Personal and Goals – Page 10 – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

The House of Gourmet in the Big City

Today was family fun day in Toronto. I love going into Toronto. There are always great restaurants at which to dine, people to watch, and sites to see. Calgary is a city, but one unlike Toronto. There’s a part of me that misses the hustle and bustle of Yonge Street, the events hosted at the Rogers Centre or the ACC or the Harbourfront Centre, and the general vibe of the city, so I always love the time spent heading into the city.

As part of a Christmas gift, the family headed to the Rogers Centre for this year’s Disney on Ice. Admittedly, we were all pretty excited about it! Also admittedly, the youngest one in our family is my sister at 26 years old. Ha! I quite enjoyed the Toy Story themed storyline. Slinky Dog was awesome.

Then it was off to dinner in Chinatown. At first, when I saw the photo of where we were going – House of Gourmet – I thought it might be Sketchville 20-12. But then I realized that I had actually been there before… and from what I recalled, it was great! So we feasted on duck, beef, chicken, pork, fried rice, and other delicious dishes. There may or may not have been some vegetables in there as well. The holiday season wouldn’t be the holiday season if we weren’t ridiculously full after all that eating. Thanks to my sis for organizing a great outing in Toronto- it was so much fun! Disney on Ice is for all ages (I stand by that statement), and I recommend House of Gourmet for great food. Don’t let the dead animals in the window be off-putting.

House of Gourmet. Sketchville 20-12? Or just delicious!

Some kind of BBQ meat in the window. Duck? Pork? Chicken?

Holiday Nerdery

An academic discussion... over coffee :) — An academic discussion… over coffee 🙂

The meeting of the Nerd Caucus is in session!

Well, it was in session yesterday when we met at the Baker Street Station in Guelph. We all went to the University of Guelph, and it’s great that the city remains quite central for meeting up. I had heard great things about this restaurant, so I was looking forward to trying it. But more importantly, I was excited to see everyone. With me in Calgary, I attend the gathering maybe once a year, though I would love to attend more. Life continues to get busy for all, with weddings and babies and moves and job changes, but we always find time to meet, be merry, and reflect on life post grad-school. And there is most definitely not a dull moment of conversation! Discussions on statistical physics, protein folding structures, and approaches for teaching math in schools were a great complement to chats on living in Vineland and NYC, the curiosity of babies, and Costco. Is there anything Costco can’t provide? There may or may not have been some awkwardly awesome jokes as well. What would nerd caucus be without general awkwardness? I’m impressed we were able to bring so many of us together during the holidays, and it was so awesome to see and catch up with everyone! Until the next Nerd Caucus…

For me, the day also included visits with other friends I don’t see nearly enough. Every time I come home for the holidays, life is crazy busy, but cherishing time spent with family and friends is what the holidays are all about, and I wouldn’t want it any other way :). I can’t believe the visit is coming to a close so quickly…. :S

Priceless

Earlier this evening, it was time for family. This is what the holidays are about, and the time spent with them was priceless. Needless to say, I’ll miss them for sure when I go back to Calgary next week. Sigh.

Important Poo Etiquette

This Christmas, my brother bought me a very important book. So much so, I feel compelled to share. For those who know me, you know that I hate public bathrooms. Even more, I dislike most people who use public bathrooms. The bathrooms, and in most cases, the people, are just gross. I can’t help but think how these people live in their own homes, because if a public bathroom is any indication, most homes would be disgusting urinary and fecal messes. Alas, I digress.

The workplace is an interesting environment. Work politics are always interesting. More interesting than that? The common workplace bathroom. In general, I prefer to use the single person bathroom in order to increase my chances of avoiding interaction with co-workers during these sacred times. Don’t get me wrong- the single person bathroom has its own fair share of concerns, including that heart-jumping feeling when someone tries to open the locked door instead of knocking, or that incredibly awkward moment when you leave the bathroom at the time someone is about to walk in, and your identity has been acknowledged.

Sometimes, the use of the public workplace bathroom is inevitable. And that’s where this book comes in: How to Poo at Work, by Mats and Enzo. The back cover reads: “Don’t let number 2 stop you from being number 1 on the job”. Now that’s some well-written stuff! I can only assume that this is what they should be teaching in school. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to learning a thing or two from this book, especially on how to deal with potentially awkward situations, like if the toilet gets clogged (OMG!). I’m also hoping it will legitimize many things that I already believe, such as not talking on your cell phone while standing at the urinal. This is a huge no-no in my eyes.

Speaking of eyes, I took a quick glance through the book and came across “The Golden Rules”. According to the book, the “bathrooms at the workplace are governed by six clear rules”:

Never make eye contact with another person in the bathroom.
Never start a conversation with another person in the bathroom.
Create maximum distance between you and other persons present in the bathroom.
Never express what you feel inside.
Stay impassive, no matter what may have happened in the bathroom.
Never make excuses to minimize attention to an event.

I fully expect this book to elaborate on these important points. But I’d like to express that I fully agree with number 3. When there’s a row of 5 empty stalls, and I decide to choose the first one, then why is it always the case that someone, without fail, chooses the second one!? Argh!!

I’m anticipating that How to Poo at Work will be quite a funny read. I support this kind of toilet humour.

Loving the Holiday Season

Christmas comes once a year… and for me, the holiday season flies by as quickly as it arrives. It’s definitely been a great few days with lots of catching up, video game battles, and lots of eats that go against my general dietary intake of the day-to-day. I don’t think I’ve had a legitimate serving of vegetables since I’ve arrived!

But these are the things I love about the holidays. I can step away from the hustle and bustle of life in Calgary for a few days and experience a bit of re-grounding.

So over this extremely busy week, I’m taking some time to relax, enjoy the company of my family and friends, and reflect on the year and year to come. And even though I left the crazy cold and wintry weather in Calgary, it’s nice to see a little snow on the ground at home.