I was tagged with this little exercise and decided to take up the challenge and go through my bookcase.
Here's what I've read, from A to Zed:
Alcott, Louisa May, Little Women
Buck, Pearl S., Imperial Woman
Carr, Emily, Hundreds and Thousands
Diament, Anita, The Red Tent
Eliot, George, Middlemarch (does it count if I skimmed most of this one?)
Frye, Northrup, The Bush Garden
Golding, William, Lord of the Flies (o.k. so I'm digging back to high school for this one)
Hosseini, Khaled, The Kite Runner
Itani, Frances, Deafening
Johnson, E. Pauline, Flint & Feather: The complete poems of E. Pauline Johnson
Kogawa, Joy, The Rain Ascends and Obasan
Lewis, David E., A Lover Needs A Guitar
McKay, Ami, The Birth House
Naipaul, V.S., Miguel Street
Ondaatje, Michael, The English Patient
Poe, Edgar Allan, The Tales of (for my "Tales of Terror" class)
Q
Rutherfurd, Edward, London
Snicket, Lemony, A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginnings
Theone, Bodie & Brock, The Zion Chronicles and The Zion Convenant series
U
Vanier, Jean, Becoming Human
Winchester, Simon, The Professor and the Madman
X
Y
Z
I tried list the most recent books read, though I seem to have read a lot of books by authors with names starting with L, M, and R.
This reminds me, I'll be in the Valley this weekend, and will have to make a point of going through some of my boxes of books. My mother is anxious to see some of the boxes gone. Little does she know, I'm actually hoping to target some of the books from her boxes that I read and are my favourites.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Dear Rodney...
Dear Rodney,
On Friday, in response to the rising gas prices, you said: "The most important thing that we as a government can do, and all Nova Scotians can do, is to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles and to take up the opportunity for transit." (CBC, Chronicle Herald).
I agree.
In Halifax, today, gas prices are $1.321/L; and of this $1.321 we are being taxed 0.155/L. I'll be the first to admit that, as a driver of a subcompact car, I take full responsibility for the consequences of driving. I understand the need for gas taxes to improve our aging roads and highways infrastructure and offset the environmental impact of driving. And, though I strongly feel Nova Scotians are over-taxed, I know I must pay the price for this luxury.
What concerns me is this: your comment seems inadequate when it addresses less than half the province's polulation, and even less of the geographical area of the province. So, I have to ask, when you spoke about taking up the "opportunity for transit", is it your plan to establish reliable and efficient transit systems in towns across the province where no such system exists? And, are you aware that these towns are paying the highest gas prices in the province? To name a few: $1.386/L in Parrsboro; $1.379/L in Barrington; $1.372/L in Yarmouth; 1.339 in Truro (source: Nova Scotia Gas Prices).
To my knowledge there are only three transit systems in the province - Halifax Metro Transit, Kings Transit, and the Cape Breton Regional Transit Authority (source: www.transitaction.ca).
As one who has relied on my own 2 feet, and the Toronto Transit Commission for nearly 7 years to get me around the largest city in Canada, I know the value of transit. A reliable, timely and frequent bus and subway system that was convenient and cheap (despite rising rate increases), was a viable alternative to driving a car in Toronto.
Here in Halifax, my experience has been quite different. Sure, the bus system works well getting to and from work (7am-5pm), but if I want to do anything after work (volunteer or night classes, etc.), the busses are less frequent and unreliable. I've been left stranded for an hour even though I live on a highly accessible route. As a result, I drive. As do many other Nova Scotians.
And, as you know, there are very few transit options for travelling outside of the city to rural areas of Nova Scotia. You yourself have been criticized for your expensive travel arrangements from Mabou to Halifax ($2,240 for a helicopter ride paid for by Nova Scotians).
Telling Nova Scotians that the government is going to focus on transit, is all very well and good, but how well does it (or can it) serve rural Nova Scotia, particularly when it's the rural communities that are the most economically stressed. That's what I want to know.
On Friday, in response to the rising gas prices, you said: "The most important thing that we as a government can do, and all Nova Scotians can do, is to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles and to take up the opportunity for transit." (CBC, Chronicle Herald).
I agree.
In Halifax, today, gas prices are $1.321/L; and of this $1.321 we are being taxed 0.155/L. I'll be the first to admit that, as a driver of a subcompact car, I take full responsibility for the consequences of driving. I understand the need for gas taxes to improve our aging roads and highways infrastructure and offset the environmental impact of driving. And, though I strongly feel Nova Scotians are over-taxed, I know I must pay the price for this luxury.
What concerns me is this: your comment seems inadequate when it addresses less than half the province's polulation, and even less of the geographical area of the province. So, I have to ask, when you spoke about taking up the "opportunity for transit", is it your plan to establish reliable and efficient transit systems in towns across the province where no such system exists? And, are you aware that these towns are paying the highest gas prices in the province? To name a few: $1.386/L in Parrsboro; $1.379/L in Barrington; $1.372/L in Yarmouth; 1.339 in Truro (source: Nova Scotia Gas Prices).
To my knowledge there are only three transit systems in the province - Halifax Metro Transit, Kings Transit, and the Cape Breton Regional Transit Authority (source: www.transitaction.ca).
As one who has relied on my own 2 feet, and the Toronto Transit Commission for nearly 7 years to get me around the largest city in Canada, I know the value of transit. A reliable, timely and frequent bus and subway system that was convenient and cheap (despite rising rate increases), was a viable alternative to driving a car in Toronto.
Here in Halifax, my experience has been quite different. Sure, the bus system works well getting to and from work (7am-5pm), but if I want to do anything after work (volunteer or night classes, etc.), the busses are less frequent and unreliable. I've been left stranded for an hour even though I live on a highly accessible route. As a result, I drive. As do many other Nova Scotians.
And, as you know, there are very few transit options for travelling outside of the city to rural areas of Nova Scotia. You yourself have been criticized for your expensive travel arrangements from Mabou to Halifax ($2,240 for a helicopter ride paid for by Nova Scotians).
Telling Nova Scotians that the government is going to focus on transit, is all very well and good, but how well does it (or can it) serve rural Nova Scotia, particularly when it's the rural communities that are the most economically stressed. That's what I want to know.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Back again!
Yes. I'm very glad to have my laptop back. I use my laptop for a lot of things - recipes, knitting patterns and help, facebook (of course) and email, banking, blogging, general household tips (ie. how to revive a crispy-dried-out plant), shopping, planning activities for my "Little" visits, renewing library books, managing my photos and music .... etc. etc. etc.
So this EDO weekend was spent travelling. I visited the family on Sat., and then took some time to explore the Halifax Regional Municipality a bit more. I really haven't seen much of this part of NS and I figured this was a good opportunity (despite gas prices being the highest they've been - 121.7/L). Soooo.....I drove to the Dark Side (aka Dartmouth), and explored Eastern Passage, Colby Village, Cole Harbour, downtown Dartmouth, and then Dartmouth Crossing. I kept thinking as I drove into these villages/neighbourhoods/whatever they are, "Is this it?" I was never quite sure where I was until I circled around a bit. Of course, I wasn't really following a map either. I just drove and drove and drove. On the Halifax side, I ended up following the St. Margaret's Bay Rd. through Beechville to Timberlea and Hubley. I always kind of thought Timberlea was a larger village with a shopping centre, but if there was I didn't find it. Just rows and rows of houses.
The more I drive around, the more I appreciate where I'm living - so close to the city and all its amenities. Though I see the advantages of living further out (being removed from the busy-ness of city-life), the landscape seems so desolate and I think I would feel too isolated being so far away from the city-centre. I don't like the idea of a longer commute than what I already have.
And one more observation before I go and do my taxes:
Dartmouth Crossing is just a little big creepy. It's a lot like Bayer's Lake - a sprawling shopping district of big box stores and restaurants and an Empire Theatre. But the part that creeped me out was the cobblestone storefront shopping district. For those who are "from away" and don't know what I'm talking about....in the middle of nowhere (and I mean NOWHERE!), they've developed this false downtown shopping area where you can walk from storefront to storefront, like you would in any downtown. The creepy bit, is that this ISN'T a downtown. You don't wander down to Dartmouth Crossing to window-shop; it's not a community or a neighbourhood with any kind of identity or history. It's an outdoor mall, really in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive down a relatively new highway for 10 minutes, with no development as far as the eye can see. The highway itself is deceiving because it's not finished so, in several places, it's actually going nowhere, except into a quarry of cut granite. What makes me a little bit sad, is that all the commercial/retail development is moving into this one area, and downtown Dartmouth (and probably downtown Halifax) is going to become more and more depressed. Dartmouth makes me sad - the roads are terrible!, the city planning is terrible, there's a lot of neglected and depressed buildings and the businesses seem to be hidden away off the main roads (Did I see a Sobeys or a Superstore at all? I can't remember.). I think I'll be sticking to the Halifax side for awhile, until I explore the Darkside more.
So this EDO weekend was spent travelling. I visited the family on Sat., and then took some time to explore the Halifax Regional Municipality a bit more. I really haven't seen much of this part of NS and I figured this was a good opportunity (despite gas prices being the highest they've been - 121.7/L). Soooo.....I drove to the Dark Side (aka Dartmouth), and explored Eastern Passage, Colby Village, Cole Harbour, downtown Dartmouth, and then Dartmouth Crossing. I kept thinking as I drove into these villages/neighbourhoods/whatever they are, "Is this it?" I was never quite sure where I was until I circled around a bit. Of course, I wasn't really following a map either. I just drove and drove and drove. On the Halifax side, I ended up following the St. Margaret's Bay Rd. through Beechville to Timberlea and Hubley. I always kind of thought Timberlea was a larger village with a shopping centre, but if there was I didn't find it. Just rows and rows of houses.
The more I drive around, the more I appreciate where I'm living - so close to the city and all its amenities. Though I see the advantages of living further out (being removed from the busy-ness of city-life), the landscape seems so desolate and I think I would feel too isolated being so far away from the city-centre. I don't like the idea of a longer commute than what I already have.
And one more observation before I go and do my taxes:
Dartmouth Crossing is just a little big creepy. It's a lot like Bayer's Lake - a sprawling shopping district of big box stores and restaurants and an Empire Theatre. But the part that creeped me out was the cobblestone storefront shopping district. For those who are "from away" and don't know what I'm talking about....in the middle of nowhere (and I mean NOWHERE!), they've developed this false downtown shopping area where you can walk from storefront to storefront, like you would in any downtown. The creepy bit, is that this ISN'T a downtown. You don't wander down to Dartmouth Crossing to window-shop; it's not a community or a neighbourhood with any kind of identity or history. It's an outdoor mall, really in the middle of nowhere. You have to drive down a relatively new highway for 10 minutes, with no development as far as the eye can see. The highway itself is deceiving because it's not finished so, in several places, it's actually going nowhere, except into a quarry of cut granite. What makes me a little bit sad, is that all the commercial/retail development is moving into this one area, and downtown Dartmouth (and probably downtown Halifax) is going to become more and more depressed. Dartmouth makes me sad - the roads are terrible!, the city planning is terrible, there's a lot of neglected and depressed buildings and the businesses seem to be hidden away off the main roads (Did I see a Sobeys or a Superstore at all? I can't remember.). I think I'll be sticking to the Halifax side for awhile, until I explore the Darkside more.
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