Tuesday, March 27, 2012

today's count

Back to the crabapple grove.  It is snow free now and the robins are back.  I counted 12 in total.  Five were flying madly through the branches.  Three were squabbling over fallen crabapples, and the rest where spread about the grass with activities of their own.  Three crows, two lounging on the verge as though they owned it.  Who knows, perhaps they do.  A magpie.  A gum wrapper, and a construction peg.  The sky is grey, but at least nothing is falling out of it, knock on wood.  And I was walking around barefoot in my birkenstocks.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Vote of confidence

I think I have spent too long with the common denominator to think this will work, but I am glad of the vote of confidence and will watch with interest.  The campus has gone the great step of having full stream recycling.  Which means they present us with blue boxes and we huck everything in but the wet garbage and the kitchen sink.  We adore it.  We bring our stuff from home and feel our virtue and our future generations pleasure at our actions. 

Today arrived word of a small addendum to this process.  Each staff member on campus will have their garbage cans taken away and a blue box given to them.  Each blue box will have within it a little black box (sounds ominous and appropriate) for the non recyclables (the garbage formerly known as garbage).  But will we, the common denominator, manage this simple task?  Will we be able to lift up the tiny lid of the little black receptacle and place the gucky stuff inside?  Or will we just chuck everything in the blue bin...which will then be covered in printed signs to remind us which part of the bin to use when.  Large "GARBAGE" signs will appear on the little black box, in red, with arrows.  Or will we demonstrate we are better than ourselves for whom the turning out of a light is an onerous task upon leaving a room, and actually hit the can. 

We aim to recycle. You aim too please.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Missing Latvia

The stats on this blog used to make me happy.  It tickled me pink to know that the odd person in Malaysia, or Latvia, Poland, Mexico, was stumbling across my little wanderings.  But now there is an error on my stats page.  No access.  I turn, to the friendly, don't be evil, company and find...that I am dealing with the Borg.  No access.  No entry.  No human anywhere.  Reminds me of the time it was -40 degrees and I wanted to talk to my bank.  All I wanted to know was were the calendars in.  But I was shunted to a call centre in Toronto.  How can I help you?  You can connect me with my bank.  But I can help you.  Yes, you can, you can connect me with my bank.  If you'll just give me your accounts... and on and on.  Finally I managed to make clear to her that she could not possibly tell me if the calendars were in and if I had to go out into the -40 degree weather to get the answer to that question I would also be closing all my accounts at the same time.  She connected me with my bank and the calendars were in.  So, I went to pick one up.  No sense going out in that weather without a good reason.

So now I can't hear from Latvia anymore.  And google will give me no entry to anyone who can help my find out why.  Latvia may still be out there...Helllooo Latvia.  (Been wanting to say that a long time.)  In the old, inefficient days, I could pick up a phone, dial a number, yup actually dial it, and get a live being on the other end who could sort me out in a matter of seconds.  Now, in this efficient computer, internet all hail and worship era, I am required to spend hours going through pages of possible answers to my question, none of which are the answer to my question. 

One day someone will figure out how really versatile and amazing the human brain is, and maybe, if the internet gives them the idea, they might decide to use it.

Monday, March 12, 2012

baseball hat season

Ah, you would never know we had a foot and a half of snow last week.  One of my readers in fact mentioned my lack of making note of it here.  It was indeed beautiful, mounds of snow like winters of old.  Like last year.  It took me a moment to realize why I hadn't noted the fact.  I was spending ever spare minute digging out the apartment block.  But since then the ground has come ever clearer to our view.  I planted tomato seedlings in my window.  I walked on Sunday afternoon in sandals, outside.  Today I wore my ballcap, my hat of spring and fall, to work.  It is the season.  And, in a warm corner of the Law College garden, pussy willows were budding out.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Visit from Italia


Photo by thrillwnc
 Well google translate was no help, but the Italian gentleman and I managed to work out between us what he wanted and how I could help him.  He now has a map of campus and is off to photograph all the library branches.  Somehow I don't think any of them will come off as beautifully as this picture from Italy.