Table Of Contents
OK, this month had a trip to Japan. Aside from that, I got to Toronto once, and to Kingston just at the end of the month. February is a short month, though. As busy as that was, March was somehow busier, and here we are posting this just at the end of the month. The mistake was trying to write the trip report.
COVID
Again, not much news this month either. There is a nasal vaccine update and Hilda Bastian’s usual monthly update. I found out about a nasal vaccine clinical trial in Hamilton but that would be driving to Hamilton six times (once a week), yikes.
- Eric Topol. A COVID nasal vaccine update.
- Hilda Bastian. Exciting news from Europe and roadbloacks in the US
Professional
Still teaching three courses. There was a university closure due to forecast snow on February 12, which was announced while I was giving an in-class quiz. So my 5:30 lecture got cancelled. The university was also closed on the following Thursday, but that’s a no-teaching day for me. During my flights to and from Japan, I wrote some grant proposal reviews. I did prepare some teaching notes one day while I was otherwise on vacation in Japan. No paper submissions. Indeed, not much progress on papers at all—just what my students could do with some guidance during weekly or twice-weekly meetings.
Teaching
The most annoying thing was a partly self-inflicted problem with using Crowdmark and LEARN integration. I don’t use LEARN, the campus’s learning management software. I do try to use Crowdmark for doing exam marking online. But if you don’t create the course in LEARN, then the Crowdmark exams don’t scan to the right place (or any place at all). Oops. Had to retrieve the midterms and get them marked on paper.
Apart from that, there was a fair amount of other work for that course as well, and much less work for the other two sections of ECE 459; just delivering lectures.
Grad students/mentees/collaborators
Again met my students on 8 days and had a single SIGPLAN-M meeting. There was some rescheduling of those meetings in February and it’s just a short month. No collaboration either.
Collegiality/Service
Just grant reviews, two TOSEM reviews, and the FAUW governance reform working group.
Trips
Last month it was French Polynesia, Montreal, and Regina. This month it was Japan, Toronto, and Kingston. Toronto and Kingston are much closer. Japan is pretty far, though not as far as Aotearoa.
Japan
Japan remains sort of midway between New Zealand and Toronto: about 12 hours of flying from each, more or less. MP was pretty keen on walking the Kumano Kodo on the Kii Peninsula, so we planned a trip for reading week.
I should really read Things Become Other Things by Craig Mod, also about walking on this peninsula.
The Kumano Kodo is one half of the Dual Pilgrim routes which are UNESCO World Heritage recognized; the other route is the Camino de Santiago in Spain. There are 4 options to complete the Kumano Kodo, and we finished almost all of 3 of the options (two completely).
I started writing a trip report but didn’t finish that by the end of March, so I’ll just publish this for now.
Toronto
At the beginning of the month I went to Toronto to visit my cousin and for an OAC social event (at a climbing gym, of course; happened to be Joe Rockheads). Good to be able to combine trips like that. That resulted in 244km of driving.
I also went to Toronto on a Thursday night to help give a refereeing clinic, another 217km.
Kingston
At the end of the month I went to Kingston to referee at the RMC Open, carpooling from Toronto. Didn’t see much of Kingston. Last time I went to the RMC Open there was a snowstorm. Fortunately, this time, there wasn’t.
Travel Planning
I guess I didn’t mention in January, though apparently I should have, that I booked a flight to Lima for a refereeing seminar in April. I have not done any further planning for that trip yet. Still have a month.
I also planned logistics for the Kingston trip towards the beginning of February. There isn’t much to do, though, just an airbnb for a night and coordinating travel.
I made backup plans for getting to Osaka, since there was a bunch of snow falling. In the end I didn’t need them, but it’s good to be prepared for contingencies.
Movement statistics
There was that hike in Japan! Aside from that, mostly biking around Waterloo, some driving, and flights to and from Japan. New means of transportation for this series: monorail.
Movement statistics:
- 🚶 Walking: 135km on 18 days (115km in Japan)
- 🚲 Biking: 139km on 16 days
- 🚗 Driving: 894km on 7 days (Toronto 2×, Kingston)
- 🚗 Taxi: 0
- 🚌 Bus: 313km on 6 days (YYZ, and to Shingu, plus some shorter rides)
- 🚇 Metro: 30km on 4 days (Osaka)
- 🚆 Train: 445km on 3 days (Osaka-Tanabe, Nachi-Osaka-KIX, KIX-Osaka)
- 🚆 Monorail: 2km on 2 days (Osaka)
- ⛷ Skiing: 6km cross-country skiing (Waterloo)
- ✈ Plane: 22087km on 3 days (YYZ-NRT-ITM, ITM-NRT-YYZ)
Transit was 788km.
Walks
- Kumano Kodo Nakahechi, 82km, Takajiri-Chiyakatsuyu-Hongu, Kawayu-Koguchi-Nachi.
Pictures
February is a few days shorter than January, but I processed half as many photos in February as I did in January! Two more sets in February than January (9 versus 7), but most of the sets were small, and there were way fewer big sets.
So, that’s 9 sets off the queue and 10 sets onto the queue, but those 10 sets contain 3,085 pictures. That’ll be fun.
Picture logs still available. As always, pictures are clickable to go to the full gallery.
- Sets of pictures posted: 9 (January: 7)
- Total pictures posted: 244 (415)
- Total pictures in selection pool: 700 (1357)
- Accept rate: 35% (min 27%, max 62%) (31%)
- Pictures posted on this page: 43
February posts
Only one post, but this one contained original research. It’s not up to publishable standards, but it does contain legit analysis.
Miscellaneous
I’m glad I got to Japan, because I really didn’t get very far otherwise. Kingston is somewhat far.
Acquisitions
I had my laptop USB-C charger fixed at the nearby laptop/phone repair place, SimplyFIXIT. The tech came in to fix the computer when there was that huge snowstorm. I guess they didn’t crash their car coming in? Meanwhile I was using my old laptop, and remembered that it was kind of wonky in a bunch of ways. I also had a rip in my pants fixed, but then I got new pants in March anyway.
I actually installed my ecobee smart thermostat. It seems to work. Good to be able to control remotely. Screwing it in the wall was more annoying than I’d like.
I also replaced a smoke detector.
I bought a stuff sack and pants in Japan. I think the pants I got in NZ at Mons Royale are better, but they’re pretty thin.
Sports
Cross-country skiing at Schneider’s Bush, judo 6× (well, once was a refereeing clinic). GRR 3×, Joe Rockhead’s 1×.
Food
Not too many restaurants in Ontario. Lots of restaurants in Japan.
Ontario
- Left Field Brewery, Toronto: decent, if unremarkable, pulled pork poutine aka pretty good
- Pho Foodie, Toronto: there are a bunch of new places with highly flavourful pho these days; this is one of them. Doesn’t taste watered down.
- Seven Shores, Waterloo: I’ve certainly been here before but more than 5 years ago. Breakfast burrito is fine. Gotta have eggs for breakfast…
- Lone Star Texas Grill, Kingston: “Proudly Canadian since 1986” says their webpage. OK burger. Likely not the world’s best fajitas. We’re in Canada, after all.
- YYZ International Maple Leaf Lounge: Haven’t been to this lounge since 2019. Actually didn’t really eat here (had food coming on the plane), but nice to be back.
Japan
Umm, so much food, 95% of which was good. It is too hard to give shout-outs to specific places, so I won’t.
Volunteering
For the OAC I organized a volunteer meetup in Toronto, which was good to have. There was also reasonably active volunteering for the Scouts. And for judo there was a drive to Toronto to co-teach a refereeing rules seminar as well as a drive to Kingston for refereeing on March 1st.
Conclusion
Two-thirds done with Winter term teaching. I guess I would have had more recovery time if I hadn’t done the Japan trip, but that would have been sad. There are definitely some good pictures in that bundle of Japan pictures. Hope I can get some research re-started soon.