Something I forgot to mention in my last weekly post was the annual Fenner Hall Commencement Dinner. Like last year, this year's dinner was held at the National Museum of Australia. However, I was a little disappointed with this year's event. The food was good, but not great, and the main course was fish --- some sort of salmon dish. That's alright in itself, but there was no meat dish and no vegetarian option. I appreciate the thought, and dessert was alright, even if it came out a little late, but it could have been better. Still, I met some interesting people so it wasn't all bad.
The Winter Olympics ended and I believe I can say that they were a resounding success, not just for Canada. From what I've read online, everyone seems to have enjoyed the games, which have come in at budget, I believe. Just as important was Canada's podium success. From no gold medals as a host, Canada set a new Winter Olympics record by taking 14 gold, including the coveted men's hockey gold in a close game. I think it kind of speaks to prejudices about Canadians when the last Olympic event is hockey. I would like to say well done, Vancouver. You may not have the greatest weather, but you've got spirit.
On the home front, we had a rather troubling event at Fenner Hall a few weeks back. There was a small fire in someone's room but that set off their sprinkler system and because the fire alarm sounded, we all had to evacuate.. The sprinkler proceeded to flood the 4th floor with the disgustingly black water contained in the pipes. The water seeped through the floor and proceeded to cause decreasing water damage all the way to the ground floor. Luckily I live on the 6th floor so I was not affected. The emergency services arrived and the fire department spent the next few hours cleaning up the mess.
Because the floors were soaked, there was a question about what to do with those residents who couldn't go back to their rooms. Residents from floors unaffected were asked to provide sleeping bags and pillows, if they could, to those less fortunate. With the night's activities, I was just too full of adrenaline to go to sleep so I stayed up until 06:00 the next morning. One stairwell was essentially closed due to water and throughout the South Tower the water left a stale smell in the air. After a day, the floors had dried out enough that everyone could go back to their rooms. The moral of this story seems to be live on the top floor.
It got me thinking, though, about what I call the "Fire Drill Dilemma". Although conducting fire drills would appear to be necessary so that everyone knows what they're doing, if you do them too often, when there's a real emergency people just don't believe it. I wonder how this problem can be resolved?
Last Sunday was one of the premier horse races in Canberra, the Black Opal Stakes. I was working at the racecourse and it was pretty busy, though not as busy as previous years. This was due to the weather as it rained for quite a few of the races, but it didn't affect the running of the main event. I'm sure a few fortunes were made and many more were lost, all in good fun, though, I'm sure.
Speaking of money, I was pleased to hear that Canada will be switching to plastic money starting next year. Australia has been using plastic money for almost 15 years, I think, and Australians swear by it. It lasts longer, can go through the wash, can be taken into the water, is recyclable and harder to counterfeit. I just hope the Bank of Canada comes up with interesting designs. This is one area where Canada can learn from Australia though I fear it will give the Americans something else to poke fun at. And one more thing, Canadian money isn't paper in the true sense of the word. The currency, like the American, is made from a cotton weave, like jeans, that is called cotton paper but there's no wood pulp in it.
In fitness news, I've started running 8km twice per week to get my fitness up for umpiring season. Speaking of which, I officiated my first game of the pre-season yesterday in Queanbeyan. It was a beautiful day, 30C and sunny. That's the great thing about the season in Canberra, it starts out around 30C and sunny, dips to about 10C windy and rainy, and finishes off back around 20C in September. The regular season doesn't start until the first week of April but I have to be in peak form for it.
Also there was an event by the lake today called Skyfire, much like the Symphony of Fire in Canada. Sponsored by a radio station, fireworks are set off to music on the lake. I walked down to the lake and managed to get a seat on the water's edge. Several thousand people made their way down for the 20-minute show, which was quite spectacular. I don't know, though, maybe next year I'll just watch it from somewhere closer to home.
Well, that's it. 3 weeks summed up in a few succinct paragraphs. I'll be resuming the regular pattern starting next Saturday but only for a while as I'm off to New Zealand again for the break. We'll see how that adventure goes.
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