June 4 2023 - 2023 Hobbies

 

It is almost half way through the year.  Have you considered starting a new hobby? Are there new hobbies to start?  Ones that didn't exist before?  Cold water swimming - start in the summer months when water temperatures are a little warmer. Plogging - an amalgamation jogging and pluck upp (picking in Swedish) - combines jogging and litter-picking. Microcementing - create worktops, storage units, coffee tables and decorative vases by putting concrete textures on surfaces. Bullet journalling - no need for punctuation with a bullet journal - just a notebook and pen Are hobbies something that would impress on a resume?  "Done right, hobbies a resume can help you and out from other candidates, show a bit of your personality to the hiring manager, and potentially even get you the job!" And the hobbies you should have on your resume?  That's no surprise.  The top ones are: Community involvement - volunteering, writing, blogging, learning languages, photography and sports.   And what hobbies should be left out of a resume? Nothing specific is listed - general advice is stay away from things that signal antisocial behaviour, political or religious views, violent or dangerous activities, and ones with little or no interactivity.   And weird hobbies?  These include:  tree shaping, beetle fighting, newsraiding, extreme ironing, stone skipping, suing, element collecting, competitive duck herding and toy voyaging (toys need a vacation).  The article concludes with these examples:  "did you know that… Claudia Schiffer is an insect collector John Travolta is a jumbo jet pilotMike Tyson is a pigeon racer Tom Selleck is an avocado farmer   Here's a hobby - train conductor the Strasburg Railway Line. Read more daily posts here: marilyncornwellblogspot.com Purchase works here: Fine Art America- marilyncornwell.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

July 2 2021 - Brockville Train Tunnel

 

Back to tunnels.  The Brockville Railway Tunnel was the first railway tunnel built in Canada.  It takes 20 to 30 minutes minimum to walk the tunnel.  It was built between 1854 and 1860 and was a tunnel for trains to pass through.  The rationale says it was designed to provide a rail link from the timber trade to the port facilities on the St. Lawrence. It goes under the town. A hill was the obstacle.  The chief engineer recommended the rail line run around the high grade of the community and simply come down to the river and avoid the hill. However, the philosophy of the Canadian railway builders seemed to be based on the belief that no railway was complete without at least one tunnel. The council of the day and the citizens of Brockville seemed to agree and pledged their support to the building of the tunnel under the city for a direct access north.  Numerous people died in the building of the tunnel, and it had its accidents during operation as well.  Its short height meant that shortened steam engines had to be used to travel through it.  Despite its constrained size it was in operation until 1970.  Today it is a tourist attraction with a light show on the walls.   It is 1,721 feet long.  Is that long?  It seems so to me.  Mount MacDonald tunnel under Roger's Pass in Glacier National Park is 14,723 metres long - that's the longest in Canada. Brockville is third from the bottom at 527 metres long, but is also the oldest tunnel in Canada.   What might the longest in the world be?  It is the Gotthard tunnel at 57 km (35 miles) or 57,500 metres long from the Netherlands to Italy.  Switzerland, Austria, Japan, England and South Korea all have tunnels over 50,000 metres long. That seems like a "bad dream" trip to me.      Here's the tunnel, followed by a post card image today.

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Feb 1 2021 - Tomorrow Is...

 

Our quote yesterday feels like a Christmas story ending::   "Everybody will get their mittens" The beloved Bernie Sanders' mittens have a manufacturer. 18,000 pairs have been requested so far.  And today we're looking ahead to a big day tomorrow. Which day would you say is more significant?  World Play Your Ukulele Day?  Groundhog Day?  It has to be Groundhog Day! You can scroll through countless quotes from the movie.  I've chosen a few for today. Phil Connors: Do you want to throw up here or in the car?  Ralph: I think both. Phil Connors: (to the groundhog) "Don't drive angry! Don't drive angry!" Phil: "This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!" Phil: “This is one time where television really fails to capture the true excitement of a large squirrel predicting the weather.” “Phil: Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster? Mrs. Lancaster: I don't think so, but I could check with the kitchen.” This last one is my favourite. Here's our February railroad calendar. Purchase at: FAA - marilyncornwellart.com Redbubble - marilyncornwellart.ca

July 6 2020 - Peel that Banana

I went and checked out Terra Lavanda Farm yesterday.  It is nearby - only 15 minutes away.  With COVID-19 it is closed, so I didn't get to take any pictures in the rows of lavender in full bloom.  NEOB Lavender is in Niagara-on-the-Lake and it is open during this time, so I am hoping to get out later in the week. The reviews say great products, friendly staff, wonderful time.  The reviews look genuine enough - that is, compared to the Hutzler 571 banana slicer.  A CBC segment told me there were 6,000 reviews of this product.  So I found an article on it to share with you - here's the introduction: "Since 2011, Amazon reviewers have been leaving hilarious and sarcastic comments on this unnecessary Hutzler 571 Banana Slicer. Five years later and the running joke is still going strong. For whatever reason, people really love to hate on this $4 banana-shaped product — at the time of this post, it has nearly 5,600 Amazon reviews, the majority of which are comical or sarcastic. There are even short stories and some poems written in the reviews: "For decades I have been trying to come up with an ideal way to slice a banana. 'Use a knife!' they say. Well...my parole officer won't allow me to be around knives. 'Shoot it with a gun!' Background check...HELLO! I had to resort to carefully attempt to slice those bananas with my bare hands. 99.9% of the time, I would get so frustrated that I just ended up squishing the fruit in my hands and throwing it against the wall in anger. Then, after a fit of banana-induced rage, my parole officer introduced me to this kitchen marvel and my life was changed. No longer consumed by seething anger and animosity towards thick-skinned yellow fruit, I was able to concentrate on my love of theater and am writing a musical play about two lovers from rival gangs that just try to make it in the world. I think I'll call it South Side Story.  "Banana slicer...thanks to you, I see greatness on the horizon." Go straight to the Amazon product HERE.   You can see the international reviews, then the reviews from Canada.  Look for the Jake from State Farm story. We're looking at the Strasburg Rail Road today.

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The Ides of March is "best known" in "modern times" as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44BC.  That's what Wikipedia indicates.  I find the "modern times" aspect the amusing part.  But I find that the Ides of March had marked the beginning of religious festivals - Cybele and Attis.  After Caesar's assignation, this day was remembered for his death and the rest was forgotten.   We remember this in modern times in various ways.  here is an image of the 'classic Caesar' joke for the Ides of March. I find this hilarious. We're at the Strasburg Railway in today's pictures, along with the great entrance hall to the Canada Blooms Show earlier in the week.  Doesn't she look like she's entering a portal?

Sweater Party Trending Now

Let's explore the possibility of the ugly Christmas sweater.  I remember the Christmas sweaters of 55 years ago - little embroidered presents or mistletoe against a pretty ivory background.   Or a men's sweater with a Christmas tree and its lights actually turn on. Not anymore.  Here's what the Christmas sweater might look like now, as seen on Pinterest: She hasn't gotten to the bottom of things - there is truly Christmas footwear as well: These aren't even near the truly ugly tops available today.  See below - can you imagine being at a party and looking at this all evening, let alone wearing it.  And this one is just ugly.  There are rude and ugly sweaters. Here's a sample on the Jingle bells and feel the joy theme and beside it is ugly Christmas sweater, couple sweater, vommiting reindeer with battery operated lights - ladies and mens (CA$172.68 from Etsy)        Christmas shoes are truly creative.  This pair on eBay must have sold out, as they are out of stock.  And there are boots for those of us who live in snow land.    If you are inclined towards formality, the Christmas suit is a possibility.  So now that we are dressed for an Ugly Christmas Sweater Party, here are a few tips: 1.  Invitations - they will make or break this event.  The crazier the better 2.  Decorations need to match - what about a the tree having some 'old sweater' decorators - get out that DIY spirit! 3. You are the host - you will need a special sweater!  Get busy! 4. Dessert table - everything sweet needs to have a sweater theme - cookies, cakes, all in the shape of sweaters! 5. The Photo booth - of course!  How else to capture the joy! 6. Awards - they didn't get those ugly sweaters for nothing - get the vote ballots ready for the favourite ugly!  Here are a few categories: All-Around UGLY Sweater Most Original Best Couple Combo Most Likely to get Arrested if Seen in Public Most Festive Biggest Loser  Funniest Most Likely to go Viral on Social Media Our conductor from Strasburg says "Games Up" time to board!

Don't be Blindsided by Elections!

Yesterday was Ontario's Day in the spotlight.   The world was watching our election.  We are in a similar position as the U.S. election that resulted in Trump's win.  We have a mini-Trump leader in the conservative party. The liberal government has been in power for more than a decade and has performed dismally on all counts, especially the fiscal one.  The New Democratic Party has the possibility of creating a minority government, but has been blind to the fiscal issues at hand and offered to spend, spend, spend.  There is much despondency voiced by voters.  The Globe and Mail has heard this and the front page has the headline "Your Vote Counts." How would you vote if you knew what the future held with each candidate?  Or how our decision might impact other jurisdiction voters? The easy prediction is that it is going to be an exciting evening.  And then what? Our headline from yesterday seems so poignant - don't be blindsided by the future! So many great stories in the Strasburg Machine Shop - abstracts, small locomotives in repair, and the view out of the shop with the train going by.

The Scourge of Flies

I was at Beamer Falls Manor yesterday - a heritage home bed and breakfast in Grimsby on the escarpment.  Its target market is weddings.  We were looking at the garden together for planting ideas.  It is situated at Beamer Park, where the hawk migration is celebrated each year - the park has a commanding view of Grimsby and the Lake.   My question was:  Are these black flies? There were so many flies all around us that we swatted continuously.   There is nothing like this below the escarpment. What causes them to be in one place and not another in close proximity?  I didn't find any stories on this, but did enjoy the questions from foreign visitors on whether they should come to Ontario at all because of the 'horror stories about black flies'.   We do consider black flies to be a 'scourge'. Black flies can be a serious health problem - they can cause sickness and death.  There are stories of cattle being severely affected - an outbreak in Alberta in 1971 resulted in almost 1,000 animals dying, and others to lose significant amounts of weight. The term commonly used is: 'black flies cause human suffering and are a scourge to livestock.'  Returning down the escarpment, I considered myself lucky to return to my black flie-less garden.  Today we look at Strasburg Rail Road which we visited last Friday while in Pennsylvania.

Snow in Cambridge - UK vs ON

Marshall McLuhan brought alive the expression "the Global Village."  He went to Cambridge to earn his Doctorate.  He had both a BA and an MA at the time, but Cambridge required him to enrol as an undergraduate with one year's credit towards a three-year bachelor's degree.  He went on to get his Doctorate. Yesterday, in Cambridge England, they had a heavy snowfall and all the schools are closed today.  It seems more likely that there would be snow in Cambridge Ontario.  The global village has made these places with duplicate names readily available.  How confusing can things be?  Today there's a snow alert for Cambridge ON, with an expectation of heavy snowfall.  Perhaps schools in Cambridge, ON will be closed tomorrow. If we are searching for Spanish place names, there are many occurrences around the world.  Our top place name is San Jose.  There are 1,716 localities that share this name.  See all the countries in the Wikipedia entry HERE. Here are the rest of the top ten: sSan Antonio- 1, 691 Santa Maria- 1,246 Santa Rosa- 1,212 San Pedro- 1,191 San Juan- 1,166 San Francisco- 1,017 San Miguel- 989 San Isidro- 892 La Esperanza- 852 The top city names in the U.S.A. are: 1. Washington - 88 2. Springfield - 41 3. Franklin - 35 4. Greenville - 30 Canada's top name is Long Lake (204 places) with Mount Pleasant (16 places) second.  Today we're riding the rails in Strasburg, PA. There's a Strasburg, ON without the steam.

Strasburg the Oldest

It is a Strasburg Railway Day.  It is the oldest continuously operating railraoad in the western hemisphere.  It was chartered in 1832 and operates under its original charter and name.  The buildings and the water tower certainly set the stage for an historic heritage railway.  The countryside around the railway has Amish farms using horses for ploughing. It seems like an heritage area all round - a percentage of each train ticket is contributed to the Lancaster Farmland Trust.

Steam Day Today

Time.com kept track of the best April Fools Day pranks.  You can scroll through them here.  The first one on the list is the return of Texas currency.  The bills are called Texas Redbacks and have Willie Nelson's face on a ten dollar bill. Our pictures today take us to Strasburg Railroad (2015) showcasing the conductor and locomotive.

All Aboard for a Trip

Are there steam trains in Florida?  We're driving to Florida tomorrow for a month's stay.  I found the St. Marys Railroad just north of Jacksonville, and that's closeby to St. Augustine.  We'll be on the Wild West Express, so you will be seeing more train pictures as February progresses. At the end of February we'll be in Clearwater for a train symposium and outside Orlando to the Sundance display.  I know that's one of everyone's favourites. It is All Aboard today - at Strasburg, PA.

The Garden Traveller coming next week to TBG

I will be lecturing at the Toronto Botanical Gardens on Tuesday October 27 1:00 - 2:30 on the topic "The Garden Traveller".  It is course PG15F27and you can register with the TBG at their website or by phone http://torontobotanicalgarden.ca/learn/.  There will be a sneak preview in tomorrow's post.   Today we look at some scenes on the Strasburg Railway.

On Board

Strasburg Railway is today's subject with two portraits from this year's visit in May.  This is one of the few railroads in the U.S. that utilizes steam locomotives to regularly haul revenue freight trains.