My acceptance to York University's Master's of Environmental Studies program arrived in the mail today. I am happy. I think going back to Toronto will be a good thing for me. While the 5 years away from Toronto have taught me a lot about life, being back with family and old friends will be a positive thing.

Toronto seems like an exciting place to be right now, especially compared to Ottawa and Montreal. Grand plans for expansion of transit (especially the subway extension to York!) and all the new cultural buildings downtown are really putting the city on the map in my mind.

I think the family aspect is pretty huge too. My little niece is getting older!! 1 year old tomorrow :) so I really want to be there and see her grow. I also think that Toronto is somewhere that I am more likely to be happy to settle in long-term. Diversity is the key for me.

Holiday cheer....

So, it is that time of year again. Santa has come and gone, leaving all sorts of wonderful (and useless) gadgets, clothes, toys, for the masses to amuse themselves with. As for me, I got a wonderful comforter which will be useful when the thermostat in my basement apartment in Ottawa begins to dip below the 19 degrees that it normally sits at (that is of course if climate change doesn't smack us as it did this week with record 14 degree temperatures in late December)....I also got a chess board and a set of mixing bowls, both gifts that will keep me occupied indoors when the winter weather sets in for real.

I got myself a few books over the past week, adding to the pile that never seems to shrink. One is an Atlas and the other, The Ascent of Money by Niall Ferguson is one that I had been hoping to pick up for awhile. Taking advantage of the 40% discount afforded me by boxing day and my irewards card and the return of a calendar that I didn't really need, I only had to shell out 6 bucks for a book that lists for 33! Should I feel bad about this? A recent article found on iht.com raises some interesting issues involving discount books.

Anyhow, I've just started the book. The theme (history of money) is quite apt considering the turmoil the global economy is experiencing due to "creative" debt vehicles.

Merry Christmas and happy New Year to all! I anticipate 2009 will be an interesting year....

Boo! Halloween makes for scary times....

So, Halloween is fast approaching - scary times! We really are living in scary economic times. I can't help but be shocked by the continued steep declines in the worlds stock markets. What does this all mean for us?

In some ways it presents opportunities I think. Much like in any crisis, there is room for creative responses at the local, national and international level. People who are laid off from work can move to start their own business serving their local communities. Internationally, we will probably see a higher level of regulation over global financial markets. We might even see a move towards more regional integration as smaller countries (think Iceland, and Canada???) realize the benefits of being hitched up in a larger political economic entity.

For Canada, does this mean greater integration with the U.S.? That thought rightly scares a lot of people. What would that mean for our distinct northern, social welfare, etc, culture? Would we still be able to maintain our Canadianess - what ever one defines that to be?

In some ways, regional integration makes a lot of sense. By facilitating trade in geographically close regions, we may avoid the wasteful importation of products from half-way around the world. Take for example an apple. If you are someone living in Ottawa, it makes a lot more sense to import that apple from New York than it does to import it from B.C. even though it is in the same country. Maybe we should break North America into regional conglomerations - East Coast, mid-west, West Coast.....I'm talking nonesense here....

Anyways, I've started investing again in the hopes that I can take advantage of some eventual upturn in the markets. Hopefully they decide to start cooperating!!

Fall Colours, change in the air...

Fall is in full swing, leaves changing colour. Is this not one of the most beautiful times of the year?

I love the fall harvest! I am lucky to have a great farmers market right across the street from me. Today I went and bought a nice Butternut Squash, some onions, apples, cabbage and other delicious fall veggies...I am not trying to strategize some recipes to use it all :)

Bracing for winter? It is definitely on the way. Below zero in the mornings, I am now wearing a toque and mits for my daily bike commute. I am going to have to break out my 'beater' bike and begin getting it ready for winter time. Am I crazy to expect that I will be able to ride throughout the winter? My ride is only about 10 minutes in good times, so that shouldn't be an issue. The worst part will be the logistics of wearing all sorts of winter gear and having to change into my work clothes....a logistical issue really....

Another thing is trying to keep myself socially active once the cold arrives. It will be difficult to motivate myself to leave my place when its freezing cold out....I'll survive though, and maybe even be happy doing it too...

Trois Pistoles

I have spent the past 4 days in the Bas-St Laurent region of Quebec in a town called Trois Pistoles. My friend Andrea was here over the summer doing the summer language program and I decided to come visit for an end of summer vacation....

I was here a few years ago in La Pocatiere for my own french immersion experience and fell in love with the region. The St. Lawrence river is an imposing feature in the landscape and indeed it seems that life here revolves around its rythms. The tide rises and falls - the sun rises and sets....

Throughout my days here I've been pretty active with some bike riding, walking and kayaking. I've also spent some time in the town of Trois Pistoles which has revealed itself as a relaxing and pleasant place to spend one's days...

Big Trip - Big Move

So, the summer has passed quick as usual. I've been kept pretty busy with work and with getting used to life in a new city.

It's definitely had its ups and downs. Moving to a new place is always a difficult experience that brings with it new opportunities for discovery - both of self and of the new physical surroundings.

I've really come to like Ottawa. The city is smaller than any other I've spent significant time in (i.e. Montreal & Toronto). The smaller size is nice - you can get almost anywhere by walk/bike and don't have to deal with huge amounts of traffic. The city is also really green. Parks can be found everywhere - a national park is accessible within a 30 minute bike ride!! The Gatineau hills provide some really good mountain biking and an escape from the urban.

Building relationships here has been a challenge for me. I've made some really good friends nonetheless and look forward to meeting new and interesting people...

Work has been good to me. It challenges me to think and develop new skills and the subject matter is super interesting. In the fall I will begin working with the environmental team and the corporate social responsibility team. It will be a challenge to manage the two, but I am excited about the opportunities for learning that it will provide.

I will be moving into a new place in September - a basement apartment all to myself. It will be the first time that I've lived alone, without roommates. I am excited and somewhat apprehensive. I am looking forward to a place to call my own, but fear the loneliness that comes with that, especially come winter when people are less likely to venture from their homes. I think it'll be okay though :)

That's all for now folks....I'd appreciate some comments just to know that people are reading this!! But if not, thats cool....I write it as much for myself as for others..

Ian

Bye Montreal, Hello Ottawa!

This weekend was the last one that I will spend in Montreal as a resident. My friend Mike and his girlfriend Erin came up to Montreal from Toronto early Saturday morning to help me move my stuff to Ottawa.

Friday was my last night in Montreal was nice. I went with a bunch of friends to an Ethiopean resto and then out to the Plateau for some drinks. As I anticipated my friend Mike's to arrive at 4:30am, so decided to stay out until then...

Saturday we made the move. I don't really have that much stuff, so it wasn't that difficult. We arrived at my new place around 7-8pm and then went out for some dinner. We were all really tired and so came back home pretty early.

After some cheap breakfast on Sunday morning, we went for a walk around town to check out the parliament buildings and other sights. It was really nice to see the city a little. I live so close to everything!!! This is going to be a great summer :)

After Mike and Erin left, I unpacked my stuff and settled into my apartment a bit. I live with two engineering students who will be working in Ottawa over the summer. They seem like pretty nice guys. We went out for breakfast together and have talked about getting out to play sports and stuff which will be really nice.

I start my first day of work tommorow! Its pretty exciting - i don't really know what to expect, but imagine that it will be great. Details to come!