Flashback: Dinos and Poutine

So the other day Hye-Sung and I finally got around to exchanging a bunch of photos we had of each other.  These are some gems from the day we were first introduced to poutine.

It's like you're sitting across from me, in a shiny shiny diner, marveling at your own massive plate of artery-clogging heartattack.

We agree that the poutine is both terrifying and hypnotizing, but nether of us have started eating any of it yet.  Eek!

Anthropological field work: documenting the foodstuffs of the local people.

And the second half of the dino-diptych: the other panel is Hye-Sung kissing the triceratops on the horn.  Like a paleopostmodern altarpiece.

In Which Hye-Sung Chases a Table

A little medley of our recent activities at the Gallery:

Manifestation! Workers of the World: Manifest!

The bus drivers of the Ottawa City Transportation conglomerate, or as they like to call themselves OCTranspo, have been having a manifestation since Wednesday.

Hye-Sung told me that it was a planned manifestation - she saw it on the news.  What she really meant was that the bus drivers were going on strike.  Manifestation is one of the French terms for going on strike.

The bus drivers have been manifesting since Wednesday.  The day the entire city was blanketed in snow.  Traffic is awful: snow piles are everywhere: loads of people just bite the bullet and walk to work.  Half the staff at the museum has either come in late or left early in a futile attempt to avoid the madness on the roads.  Supervisor John gave Hye-Sung and I a serious little talk about making sure that we were very careful walking to and from the museum, which was really nice of him.

The definition of the English manifestation (courtesy of the Oxford English Dictionary, which my computer miraculously contains and updates as needed) is as follows: an event, action, or object that clearly shows or embodies something, esp. theory or an abstract idea.

I believe the abstract idea that OCTranspo is manifesting is that they feel it is okay for people like me to slog forty minutes through twelve inches of squeeky snow in freezing temperatures to and from work.

Why are they striking any way?  What benefits can they gain?  I mean, really.  This is Canada, which is fairly socialist in several aspects.  Not really face-punching material, but definitely a trial and/or tribulation.

Snow, Many Centimeters of Snow

It has been snowing for nearly 24 hours now, non-stop.  And it's supposed to keep falling until tomorrow.  The entire Ottawa River is covered in snow, as yesterday it had a sheet of ice across the surface.  This is this morning's view from the lab.  No - the wind isn't blowing existing snow around.  That's new snow falling.

Our lovely skylights!  Not so skylight-like anymore, but if you look closely, a good lesson on how glaciers can form.  Taken this morning around 9:30.

After lunch time Hye-Sung and I decided to track the snow build-up progress.  Hye-Sung checked with her larger ruler, and we were up to 20 centimeters before that chunk of snow fell off the sill.

After work, clinging to the giant spider.  And just so you know, my legs aren't really that stubby, I'm just standing in like twelve inches of snow.

Lost Dog

This caught my eye one day, leaving the museum for brief lunchtime hunting and gathering.

My first thought was, "Oh, I've seen that dog.  Wait...  No, that dog only has two heads, not three, so I haven't seen it."  

Sitting on the radiator to keep warm: the windows are double panes of glass so it's not too cold.

Toujours Frais: Timmy Ho-Hos

Yesterday Hye-Sung and I went to Kingston to visit the Art Conservation Program at Queen's University.  (Fun fact: Anne of Green Gables attended Queen's).  After our visit, on the way back to Ottawa, we stopped at a Canadian landmark.

Tim Hortons!

Ainsley (conservator at NGC) once referred to Tim Horton's as 'Timmy Ho-Hos," which is just fantastic.  The real Tim Horton was apparently a really good hockey player who opened a side business selling doughnuts and coffee.  And the Canadians really love their doughnuts, so Tim Horton's business quickly became a chain and took over the entire nation.

Hye-Sung and I were standing in line along with a bunch of flannel-shirt and work-boot wearing Canadians.  Out-loud I said, "I hope they have doughnut holes."

The Canadian in front of me turned around and said, "Timbits."

I said, "Excuse me?"

"You mean Timbits."

So, at Tim Horton's, doughnut holes are called Timbits.  Just so you know.  And you can purchase them in units of ten: observe below.  I keep screwing the name up, calling them TimmyBites. 

Book Press Awesome

I stumbled upon a conservation supplier selling massive and expensive cast iron Victorian copy/book presses.  Who wouldn't want such an attractive and useful addition to their studio?  Provided that the table can handle the weight.

The text at the bottom reads, "This lovely selection of antique copy presses have been recently imported from England by Talas.  Commonly used in bookbinding studios for pressing books, these presses make an attractive and useful addition to any studio.  They also make great gifts!"

"These presses are heavy, please inquire for shipping rates."