Have you ever wondered what it must have been like to live in the latter part of the 19th Century? No telephones, for a start, not to mention many other amenities we now consider standard. I one read that the richest person of the time, I think it was a Rockefeller, had, after inflation, 10 times more money than Bill Gates has today! However, he couldn't use a telephone since they didn't exist so how rich was he really? Anyway, I've gotten a first-hand look at how a world without the telephone would look. Fenner Hall is upgrading its telecommunications system so all telephones and ethernet-linked internet access is impossible. It's amazing how quickly you realize how much you depend on a telephone despite it being, possibly, the most rude invention in history; I wrote about that in an earlier post. Luckily, I've left a message for anyone wishing to contact me that they can do so via my mobile. So I guess I'm not quite stuck in the 19th Century after all.
Although the weather has gotten a little cooler, earlier in the week it reached 38C, which is a record for this time of year. Although I have a fan in my room, and now a second one I managed to scavenge, it wasn't doing the trick. After trying in vain to fall asleep, I took my sleeping bag and went to the roof balcony. I spread it out an managed to get a bit of sleep in the cooler night air. It wasn't particularly comfortable as I had to sleep on concrete but at least I wasn't sweating profusely. I'll only do it again if I really have to.
Last Wednesday I had my first Summer Duty Warden shift which extended from 16:45 to 09:00 the next day. There isn't much to report except opening cupboards, fridges and baggage rooms for people. At one point, someone reported what they perceived to be a suspicious person but I couldn't find anyone as it was quite late. Maybe there's a phantom at Fenner? The Fenner Phantom?
And finally, today was also the Canberra Cup, the major race day at the Canberra Racecourse. It wasn't as sunny as last year, but the weather wasn't too bad, though a little showery. The Canberra Cup is also the last event of the Spring Racing Carnival. I was stationed up in the Members' area so I had a pretty good view of the finishing line. It's been decorated with a mock-up of New Parliament House's facade. The place was abuzz with activity and I served a great many people. No one won particularly large sums and there isn't anything really to report about the day, except the end. I was standing outside waiting for the bus but it quickly turned out that I was the only one. That being the case, one of the ACTION (Australian Capital Territory Internal Omnibus Network) employees offered to drive me to Fenner Hall. I took him up on the offer and was back home quite soon and able to start my next Summer Duty Warden Shift.
All that's left for today is the rest of my shift and then waiting to see who wins the Grey Cup.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Empty Eyrie
As this was the last week of exams, the contracts of most people at Fenner Hall expired on Saturday. The Hall fairly quickly finds itself depopulated for the summer. Fenner Hall is quite different in the summer. There are only a few people around so it is very quiet. With student activity essentially terminated until February, those of us hoping for a relaxing summer can usually get it.
For the summer, I was appointed one of many Summer Duty Wardens. In this capacity, I will work a few shifts throughout the summer just making sure everything at Fenner is running as it should. With so few people, I'm hoping that there won't be any emergencies I have to deal with. As a bonus, I also get remunerated for my troubles. I'll now have 2 sources of income over the summer, ACTTAB and Fenner.
As part of my Summer Duty Warden training, I had to undertake first aid training. The first component was online, which I completed a few days earlier. On Saturday, I biked to Fyshwick, an eastern suburb of Canberra, and attended an all-day course run by a very pleasant paramedic named Bob. We went through the usual things like CPR, bleeding, heart attacks and a few Australian specific threats like snake and spider bites. I passed that component handily and now I'm qualified to render first aid, should the need ever arise. I hope I never have to use it this summer.
Speaking of the summer, it sure feels like it but it isn't officially that season yet, which begins December 1. Recently some very warm air masses produced record November temperatures in the southeast of the country. This is especially worrying for bushfires. The tragic and enormous bushfires of last year are still in everyone's mind. A few days ago it was 43C in Adelaide and on Friday, Canberra, at 38C, was the hottest capital city in the country. A cool change is expected but all I can say is that it's only going to get hotter.
I've started running in preparation for the next umpire season. 3 times per week, I do a 4 km night jog, which isn't really all that much but it serves its purpose. This was the recommendation of the umpire training coach. I run at night because it's cooler, there are fewer people about and there's no blazing sun. Consequently I can run further with a smaller risk of dehydration. Personally, I think people who run during the day are just barking. After I run the distance, the greatest problem is my legs can barely support me. The thighs are especially sore. I only hope that it's worth it when February rolls around.
For the summer, I was appointed one of many Summer Duty Wardens. In this capacity, I will work a few shifts throughout the summer just making sure everything at Fenner is running as it should. With so few people, I'm hoping that there won't be any emergencies I have to deal with. As a bonus, I also get remunerated for my troubles. I'll now have 2 sources of income over the summer, ACTTAB and Fenner.
As part of my Summer Duty Warden training, I had to undertake first aid training. The first component was online, which I completed a few days earlier. On Saturday, I biked to Fyshwick, an eastern suburb of Canberra, and attended an all-day course run by a very pleasant paramedic named Bob. We went through the usual things like CPR, bleeding, heart attacks and a few Australian specific threats like snake and spider bites. I passed that component handily and now I'm qualified to render first aid, should the need ever arise. I hope I never have to use it this summer.
Speaking of the summer, it sure feels like it but it isn't officially that season yet, which begins December 1. Recently some very warm air masses produced record November temperatures in the southeast of the country. This is especially worrying for bushfires. The tragic and enormous bushfires of last year are still in everyone's mind. A few days ago it was 43C in Adelaide and on Friday, Canberra, at 38C, was the hottest capital city in the country. A cool change is expected but all I can say is that it's only going to get hotter.
I've started running in preparation for the next umpire season. 3 times per week, I do a 4 km night jog, which isn't really all that much but it serves its purpose. This was the recommendation of the umpire training coach. I run at night because it's cooler, there are fewer people about and there's no blazing sun. Consequently I can run further with a smaller risk of dehydration. Personally, I think people who run during the day are just barking. After I run the distance, the greatest problem is my legs can barely support me. The thighs are especially sore. I only hope that it's worth it when February rolls around.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Payments of Liberty
Before one can truly be liberated, one must somehow pay for it, or deserve it, and no one pays more than students. Before we can be free, we have to endure the gruelling torture that is the examination period. In a way, you sort of look forward to it knowing that on the other side lies freedom. On the other hand, you dread having to prepare and study like mad in order to deserve that freedom. The one benefit is that exams are over quickly so the suffering is not prolonged. I have paid my dues this semester, though not a heavy price. I had only 2 exams and both in the same week.
The first exam was on Monday afternoon on the subject of Commonwealth Constitutional Law (ComCon). My dad told me that this field always interested him and he did well in it, although he did not take up constitutional law as his practice. The exam, held in a very large, but air conditioned room, was not as hard as I thought it would be, though it was involved. It required a considerable amount of skill and I only just managed to get all my answers down before the exam ended. Happy that that was over, I then concentrated on my Advanced International Law (AIL) exam, held today.
The day didn't begin easily as the exam was at 09:00, necessitating a 08:00 wake up. I had prepared fairly thoroughly with some fellow lawyers-to-be and so was confident going in. While most exams at law school are open-book, this was closed-book except for the Articles on State Responsibility. Again, the exam was over reasonably quickly and I think I got all the major points. It wasn't easy remembering the correct process of state responsibility but the chart I had made proved useful in study. The professor has said that she will be marking this fairly leniently so I am confident I will finish well, especially after my 87% on the mid-term test.
My day was further complicated in that I had to go to work an hour after sitting the exam. Needless to say, I've had a fairly long day and I'm very tired. My leg muscles are aching, in particular as I've spent most of the day on my feet.
As if things weren't interesting enough, Australia has turned up the thermostat this November. Most days have been above 30C and the temperature is expected to rise as high as 36C on some days. In their usual pithy way, the Bureau of Meteorology has described these as "warm to hot conditions". How is 30C , "warm"? It's beyond warm. They should say "from scorching to oven-setting". With the heat, there comes an increased risk of bushfires and although there aren't any yet around us, the predictions point to a hot summer this year so we must be ever-vigilant.
Finally, I will wish a happy birthday to my father who turns 70 on the 15th. He's been around for a while and he's almost as old as World War 2. Just to put that into perspective, when my dad was born there were only about 2 billion people on Earth; now there are roughly 6.8 billion of us. As this is a major milestone, as all decade years are, I hope dad gets to celebrate. My mom told me that my brother and my dad are going to watch an Ottawa Senators game, which will be the first time that any of us have gone to a professional hockey game, except for my dad and even he hasn't been in decades. I just hope he gets to keep a puck.
The first exam was on Monday afternoon on the subject of Commonwealth Constitutional Law (ComCon). My dad told me that this field always interested him and he did well in it, although he did not take up constitutional law as his practice. The exam, held in a very large, but air conditioned room, was not as hard as I thought it would be, though it was involved. It required a considerable amount of skill and I only just managed to get all my answers down before the exam ended. Happy that that was over, I then concentrated on my Advanced International Law (AIL) exam, held today.
The day didn't begin easily as the exam was at 09:00, necessitating a 08:00 wake up. I had prepared fairly thoroughly with some fellow lawyers-to-be and so was confident going in. While most exams at law school are open-book, this was closed-book except for the Articles on State Responsibility. Again, the exam was over reasonably quickly and I think I got all the major points. It wasn't easy remembering the correct process of state responsibility but the chart I had made proved useful in study. The professor has said that she will be marking this fairly leniently so I am confident I will finish well, especially after my 87% on the mid-term test.
My day was further complicated in that I had to go to work an hour after sitting the exam. Needless to say, I've had a fairly long day and I'm very tired. My leg muscles are aching, in particular as I've spent most of the day on my feet.
As if things weren't interesting enough, Australia has turned up the thermostat this November. Most days have been above 30C and the temperature is expected to rise as high as 36C on some days. In their usual pithy way, the Bureau of Meteorology has described these as "warm to hot conditions". How is 30C , "warm"? It's beyond warm. They should say "from scorching to oven-setting". With the heat, there comes an increased risk of bushfires and although there aren't any yet around us, the predictions point to a hot summer this year so we must be ever-vigilant.
Finally, I will wish a happy birthday to my father who turns 70 on the 15th. He's been around for a while and he's almost as old as World War 2. Just to put that into perspective, when my dad was born there were only about 2 billion people on Earth; now there are roughly 6.8 billion of us. As this is a major milestone, as all decade years are, I hope dad gets to celebrate. My mom told me that my brother and my dad are going to watch an Ottawa Senators game, which will be the first time that any of us have gone to a professional hockey game, except for my dad and even he hasn't been in decades. I just hope he gets to keep a puck.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Stopping a Nation
Imagine if you had the ability to convince people to throw millions of dollars your way with only a mere hope of getting a return. Further imagine that you are able to convince roughly 80% of the adult public of a wealthy nation to do this, not once, not twice, but once each year. then imagine that you can essentially halt the business of the nation for the short time that it takes to run that race. Now, open your eyes and realize that this actually happens; it's called the Melbourne Cup.
Last Tuesday was one of the most important days on the Australian calendar, the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's richest horse race. The first Tuesday of November is anticipated with great joy in this country as the time comes to put a bet on a horse or horses. And by the way, that 80% figure is not and exaggeration, it is a government statistic.
I started the day fairly early, around 07:45 as I had to be at my post by 08:15. I didn't sleep terribly well the night before, though, I think I was anxious about my upcoming exams. I would be working at Civic West, a smaller outlet but one at which I have worked before. I was partnered up with David, an older supervisor, as well as a volunteer helper. With just the 3 of us, we would be working flat-out, as they say. Well, once the day got rolling, it really went. Because this outlet is located in the city, it mostly gets civil servants and the like but Melbourne Cup Day is a paid holiday in the ACT (Family and Community Day), so it wasn't expected to be that busy. Although business was a little down from the year before, it was still reasonably busy. That Dixon guy even showed up at one point but didn't cause any trouble.
Well, the bets flowed as the race drew near. The Melbourne Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airlines who also sponsor other major horse races around the world, is run at 15:00 over 3200 meters making it one of the longest races in Australia. It was originally 2 miles long, about 3218 meters but when Australia went metric, they shortened the length of the race. The total prize money for the owners and jockeys this year was $5 200 000 but next year it's going up to $6 000 000! Even that is dwarfed by the betting pools; the Win-Place betting pool alone was close to $40 000 000.
This year, the race was won by horse 21, Shocking. Not a totally unexpected winner and as such, the payouts weren't as big as last year. One lucky soul, though, won on a mystery trifecta, where the computer randomly generates 3 horses. The cost, $6, the payout, about $9 500! There was another payout of around $8 000 and another of around $4 000 I think. But to add a little salt on the wound, I didn't get a single tip! Can you believe that? Even in a country where tipping isn't customary when you win money like that, you can at least throw me a couple of bucks. Not that I could complain about money, though. Since it is a holiday, I made $54.14/hr for the first 7.5 hours and then $67.68/hr for the remaining 2.5 hours I was working, so I probably made more money than most people. One of these days, though, once I'm making good money, I think I'll put a 10-horse trifecta bet and see how I go.
Because of the fast pace, the day was over pretty quickly and we closed up the outlet at 18:00. Some other outlets stayed open until after 22:00. In the company newsletter, it said that overall turnover was higher than last year with some big increases in some outlets. Melbourne Cup day is always exciting and I can't wait until next year's. Unfortunately, the ACT government has moved Family and Community Day so I won't be getting such a fantastic salary that day anymore.
David, my supervisor, also mentioned that one of the internet betting agencies was offering odds on CFL games. He said he was interested and I told him I would tell him anything he wants to know about the CFL. I think it's about time that Australians, and the world in general, took notice of that great sport Canadians cherish.
My mother sent me a piece on delis from the newspaper that says the deli is dying. That may be true,and maybe a little sad, but what is so special about delis? They're not something with which we could do without, except that they often form an important part of a city's identity, like Montreal and New York. The piece also mentioned a New York deli called Katz's as the world's oldest and I'm wondering if that was the deli my family and I visited on our trip to New York in 1999. If so, the thing I remember most is the colossal amount of cream cheese they gave with their bagels. I also remember that my friend Andre (whom I call Dr. Dre, because he's a doctor) took me to Schwartz's, Montreal's most famous deli once for some smoked meat sandwiches. It was quite a deli-ghtful experience, with the most memorable thing being the benches; you sat with other people rather than on your own. Ottawa has, or possibly had, its own famous deli in Nate's, which I don't think I've ever been too. I'll see what I can do, but I can tell you that there are no delis in Australia, at least none that I can find in Canberra.
Yesterday, I had a shift out at the harness track at EPIC. I don't know why, but I've always had a soft spot for harness racing. It's a different experience than the outlets mostly because there are only verbal bets and generally not that many people. The last time I worked at EPIC, it was 40C but yesterday was much more pleasant. Hopefully, I'll get a few more shifts out there; I like it.
Well, I have to get back to studying. I have an exam tomorrow in Commonwealth Constitutional Law. Not the easiest subject; actually it's about 17 subjects squeezed into 1. However, I've been doing some diligent studying and I think I'll be alright. I've looked at past exam papers, looked through my notes a few times and made my summaries. I think I'll do alright.
Last Tuesday was one of the most important days on the Australian calendar, the 150th running of the Melbourne Cup, Australia's richest horse race. The first Tuesday of November is anticipated with great joy in this country as the time comes to put a bet on a horse or horses. And by the way, that 80% figure is not and exaggeration, it is a government statistic.
I started the day fairly early, around 07:45 as I had to be at my post by 08:15. I didn't sleep terribly well the night before, though, I think I was anxious about my upcoming exams. I would be working at Civic West, a smaller outlet but one at which I have worked before. I was partnered up with David, an older supervisor, as well as a volunteer helper. With just the 3 of us, we would be working flat-out, as they say. Well, once the day got rolling, it really went. Because this outlet is located in the city, it mostly gets civil servants and the like but Melbourne Cup Day is a paid holiday in the ACT (Family and Community Day), so it wasn't expected to be that busy. Although business was a little down from the year before, it was still reasonably busy. That Dixon guy even showed up at one point but didn't cause any trouble.
Well, the bets flowed as the race drew near. The Melbourne Cup, sponsored by Emirates Airlines who also sponsor other major horse races around the world, is run at 15:00 over 3200 meters making it one of the longest races in Australia. It was originally 2 miles long, about 3218 meters but when Australia went metric, they shortened the length of the race. The total prize money for the owners and jockeys this year was $5 200 000 but next year it's going up to $6 000 000! Even that is dwarfed by the betting pools; the Win-Place betting pool alone was close to $40 000 000.
This year, the race was won by horse 21, Shocking. Not a totally unexpected winner and as such, the payouts weren't as big as last year. One lucky soul, though, won on a mystery trifecta, where the computer randomly generates 3 horses. The cost, $6, the payout, about $9 500! There was another payout of around $8 000 and another of around $4 000 I think. But to add a little salt on the wound, I didn't get a single tip! Can you believe that? Even in a country where tipping isn't customary when you win money like that, you can at least throw me a couple of bucks. Not that I could complain about money, though. Since it is a holiday, I made $54.14/hr for the first 7.5 hours and then $67.68/hr for the remaining 2.5 hours I was working, so I probably made more money than most people. One of these days, though, once I'm making good money, I think I'll put a 10-horse trifecta bet and see how I go.
Because of the fast pace, the day was over pretty quickly and we closed up the outlet at 18:00. Some other outlets stayed open until after 22:00. In the company newsletter, it said that overall turnover was higher than last year with some big increases in some outlets. Melbourne Cup day is always exciting and I can't wait until next year's. Unfortunately, the ACT government has moved Family and Community Day so I won't be getting such a fantastic salary that day anymore.
David, my supervisor, also mentioned that one of the internet betting agencies was offering odds on CFL games. He said he was interested and I told him I would tell him anything he wants to know about the CFL. I think it's about time that Australians, and the world in general, took notice of that great sport Canadians cherish.
My mother sent me a piece on delis from the newspaper that says the deli is dying. That may be true,and maybe a little sad, but what is so special about delis? They're not something with which we could do without, except that they often form an important part of a city's identity, like Montreal and New York. The piece also mentioned a New York deli called Katz's as the world's oldest and I'm wondering if that was the deli my family and I visited on our trip to New York in 1999. If so, the thing I remember most is the colossal amount of cream cheese they gave with their bagels. I also remember that my friend Andre (whom I call Dr. Dre, because he's a doctor) took me to Schwartz's, Montreal's most famous deli once for some smoked meat sandwiches. It was quite a deli-ghtful experience, with the most memorable thing being the benches; you sat with other people rather than on your own. Ottawa has, or possibly had, its own famous deli in Nate's, which I don't think I've ever been too. I'll see what I can do, but I can tell you that there are no delis in Australia, at least none that I can find in Canberra.
Yesterday, I had a shift out at the harness track at EPIC. I don't know why, but I've always had a soft spot for harness racing. It's a different experience than the outlets mostly because there are only verbal bets and generally not that many people. The last time I worked at EPIC, it was 40C but yesterday was much more pleasant. Hopefully, I'll get a few more shifts out there; I like it.
Well, I have to get back to studying. I have an exam tomorrow in Commonwealth Constitutional Law. Not the easiest subject; actually it's about 17 subjects squeezed into 1. However, I've been doing some diligent studying and I think I'll be alright. I've looked at past exam papers, looked through my notes a few times and made my summaries. I think I'll do alright.
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