tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91124951711798059412023-11-16T12:35:30.430-04:00Mabel SaysMabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.comBlogger101125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-20628787402643727662009-11-18T20:36:00.004-04:002009-11-18T20:43:56.637-04:00Mabel has left the blogosphereIt was never my intention, but after over 13 months of absenteeism, I guess I should accept that I've officially left the blogosphere.<br /><br />Why?<br /><br />Well, to put it bluntly, I'm no longer a grad student... no longer a post doc... I have a job-type-job where blogging during the day just ain't an option no more.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/academia_vs_business.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/academia_vs_business.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />So.<br /><br />To the only person who might ever still check to see if I'm coming back, I'm sorry to say that it is time for me to bow out.<br /><br />Maybe I'll come back with a new persona one day soon.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-75322719072875219542008-10-06T12:06:00.002-04:002008-10-06T12:08:13.593-04:00Mental NotePasta that's been in the fridge for ten days may no longer be good lunch fare.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-89418016370717058392008-10-02T09:48:00.004-04:002008-10-02T10:07:36.331-04:00Elvis has left the country<a href="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/227754/hackers-clone-elvis-passport.html">Here's</a> a rather interesting/worrisome <a href="http://blog.thc.org/index.php?/archives/4-The-Risk-ofePassports-and-RFID.html">piece of hacking</a>. Apparently, some folks went along and created a forged passport of the King, complete with RFID technology, that was accepted in a Dutch airport.<br /><img src="http://www.pcpro.co.uk/picture_library/dir_212/it_portal_pic_106377.jpg?"><br /><br />Wasn't <a href="http://www.engadget.com/2007/03/26/rfid-driving-licences-could-be-used-for-canada-us-border-crossin/">the Canada-US border supposed to move towards RFID technology</a>?Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-32552015585428819442008-09-26T07:34:00.005-04:002008-09-26T08:38:08.637-04:00I am a Gentle Pig<blockquote>Dessert? Oh no, I couldn't possibly. <br /><br />Well... <br /><br />Maybe... just a small piece, though.<br /><br />No, not that small. A little more and ....... there! Yes, perfect.<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I have a friend who describes someone exuding this kind of behaviour as being a <i>gentle pig</i>. You can be a gentle pig by resisting then accepting dessert, a second helping, more wine, or really any sort of gastronomic indulgence.<br /><br />But there's more to being a gentle pig than simply accepting more when you really wouldn't/couldn't/shouldn't. Whatever it is that you put on your plate/in your glass, you have to finish it easily (and ideally with rigour) as if no effort were involved in completely consuming whatever was put in front of you in a timely manner.<br /><br />For most people, their inner gentle pig is released when someone offers something like ice cream or cake after a big meal. Me? My gentle pig seems to be attracted to weirdo things like salad, or <a href="http://www.goredsea.com/en_magazine-archivebyissues-article-egyptiancuisine4molokhia-magazinearticle.aspx?monthid=april2007">one particular dish</a> that, when put in front of me, causes me to lose any semblance of self-control. I can be reclined on the couch, not moving because of the agony of a full belly, but if I know there's more to be had then I will find the inner strength to sit upright, walk over to the dinner table, and have another full serving. <br /><br />And another. <br /><br />And another. <br /><br />Until there is none left. <br /><br />In fact, my version of hell would probably include a bottomless source of this dish, and I'd never be able to stop eating it. (Or would that be heaven?)<br /><br />Now this dish, Molokhia, is a little bit of an acquired taste. It's kind of slimy in texture and to be blunt, it's not exactly my wife's favourite. But from time-to-time we'll make it and when we do it's a big treat for me. <br /><br />After several years of observation, my wife has become well-tuned to my weakness towards this dish. When we make it for dinner she plans accordingly. For example, we had molokhia for dinner last night, and she made over twice as much rice as what we would normally make for any other rice-based dish. She only had one small plate, I had four large ones. <br /><br />At one point in my marathon-of-dinner, I tried to stop eating. I could feel the rice expanding in my belly and thought I'd do the adult thing and stop eating. But my wife, I think, gets a bit of a kick out of watching me eat so much food... When I announced to her that I wasn't going to eat anymore, she appealed to that teenager appetite that was hiding in there, she appealed to my gentle pig. I can only imagine the pleasure she got out of saying to me, "But there's really almost none left. Are you sure you don't want it? Should I just throw it out?" <br /><br />And with that, like a good gentle pig, I went and had another plate. And then another. Until finally there was none left. <br /><br />After dinner, having accomplished my mission, I was on the couch trying not to move. At the peak of my agony, my wife leaned over and said "Honey, could you please get me a glass of water?" When I began to show the slightest bit of discomfort at the idea of moving, she followed it up with, "It will be good for your digestion." <br /><br />But really, how could I say no? She had indulged me in agreeing to have her less-than-favourite dish for dinner.<br /><br />I was a happy gentle pig.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-1668037452227049292008-08-26T16:56:00.003-04:002008-08-26T17:00:07.936-04:00Reminds me of that time I played bass guitar for JimiOkay, I never really dreamed of playing in the NHL. In fact, I didn't play ice hockey until I was about 20. But <a href="http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=1b1d87b8-3d77-4246-af5a-b32845d6fc10">this</a> made me giggle while I read it...<br /><br />As my old roommate, the goalie, would say: "He shoots, save no rebound!"Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-53995744523035019972008-08-25T09:36:00.003-04:002008-08-25T09:52:20.067-04:00Even though I'm loyal to Second CupI'm a sucker for scones. In fact, I will at times walk past the local cafeteria where I work, past the Tim Horton's, through rain, and around construction sites, to get a good scone to go with my coffee. The problem with scones is that, like any pastry in a coffee shop, they are just too pricey to justify buying. Oh, and they're usually chalked full of sugar, but I digress.<br /><br />A few years ago when my sister was visiting out east, she made these fantabulous scones for breakfast one morning. They were such a hit that, at her wedding last fall, somebody wrote "Make More Scones!" and submitted it as her advice to the newlyweds on how to nurture a long and happy marriage. I made the recipe once. They were delicious. But the ordeal broke the student-quality food processor I had at the time. I haven't ventured to make them since. But I will.<br /><br />Anyway, I'm getting distracted from the whole point of this post. (No, it's not about scones. Or at least it wasn't when I first thought of writing it.) This morning, <a href="http://lifehacker.com">Lifehacker</a> pointed me towards a <a href="http://www.coffeefair.com/free-coffee-recipes-ebook.htm">cool little recipe book</a>.<br />I thought that it might interest a few out people out there, even if the recipes aren't from Second Cup.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-89902651392031821042008-08-04T15:24:00.003-04:002008-08-04T15:41:33.215-04:00peanut butter running timeI like running. I like going for long runs. A lot of people go on runs to think. I go to clear my head. <br /><br />My meditative method for clearing my head dates back to when I started running as a teenager. I pull some rhythmic section out of a song -- usually a couple of bars -- loop it over and over in my head while running. This repetition creates a trance-like state where I zone in only on running: my breathing, where my feet hit the ground, when my feet hit the ground. It also stops other thoughts from entering my head, because those would mess up my cadence and probably cause me to get a stitch or something.<br /><br />Often I seem to get "Big Calm" by Morcheeba stuck in there, but other tunes will kick in from time to time. One of my least favorites is Hammer Time, which dates back to my high school days when an aerobics class in the centre of the track would blast MC Hammer while I did my track workouts.<br /><br />On occasion, this "rhythmic meditation" can backfire because I don't have the best ability to control what the tune will be and once I get this song in my head, it doesn't leave until I'm done. This weekend, I ran to what was probably the worst song (if you can call it that) I've ever had stuck in my head. It was in there for every step of my hour-long run. And I hope it never finds its way back in there.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/s8MDNFaGfT4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-60242251524507507442008-07-29T10:05:00.006-04:002008-07-29T11:11:32.922-04:00... so ...Hi.<br /><br />I've been kind of busy. <br /><br />And, well, I sort of forgot about this blog. And for that I apologize. <br /><br />In all likelihood, this blog would have remained forgotten and fallen into the abyss of unused and unmaintained websites. But then, in the week that I declared myself to be less busy than I'd been in over a year, I got three separate hints that I should start blogging. (And I didn't even know that three people read this site.) So before the guilt from those hints wears off, I thought I should at least post something to get the ball rolling again.<br /><br />So, to begin, what have I been doing? Well I'll give the mega-short version. There are three major things that I would have been reporting if I'd remained an active blogger (which, based on my archives, halted some time in May 2007):<br /><br />1) I got married.<br />2) My wife and I bought a house.<br />3) I wrote and defended my thesis.<br /><br />It's kind of funny to think that of those three, the largest time investment (so far) has been number 3, my thesis. Perhaps not surprisingly, it also feels the most anti-climactic now that it's been achieved.<br /><br />So anyway, I'm going to try to make another run at this whole blogging thing. Hopefully I'll have time to post more often about more interesting things. If only I'd kept a that-would-make-a-good-blog-post notebook in my pocket during the last year, then I'd be off to the races.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-23377203095991020812008-02-05T10:35:00.000-04:002008-02-05T10:38:44.184-04:00Had to share <a href="http://xkcd.com/378/">this</a>, although admittedly it will appeal to a very small audience.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-90931355000833301962008-02-05T10:29:00.000-04:002008-12-09T04:31:26.931-04:00in case you were wonderingIn case you're wondering why things have been so quiet on this site in the last few months, this figure shows the mood of your average PhD student as a function of time. It was generated by a friend of mine who just completed his degree in December after a long and courageous battle. The gray dot indicates my present location -- at least on the time axis.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio5avfTqyCLLnw-Mqt45xASf8Y6BPxcFGOo9_Sk9gHwbDq0z_viq0tYP7NluuCOJ6Ll2LRN7KiuJ4HtzjHd6Gvj6u4LGaPG5fDOzURTqxrmjrqZdikwcI2nWI_B4I52fzKUbIGjuhIJRN/s1600-h/mood.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiio5avfTqyCLLnw-Mqt45xASf8Y6BPxcFGOo9_Sk9gHwbDq0z_viq0tYP7NluuCOJ6Ll2LRN7KiuJ4HtzjHd6Gvj6u4LGaPG5fDOzURTqxrmjrqZdikwcI2nWI_B4I52fzKUbIGjuhIJRN/s400/mood.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5163503842337056066" /></a><br /><br />But dammit it will all be over soon. And I hope that it will end on the "Woo!" side...Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-71349484662605752182008-01-31T18:38:00.000-04:002008-01-31T18:47:06.198-04:0010 bucks is 10 bucksThis is a real ad:<br /><br /><blockquote><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">SURVIVAL SYSTEMS LTD.<br />Research Subjects Wanted!!! EC<br /></span><br />Dartmouth, NS, CA<br /><br />1/19/2008 12:00:00 AM<br /><br />Research Subjects Wanted!!! "ECG responses to Helicopter Underwater Escape Training"<br /><br />We are looking for 30 healthy men to participate in an experiment in our helicopter underwater escape trainer at Survival Systems Ltd in Dartmouth to be arranged between March 25th and April 6th, 2008.<br /><br />If you are in a helicopter accident over water you will be flipped upside down and submerged. Therefore, we want to see what your heart rate and response is when you are inverted in our helicopter underwater escape trainer. You will be compensated for your time with $100 cash! For more details about the study please e-mail us at some@email.address<br /><br />Originally published in The Daily News, Halifax, Nova Scotia<br /></blockquote><br /><br />I can't help but think that there are very few people who would do this for $100 but wouldn't do it for free. For some reason, I immediately thought of <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6LPCM8iflI">this</a>.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-32666238721708605972008-01-17T10:39:00.000-04:002008-01-17T10:46:31.686-04:00moving now safer than knittingDepending on how you interpret this, one might suggest that gardening is only 10 times safer than sky diving... interesting.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/dangers.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/dangers.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Luckily, when I tried "died in a moving accident", there were only 4 hits, and they pertained to turtles, fish, and computers. So the coast is clear for this weekend...Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-84500110217172681032007-12-18T09:13:00.000-04:002007-12-18T09:17:18.735-04:00too much stuffWhat can I say -- things are so busy these days I was even considering not visiting family this Christmas...<br /><br />So, in the mean time, here's some <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/news/steve-fossett.html">interesting reading on the search for Steve Fossett</a>, and here's a bit of <a href="http://www.storyofstuff.com/index.html">a scary video</a> on why maybe you don't want more stuff this Christmas.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-5020138301672901452007-12-06T10:54:00.000-04:002007-12-06T10:56:06.098-04:00Yeah, I know -- it's been a while.<br />I've wanted to post a little more than I've been able.<br />No promises on posting numbers, but I'll try to visit on occasion, if only for my own sanity.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-70293689305824280812007-12-06T09:57:00.000-04:002008-12-09T04:31:27.768-04:00why the upcoming cold winter doesn't refute a warming planetRecently, I've read several claims that we don't need to believe the planet is warming because this winter is going to be one of the coldest winters that Canada has seen in some time. While this logic is intuitive at first, I find myself using the same piece of information to support the opposite hypothesis, namely that climate change is upon us. Why? Simply put, my expectation of climate change is that in addition to warmer weather, we will also see more cold winters.<br /><br />As anyone's life experience tells them, weather is variable. It changes from hour to hour, from day to day, from season to season, and so on. If somebody records the temperature every day for years and years and years, and looks at the temperature on (for example) September 22nd every year for century, then they will find that on average the temperature was 17 degrees, but that sometimes it was warmer -- as much as 25 -- and sometimes it was colder -- as cold as 5. (I've pulled these numbers out of a hat for demonstration purposes.) If that same person made a table of all the recorded temperatures, looked at how often a given temperature showed up, and graphed the result, then it might look like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gBGJVVx2ZvCUdbYTx_MVsrzXl0kGsKw3TbYNUB3p-0WklRe1Pj5Dcr7sX9FZ-0z3OEL3c05tjvbez7T2fyQ5Y90DbbnYxEhYBchBW6BxtdihfF-HncTcR2OQyTf5FrKHlsvy_0jJSOB0/s1600-h/fig1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1gBGJVVx2ZvCUdbYTx_MVsrzXl0kGsKw3TbYNUB3p-0WklRe1Pj5Dcr7sX9FZ-0z3OEL3c05tjvbez7T2fyQ5Y90DbbnYxEhYBchBW6BxtdihfF-HncTcR2OQyTf5FrKHlsvy_0jJSOB0/s320/fig1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140865933156629026" /></a><br /><br />If you gave this information to a statistician, they would try to fit what's called a distribution model to those temperature data, giving something like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-tFuW_-YMH92duZ1_h6wiJEnQIFO2r-lYiKfuKs-Oi7mmVBestu0l1X-UsC3YQ59Fl-pcVak7-6JHz8C9JMJPYYysHay5VGpwAFg7feDMEvk0z5opi4WNW_eexK7VFtz2rrMSkfSQgtI/s1600-h/fig2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-tFuW_-YMH92duZ1_h6wiJEnQIFO2r-lYiKfuKs-Oi7mmVBestu0l1X-UsC3YQ59Fl-pcVak7-6JHz8C9JMJPYYysHay5VGpwAFg7feDMEvk0z5opi4WNW_eexK7VFtz2rrMSkfSQgtI/s320/fig2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140866233804339762" /></a><br />The model here is a normal distribution, which is like the "Bell curve" teachers might use to adjust grades in a class. In reality, the temperature distributions would not be normal like this; they would have a more complicated statistical distrution. For now, let's just assume that this distribution is good enough, so that I can demonstrate my point.<br /><br />Now, suppose the climate at our weather station changes. Things get warmer, and more "energy" is put into the weather system. If we do the same study, our new graph might look like this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuC8njIyc1n-hBnJFgCK6Ma2Vv_y6cSZsZvfml4URyATfvuC9NZ9Vp4A4ZA8MoQUf-EVmOsjO5pWniiGqqKQ09i2xmXnBoTUtZgAYb9h5M5S7KL9d-YWv5-iphrtPgUkBqJ28XIDWSsaD/s1600-h/fig3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnuC8njIyc1n-hBnJFgCK6Ma2Vv_y6cSZsZvfml4URyATfvuC9NZ9Vp4A4ZA8MoQUf-EVmOsjO5pWniiGqqKQ09i2xmXnBoTUtZgAYb9h5M5S7KL9d-YWv5-iphrtPgUkBqJ28XIDWSsaD/s320/fig3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140867092797798978" /></a><br /><br />It looks pretty similar, but if you look carefully, we can compare the modeled distributions for the two sets of data:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ5LkWmrGpclcNXErs6VGPBtWgsMnOK0btZ44cZ6yP2zqayPqAjrhyl9OqPIOoHHESk4E2jmd3q4j5VNzFZCVq0T5xjW9nMoz86mFHx14cq13uJNXRtDkYC37QDMJzpsOucxYEUT9rBUa/s1600-h/fig4.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQQ5LkWmrGpclcNXErs6VGPBtWgsMnOK0btZ44cZ6yP2zqayPqAjrhyl9OqPIOoHHESk4E2jmd3q4j5VNzFZCVq0T5xjW9nMoz86mFHx14cq13uJNXRtDkYC37QDMJzpsOucxYEUT9rBUa/s320/fig4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140867625373743698" /></a><br /><br />Now we can start to see the effects of the changed climate. The average temperature is higher, there are a lot more really hot days, and also a few more really cold days. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a situation with a lot more hot days and a lot more cold days.<br /><br />So how do we know that the climate is changing? Statisticians have this trick in their toolbox called <i>extremal analysis</i>. Basically, they use fancy mathematics to determine how often we're going to get those low-frequency events, or extreme events, when we don't have time to wait for them to happen. In addition to a warming "average planet", researchers are seeing more extreme events. There are more hot days, more cold days, more hurricanes, more droughts, more floods, more ice storms, etc., etc. Their findings suggest that the weather systems are experiencing a shift like the one we have just described in the example above. Hence, just because this winter is going to be a cold one, it is not a reason to denounce climate change.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-41886561716882758942007-07-30T13:19:00.000-04:002007-07-30T13:36:16.232-04:00trying to not rock the, um, apartmentBack on land.<br />Back on sturdy land.<br />Back on sturdy land that doesn't rock.<br /><br />Well, sort of. It took a bit of time for my brain to catch on to the fact that things weren't rocking anymore. When I awoke after my first night back on terra firma, I could feel the rising and falling of the room. In the shower that morning I turned sideways to brace myself, the shower was rocking back and forth. It was my first ever case of the "dock rocks", a term I've heard many times but could not find on in my 45 second search of the internet. Basically, it's the sensation that things are still rocking even though you're back on land.<br /><br />The trip itself was a good one. The first few days were tough, but on the morning that I had to start working, the seas got a little bit calmer and my queasiness subsided. That meant I could enjoy a glass of water, or a coffee, or some juice, and that I could focus on my work. For the first time ever, I got over sea sickness before getting off a ship. Woo.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-37184788388752836862007-07-17T07:40:00.000-04:002007-07-17T07:46:50.773-04:00ahoy!<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://techserv.gso.uri.edu/photos/WebEndphoto.gif" border="0" alt="" /><br />Off for an adventure chasing eddies. Back in two weeks. You can follow the action live <a href="http://techserv.gso.uri.edu/EndeavorNow.asp">at this site</a>.<br /><br />Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. At least you'll know where I am, though. Which is probably more than I'll be able to say as the sea reminds me <a href="http://mabelsays.blogspot.com/2007/02/meme.html">why I shouldn't be a field oceanographer</a>.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-9360058969433311252007-07-10T23:47:00.000-04:002008-12-09T04:31:27.895-04:00Things have been slow around here. Well, by here, I mean this little blog. Things have been rather haphazard in the real world. Between school and SAR and wedding planning and post-school planning, there hasn't been much time to write anything. Well, really, there just hasn't been much inspiration to write anything worth reading. I've been thinking about this waves, and rings, and eddies, and a few other things which, in a twisted context, include this guy (or gal): <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blowfish_(cipher)"><img align="center" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaD4aUzWpJ4ibnpWNjKqX_Ua7fbfI9xWtIidiip3LBvW8BN_CbprJeAIZ65gV1ks4JACHlpKBCiWrQn_O1_4wdXjPwTPDF9MxsV530Agmvs6T_DnDFo6As1oBECCE3qy411JqzRCb8vRPB/s320/blowfish.jpg" border="0" title="more than an encryption algorithm" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085781480809312722" /></a>Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-66213903671686633382007-06-25T08:28:00.000-04:002007-06-25T08:38:35.318-04:00last week -- a more grounded reviewA quick note to fill in a few blanks from last week's post. First, I am getting back to my normal self as the emotional strain from last week is releasing itself.<br /><br />The search was one of the roughest I've experienced. Looking for two teenagers, suspecting the worst while hoping it is only a prank, has its toll. In addition, it was a high-profile search: our staging area was swarming with media, family, friends, and curious onlookers. It was also my first time being involved in the management side of a real search. On Wednesday, I was on site from 4:30 am until 10:45 pm, dealing with search management issues.<br /><br />Throughout my years working on the search team, I have learnt that I am often proficient at blocking out emotions during these events. This allows me to think and act calmly. Essentially, I hide in an objective "shell" and guard myself from emotions during the event. Though I hate to say it in such cold language, it can almost feel like I am playing a game at times. In many ways, this is an advantage for the lost person. While it does not remove the sense of urgency from the event, it allows for clear thinking and (hopefully) sound judgement. A sense of responsibility, rather than one of frantic compassion, ensures thoroughness and efficiency of one's actions. I believe that this response is enhanced by the training. Having practised what to do, over and over, one's mind is able to focus on the actual doing.<br /><br />When the search is over, however, the reality of the outcome -- especially if it is a negative one -- begins to percolate into my thinking. Last week, instead of slowly removing my protective shell, it was smashed violently by the reality around me. Suddenly it was over. Family and friends, dozens of them, were consoling each other in front of the media and other onlookers. The fire department had counsellors helping them handle their grief. Paramedics were present, monitoring those who were responding to the news more traumatically. Onlookers gathered to watch the body bags be transferred from the boats to the trucks. The medical examiner was milling around in search of the that site, since it was at a different location than the staging area of the search. I found myself watching all this, walking around, wanting to help, but knowing that there were trained and qualified people already doing that, and realizing that I would be in the way. I did not want to stare, but I did not want to do nothing either. There was still plenty to do on site, however, and it did not take long for a fury activity to return to the site. As it turned out, it was not until about 3 hours after the conclusion that I got home, was able to stop, and shed my first tear. <br /><br />That brief pause that I took to look around me, however, the snap-shot of hysteria and realization, still engulfs for brief moments. In the last few days, it has been the processing of those images that has occupied my thoughts. The hard part is knowing not to ignore these impulses of emotion, and to deal with them and talk about them. For this, I am express immeasureable gratitude to Allie, without whom such traumatic events would be too much to handle.<br /><br />...<br /><br />Today, after having had a few days to consider what happened, I am starting to feel better. The search community, which included the fire department, the police department (both municipal and federal), the Department of Natural Resources, and volunteer search teams from across the province, performed exceptionally well together. Everybody was concerned and wanted to find the missing teenagers, nobody was doing anything for their ego. We did the best we could and gave all we could, which made the initial internal response harsh. Everyone is aware, however, that there is nothing we could have done to change the outcome. This was a traumatic event for two families, a community of young individuals, and local society, and we did what we could to alleviate that trauma. <br /><br />The funerals for the two boys will be held today. While I cannot attend, I will be thinking of them, their family, and their peers.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-48971820872763543952007-06-22T09:22:00.000-04:002007-06-22T09:55:26.682-04:00a very long weekOn Tueday afternoon, I got a call from SAR. For about 38 of the following 54 hours, I was responding to that call. Without getting into details now, <a href="http://www.herald.ns.ca/Front/842813.html">the</a> <a href="http://www.hfxnews.com/index.cfm?sid=39398&sc=89">result</a> was a tragic one. It has been a taxing few days for all involved in the search effort, but the thoughts and prayers go the families and friends of the two teenagers. No child deserves their fate.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-23282627784980174582007-06-18T07:28:00.000-04:002008-12-09T04:31:28.149-04:00one tough cookie<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070616/ap_on_re_us/girl_river_search">This</a> is an amazing story which, as the internal training officer on our SAR team pointed out, demonstrates why we always do shoreline searches after a water-related mishap.<br /><br />On a related note, here's a photo of me igniting a hand-held flare in a recent training exercise:<img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xdBDVp-mmd6hxC2H91bpRK0dJ9aJb5BKIIBxvAk9ifRYh75L8t4M1ibIMK8EreNPyHD4tQn4C6gZ746RDqQeHz6DzMX4jfRVGMdOAhEgo3fUFO5wMTCF4A1tKI7kpckjATVK_70q53ku/s320/WRFR-May2007-188_exposure.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077374380587435554" />What? You can't tell that's me? Well, here's one where my colleagues are having too much fun bandaging me up:<br /><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDlo35Fzjn4yIzuS-fiktdD8EJBOnaKW6f0u6cxoxNskvy8758tYDsaC9tYytvbEppz8RfZxxheM8lx5NE_fCbSV-CUUhqj-PtioEpiKqWbDYlqMeA0RSVZTev-q82bpSa_0od1Er84pcx/s320/WRFR-May2007-137_exposure.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5077375346955077170" />Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-26406774265232581832007-06-13T11:20:00.000-04:002007-06-13T11:22:58.678-04:00taking things too far<a href="http://www.elbruz.org/islands/Islands%20and%20Lakes.htm">This</a> is oddly funny. Or funnily odd. Or something.<br /><br />By the way, sorry for not writing anything for quite a while. What can I say? The weather started getting good here, and there have been lots of other things keeping me busy too. Anyway, I will try not to post some good stuff soon...Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-85362890913781803452007-05-28T08:37:00.001-04:002007-05-28T08:42:25.919-04:00it's a small, small worldFrom the pages of <a href="http://www.economist.com/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9240814">The Economist</a>:<blockquote>A British climber made the first mobile-phone call from the summit of Mount Everest. He took advantage of a Chinese mobile-phone base to ring his family, presumably to ask if he should pick up anything on the way home.</blockquote>I think I'd have asked him to bring me a snowball. Or a really big rock. Or maybe both. <br /><br />Amazing that there is cell phone coverage up there but not in some remote parts of Lower Sackville (a suburb of Halifax).Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-9775458471814419532007-05-24T08:08:00.000-04:002007-05-24T08:12:21.800-04:00the cold riverOne of the best summaries I've seen for the situation unfolding in Lebanon:<a href="http://mahjoob.com/en/archives/view.php?cartoonid=2116&Y=2007&M=05"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px;" src="http://mahjoob.com/aecartoons/f531702800a987a.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Or, if you prefer text, <a href="http://www.beirutbeltway.com/beirutbeltway/">here</a> is a good start.Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112495171179805941.post-66961657601786592542007-05-23T07:42:00.001-04:002007-05-23T08:02:46.473-04:00it's funny cuz it's trueSo here's the short version: there's this grad student. Who's been there for <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=769">too long</a>. Finally, he gets <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=828">motivation to finish</a>. And <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=830">does</a>. His wife <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=834">tries to understand</a> what he does. His supervisor <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=835">doesn't really care</a>. After eventually <a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive.php?comicid=842">submitting</a> his thesis, his wife decides to be the only one who ever actually reads it... <br /><a href="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd052107s.gif"><img width="100%" src="http://www.phdcomics.com/comics/archive/phd052107s.gif"/></a>Mabelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03777497642041196096noreply@blogger.com1