return from absentia

I categorically refuse to apologise for not blogging for 36 days. The simple truth is that I've lacked motivation, and there's like four people who read this. I'm interested to see how long it takes for someone to notice I've posted. However, it doesn't count if you have the e-mail notification on.

There isn't a whole lot of news... Trailer Park Boys Live was totally awesome (photo), I went skiing a couple of times (including Fernie, which is amazing even by these standards), finished the course I was taking (last one I have to take - ever, if I don't need any for a PhD), some partying, and a trip to Edmonton.

I'm a huge fan of Ricky's various shirts and I wish they'd been selling them at the merchandise desk. However, they only had Helix and Swollen Members apparel (they played a set each). It was a varied enough selection of acts to bring out a very diverse crowd, although most were there for TPB. They did a Green Bastard sketch and a Conky sketch and sang Liquor and Whores, and it was terrific.

There was a geology party a couple of weekends ago called "Rock for the Gallagher", which required us to dress as rock stars. Four of us, pre-drinking at one fellow's place, realised we looked like a band, and so formed "Warthog" (named for the beer we were drinking at the time).

Click for big.
L-R:
Graham - lead vocals, keys
Gareth - drums
Joel - guitars, keys
Chris - Bass

Note 1: we have no instruments or music, and only Joel and I have ever had lessons on anything, both on keys. Mostly we're just an image.

Note 2: I'm also the front man, since I look slightly different and have spiked hair.

Note 3: Look closely at the book on the table and you can see that we're frauds.

Note 4: Chris, Joel, and I represent 60% of the U of C hardrock geologists. Missing from that set would be Erik (mentioned below) and David. That's five out of 145. Most of the rest are geophysicists/oil&gas, with a few (including Gareth) geochemists, hydrogeologists, and environmental types. There are some structural-geophys types that get close to hardrock, I guess. We have no volcanologists, although the new prof arriving next Sept to replace my supervisor (who's retiring) is one, so he may bring in more hardrock types.

The Edmonton trip this last weekend was for a conference focussed on Cordilleran geology in Canada (the rocks of the mountain ranges in AB, YK, and mostly BC. It was an extremely interesting conference, as was the partying in town. For instance, in trying to walk home on Whyte Ave on Saturday night, Erik (a friend, fellow grad student, and Frederictonian) witnessed a brutal beating and was the only one of several dozen onlookers who tried to help the unconscious man lying facedown in a mud puddle. His drunkenness brought out his bravery and he dispelled the attackers and shouted at the inactive bystanders to call 911. Someone did, and after the ambulance arrived Erik left the scene. Not 10 minutes down the street he saw pretty much the exact same thing going on. He cabbed the rest of the way.

I had a more tame time, cabbing right from the bar we were at (which was deserted as they were showing the Flames game on all TVs). On the Friday I went to a U of A geology student party, which was much more along the lines of the parties we had back at UNB. I swear there's only like 15 or 20 of the U of C grads that will do anything, and even then only half of them will party/drink like I'm used to. And they're mostly Easterners! (Mind you, who isn't out here.)

Calgary is the white-collar city: the oil execs, the geologists, the company headquarters, and most of the money is here, making it a rather boring and cultureless city at times. Edmonton is the blue-collar city, closer to the actual tarsands: the machinists, engineers, fitters, rig workers, and general grunt workers are there, making it a more - colourful town. It's like Fton vs St John. Obviously I'm generalizing, there's U of A and the seat of the provincial government there as well, but the Edmonton economy is dominated by the oil work.

Nevertheless, I had a great time and it was particularly good to see Andy and Paul from UNB, I'm only sorry I didn't get to see Katherine or Leanne, who both live there.

Well it's 3:32 am and I'm going to bed. My jobs for tomorrow include setting up a squash game and finding someone who isn't already at the hills to drive me out to ski this week (it's our break week, referred to officially as "reading week" but popularly as "ski week"). Joel's at Kicking Horse (in Golden) with some of the highest vertical in North America on Thursday/Friday, so I'd like to get there for that. I also have to clean the apartment this week since some of the family are coming to visit in the NB march break and I don't want them to know I live like a pig.