Outpost: Fort van Rathburn

Thought I’d continue the street & prefix tradition out here in Ontario. A little bit of continuity while we’re all off in separate directions.

Well it’s the solstice!! And even though it's the longest night of the year I still feel like celebrating. It’s nice knowing that there’s nothing but more hours of sunlight to look forward to. Who knows? Me and Lisa might be able to see some sun on our walk to or from our labs… it’ll be a nice change.

I’m feeling pretty optimistic these days. Maybe it’s looking back and seeing how things have just managed to fall into place. I stumbled into an amazing house by luck alone, found a great program and pretty much just ended up surrounded by absolutely fantastic people.

So cheers to that, and to things always turning out in the long run, no matter how many little pockets of bad luck you run into. Here’s hoping you all have wonderful holidays!!

Musings

It's a sunday night and -40 outside. Walking about today in frigid air, as the sun gleamed and sparkled against the the snow, I felt somewhat Canadian... and pretty hardcore for being out in such extreme weather conditions. It wasn't that bad... well, other than the long underwear beneath my jeans making them two sizes too small. I came home to a hot cup of tea, some of Beth's sinfully delicious Sacher Bars and nestled with a short book called "The Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. For those of you who don't know, the book is based upon a lecture given by a professor at Carnegie Mellon. Often professors are given the opportunity to give a lecture as if it was their last. In Randy's case, it truly was his last as he was told he had just months to live after pancreatic cancer had metastasized into his liver. I knew this book was going to be a bit of a tear jerker but I think it is a universal book for anyone of any age as the personal anecdotes that the author shared can be applied or relatable to every individual in their own unique way. In light of the events that have occurred to me over the last year, both great and small, many of the standards by which I attempt to live my life by were iterated eloquently in this book. There are a few quotes I would like to share from this book that I think carry meaning with everyone, and perhaps I should follow most of this as well:

Don't complain, just work harder

 - Time is limited, and time wasted upon whining will not help us to achieve our goals, nor any happier.

Don't obsess over what other people think

Watch what they do, and not what they say

- Apparently the best dating advice for a girl is that if a guy is romantically interested her, she should just ignore everything they say and pay attention to what they do. 

Experience is what you get when you didn't get what you wanted

Loyalty is a two - way street.

Tell the truth. All the time.

No job is beneath anyone

If you can find your footing between two cultures, sometimes you can have the best of both worlds.

Brick walls are there for a reason - to give us a chance to show badly we want something.

Look for the best in everyone, sometimes it just takes time for it to come out.

Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity

The best shortcut is the long way - work hard.

Most people who have told a lie think they got away with it, when in fact, they didn't.

Sometimes, all you have to do is ask. 

Hope that gives some food for thought. Keep warm. 

How to convey anger with a world leader in the middle east

Jake vs Reza

Here is another arm wrestling match between me and Jake. (not safe for work language)

Ode to Dog - Merry Christmas

If You Can..

If you can start the day without caffeine;
If you can get going without pep pills;
If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains;
If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles;
If you can eat the same food every day and be grateful for it;
If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time;
If you can forgive a friend's lack of consideration;
If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when,
through no fault of your own, something goes wrong;
If you can take criticism and blame without resentment;
If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct him;
If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend;
If you can face the world without lies and deceit;
If you can conquer tension without medical help;
If you can relax without liquor;
If you can sleep without the aid of drugs;
If you can honestly say that deep in your heart you have no prejudice
against creed or color, religion or politics; then, my friend, you are
almost as good as your dog.

It could always be worse

Art!

There are some amazing examples of body painting out there. My favourite has usually been a poster for Pink Floyd with album artwork painted on women's backs. Whenever I thought of getting this poster though, someone usually gives me a funny look and asks me why I want posters of half naked women in my room. Sigh.

But Daniele Guido is an artist I just discovered who does amazing body-paintings - especially on hands!

So cool, and definitely worth checking out.