled A to L. The experience of being in a small section, I assume, is much the same as it is in Canada. This is where you meet some of your closest friends that remain as friends long after law school ends. Perhaps this is because you have a shared experience (which is sometimes no fun fun at all), perhaps this is because you have the exact schedule for 1 year making it convenient to study together and party together, or perhaps life just happens like that. Who knows.
After 1 week of classes here, UVa is all abuzz with news that in addition to sections A to L, 2 additional sections were create impromptu by students who wanted to only socialize with the 'cool kids'--one for dudes (section 'M') and one for chicks (section 'S' for 'sweethearts' apparently). This has been received quite poorly by the upper years and by the other first year students.
What is the point of my little story?
UVa and Charlottesville generally appears to be frown upon social barriers. This might be a consequence of the fact that the town has 3 night clubs and is small enough that you run into the same people everywhere you go, or it might be a product of something awesome. I hope its the latter.
Apparently learning to get along and socialize with civility and all together is a something UVa students promote and guard quite zealously. I like!
I will be up in Canada for the weekend attending a friend's wedding!
See you soon Canada!
And now, without further ado, tonight's anecdote:
My first year of law school at the University of Alberta consisted of 3 student sections with 60 students per section. Here at UVa here are many more sections, I believe 12 in total, labeled A to L. The experience of being in a small section, I assume, is much the same as it is in Canada. This is where you meet some of your closest friends that remain as friends long after law school ends. Perhaps this is because you have a shared experience (which is sometimes no fun fun at all), perhaps this is because you have the exact schedule for 1 year making it convenient to study together and party together, or perhaps life just happens like that. Who knows.
After 1 week of classes here, UVa is all abuzz with news that in addition to sections A to L, 2 additional sections were create impromptu by students who wanted to only socialize with the 'cool kids'--one for dudes (section 'M') and one for chicks (section 'S' for 'sweethearts' apparently). This has been received quite poorly by the upper years and by the other first year students.
What is the point of my little story?
UVa and Charlottesville generally appears to be frown upon social barriers. This might be a consequence of the fact that the town has 3 night clubs and is small enough that you run into the same people everywhere you go, or it might be a product of something awesome. I hope its the latter.
Apparently learning to get along and socialize with civility and all together is a something UVa students promote and guard quite zealously. I like!
I will be up in Canada for the weekend attending a friend's wedding!
See you soon Canada!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Reference Points / Tabula Rasa
Seneca the Younger, in all of his Stoic glory, once stated that "Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind". In the context of studying abroad, my experience thus far suggests that the benefits go much deeper than a heightened appreciation for foreign culture, alternative perspective, or contextualization; rather, my studies have proposed following to me:
Consider your reference points afresh and in new light.
We know more than we think we do, and we do not leave it behind when we travel. In the new classes that I am attending I constantly refer to what I have learned. At first I think this use of reference points is not much more than a crutch as one will look to something familiar to hold onto when experiencing something out of their ordinary. Then acclimatization gradually occurs and something changes. As LL.Ms we are in a unique position, in my opinion, because we are learning additional material which supplements our current foundational understanding of all things legal. In some ways, then, we are a blank slate awaiting instruction and guidance, but in just as many ways we are not.
The challenge is to incorporate this new information in a meaningful way. To consider our reference points from a new vantage point. How can I expand my understanding climate change in the U.S. domestic sense and international context in a way that better prepares me to engage some of the challenges waiting for me at home in Alberta? How can I incorporate U.S. policy and legislation regarding shark or whale conservation in a way that assists my own growth and breadth of understanding of this area? In other words, what is my metamorphosis?
At this point, I really don't know! But, I hope to have at least a partial answer by the end of this year... and of course, I will keep you posted!
Consider your reference points afresh and in new light.
We know more than we think we do, and we do not leave it behind when we travel. In the new classes that I am attending I constantly refer to what I have learned. At first I think this use of reference points is not much more than a crutch as one will look to something familiar to hold onto when experiencing something out of their ordinary. Then acclimatization gradually occurs and something changes. As LL.Ms we are in a unique position, in my opinion, because we are learning additional material which supplements our current foundational understanding of all things legal. In some ways, then, we are a blank slate awaiting instruction and guidance, but in just as many ways we are not.
The challenge is to incorporate this new information in a meaningful way. To consider our reference points from a new vantage point. How can I expand my understanding climate change in the U.S. domestic sense and international context in a way that better prepares me to engage some of the challenges waiting for me at home in Alberta? How can I incorporate U.S. policy and legislation regarding shark or whale conservation in a way that assists my own growth and breadth of understanding of this area? In other words, what is my metamorphosis?
At this point, I really don't know! But, I hope to have at least a partial answer by the end of this year... and of course, I will keep you posted!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
The Price is Right (and putting your money where your mouth is)...
Today was dominated by a most unlikely character. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce to you Mr. Bob Barker--game show host extraordinaire, hilarious bit actor from Happy Gilmore, and animal rights activist.
I guess at some level I have always known that animal rights/welfare was important to Bob, I mean anyone who has seen an episode from one of the first forty seasons of The Price is Right knows that he always reminded his studio and TV audiences to be responsible pet owners at the end of each episode. I guess what I didn't know is how far his influence as an animal rights activist welfarist has spread. Let me demonstrate:
(1) It seems that every time I visit the Edmonton Journal website yearning for some local news there is mention of the lawsuit pending against the Edmonton Zoo re: the future of Lucy, our elephant who is without companionship. This lawsuit was dismissed on August 20th, but more to the point Bob Barker was frequently mentioned in these stories and even came to Edmonton to visit Lucy...
(2) Whilst reading about recent whaling matters I came across the story about the Sea Shepherd vessel that was suck earlier this year after having collided with a Japanese factory whaling ship. To my surprise, the article I was reading mentioned that at the time it sank the vessel in question was being towed by another Sea Shepherd boat named... ya you guessed it... the Bob Barker! Apparently he donated somewhere in the vicinity of $5,000,000.00 bucks towards the purchase of this boat...
(3) Last but not least, today was the first class for Animal Law and apparently the whole Animal Law program at UVa is generously sponsored by Bob!
Who knew.
In other news, this weekend will be spent catching up on some readings and also floating down some river in rural Virginia on a raft with the other LLMs! Should be delightful!
In the meantime, here's to Bob and I will leave you with one final thought (in the words of the man himself as quoted from a 1972 episode of The Price is Right):
"help control the pet population. Have your pet spayed or neutered. Goodbye, everybody!"
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Socrates, you would be proud (Babe Ruth, you would not)
The Socratic method is alive and thriving at UVa. To my friends who are currently in/nearly completing law at the U of A, do you remember orientation week when we heard how students would be called out from amongst their classmates and put on the spot to answer questions, at random? I suppose you also now know that most professors don't do that, and even if they do the common answers of "I dunno" or "Ummm, sorry but I forgot to read today" are met with some sense of understanding by the professor; well, here at UVa it appears that you are expected to answer and if you don't know the answer to think fast and say something that logically fits. Feck.
Other than that, classes (and please keep in mind I am basing my broad generalizations on one whole 80 minute lecture) seem to be engaging and interesting!
In other news, myself and my Russian counterpart will be captaining the LLM softball team this year. Apparently it is tradition for the LLMs to field a softball team and get mercilessly bushwacked by every other team, throughout the whole fall season. I have a feeling that this year will not break with tradition. I think the the Russian and I are the only two students who have watched enough baseball to understand the general mechanics and rules of the game. Apparently a few years past one of the LLMs came up to bat holding the thick part of the bat and swung away hoping to make contact where the bat is gripped with tape. I think we can do a wee bit better than that!
Well, I best be getting back to some readings so that I can at least feign an understanding of the material when I am called upon in tomorrow's lectures!
Swing away!
Other than that, classes (and please keep in mind I am basing my broad generalizations on one whole 80 minute lecture) seem to be engaging and interesting!
In other news, myself and my Russian counterpart will be captaining the LLM softball team this year. Apparently it is tradition for the LLMs to field a softball team and get mercilessly bushwacked by every other team, throughout the whole fall season. I have a feeling that this year will not break with tradition. I think the the Russian and I are the only two students who have watched enough baseball to understand the general mechanics and rules of the game. Apparently a few years past one of the LLMs came up to bat holding the thick part of the bat and swung away hoping to make contact where the bat is gripped with tape. I think we can do a wee bit better than that!
Well, I best be getting back to some readings so that I can at least feign an understanding of the material when I am called upon in tomorrow's lectures!
Swing away!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Discovering History (and hitting the beach)
This weekend some of us LLMs packed into two cars and set out for Virginia Beach, which is about a 3 hour drive from sunny Cville. The beach was as expected--hot, sandy, sunny, busy, bustling, and hustling. What wasn't expected was the history that we encountered along the way.
(aside to all of my Canadian readers, which is probably all of you: we all know it is a common joke that Americans don't really know that much about us... ie. we all sleep in igloos, we all can play hockey, we all speak French, and we all wish we were American.)
This weekend opened my eyes to that fact that I really really know quite little about where I am! I mean, before Miss Autumn and I came down here in June, I couldn't have told you that Virginia was the spot when it came to the American Civil War. I now know better, but just slightly having only read 85% of an introductory Civil War book and watching two episodes of a made-for-TV Civil War documentary. What I learned this weekend is that Virginia is also where the decisive battle between America and Britain played out (in Yorktown) during the War of Independence, but also that Virginia Beach is where the British first landed and established the first settlement in America (Jamestown). Also, apparently this is where all that Pocahontas jazz went down.
Tres cool.
Also, I saw some Bottlenose Dolphins chilling in the ocean which is always a welcome sight!!!
(aside to all of my Canadian readers, which is probably all of you: we all know it is a common joke that Americans don't really know that much about us... ie. we all sleep in igloos, we all can play hockey, we all speak French, and we all wish we were American.)
This weekend opened my eyes to that fact that I really really know quite little about where I am! I mean, before Miss Autumn and I came down here in June, I couldn't have told you that Virginia was the spot when it came to the American Civil War. I now know better, but just slightly having only read 85% of an introductory Civil War book and watching two episodes of a made-for-TV Civil War documentary. What I learned this weekend is that Virginia is also where the decisive battle between America and Britain played out (in Yorktown) during the War of Independence, but also that Virginia Beach is where the British first landed and established the first settlement in America (Jamestown). Also, apparently this is where all that Pocahontas jazz went down.
Tres cool.
Also, I saw some Bottlenose Dolphins chilling in the ocean which is always a welcome sight!!!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Time to kill...
Its 38 degrees. Classes have not started yet. And, the dudes I am chilling with no clue about North American culture. So far this has made for some entertaining golf at the driving range, slightly scary driving, some bike rides, cooking struggles, multiple explanations on how cardio equipment works at the gym, and a whole lot of laughs. I guess this was a much needed break from school/work given that my bar call happened on a Friday and the drive down started on the following Monday! Ugh...
Classes for upper years start next Wednesday, and I am pretty excited for what I have enrolled in (I know, I know, nerdy). Still thinking about switching the program around a little bit, but as of yet uncertain. We got an email today about Journal Tryouts, which are apparently a big deal at UVA. I guess 1Ls compete for spots on the different law journals that UVA law school has in a kind of exam setting. I think I might enroll and see how I do (for those of you who went to law school, Americans use a really complicated Blue Book which is their equivalent of the McGill Guide so who knows)!
I think this weekend some of us might take a trip to Virginia Beach which is about 2 hours due east. It might be nice to check out what is up out there before classes start and while the temperature is still hovering around 38 degrees (the only 38 I am used to is 38 below)!
Well, until next time!
Classes for upper years start next Wednesday, and I am pretty excited for what I have enrolled in (I know, I know, nerdy). Still thinking about switching the program around a little bit, but as of yet uncertain. We got an email today about Journal Tryouts, which are apparently a big deal at UVA. I guess 1Ls compete for spots on the different law journals that UVA law school has in a kind of exam setting. I think I might enroll and see how I do (for those of you who went to law school, Americans use a really complicated Blue Book which is their equivalent of the McGill Guide so who knows)!
I think this weekend some of us might take a trip to Virginia Beach which is about 2 hours due east. It might be nice to check out what is up out there before classes start and while the temperature is still hovering around 38 degrees (the only 38 I am used to is 38 below)!
Well, until next time!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Course Selection and the Preppy South!
So at the end of last week we had to pick our courses for this upcoming fall semester, and in true hippie form I will be taking such courses as Animal Law, Foundations to Climate Change, and Environmental Law and Federalism with a bit of International Law for kicks. Should be good!
Our place is pretty much all set up, and to give you a sense of it here are a few pictures:
1. This is the living area...
2. This is my bed room (prior to decoration):
3. Our kitchen and dining area:
4. Our pink Victoria Secret umbrella:
Finally, it is a wee bit humerous how all of the dudes dress down here. I have never seen so many people wearing the same shoes, short khaki shorts, and polo in my life! Hey, when in Rome...
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
It's a wide world, after all...
I guess I wasn't quite prepared for what might be the most exciting part of this entire school year---culture shock. Not only is the American way of life a bit of an adjustment, it has been awesome to be surrounded by law students from so many different jurisdictions. I mean, who knew.
Today there was a bit of a soccer match (and unfortunately owing to my previous soccer injury my participation was limited to a bit of time in goal) but it was a bit of a mini world cup. Germany, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and Ireland were all there in fine form.
Afterwards discussion quickly turned to real world matters and it is so interesting to hear the opinions on religion, sports, and current events from people that are all here working towards the same goal. Just excellent.
Miss you Canada!
Today there was a bit of a soccer match (and unfortunately owing to my previous soccer injury my participation was limited to a bit of time in goal) but it was a bit of a mini world cup. Germany, Russia, Japan, Brazil, Canada, and Ireland were all there in fine form.
Afterwards discussion quickly turned to real world matters and it is so interesting to hear the opinions on religion, sports, and current events from people that are all here working towards the same goal. Just excellent.
Miss you Canada!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Chopin Nocturne #1 in B Flat Minor
Musak can be moving; I find the particular piece referenced in the title of today's blog post more moving than most and reminiscent of night time driving. Speaking of moving...
Today my new roommate and I moved into our new pad. So far so good! The U-haul reservation/stored goods/moving madness all went according to plan. A lot of this good fortune is prolly because I have had so much assistance getting set up and organized in the last week from a certain relative of mine that all of the pieces just fell into place! Pow!
Tomorrow the first week of work (and by work I mean coffee drinking, beer drinking, getting oriented, etc) begins. I have heard that orientation is quite a bit of fun and I am looking forward to meeting the other 20 students who are coming from allllllll of the corners of this fine planet!
Righteous.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Howdy Y'all
Hello!
So. Hello 21st Century technology. After driving approximately 4000 km through 40 degree heat, here I am in Virginia! I figured that bloggin was a great way to keep people updated on what is going on down here! Can't guarantee that it will be great reading or thought provoking or anything like that, but who knows!
Orientation starts on Monday, and so far things have been pretty great--food, Southern hospitality, beer, wine, and no road kill (that I am responsible for). Hopefully come Monday I won't regret going back at school (prolly not given I am a huge nerd-ball).
So. Hello 21st Century technology. After driving approximately 4000 km through 40 degree heat, here I am in Virginia! I figured that bloggin was a great way to keep people updated on what is going on down here! Can't guarantee that it will be great reading or thought provoking or anything like that, but who knows!
Orientation starts on Monday, and so far things have been pretty great--food, Southern hospitality, beer, wine, and no road kill (that I am responsible for). Hopefully come Monday I won't regret going back at school (prolly not given I am a huge nerd-ball).
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