Merry Christmas from Canada!

Dear Lynette,

Merry Christmas to all of our wonderful family and friends!!! James and I wish you all a Happy Holiday and a safe and spectacular 2008.

James and I are eagerly awaiting or own Christmas day (one sleep to go!).

Our tree is below
James and I
James and I by the river

Walking on Water
The Icebergs
Calgary Christmas Displays

And finally the Reids on 17th!!! How did they know we were coming?
We will post again soon with tales of our first, brown Christmas here in Calgary. (No snow in sight!!).

Love Chantelle and James

Christmas is a coming and the river is icing over!

Dear Lynette,

We hit a balmy +3 today in Calgary!!! It turns out we might not get a White Christmas if we get a Chinook through. Chinook is Inuit for "The Snow Eater" and that's literally what the Chinook winds do, sweep through the country side and increase the temperatures from -15 to +10 in less than a few hours and we are scheduled for one tomorrow, then again they advertise the weather forecast on our local station as a guestimate of what could happen in the week and I would have to agree!!! Calgary seems to have its own micro-climate which makes it near impossible to figure out what's going to happen!!!

James and I made the trek to Walmart last week to get out Christmas decorations for the house, an experience which would have been enjoyable but for the 4'5" motion activated Santa that wouldn't shut up....mostly because Mum's thought it would be a cute way to keep their children occupied, much to the chagrin of the rest of the world's population. Don't get me wrong I love children but I whole heartedly agree that a child free happy hour when the shops are packed would be awesome oh and even better if they also had specially designated areas for "family and friend reunions" in the shopping mall instead right in the main thoroughfare FFS is it that hard to stand to the side of the aisle!!

Anyhows 3 hours later we had a lovely wee tree and Christmas lights adding a nice festive feel to the living area in our house (pictures to follow when I remember to charge the camera). Now to decide on Turkey v Chicken for Christmas dinner!

One a different note entirely James and I went and saw the Golden Compass last week with a hoard of people from work and knitting. The outing itself was fantastic!! The movie was, well pretty awful!!! Nicole Kidman gets kudos for nailing the role of Mrs Coulter to a tea, she was awesome and the special effects were wonderful. The American fluffy ending was unbelievably annoying and the fact that they removed all reference to the church and Adam and Eve was true to the American need to protect God and country and it really takes away from the movie.....the whole series is about Atheism people that's why its called His Dark Materials trilogy!!!! I won't say anymore because it frustrates me to no end and I wouldn't want to spoil it for those who are yet to view it. (It did however make the Catholic Schools in Canada pull the books from all of their schools!)

James and I have recently discovered that the Bowness River runs just behind our house and has a plethora of beautiful walking tracks and an off the lease dog park. Today we decided to take a stroll to see what the river was like up close and personal in the midst of a beautiful autumn day (yes you heard me right Winter starts officially 21st December). Below are some of the pictures we managed to get before the camera died (we are getting a new one in the next week or two thank goodness!).
This next photo is of the icebergs that have broken off the ice shelf that you can see in the left of the top picture. If you closely the brown thing you can see in the ice is actually a pretty big rock that is frozen inside the iceberg.




Now I am also going to attempt to attach a small video we took of the river today..fingers crossed.





So all is going pretty well here in Calgary for us right now. James and I have made some great mates and are looking forward to Christmas. Though I can't believe its only 9 days away!! I have been shopping for James' presents and I have to say I am pretty excited about what I have him, all suitably geeky!

We both get homesick from time to time, but it is definitely much easier with our new friends around and each other. Mum and Dad are keeping me updated with news and pics from home regularly and I am so appreciated of the pictures!!! I will leave you with a gorgeous shot of my beautiful puppy taken yesterday.

Love
Chantelle

Chix with Stix.......tim tam slam goes horribly wrong!

Dear Lynette,

Well it has been a very busy last couple of weeks for the Reids here in Calgary. We have spent much of our time being social butterflies with Friday night drinks and Christmas parties and movies!!

Last weekend I went to my Chix with Stix Christmas Potluck. It was fabulous!!! We spent the night eating yummy food (including some Aussie cuisine.......Lamingtons) knitting and chatting about anything and everything!!

Yaz and I introduced the Canadians to the Tim Tam slam, it interesting to note that is possible to inhale hot chocolate laden Tim Tams and no its not pleasant!!


It was also at the potluck that I found out what you do when the room you book fails to come with a fridge....just chuck it outside!!


As you can see above not only were the ladies introduced to Lamingtons and Tim Tams I even managed to find some Aussie Sparkling which was fantastic. I can honestly say I shocked at the price of the bubbly here though, what we consider a cheapy in Oz ($4 bottle) costs a little of $14!! OMG!!

So I suppose I should actually show you what I have been knitting at my group! I have about four UFO's (knitspeak for unfinished objects). At the moment I am concentrating on getting my cardigan knitted, its my first attempt at clothing. What do you think?



I have also managed to make my first ever sock with the help of my mate Sam and the pattern suggested by Bells (Thank You!!). Its a tiny little prototype just big enough to fit my cell phone.
I really enjoy my time with the girls at knitting, they have truly helped both James and I to feel at home here in Calgary, which I can honestly say has made a huge difference! (for those of you planning to move O/S soon I highly recommend getting into a group that interests you as soon as you touchdown cause there is nothing like having friends to count on when you move to a new city/country on the other side of the world!!).

Love Telle

Calgary Zoo....and the the cold!!

Dear Lynette,

Just wanted to say its -21 outside.....-29 with the windchill. Its fair to say that it is really freaking cold outside right now!!!

James and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary last weekend. Its gone by so fast. We decided to spend the day traversing the Calgary Zoo. It was fantastic. They have it seperated into a variety of habitats including one very kitch Prehistoric park complete with fake dinosaurs and rock strata!! We loved it! The prehistoric wasteland below has the typical Calgarian skyline with the Calgary Tower in it, very reminiscent of Sydney and Canberra's towers really!




The zoo itself is phenomenally huge and actually crosses over the Bowness River which runs the length of the city. The river has started to freeze over on the edges, and you can stand on the bridge and watch chunks of ice flowing past. It is truly breath taking!

I think the two places we enjoyed most were without a doubt the Hippos and the Elephant Crossing where we were introduced to the Zoo's newest edition 3 month old baby elephant Malti. She was an absolute delight to watch, and was very cheeky. She grabbed hold of a cardboard box they had given her and thinking she wasn't supposed to have it ran off when the trainers came anywhere near her with a big grin on her face. (It was so unbelievably cute! and for those who know our puppy Riley they could be related with their cheeky behavior!)


We also go to see Hippo's! OMG they were amazing to watch in the water so graceful and agile, the contrast when they hopped out for a wander around their enclosure was amazing. They were so huge and awkward! James was brave enough to pose for a piccy next to one of the hippos, you have to be careful as they like to mark their territory and apparently get visitors as well!
We also got to see Piranha, wolves, reindeer, porcipines, monkeys and the saddest of all a pygmy crocodile. Why is it sad you may ask....well think about it you come into the world look around and go "Hell yeah I'm a crocodile...awesome!" and the come to find that you got jipped in the genetic lottery when you realise you won't get any bigger than about a metre!

They even had an Australian exhibit where I engaged in an argument with an eight year old who kept trying to tell me that the Wallabies (clearly marked on the exhibit not that I needed it to know what they were...I am Australian for crying out loud!) were Kangaroos! He wouldn't believe me that they were Wallabies even after I explained that Wallabies were a heck of a lot smaller and had different facial characteristics and fur.......he then asked how I knew what they could be and when I told him I was Australian and new what a Kangaroo looked like he looked me dead in the eye and said "Well they are Kangaroos!!"....the little snot!!



Now no post would be the same without an update on our beautiful and much missed puppy Riley. He is having a ball with his Grandparents at home in Oz! He loves nothing more than to go for a paddle in his own little swimming pool (entirely necessary given its hitting 40 degrees regularly right now). He then curls up with his favorite toy a long sausage dog (used to be a draught stopper) on the back verandah! These are the latest piccy's form Mum and Dad who love him to bits (even though he's been very naughty of late digging holes in the back yard!). Maybe the Santa outfit will put him back on the "nice list" fro Christmas!! What do you think?
I love our puppy!!! (Thank you heaps Mum and Dad for looking after him for us!!).

Anyhows I am off to have dinner and knit some more of my cardy!

Love Chantelle

P.S Thank you for the Tim tams and Vegemite Mum and Dad, and James and Yas (I have been spoilt rotten with Aussie supplies and I love you all for it!!)

KEVIN 07!!! HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY!!!

Kevin Rudd is our new PM!!!!! Wooohooo!!! Telle does the happy dance!!! He's a bloody legend!!!

The Rockies and Chainsaw Bears...

Dear Lynette,

So this weekend was pretty hectic! James and I actually went out and socialized for most of it which definitely beats staying at home all weekend!

Friday night was drinks and nibbles with James' work mates (who are fantastic). Saturday was knitting with the girls and Sunday was a day trip to Bragg Creek for the annual Christmas Fair and then a trip into central Calgary for the Art and Craft Fair (of epic proportions) followed by a potluck at on of the PI's from Physics.

Bragg Creek is a little township about 30minutes west of Calgary. The drive to Bragg Creek with Sam (a lovely Canadian lass from the Canadian Prairies) and Yaz (another Aussie chicky here in freezing Calgary) was awesome. Sam and Yaz are from the knitting group I got to and we are all recent arrivals to the city keen to head out for a girly day. I got my first real view of the Canadian Rockies and they are suitable stunning (even though it was from afar!).

The Art and Craft Fairs were really lovely, quaint even. I tasted (and later purchased) my first Saskatoon Berries, which are like a combination of cranberries and cherries to taste. They go well with natural yoghurt and on ice-cream and can also be used in place of normal fruit mixtures for Christmas pudding and taste divine!

My favourite thing was the whittled Christmas decorations! I got two of them, both Santa ornaments, one is a stick with Saint Nicholas whittled into it looking all wind blown and the other is a wooden spoon with Santa carved into it and painted. They look really cool and when we get a Christmas tree up I will post pictures!

Oh!!! Its snowing really hard outside right now!! (And they said we wouldn't get snow for the next few months......haha!).

Anyhows, back to the fair below is a picture of some Bears (especially for Mum). These were carved by a local gentleman in Bragg Creek......with a chainsaw!! I kid you not! They are so cool. The big ones in the picture stand about waist high on me. He has made a much smaller bear with a chainsaw but it was too much effort to make anymore!

I have his card cause I reckon I could get one shipped to Australia when we leave (at least I hope so).

There is heaps to write about but I am going to head off and cook some dinner!

Love Chantelle

P.S. Happy Birthday Kylie, Jo, Ashlea, Piers and Josh! We may not be there to celebrate in the flesh but we are there in spirit!

Warning, indulgent work content

As well as coming over for the food, culture and hockey, Telle and I also have to occasionally breeze past the university to do some work. Generally, we'll avoid talking about work, but some of you might be wondering what I actually do for a living, having spent almost a decade at university becoming "the" Dr., and the rest of you will just have to suck it up and find out anyway.

I now work in the field of complex systems, more commonly associated in the public psyche with chaos (for those keeping track my PhD was in non-equilibrium thermodynamics, but to be fair these aren't hard and fast divisions). There are a number of different ways of describing complex systems, but the way I like to think of a complex system is one that has a set of simple rules that tell you how it works, but when you actually put these rules into practice it exhibits unpredictable/unexpected behaviour.

For my opening work, I'm playing around with the complex Ginzburg-Landau equation. To describe the CGLE imagine a grid of paper, and at every intersection of the grid imagine there is an arrow. The value of the CGLE is given by the size of the arrow (the magnitude) and the direction the arrow points (the phase). As time goes by the value of the CGLE at each point changes based on its current value, and the difference between it and its neighbours. We can tweak the behaviour of the system based on two numbers, one that controls the contribution from its current value and one the controls the contribution from the difference in its neighbours. Just by playing around with these two values, we can radically change the behaviour of the system with time, but exactly what will happen isn't immediately clear before you simulate it (though that's not true now, because the system has been pretty heavily studied and you can actually get diagrams describing what it will do at various values).

Anyway, to test my program, I took two values described in the literature as generating a vortex glass, which is a state where you get whirlpools form in the system that repel each other and lock up the system into a series of whirlpool domains. I started with a random field (all the magnitudes and phases chosen randomly), let it evolve, and then after a while you get this (the color of each point corresponds to its phase).

Religion in Canada

On Friday Chantelle and I decided to share in that greatest of canadian religions: Ice Hockey. In Calgary, the main ice is located at the stampede grounds, so the first step was our first trek across downtown and on the C-train: Calgary's somewhat eclectic commuter train. Fortunately we were going in a posse (it seems the appropriate term around here), with some people from my group, so we managed to avoid getting lost.


Now to put it in perspective, we were going to a junior league game (16-20yo players), not the NHL game (being held on the same ice the next day against edmonton), and we still had a horde of enthusiastic Canadians surrounding us to watch the Hitmen play the team from Moosejaw (I couldn't make this up). All the bells and whistles were there, the opening rememberence ceremony, the various break fillers, the between period shows (hockey is played in thirds for the uninitiated). Some of the fillers were great: McD's sponsored a dance competition for the kids, there was a competitive slushy eating contest (ice cream headaches projected onto giant screens), and the fans really got into it. At the first break, two guys competed to race tricycles around the ice, and at the second break, the mascot came out with a t-shirt gun and fired into the crowd (also no mean feat at a hockey match where chunks of the ice are netted to protect the crowd). It was just great.

Now for the game, Ice Hockey gives new meaning to fast and furious. Even this game (which according to the Hockey Expert in the group was not the greatest) was fun to watch, with some quick play, and some absolutely brutal checking (one guy was given a 5 minute penalty for ramming a guy headfirst into the boards). This combined with good company and a great atmosphere made it a memorable night, with Telle and I looking forward to going to future games.
Of course after the game we were obligated to go out, and fortunately enough the stampede grounds are in walking distance of one of Calgary's nightlife districts on 17th ave SW, and we found a pub (Bob the Fish) to hole up in. After some nice conversation, a wee bit of beer and a whole pile of buffalo wings (or possibly the other way round), we had to rush home because somebody who will remain nameless (ie me) had gotten confused and thought that our bus (which goes down 17th ave SE) went down our street, so we had to rush a little to catch a train and bus home (fortunately our bus went at 00:30, so that was no problem).


It was a hell of an introduction to religion in Canada.

We have internet!!!

Woohoo! Happy happy joy joy!!!

After a full week without internet at home thank goodness. Yes it seems a little sad that we should be so happy about it but when you try not to use the net at work for personal stuff it makes it difficult when you are feeling a bit home sick and out of contact with everyone.

So its been a week since we moved into our new place. Its lovely, warm and close to public transport (even so I miss my car!). You don't realise how much you rely on your own transport till you don't have it. Everything has to be relatively well planned so as to make the buses. Grocery shopping is a bit of a nightmare. The super cheap supermarket is 3 separate bus rides away from us (50 to 79 minutes depending on the transfers) which is making me think I'd rather pay the extra to shop locally!! *GRIN*

We had our first day of full on snow, by which I mean it was actually snowing during waking hours on the weekend and it was stunning!! See below:

We celebrated James' birthday in a suitably ANZAC fashion.....we found a fish and chip shop! In an attempt to make sure it was special I tried baking a cake in two halves so I could put the frosting in the middle as well as on the top. Turns out if you read instructions you don't end up smooshing one layer cause you thought you had to level it with a knife (apparently you can just turn one of the cakes upside down when you get it out to cool).

James got a few goodies from Riley and I though I will let him tell you about them.

I received the best picture from Mum the other day and I really think Partners in Crime is the best caption for it!! (N.B. the container they are getting into has Riley's treats in it!!)

How cute is it!!! Its my new favourite pic and it makes me smile every time I look at it!! (I am missing home a fair bit this week).

I have found the local knitting group who are fantastic, they made me feel totally welcome and I have to say its nice to making some friends here in Calgary. We have a long weekend this week so now that James and I are settled in we are going to try and get out and see the sights!!! Will up date you again soon.

Love Chantelle

Settling In

Dear Lynette,

Just a quick post to let you know we have moved into our new place and managed to get out phone sorted out (email if you want the number). We are waiting on our internet to be activated which hopefully should be tomorrow!

Love Chantelle and James

P.S. it was actually snowing this morning!!!!

Jetlag be gone!!

Dear Lynette,

So we have been in Calgary for 5 days now. It's been pretty hectic with sorting out insurance, banks, meeting work colleagues and learning how to navigate the numbered/directional street names (i.e. 16th NW). Its actually a very logical system but when you have lived your life in countries with street names its a bit of a challenge at first.

James and I are both finding it hard to get over the jetlag. We have done the sensible thing of holding out to go to bed at the Calgarian "bed time" and tried waking up with the rest of the city, but yesterday we had to give in and catch up on some sleep during the day. I think its going to take a little while longer till we have fully adjusted to this time zone. James is off to his first full day of work today (seminars and meetings so we hope he can keep his eyes open!), I start next week so I get some time to relax which is nice.

Accommodation here in Calgary is pretty tight at the moment, especially if you are looking for a fully furnished place. Apparently we are lucky we didn't come in September when uni started as all the accommodation around the uni had been taken by the uni students. We had a look at a "basement suite" which is basically a unit/apartment with all the trimmings located in the basement of a house. They are common in Canada, but reviews have been mixed. If you do decide to get one its recommended that you find one with windows, preferably large ones to let in as much light as possible, and make sure that the door won't be snowed in! The suite we looked at was large with lots of windows and meet all of our requirements but the landlord seemed pretty dodgy (and not in a good way!), so we gave it a miss.

We have been a bit worried about finding some accommodation in our price range that met our requirements and were going to stay on at the uni in their townhouse for an extra month when we came across a lovely wee condo a 20minute bus ride away from the uni that is just fantastic!! Ideally we would have preferred to be on the LRT (light rail train) route which is much more reliable in heavy snow but this place is really nice and there are several bus routes to chose from which should make getting to work in winter ok. We move in on Halloween. (The kitchen is huge and we have an extra bedroom set up for visitors and we are on the bus route to a major mall as well as having a nice community shopping centre near by). James and I are both looking forward to being able to cook for ourselves again!

Anyhows I am going to head off and have look around the area today fingers crossed I don't get too lost!!

Love heaps
Chantelle

P.S. big hugs to Linda and Johnno I am thinking of you.

Second impressions

This will probably be a little repetitive, since it covers most of the same material as my lovely wife, but with my more judgmental take. First, a particular thank you to Dave for his incredibly good advice regarding blogs, which we have promptly ignored, and Emmett and Aimee for showing how a travel blog can be done.

Our first impressions of Calgary are magical: we arrive to clear skies and warm temperatures, go to bed, and wake up to snow. The people are friendly and helpful at all times, nothing is a rush, and everything seems well. Even government officials are efficient, courteous and helpful. The landscape is amazing, and the city is spread out giving it a spacious feel.

After a couple of days however, culture shock, both good and bad arrived. First it is the little things that confuse you like making sure you look the right way before crossing the road. Even walking can be a bit tiring because you naturally drift to the left and have to move out of the way. Sales tax is always additional to the advertised price, making everything six percent more difficult to calculate and twenty percent more frustrating.

The most alien thing so far are Canadian cell phones. Canada is locked in the stone age of cell phones, where man rode dinosaurs while talking on analogue phones. Charging for calls received is standard, most pre pay plans still charge you each day, and plans usually come with additional network access fees (and tax, always tax) over the standard plan cost (and the plan fee gives you basically nothing other than the ability to be charged for receiving calls). In addition, a cell phone number here is a local number, which sounds good, until you realize that leaving the environ of Calgary will make all your calls long distance calls (yes, including the ones you receive).

There are upsides though, such as most things are a little bit cheaper (even factoring in sales tax and conversion rate) or the local mall being the size of a major mall back home. The student union center has a full food court (including fast food and normal restaurants), and just about every service you might need (including a comic store, and a second hand book store, two things very high on my list of needed things at a uni). The Canadians also have somewhat whimsical streak at times, with the dollar being affectionately referred to as the Loonie.

So the preliminary verdict is Canada is a pretty good place to be. This week however brings starting job proper, so we’ll see how things go.

An introduction to Calgary

Dear Lynette,

James and I touched down in Calgary on Wednesday night to be welcomed by some of the friendliest people on Earth. (Over the past few days James and I have found that Calgarians are wonderfully helpful, always smiling and willing to take time out of their day to help two very jet-lagged foreigners).

When we arrived the temperature was 22 degrees and skies, clear with the last of the sun disappearing as we arrived at out accommodation at the University of Calgary (henceforth known as U of C). We awoke on Thursday morning to one of the best sights ever as I pulled back the curtains.............a winter wonderland of snow covered fields and icicles dangling precariously from the edges of the pine trees (or possibly fir trees...I'm not entirely sure)!. It was AWESOME!!! And cold!!!





The campus here is beautiful and expansive. Whilst James is situated on the main campus I am off site at the hospital which would be bad except for the fact that its located directly across the road from the largest Tim Horton's I have seen!! (For non-Canadians - Tim Horton's is like Gloria Jeans, Donut King and Michel's Patisserie combined....on speed!! OMG!!).




Now, I was advised to try out some of the local North American cuisine and thought that the best place to start would be with a slice of pepperoni pizza. Hmmmmmm, what to say, the slices are HUGE (see my gorgeous glasses case for comparison) and it was yummy, a lot thinner and crunchier than the Aussie varieties that I am used to, but yummy non the less! I have also tried a DairyQueen dessert which was entirely delicious!!

Anyhows as I sign off for the evening I am going to leave you with a few observations from our first few days in Canada:

• 1. It always pays to check both ways (twice!) before trying to cross the road in a country that drives on the wrong side of the road!
• Canada has the most archaic cell phone set up in existence (its rated the worst in the developed world), not only do you get charged for outgoing calls and texts....you get charged for the incoming ones too!! WTF???
• Apparently Kiwis, Aussie and the British all sound the same to the rest of the world, not that I can comment, so far I can't tell the Canadian accent from the American!
• They eat some weird stuff here.....poutine (chips smothered in melted cheese and gravy) hmmm
• There is little you can't buy here that isn't pre-prepared including boiled peeled eggs you gotta love it!
  

Love Chantelle