this blog is one document I’m not going to seal …
Friday, May 23rd, 2008I’m now a licensed Professional Engineer (P.Eng.), according Professional Engineers Ontario.
I started my application process on December 2006. It’s not a quick process.
Archive for the ‘o canada’ Category
la belle province
Tuesday, May 6th, 2008
Hydro-Québec announced their wind RFP winners yesterday. It’s a huge deal for the industry; more than 2000 MW of contracts awarded, with commissioning dates ranging from 2011-2015. Enercon and REpower won all the manufacturing; strict local content requirements mean that they will have to set up shop in Québec.
This is good for the Canadian industry. Now the real work begins.
signs of life in Scarborough
Saturday, May 3rd, 2008A fat brown raccoon without a tail is digging for bugs in our back lawn.
i love this city
Friday, May 2nd, 2008I’m sad to leave Montréal. Not just was it one of the most productive work weeks I’ve ever had (thanks to the fine folks at Hélimax), but the city is great. I’ve had some spectacular meals here - the two little bistros within walking distance of the office are fantastic; way better than the 40+ mediocre fast-food outlets near my office. One evening we went to Pintxo - nummy Basque food.
I think I’d probably eat less here, because the food is worth savouring. There’s care and love in the food here, not boil-in-the-bag slop.
a bit chilly in montréal
Thursday, May 1st, 2008We had a snow flurry yesterday, but it was all made up for by a jolly dinner with Ross Overbury from the Robyn Hitchcock list
need for speed
Sunday, April 27th, 2008If you are finding your Ubuntu upgrade slow, I found it worth changing my default download server. Under System -> Administration -> Software Sources you can choose a new server. It has a Choose Best Server test, which pings all 185 Ubuntu download servers and picks the best one for you.
The default Canadian server is swamped at the moment, but the good people at Rochester Institute of Technology are the fastest for me.
uh …. Calgary?
Thursday, April 10th, 2008Look, I know the Flames won last night, but that’s no excuse for all the snow we’re getting today. C’mon, it’s spring!
the cure for hockey
Thursday, April 10th, 2008• • • •
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The above is a pictorial representation of the 11 additional pucks required so that they wouldn’t need to fight over one. Please donate generously, and you can help Canada become a world-class country with a proper sport …
first butterfly
Monday, April 7th, 2008Definitely summer now … Even as ice chunks float down to the Niagara Falls.
definitely spring
Saturday, April 5th, 2008Two groundhogs at warden!
Air Canada: we only want your money
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008You know how much Air Canada wanted for changing a short flight from Fort St John to Vancouver to an earlier one?
$500.
Yeah, that’s more than the entire YXJ to YYZ trip cost. Smooth one, AC.
make that six
Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008Catherine and I have been in Canada for six years now.
(almost) one third of the world away
Monday, March 31st, 2008I’m in Fort St John, BC - which appears to be exactly 116° due west of the hills around Arrochar where I used to stomp around. It’s also the furthest north I’ve ever been in Canada.
double take
Sunday, March 30th, 2008I just saw David Suzuki at Vancouver Airport.
okay, so maybe it’s not spring, then
Sunday, March 9th, 2008
geese! geese! geese!
Thursday, March 6th, 2008Because I saw geese flying north today, and because of the rim, it is officially spring in Scarborough. (The ~20cm of snow is merely an anomaly).
define:irony
Monday, March 3rd, 2008How strange that ads for Outragenl.ca | Take Action Against Violence happened during Hockey Night in Canada.
the first sign of spring in the city
Monday, February 25th, 2008So how did I know that spring was on its way today? We’ve still got huge piles of snow, it’s pretty chilly, and there are few birds and no green things. I knew ‘cos Roll Up The Rim To Win started today. And I won a coffee with my first one. Sweet.
Don’t think I need one of these, though.
Sunday night at the chalet
Sunday, February 24th, 2008The craving for second-rate chicken came over me. So I’m sat here in the chalet next to two couples who are having a conversation from two decades ago: how they drive out their way for Burger King, how the auto industry’s dying (but still a good place for a pension), bemoaning the lack of the Gardner extension, why recycling doesn’t work … and how John Tory’s a really nice guy who just can’t catch a break.
Just another Sunday night in Scarborough.
an engineer is me (almost)
Sunday, February 24th, 2008I passed the PPE. Now all I need to do is prove that I have engineering experience, and I’ll be able to have a licence to practice engineering. The Engineering Council thought I had enough experience to be a CEng back in 2001, but engineering fundamentals are so different here in Ontario.