Trilobite

We hid a geocache near a pleasant waterfront path this week, and Banjo had a good time playing fetch. We met a very friendly blind puppy while we were there. His owner said he does pretty well using his senses of smell and hearing, but can’t tell where chain link fences are and usually runs right into them.

We went to the Communications and Electronics Museum on the army base and had fun playing with a Morse code transmitter. I was quite excited to see an actual Enigma device. There was a pottery show in one room of the museum (the real reason we went) and Celine bought a bowl.

Gisele gave Celine some geraniums, which they put on the roof.

Celine’s uncle Don removed the kitchen counters and cabinets at the house. I think he plans to use them for one of his future projects. He also disconnected the gas fireplace in the living room.

More photos: groundhog, Settlers, working, coworkers

Yellow flowers, purple flowers, geese, waterfront path, sunset.

I’m going to show this picture to Mica’s boyfriends when she grows up.

More photos: babysitting, socializing, Banjo.

We loaded the car up with my old computers and took them to an e-waste recycling company in Ottawa. Banjo liked sitting on the people-seat. We went to the Toyota dealership, did some geocaching, Celine got a haircut, we cooked some arctic char for Gisele & Kid, and we went out for dim sum. Yum.

Back in Kingston we assembled the shelves that we bought at Ikea.

I have exciting news (at least for me). Starting on Monday, I will be working in Dr. A’s lab five days a week instead of splitting my time between the two labs. I think I’ll like it much better that way. This means I’ll also be working with my friend John every day.

The demolition of our old house has been delayed by a month or two.

Celine and I went to our favourite spot on Wolfe Island a couple weekends ago to check on our geocache and do some fossil-hunting. I also tried to find a geodetic survey disc which I knew was 222.2 feet from a certain point, but the piece of string I was using to measure the distance got tangled up. Ha. Next time I’ll use a compass instead. I thought it was strange to see the little icebergs in the water. I guess I’d always associated beaches with warm weather. On our way home the sunset was very pretty over Reed’s Bay.

The weather is warming up and we’ve started to spend a bit of time out on the roof. It’s not as nice as our old yard, but Banjo is very happy to have the chance to lounge out in the sun again.

Celine and I have had terrible head colds. She is mostly better now, but I think mine will last another couple of days. We’re looking forward to this weekend because the weather is supposed to be very nice and we hope to hike out to “The Spit” on Wolfe Island. That’s where Celine found the trilobite fossil last summer.

Our apartment is starting to look a little bit more lived in. Celine bought some curtains for the bedroom window and I put up a towel rack in the bathroom. Last week we had our first visitors (who aren’t related to us) and we played a game of Seafarers of Catan. I’d never played it before. I think Seafarers is a better game than Settlers. Sometimes Mica comes by for a visit. She likes to throw things for Banjo, but he never fetches them for her.

I still have to get rid of all my junky computers. I don’t know how I wound up with so many of them. I think at least one or two were made in 1982. Some guy on the internet was giving away a Classic Mac last week and I said I would take it, but haven’t heard from him since. Maybe that’s for the best.

I think I have finally become sensitized to acetonitrile (aka methyl cyanide). It never used to bother me, but today its odour makes me feel quite nauseated and I have developed a doozy of a headache. I can’t wait to get out of this job. Only five and a half months to go. Ha. The countdown begins! I’m going to go outside and get some fresh air.

My friend John has been short-listed for a faculty position in the chemistry department here at Queen’s. As part of the selection process he has to give a lecture to undergraduates, and I am going to hear him practice his talk this afternoon.

I am very tired and slightly bread brain dead so there will be no eloquent descriptions, but I’ve wanted to post these pictures for a while.

We went to Cedar Island a few weeks ago. Celine wanted to blog about it but she never has any time to spare these days. Crossing the ice, national park, on the ridge, tower ahead, at the tower, ferry, lighthouse?, dry socks.

Photos from the old house: last meal, our room, helpers, ow! my back!

Photos from the new apartment: sweeping, scraping, sanding, varnishing, unpacking, first meal, champagne, settling in.

I am off to the old house to do some laundry now. I guess I’ll still be able to do that for a little while, at least.

Celine and I have moved into our new apartment. It is pretty hectic around here! We are still trying to get all of our junk out of the house before The Big Deadline, and we’re getting very little sleep. Celine’s mother is in town to help. Yesterday my arms ran out of strength and I bet I couldn’t even have lifted a feather. It wasn’t a very good time for this to happen, but Steve took my place and carried the oven up the rest of the stairs. I’ll post some pictures in a day or two.