Guelph – HIKES & HAMSTRINGS

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

Do You Kangoo??

Kangoo Jumps. So much fun!!

A while back, my friend Dan wrote a post about Kangoos, and when I read it, I knew I had to try them! Fast forward to today. We met up with his friend Amanda, who brought in two pairs of Kangoo Jumps for us to use. They’re so much fun and bouncy! In fact, according to the website, Kangoos use rebounding for a slew of health benefits (click here). In the short time in which I wore the Kangoos to run, jump and dance, I was sweating like mad and felt as though I completed a cardio workout :).

Running with Kangoos feels great, with low impact on the joints.

Feeling like I can fly 🙂

Kangoo Jumps jump shot

A YouTube search of “Kangoo” turns up many videos of people enjoying the fitness benefits of kangooing. Here’s one with fitness expert Mario Godiva Green leading a class of Kangoo enthusiasts. If you ever have the opportunity to try them out, I highly recommend that you do :). Thanks to Dan and Amanda for organizing this and letting me test them out!

Oh Guelph, How I’ve Missed You!

The Cannon

So I may have had a great adventure-filled weekend, but the real reason I’m back in town is for the Statistical Society of Canada’s (SSC) annual meeting. That’s right- a congregation of statisticians for three days of utter nerdery. Over time, I’ve moved away from the hard-core statistical theory and into data management and statistical programming, but every now and then I like to be reminded that I was once skilled in the area. I have never attended an SSC meeting, but what made this year’s conference very appealing is that it is occurring at my alma mater, the University of Guelph. It’s great to see former professors and friends that I haven’t seen in a long while!

Dr. Steph. Yay Statistical Society!

Lunch at Creelman Hall with Dr. Dan

Session on teaching statistics

In the atrium, working hard on blogging… um… I mean statistical things!

The UofG will always be a special place. I spent 7 years here completing both my undergraduate and graduate degrees in statistics. I’ve walked through the University Centre countless times and crossed Branion Plaza and the cannon to get to my office in the MacNaughton building. I felt quite nostalgic walking around campus today. It’s not that I would want to transplant my life back to Guelph, but there are so many great memories of this place. And the campus isn’t the same as it was back then. Many new or renovated buildings like Alexander Hall are now present, but the sentiments of the campus still run deep. There were many good times here. Oh Guelph… how I’ve missed you so… 🙂

Johnston Hall

The University Centre

MacNaughton, where I had my old office

The Bullring

Johnston Green. Oh Guelph… I miss this place :S

The evening ended with an alumni dinner event, where it was great to chat with former professors and other past students. In addition to a great night of drinks and mingling, I finally had a famed Bob’s Dog! When I was a student, I knew that the hot dog vendor outside of the Bullring, Bob’s Dogs, was the place to go. I learned that everyone must try a Bob’s Dog at some point. Believe it or not, after 7 or so years studying at Guelph, I never had a sausage from Bob’s Dogs. Thankfully, Dr. Gary Umphrey arranged for Bob to provide the food, and I couldn’t be happier. I finally had a Bob’s Dog, and it was incredibly delicious! So much so, I had two. And I was so impressed that I had to have my photo taken with Bob himself! Another highlight of the night: seeing my former professor Dr. J.J. Hubert. I hadn’t seen him in ages, and both Dr. Hubert and Dr. Umphrey are responsible for introducing me to the topic of statistics when I was a young and eager undergraduate student 10 years ago. My career wouldn’t have been the same without their influence and support. Even though I didn’t manage to get a photo with them, I’ll always have the memories of this evening :). What a great way to start the SSC.