Date	Kms	Time	Route	Type
2010.8.26	11	04:00:00	Port Joli Head and Harbour Rocks Trail	Hike
2010.8.25	8	03:00:00	Harbour Rocks trail	Hike
2010.8.24	12	04:00:00	St Catherines River Beach Bird Survey	Hike
2010.8.20	12	04:00:00	St Catherines River Beach Bird Survey	Hike
2010.8.18	6	03:00:00	Harbour Rocks Trail - Interp and removed garbage	Hike
2010.8.17	10	05:00:00	Port Joli Head Trail - coastal cleanup	Hike
2010.8.14	8	03:00:00	Harbour Rocks Trail	Hike
2010.8.13	3	04:00:00	Water Penny-wort Monitoring on Kejimkujik Lake - Indian Point	Canoe

Full 2010 Journal

I'll blog more about my job and summer later. But for now... We have this weekend off. I used the washroom late last night and saw a note on the table from a lady that works upstairs in the gift shop. It said she saw a piping plover and a nest on Summerville Beach. This beach is a popular one to visit. It's big and beautiful like the rest and in the middle of a small town. We had plans to go to this beach the next day for recreatinal reasons. In the morning we checked with Alice about where she saw the plover and we had to contact Bird Studies Canada who got a hold of DNR and arranged some employees to come to the beach on their day off. We luck got to the beach before it was busy and were able to find the piping plovers and warn people about where to walk and why. The plovers are skittish and are easily stressed. Very quickly DNR showed up in a personal vehicle with signs for us to put up. After that Bird Studies Canada showed up with more signs and rope. The day was great. Started with no protecting for the plovers and ended with a huge roped off area for their protection. A kite flying person was the only trouble we had. We talked them into moving further down the beach and the fella from DNR got them to move even further. The kites look like predators to the plovers and when the kite went up the pair left the nest. When the nest is unattended for too long, they well abandoned it.

The month began with the E2C. Our team of Conrad, Irene and myself went up against six other teams for 24 hours of racing. We began at noon at our great walking paced. Nailed one control after another. By nightfall our legs were sore and we were getting tired. Irene exited the race at the north safety shelter due to fatugue. Conrad and I made a plan for the rest of the night and morning. We cleared most of the points on the west side and wanted to hit one last cluster of high value control points on the far south east corner. We hiked all night through swamps and dirt roads to the Arian field with 500 points worth. By the time we cleared them all the sun had come up and we could turn our lights off. In the morning we headed back to the start finish and stoped on the way to clear a few more control points. We made a navigation mistake and did an extra km of bushwhacking. By this time we were in pain and very fatigued. Conrad was sleep walking off and on. We could not find two controls and gave up to preserve time to finish the race as any time over the 24 hour period would cause a serious penality.

We finished the race with a couple hours to spare and in second place. Had we spent the time to grab the last two controls we had trouble finding, we would have been first.

This month I was offered a job in Kejimkujik National Park at the seaside adjunct. I am, for this summer, a research assistant for the Species at Risk Stewardship Program. Much of what I'll be doing is assisting the researchers conduct surveys, assist in habihat restoration, and wrangling volunteers. I found a place to live in Liverpool for the summer just a short drive from the adjunct. Today I scooped up a car for the commute. I got a 2000 Mazda Protege. If I can, I'll store it for the winter so I have it again next year for work or fun.

By May 01, my blog is going to stop working. I need to build a new website. Blogger is discontinuing their ftp service. Apparently not enough people use it for them to keep it going.

This map is the route of my first adventure race. This is the warm up to a 24 hour race this weekend I'm am doing with two friends. I don't feel like writing any more.

When I press 'Enter' on a word program it should jump to the next line, not the next two lines or next paragraph.

When I right click on a highlighted hyper link in a web browser there should be an option that says 'copy', not 'copy link. I highlighted the text not the link you dumb browser.

I should not have to use a conveyer belt barrier between my groceries and the persons in front of me. A gap should do the trick.

Stop asking me if I have air miles or this that and the other card. I don't like those things and am not going to use them. Please stop asking me! If people want to use them so bad then they would make them apparent to you as a cashier.

Don't ask me if I found everything, cause you won't like my answer and can't do anything about it anyway.

From the letter I sent to Sobeys yesterday, I received a response today.

START RESPONSE

Sent: 4/12/2010 4:09:13 PM

Hello Douglas,

Thanks for taking the time to advise of your concerns. we appreciate all customer comments.

Products in Produce that are grown in Atlantic Canada will have the "Choose Atlantic" logo printed on the paper sign.

I believe the second question packaged in Canning N.S., is in reference to our Broccoli.

At this time of year there is no Broccoli available in Atlantic Canada, we bring in Broccoli from the US to our Broccoli supplier in Canning, and
they package it in the shrink wrap for us.

The reason for the shrink wrap, is to prolong the shelf life of the product, so it stays fresh.

If a product label states " packaged in " it is probably an imported product, if it says " product of" it is usually grown there.

Hope this has been a satisfactory response Douglas.

Please feel free to contact us again if you have any other questions.

Sincerly,
Melissa

Melissa Wright
Customer Care
123 Foord St
Stellarton, NS
B0K 1S0
Toll Free: 1-888-944-0442
customer.service@sobeys.com

END RESPONSE

Some of my concerns were answered. I don't like everything I was told such as the "package in" part. But know I know. I have yet to see any "Choose Atlantic" sign. next time i go to the store I well for surly be looking for that sign. Maybe this is a wrong time of the year to see this? I figured some foods that can be stored for a long time like root vegetables would still be available here is they are harvested in the fall.

There is no response to my apple juice inquiry. I'm happy Sobeys got back to me so quickly but it seems my thoughts of buying local has been crushed.


This morning at the Dalplex I wrote exam number 2 of 4. The dreaded Chemistry exam. It went alright. I didn't get any A on it, but I surely passed. I have two more to write. One for Evolution and one for Cell. The Cell exam is going to be the worst one to study for. but I have six days to do so so the timing is good.

Dear Sobeys,

I shop at the Clayton Park store in Halifax, NS. I stive to have the lowest environmental footprint possible. I bicycle all winter long and this includes to Sobeys.

I look for the most local food possible. The price labels on the shelves say which country food is from. Thats good because I can avoid food grown in Chile when there is food from Canada available. But Canada is a big place. And Labeling Canada is limited to about a 4000km range. Food from Florida could be closer than food from Canada.

I think the stores should label if the food is from the Maritimes. this could generate more demand for local food as it would be so easy for people to purchase local. I know I can look at the label on the food item or its packaging. It usually says "Packaged in Canning, NS" for example. I would then buy that. But does "packaged in" mean "grown in"? I have no idea.

One other thing: Apple juice form Great Valley Juice in Kentville, NS. From that facility the just is branded for various markets. Is the juice I buy from my local store, labeled "Great Valley", directly from there or did it travel to a distribution centre in Quebec or Ontario first and then return to NS? How is the distribution of NS products handled for NS stores?

Thank you for your time,
Douglas Smith

As my second year of University come near to the end, I have to start thinking about what I'm doing for the summer. Some employment opportunities I wanted fell through and I started to think about cycling. I needed to sell my mountain bike to travel across the country by bike. But it fits tall people like me and is for a niche market. So it's not selling.

Now my mind is spinning with ideas of smaller trips. Canoe or bicycle related. I also decided that if I'm not touring this summer, I'm going to build a new bike. It'll be a touring bike but not just any. It'll be the perfect bike for me. Hydraulic disc and all sorts of other fancy parts.

Anyway, I must study for exams. Can't wait for them to be over with!

Today was a strange day. I rode to school. Then forgot my lock. Rode to the Campus Bike Centre and put my bike in it. Realized another girl is supposed to open at 1030 when I have class at 10. So I had to wait for her and give her the keys so I could go to class. I go to class. I go home. I go back to Dal for free pizza and for the DSU AGM. No free pizza or quorum. I also went to dal with this bike looking like this photo. I had to gen two bikes there somehow. Had to build up the bikes with certain mixes of these parts. Part way to dal, there was a brush fire off Main Street. About the only brush in Halifax, was on fire. Two seconds later the maroon bike flopped over to the side of my blue bike. A bungee broke along with some ties. I fixed it an continued very cautiously.

I then starved to death at the AGM! No pizza? WTF. I left and did not contribute to their challenge of getting quorum. I came home on the maroon bike. Taking the bus tomorrow so I can ride home on the blue bike that is still at Dal.

Last summer I cycled to Maine. As wonderful of an experience it was, I'm ready for the next step. I'm currently planning to leave on May 01 and I won't be back until August. I'm going to Alaska. Or at least that is the plan. Tomorrow is April, then I'll have one Month. I have four exams to write then I'll be devoted to my trip. I have to move out of my apartment and then take off in one smooth stroke of the crank.

Other than that the plan is vague. I've just put my most prized possession on the market to sell for food. I'll have no rent, internet or electricity to pay for. Just my food and the phone bill. That is the plan. I'm not going to elaborate on it right now. More details to come.