Tuesday (mostly)
Aug. 12th, 2009 09:03 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mbernardiThe Con-suite opened at 18:45 but I finished off with netbook before queuing for a smoked meat sandwich and a beer, stayed and chatted for an hour then went down to the basement for the filking, did some browsing (filk lyrics) using the Sugar OS, on my eeepc, even joined in some choruses (especially with Keris).
About 21:30 decided to go up to the con-suite on the 5th floor for the dead dog (le chein mort) party just to get a bite and a drink. Arrived just as the last of the Baen goodies had been given out. I got a CD-Rom vol 20, all the books had gone. (They had finally arrived 2 days late). Ruth B had got a Fledgling ARC as had Elisabeth C. Ian T was also there, I got bit more food and another beer. We propped up one of the corridor wall for the next hour or so and were joined by Larry who tried to con people into trying Stroh/Austrian Rum. AKA rocket fuel/paint striper from his hip flask. Dave C came along later with a more palatable hip flask content. I finally left at 23:15 and got back to the hostel 23:40 bed ten minutes later. didn't get back to the filk ;-(
Up on Tuesday at 6:55, tried to get a WiFi signal via Sugar and was successful, though the lack of Flash is a bit of a problem. Left 7:45 for breakfast at Tim Hortons, aging breakfast combo with coffee and bagel with cream cheese. Got the the Delta Hotel 8:15 then had a half hour wait before any action occurred. but since I didn't want to miss something I couldn't start reading.
Eventually all 46 people arrived for the journey to the Canadian Space Agency / Agence spatiale canadienne. Unfortunately the bus was too big to fit under the hotel porch, and it was raining. I got wet, but mostly due to running through a puddle, and having to wait to board the bus. We left only 5 minutes late at 9:05. The journey, which was very grey and wet took 30 minutes, and was faster than expected. The CSA is a working science centre, and isn't normally open to the public, but tours can be arranged. The group was split in two and our guide normally worked on the Webb telescope due to launch in 2014, and she had been working on it for the last 10+ years!
Canada (like the UK) doesn't have it's own launch capacity and has become expert in small satellites, and the robotic systems of the ISS. We saw models and live links with the ISS. One and a half hours went by very quickly and we had to leave at 11:35, getting back to the Delta hotel by just after 12:00 Some goodies (stickers, pamphlets etc) where available after leaving the bus. The weather had taken a turn for the better and it was now sunny!
Walked back to the convention centre via Victoria Square to have lunch at Tom Hortons, backed beans and a roll, with a donut and coffee. Then typed up notes to date.
Went toward the docks and ended up at Pointe-à-Callière where Montreal was founded in 1642. For 14$ I got to view the ruins, have a one hour guided tour and meet Stellan ,before going to the Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters exhibition, left at 17:45 just be fore it closed got an ice cream and then paid 32$ for the Amphi Tour of Old Montréal and the St Lawrence River taking one hour ten minutes (I need to use up my Canadian dollars!).
Usually it's bilingual, but everyone was Anglophone so it was all in English. Leaving from outside the Science Museum at 18:40, we had a interesting tour, out guide Charles didn't have English as his first language but was very fluent, only a few word usages indication his birth tongue.
When we got back I walked along one of the Quays and then along Rue de la Commune to the Place Jacques Cartier where I bought a maple syrup crepe and lemonade Snapple. Then watched the end of a comedy juggling act which finished with the juggling of 2 knives and what appears to be a heavy and possibly sharp axe. Give the performance 1$ (since I didn't see the beginning. Then back to the hostel for just after 21:00. Updated notes, but may go out for some more food.
Did go to Tom Hortons, just down the road for coffee and donuts. Also bought postcards at the Pointe-à-Callière gift shop and will try to send them off on Wednesday.
Up about 7:00 on Wednesday morning, lots of bites all over my body, and had to apply cream to stop me scratching. Went searching on iGoogle for addresses so I could send off postcards, filled out all addresses. Checked on email and LJ.
Now off for breakfast
About 21:30 decided to go up to the con-suite on the 5th floor for the dead dog (le chein mort) party just to get a bite and a drink. Arrived just as the last of the Baen goodies had been given out. I got a CD-Rom vol 20, all the books had gone. (They had finally arrived 2 days late). Ruth B had got a Fledgling ARC as had Elisabeth C. Ian T was also there, I got bit more food and another beer. We propped up one of the corridor wall for the next hour or so and were joined by Larry who tried to con people into trying Stroh/Austrian Rum. AKA rocket fuel/paint striper from his hip flask. Dave C came along later with a more palatable hip flask content. I finally left at 23:15 and got back to the hostel 23:40 bed ten minutes later. didn't get back to the filk ;-(
Up on Tuesday at 6:55, tried to get a WiFi signal via Sugar and was successful, though the lack of Flash is a bit of a problem. Left 7:45 for breakfast at Tim Hortons, aging breakfast combo with coffee and bagel with cream cheese. Got the the Delta Hotel 8:15 then had a half hour wait before any action occurred. but since I didn't want to miss something I couldn't start reading.
Eventually all 46 people arrived for the journey to the Canadian Space Agency / Agence spatiale canadienne. Unfortunately the bus was too big to fit under the hotel porch, and it was raining. I got wet, but mostly due to running through a puddle, and having to wait to board the bus. We left only 5 minutes late at 9:05. The journey, which was very grey and wet took 30 minutes, and was faster than expected. The CSA is a working science centre, and isn't normally open to the public, but tours can be arranged. The group was split in two and our guide normally worked on the Webb telescope due to launch in 2014, and she had been working on it for the last 10+ years!
Canada (like the UK) doesn't have it's own launch capacity and has become expert in small satellites, and the robotic systems of the ISS. We saw models and live links with the ISS. One and a half hours went by very quickly and we had to leave at 11:35, getting back to the Delta hotel by just after 12:00 Some goodies (stickers, pamphlets etc) where available after leaving the bus. The weather had taken a turn for the better and it was now sunny!
Walked back to the convention centre via Victoria Square to have lunch at Tom Hortons, backed beans and a roll, with a donut and coffee. Then typed up notes to date.
Went toward the docks and ended up at Pointe-à-Callière where Montreal was founded in 1642. For 14$ I got to view the ruins, have a one hour guided tour and meet Stellan ,before going to the Pirates, Privateers and Freebooters exhibition, left at 17:45 just be fore it closed got an ice cream and then paid 32$ for the Amphi Tour of Old Montréal and the St Lawrence River taking one hour ten minutes (I need to use up my Canadian dollars!).
Usually it's bilingual, but everyone was Anglophone so it was all in English. Leaving from outside the Science Museum at 18:40, we had a interesting tour, out guide Charles didn't have English as his first language but was very fluent, only a few word usages indication his birth tongue.
When we got back I walked along one of the Quays and then along Rue de la Commune to the Place Jacques Cartier where I bought a maple syrup crepe and lemonade Snapple. Then watched the end of a comedy juggling act which finished with the juggling of 2 knives and what appears to be a heavy and possibly sharp axe. Give the performance 1$ (since I didn't see the beginning. Then back to the hostel for just after 21:00. Updated notes, but may go out for some more food.
Did go to Tom Hortons, just down the road for coffee and donuts. Also bought postcards at the Pointe-à-Callière gift shop and will try to send them off on Wednesday.
Up about 7:00 on Wednesday morning, lots of bites all over my body, and had to apply cream to stop me scratching. Went searching on iGoogle for addresses so I could send off postcards, filled out all addresses. Checked on email and LJ.
Now off for breakfast