Canada – Page 90 – a sibilant intake of breath

Quite staggeringly popular in this manor, squire

So I curtailed my Walpoling activites, sallied forth, and infiltrated your place of purveyance to negotiate the vending of some cheesy comestibles.

One thing I miss about England is the cheese. While there are equally good premium cheeses in Canada, the average quality of normal cheese is much better over there. The store brand will include Cheshire, Wensleydale, Cheddar, Double Gloucester, Red Leicester, and others and they will all be a lot more enjoyable than the standard can’t – tell – if – this – is – Cheddar – or – Mozzarella variant that seems to sell best by bulk here.

When I return to graduate (eventually), I will have to make a point of enjoying them.

Ottawa blogs

Within a few months of arriving in Oxford, I had sorted out which blogs were worth reading. So far, I have not stumbled across any good Ottawa blogs. Does anybody know of any? Environment blogs, photo blogs, food blogs, travel blogs – all of these are potentially interesting. Personal blogs are better than pundit blogs. High quality writing is the key factor, along with some local information.

Ottawa sights

During the next three weeks, in the lead-up to a friend’s visit, I am undertaking a survey of touristic sites in Ottawa. It should involve the major museums – war, civilization, the National Gallery, the small Museum of Contemporary Photography – as well as Parliament and possibly the Supreme Court. This pre-screening is meant both to familiarize me with the city a bit and to help identify places of interest to show to others.

What else might be appropriate for a three-day-visitor? Culinary suggestions are also welcome. For the benefit of anybody else who is new to the city, it may be worthwhile to know that a collection of MetaFilter members are meeting up on August 9th.

Out of season

If you want to save some money and make yourself feel like you are really on the ball, have a look at the winter clothing prices at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC). Presumably because they have new stock coming in this fall, a lot of old stuff is quite heavily discounted. If you sense a long-term need for Gore-Tex trousers or a down parka, now may be the time to invest.

Personally, I am placing my hope in a long summer. Unless some new hassle arises, my next paycheque should finally mean the acquisition of a used bike.

Sustainable transport required

Now that I have a flat leased and am starting to collect furniture, the next target for a search is a bicycle. I am open to either a new or a used bike of a reasonable price. A hybrid is probably the correct formfactor, since I am unlikely to always use it on the road, but will generally be doing so. Picking up a pannier or two is also probably a good idea, especially given that I plan to commute to and from work by bike – at least until the snows begin.

Local intel is always valuable in these situations. Anyone who can speak to one of the following is encouraged to let me know: the relative merits of local bike shops selling used bikes, the same information on places that sell used ones, any specific opportunities to buy a good bike from a private individual. Having sold my Oxford bike in desperation, shortly before my departure, I know that relocating individuals with a moderate lack of foresight can be an excellent source of such vehicles.

Ottawa River hydro

Right near the complex where I work, there is an unusual hydroelectric system on the Ottawa river. On either side of the main channel are large concrete canals with blocks of turbines. From those, high voltage power lines extend. In the middle of the river, there is a long arc of gates. These are to manage the degree to which water flows through the side channels, and the degree to which it flows over the uneven stone surfaces that were once natural cascades.

Since the water level in the river is high, there is pretty much always some degree of overflow venting through the gates. The little building you can see above them actually moves along the arc, raising and lowering gates. I am not sure if there are people inside or whether it is robotic, but everyone with an office on the south side of my building has a constant view of the whole installation. Those on the north side must content themselves with the fountain at a Gatineau casino.

Unbowlerized and hatless

Working in a complex of government buildings, I feel as though I should be part of a parade of men in dark pinstripe suits and bowler hats, walking in from a train platform every morning. There should be large steam-driven clocks around, and everyone should have a crisp newspaper under the arm.

Though thousands of people must work in the four towers, the place never actually seems like a flow of people is moving in or out. This is especially curious given how pretty much everyone can be expected to vanish within ten minutes before or after 5:00pm.

Perhaps there should be an annual ’emulate a scene from a film like Brazil‘ day.

New social networks

As the process of getting settled continues, it seems time to consider aspects aside from the simple physical realities of life. Specifically, I am thinking about finding some places aside from work where I can meet my fellow denizens of this most governmental city. Some sort of club may be ideal, whether photographic, literary, oriented towards the outdoors, or interesting in an entirely different way.

Can anyone more familiar with Ottawa think of any stand-out examples? Once fall arrives, there will probably be some prospects through Carleton and the University of Ottawa.

PS. Sorry for the dearth of posts with substantive content. Unsurprisingly, I have been busy with work, commuting, and the apartment hunt. I will have something non-narrative to say soon. In the interim, take a look at this fisheries blog that I found: Shifting Baselines, writen by Jennifer Jacquet, a member of the Sea Around Us project at UBC.

Housed

This evening, I signed the lease for the flat on Booth Street. The place is nice, I like the landlord, and it is very close to work. There is a huge basement, plants in the front, newly renovated floors and walls, and lots of light. Now, I just need some furniture (bed, dresser, desk, kitchen table, and a chair).

I may move in as early as Friday.

Cognitive maps

When you first begin to learn the geography of a place, it exists in your mind in the form of a set of very limited spatial relationships: X is west of Y, following A street will lead you to B, landmark C is to the north of town. The really disconcerting phase is not at the beginning, but at the point where you start to understand how previously seperate connections are actually interlinked. You realize that the passage between places D and E can also be an expedited route between F and G, and that place H (which you had never associated with place I), is actually right beside it.

This is the stage that I have reached for Ottawa, largely on account of a week’s worth of intense apartment hunting. Soon, I will actually have a comprehensive understanding of the spatial geography of the downtown region. That is the point, more or less, when it becomes defensible to think of oneself as a resident.