British UberGeek's Book is Out!

As I pull myself away from work for a second, I need to make a promotional blog. British Ubergeek's book is almost out! You can read about it HERE


Tell everyone you know! Prepurchase today! You can bet you ass that most of the members of my engineering family will be getting one.

SOMEONE....

submitted.

Congratulations L'il bro.

A Sad Weekend in ETown

I received a sad message on my MySpace page on Friday. The 'Track, a staple location of the Edmonton music scene, announced that they were closing their doors. To put this in perspective, this would be analogous to the Horseshoe, or Lee's Palace. announcing that they were closing. Even though I've only been around here for 8 months, the 'Track has been around for 26 years, and I can appreciate how shocked the music community here is. There are many people who have started their careers at the 'Track, and there are even more that have performed there on their rise to the top. There are a lot of very sad musicians around these days.

The other reason the Track was so great was because it was the closest bar to our place. Ergo, by definition, it was our local.

So Chiquita and I headed out last night, to enjoy one of our last open mic nights (a Monday night pseudoritual that we have adopted). With some work in hand, we were expecting to sit down, have a couple of pints, do some reading, and enjoy some ambient live music in the background. It really is one of the usual high points of my week. When we reached the door, there was no activity. It was dark. The streets were silent. There was only a small and simple sign taped to the door to indicate:

Closed

And only a mere 2 days after their announcement. I feel sad that we weren't even able to say goodbye. Also, a little bit robbed that I only got to enjoy it for 8 months. We were just getting to know each other. And now I've got to start to look for a new venue all over again.

Sigh.

Heavier Things

I did the unthinkable: I signed up for John Mayer's fan site. It cost me $25, which sounds like a bit of an extravagence. This all came about however, because of a sign that was posted on my door on Wednesday, by Market Goddess. John has announced he is coming to Edmonton in his first ever cross-Canada tour. Tickets go onsale Thursday.

...Unless of course you are in the fan club, in which case they went onsale on Friday. So I joined, and got some before the rest of the twenty-somethings get their paws on them. Floor seats. 13th row. I'm pretty 'cited.

And for those of you who have always thought I was a bit of a JM freak, Market Goddess, who is unfortunately unable to make the Edmonton show, has just booked plane tickets to Vancouver to see him there.

See? There's more than one of us.

Media Relations

My television debut occured last week on Global Edmonton. You can watch a very crappy version, recorded via Honey's camera from my television.

Here

Note once again how incredibly large I am. And how large my hands are. And how my large hands fly everywhere when I'm talking about research.

And since I'm on it, here's a picture of my lab, wit' me and the boys (see the chin rest my Dad built me? Best chinrest ever):



And what happens when I go to an 80s party in Sherwood Park:



Not nearly as in costume as a certain someone else (Note the Flock of Seagulls):

As Promised

Yes, a full pint held in her cleavage.



That she can drink from.



What a classy gal.

The Nut-Shells of Mr and Mrs KJM

Only a week and a half later! And I have pictures. I think it has taken that long for me to get over my one and only attempt at "jet-setting". I really, really don't know how Boston can do it.

My trip back to Toronto was short, yet filled with (albeit brief) visits. I have Photologged the whole damned thing.

I landed in the Tdot at exactly 11:56pm on Thursday evening. While I was going to go to Cleavers, a text from Boston sent me scrambling to the Tap, where a white wine (courtesy Jay the bartender), and good times awaited. There was a goal, as Boston was leaving for China at 7:20am the following morning (we have a tendency to keep her awake until she takes her flight... I blame her). In bed by about 6:40am, which gave Boston exactly 26 minutes to rest before she took off around the globe.

I, on the other hand, woke up at 12:38pm (long after she left). I spent the afternoon doing what I do best, wandering Toronto and purchasing 4 t-shirts in Chinatown to the tune of $10 (I've had so many compliments on those shirts....). Cleavers had to WORK (sucker), so I needed to wait until she was done to meet up. But meet up we did, for a tour de Duke of York to meet with the NeuroSarah, Fletch, Vick and Dave. We were entertained with British poo stories along with an existential moment where Fletch claimed to see Yin and Yang in his pint.



Also, I was able to gravel across the floor, and may have almost made amends with the Noblest person I know (aka NeuroSarah). Her stories from Ethopia actually made me want to visit. And make me feel even worse for not contacting her for her duration there (PLEASE NeuroSarah... take this as a public apology for being an asswipe friend!!!)

Seeing as Boston kept me up for so goddamned long the night before, I needed to sleep at a reasonable hour to prepare for the whole reason I went home.

KJM (aka UberGeek)'S WEDDING:

Now for the Gold. Saturday Morning, took off for Guelph to attend the event to kill all events. Met with Myth and Yani at Yorkdale in a rented car to head out... Bless both of them for having organizational skills that far surpass mine. Even without a map, nor any indication for an address for where we would be staying for the night, we were able to make it in one piece to Guelph. We even made it a full 45 minutes before the ceremony (where pictures weren't allowed, so I couldn't even get photographic evidence of Ubergeek crying in a skirt.... (sorry dude, had to say it)).

All joking aside though, it an amazing ceremony. Beautiful. I've been to a lot of weddings (not mine, much to my parents chagrin), and most of the time you are just waiting it out for the reception. But this was one of the rare instances where you are just honoured to be in the same room as two people who are celebrating the rest of their lives together. And there are no two people who deserved that moment more. Congratulations guys. You did it.

Now I can joke again.

Then we drank. Bless the Scot's and their open bar (although truth be told, Myth and I couldn't wait that extra 20 minutes for the bar to open, and we purchased some wine before everything started). We went through dinner (great... I had my first Quiche... it didn't have egg in it!), speeches (for the first time, somebody thanked ME for coming a long distance!! Usually I'm just travelling down the 401), and we got down to the first dance (sorry for the quality/lack of zoom):



The bride was blushing:



And looked even better when placed next to the Amazonian woman:



Even a photop next to the Groom didn't seem to feminize Amazonian woman:




Although it did spur a conversation at a wedding that has probably NEVER occured before:



Where Groom (let's revert back to Ubergeek at this point) wanted to look at the code for one of our collaborative works together. Yes, his computer was there:



Lets not tell Mrs. Ubergeek. Once again, there should NEVER EVER be more than one vision scientist per room. We have established this on many occasions.

At this point, things got fuzzy. I remember begging Ubergeek's advisor and husband not to leave. I think I was then poured onto a shuttle bus back to the hotel, where I slept blissfully for several hours.

Which was good, as Don and Eva picked me up for the airport at 9am the next morning. Yep, even got to see the folks for 3 hours on my trip home. Bless them (I'm pretty sure noone from the wedding was going to drive me back at that time of the morning, although Yani offered). On the plane, and home again, a mere 72 hours after I left.

And so UberGeek is hitched. Thy will be done. Although it was a tiring trip, I am so very glad that I was able to be there for it.

I will need to next post about last weekend, where Chiquita mimiced Molly Ringwald from the Breakfast Club. You know the scene... the one with the lipstick. Only it wasn't Molly Ringwald, it was Chiquita.

And it wasn't lipstick, it was a pint of beer.

Yeah, you read that right.

And we have the picture to prove it.