Thanks for reading!

It's looking like the contest is now over! A big thanks to everyone who came out and supported my blog. I would especially like to thank my fans from all across the world that have been reading my blog (I have no idea why, but hey!).

"Bye, bye, bye" -NSYNC

Exams FTW.

Desk #354 was extra 'wobbly' this year!

It’s the end of the year undergrads, and do you know what that means? EXAM time! Luckily I’ve already written 1 of 3, so now I have a little breathing room to blog about it.

To be frank, I don’t have a problem with exams. I don’t see what the big deal is, and why everyone is stressing out. If you've attended class a couple times this year, and jotted down a few notes you should be ready for this 40% final... right?

Oh wait... you’re telling me that you didn’t go to class this year? That you didn’t get any participation marks? That you don’t have any notes? I’m sure you have some logical reasons for potentially failing this course.

Let me guess, you didn’t go to class on Thursday’s because you went to The Moose on Wednesdays?

You don’t have participation marks because you played facebook games like “family feud” and “wheel of fortune” in class?

And you don’t have any notes because you’ve never logged on to blackboard, webadvisor, your NUemail, or you professors’ website? ...in your entire life?

This guy clearly never went to class!

Well if you’re in that boat (the same boat as most students) it’s safe to say that we might be seeing you in University Success next year, for a third time. But I do highly recommend writing the final exam, I mean... it’s worth a shot right?

So here’s some advice: if you’re majoring in humanities (English, history, etc) just write 10-15 pages in your exam, on whatever subject you want... and I’m sure you’ll get some marks for creativity. As for everyone else... when in doubt choose C (unless of course it’s a true/false question choose B).

North Bay Segway

Alright, this blog post is going to be kept short and sweet. Has anyone seen the man who drives a Segway to class? Well I have and let me tell you, he doesn’t drive it up the Monastery Trail; he rides it right up one of the most ferocious hills in North Bay, the College Drive Hill.

For those of you who don’t exactly know what a Segway is... you can check it out on Wikipedia. It’s basically a one-person vehicle with two wheels (no, it’s not a bike). The wheels are placed near the lateral side of each foot. A handle bar is erected from the middle of the standing platform up to the hands. An onboard computer stabilizes the ride, making sure that the driver doesn’t fall forwards or backwards. Some models of the Segway are also available with 3 wheels. Segways usually max out at around 20mp/h, which is a great speed for cruising down a well paved sidewalk.


Some of the world’s most famous people own and drive Segways on a regular basis. Take for instance Shaq, he has a Segway. It’s debatable that he is one of the largest people (7 foot 1, 330lbs) in the world to ever ride one successfully. And if the “most followed athlete on Twitter" is cruising around on one, you know it’s got to be good for ya!

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against Segways... in fact I fully support Segways. It’s one of the coolest ways to get around (often seen in large urban centres) and are especially suitable in North Bay. If the Segway man is reading this blog post, please know that I do fully support your decision to ride a Segway to class in March. No matter how many cars pass you, or how snowy College Drive gets... Ride on good sir, ride on!

P.S. I’ve posted some outrageous pictures and videos of Segways.

Polo?

Great parenting.

No comment.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Nipissing University Inaugural Basketball Teams!

Most of you have probably noticed the RJSAC expansion that is going on right now. You know, the giant iron beams that are scraping the clouds... the big construction zone that forces some of us have to walk that rather sketchy pathway to the upper parking lot? Anyways yeah, so we’re getting a bigger gym, nice. But with a bigger gym comes a bigger athletic program right? SO the real question is... What is the next varsity team for Nipissing University going to be? Well I’ve outlined a few of the possibilities and then ranked them accordingly:


1. A women's hockey team. This choice makes the most sense, because we already have a men's team, and the women have proven themselves with their extramural team. We don't have Title IX in Canada, but gender equality is still important across the board.
*Fun fact: the only event in the Olmpics that is strictly for Men is boxing (Women's Boxing will be at London 2012), and the only event that is strictly for women is synchronized swimming.

2. One of the most obvious choices would be to have a varsity basketball team. With this giant gymnasium just around the corner, we’ll have enough seats to fit just about every student in there to watch the Nipissing Lakers (not to be confused with the LA Lakers). But with a basketball team the question rises: Do we have a Men’s team? Women’s team? Both? OUA or OCAA? I think if we take the basketball route, we’ll have to have a men’s and women’s team... just to be fair --And I mean we already have Extramural teams that seem to be doing pretty good so why not build off of that? Well the reality is that adding TWO Varsity teams is a little TOO expensive.

3. Maybe it’s time that our OCAA Volleyball teams move UP to compete at the OUA level? And I know me mentioning this idea is going to start a huge fight... oh well. APPARENTLY our gym right now is not big enough to allow our volleyball teams to compete at the OUA level, but who knows. I just think that maybe it’s time for all of our teams to be on the same playing field (the OUA playing field). Plus the Lakers have drowned the Panthers hopes and dreams one too many times.

4. A track and field team! Yes, I know that the new gym addition isn’t going to have an indoor track. And right now I could go off on a huge rant about how an indoor track is the single most important thing North Bay needs. For the time being our Lakers Varsity Cross Country team will continue to train all year around (outdoors and in the Northgate parking garage) and compete at indoor track meets unofficially. 

5. Well if basketball is too expensive, everyone thinks that volleyball should stay in the OCAA, and a Track team isn’t realistic then maybe it’s time for a swim team?... HAHAHA too soon? Oh yes, that’s right... the rumours aren’t true and there will not be a pool in the new athletic centre. But, we do have seasonal access to the pond behind campus. The reality is that no matter which team the university decides to go with it's going to be expensive, and probably won't happen for a few years.

So thanks for reading my latest blog post. Please feel free to leave a comment. What do you think the next varsity team should be (CHECK OUT THE POLL-->)? Maybe the University should ask the students what they want! 

NEW Bright Eyes... finally.

Album cover

This isn't really much of a blog post worth reading, but I thought that I'd throw it up anyways. One of my favourite bands Bright Eyes has finally released a new full length album "The People’s Key." This is a follow-up album to their 2007 release "Cassadaga." Even though the album isn’t technically out yet, Conor Oberst and the band have posted the entire recording on youtube.
This is said to be the last Bright Eyes album, but I think there will be more to come.

Wikipedia will tell you that Bright Eyes is an indie/folk band from Omaha Nebraska. I think that trying to clump Bright Eyes with any genre is a misstatement. The early work of the band might have a very ‘indie’ feel to it, but some new songs cover the entire music spectrum. Front-man Conor Oberst is the only constant in the band, as there’s a wide array of different musicians on each Bright Eyes album.

"We're over the Americana, rootsy, whatever that sound is. People say country but I never thought we were very country at all. But whatever that element is or that aesthetic is, I guess it's worn a little thin for me these days. So we very much wanted it to be rocking and, for lack of a better term, contemporary, or modern." -Conor Oberst speaking his mind on the new album.

Long story short, check out this video and let me know what you think. “The People’s Key” will be available Feb 15, 2011… Conor’s birthday.

I'll give this album easily a 6/5, but don't listen to me... listen to the album. Thanks.

There's sNOw way to get to campus

Every Nipissing student should recognize this picture. It’s the upper gate of the Monastery Trail that we all know and love. It looks a little different in this picture though (thank you Google Maps) because it is one of the few months in North Bay when there is no snow. Believe it or not, this trail plays a huge role in our lives, and holds a special place in our hearts. Unfortunately we only have access to this trail for about 3 of the 8 months we’re here (Sept-April).

As we drift in to the depths of a North Bay winter so does the Monastery Trail. Oh, and by “Trail” I mean the section of walkway from one orange gate to the other. Understandably the Monastery Road does receive adequate snow removal so students can get from Main campus to the Monastery. But that’s not the issue at hand. The issue is that: the TRAIL section does not receive any snow removal during the winter months, none.

As you can see above, I've outlined the residences (blue=Nipissing, red=Canadore), the gates (orange=upper and lower gates), and the section of the trail that doesn’t receive snow removal (white=waist high snow). The unplowed region is roughly 500-600m which is just enough to freeze your toes and ruin your day on campus. To see a picture of my toes from the walk today please click here.

You're probably wondering right now “why does it matter if we can’t walk to school, there are busses every 15 minutes?” The reality is that the busses only come every 3 days, and that I should be able to walk to campus. I’m not really sure why Nipissing was built on top of a hill, or why residences were built on the bottom, but I do know that somewhere in between we need snow removal.

Whether you’re walking to your 8:30AM class, or walking home from the bar at 2:30AM, we should all have access to a safe, walkable (not a real word) trail. With the snowplows nowhere in sight, I managed to purchase my own snow-shoes which allow me to walk to campus with ease. So right now, the problem is solved for me, please stay tuned for my Monastery Trail “Bear Sighting” blog post coming soon!

***Please take a moment to check out the rest of my fully updated blog pages!

A Life Lesson: Running on Water

           So... the world of viral videos has amazed me again. In the summer I watched a few videos on Youtube that absolutely blew me away ...and I was certain that it was possible to actually walk on water. And I’m not talking that FAKE Criss Angel walking on water, I’m talking about the REAL walking on water—actually I’m talking about running on water. There’s a very popular Youtube video with 8.4 million views called Liquid Mountaineering. Before you read on, please watch this video (re-watch it even if you have seen it).

           So there you have it, running on water is legit. Or at this video has fooled many of the 8.4 million viewers into believing it. Here’s a cut out section of comments from Youtube to show you how I’m not the only one who’s been tricked.

           The video below will show you the truth about running on water. It was actually an incredible marketing ploy by a company called Hi-Tec that specializes in selling water resistant shoes and clothing. There’s no doubt their products are great for repelling water, but no shoe in the world will ever be able to repel gravity.

           And there you have it. For the time being, running on water is not possible (but it’s only a matter of time before Usain Bolt proves us wrong). Believe it or not, this video was also shown on ESPN and the anchors had a hard time trying to determine if it was real or not. The moral of the story is don’t believe everything you watch on the internet... no wait, don’t believe ANYTHING you see on the internet, because if we did Justin Bieber would actually be dead.

What a Horo(scopea)ble Change: The New Zodiac.

Snooki!

            Over the last few days, there has been quite a lot of discussion/ debate around the change of our beloved horoscopes. So much so that it’s even trending on Twitter right now (I know that doesn't say much, because even Snooki has been known to trend).

            But seriously, what does it all mean? Are you telling me that my horoscope is changing? Why can’t I keep my Aries? For people that check their horoscopes daily, and who use their “lucky numbers of the week” on lottery tickets, this is a huge change. Most of us know what our Sign is, but not very many of us check it daily or... at least I don’t.

            I've read a bunch comments on Facebook which pointed to some news articles that kind of explained the: who, what, when, where, and why of this astronomical change (pun intended). Basically some astronomers in Minnesota think that they have the inherent right to change our Zodiac Signs by moving their spots on the calendar and even adding a new one. These astronomers claim that “the Earth has shifted (in outer space) over the 3,000 years since the Zodiac was assigned.”

The New Zodiac: Ophiuchus

            To sum it all up, our horoscopes have shifted slightly in dates, and a one has been added. Most of the changes occur in the second half of the year (June-Dec). Unfortunately for some people the Scorpio Sign has been limited to only 6 days!!!

            There is a new Zodiac sign called Ophiuchus and falls at the end of November to the beginning of December. Wikipedia will tell you that Ophiuchus is a large constellation around the Celestial Equator (???) and that in Greek it means “Serpent beater” ... interpret that any way you like. It kind of sounds like a "Jake the Snake" situation. There’s still a lot of confusion around the changes, and apparently only people born after 2009 will be Ophiuchus, everyone else has been grandfathered through.

            I can’t help but chuckle when I hear the horror stories “OMG, I can’t believe they changed my Zodiac sign... I have it tattooed on my lower back”-Many Girls. But I guess that's just the way life goes sometimes.

            Realistically, if you have grown up loving Cancer the Crab (or any other Sign), than just stick with it! Who cares what these astronomers have to say? And if you have lived your life like a Virgo would, than keep on living like one! Just because an astronomer tells you that your crabs are gone, doesn't mean they have to be!

Eh Oh! Canada Noooo!

          Hey everyone, if you didn't have time to catch Team Canada in the World Junior Hockey Championship game you can relive it through twitter. If you're interested in seeing how the glory of a nation was lost please follow along with the pictures, and comments below! Enjoy!
*Feel free to click the links I've posted along the way (a small window will pop up... so you can understand what I'm talking about!)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1:

As you can see here, I started with a nice tumblr post of my living room TV, and a cold glass of beer poured (in a Team Canada cup) ready to watch the boys bring home the gold, or so I thought. I couldn't help but make fun of last years chant "Eh oh, Canada Go!" (a shameful marketing ploy by Pepsi-Canada).
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 2:

As Canada absolutely dominated the Russians early in the first period, the Russians somewhat resembled Bambi slipping on ice.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 3:

Team Canada Hockey showed off some of their technology by using 3D animation replays, little red circles under players (like NHL 2002 for PS2), really quite humerous compared to what the NFL can do!

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years!

A Year End Review (Nipissing University)

          When people think of North Bay they generally think of a cold, small city from Northern Ontario. And yes, they’re completely right. But, there was quite a lot happening in the City and on Campus this past year so I have ranked what I think to be the top stories of 2010. Enjoy:

9.) Library near Completion- This story is near the bottom of the list, but it still makes the list. We’ve known about the library for a few years now and we are watching it quickly come together. It’s going to be ready for next year which is pretty wicked. Finally Nipissing and Canadore students will have a place to learn that they deserve!

8.) New Mayor of North Bay- Municipal elections were held this semester and it’s “out with the old and in with the new.” Nipissing University will be wishing a warm farewell to former Mayor Vic Fedeli and hello to Mayor Al McDonald. Who’s AL? 

7.) Lakers Soccer- Well, our women’s Varsity Soccer team played exceptionally well this year. And if the weather kept you from seeing their games this season, you missed out. The Lakers had a great season (5-7-4) that landed them a spot in the playoffs. They made it all the way to the OUA quarter finals only to be shut down by the No. 1 ranked Golden Gales (in a close 2-1 OT loss). Great job Lakers.

6.) New PhD and Masters Programs (on the way)- PhD in education, and a couple of Masters programs in the field of environmental science/geography... more info to come soon!

5.) Surtees Expansion- Out of nowhere explosions were going off, and parking lots were being lost. The Surtees Centre is now expanding allowing for some much needed elbow room. The AC expansion will add 2 more gymnasiums, research space, classrooms, larger weight rooms, cardio room, squash courts and more. This is a 3 phase project and might be a while until it’s completed, but the first phase should be ready next year sometime. 

4.) Twiggs on Mckeown- With new buildings shooting up everywhere around McKeown, we (the students) will have more places to blow cash. The new Twiggs Coffee Roasters that popped up beside Lucky 13, is a social hot-spot for Nipissing and Canadore Students. It’s a great place to study, go on dates, or just enjoy some good eats. If you haven’t BEAN yet I recommend you check it out.

3.) Lakers Hockey- They were the “Top Local Newsmakers of the Year”  in 2009, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it again. The boys are having a great season, sitting currently in 5th (Eastern Division) and will hopefully have a long playoff run. Check out some more Lakers games next year (in 2011). You won’t be disappointed. 

2.) Our NU Chancellor- In early December Nipissing University installed a new chancellor. A pretty epic ceremony took place that all students could attend. With video messages of congratulations from all stretches of the country it was a really cool experience. Dr. Jon Dellandrea received a honourary degree at last year’s convocation, and will make a great addition to the university during his 4 year term. Jon, was appointed as a member of “The Order of Canada” in 2006 due to his contributions to higher education. With a pretty impressive resume he’s only raised a few billion dollars for universities in his life. Wow!

1.) Homecoming!- Finally, Nipissing hosts a highly successful homecoming. It was a weekend full of sporting events, guest lectures, and more. It was a very inclusive event for current students and many alumni made their way back to North Bay. For those of you who missed this year's festivities, please make sure you register for homecoming early next year!

          So that’s it folks, I’ve listed some of the stories that really stood out to me this year. I didn’t really come across any negative stories, which means we’re doing something right in the north. Leave a comment if you have a story that should have made the list!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

Useless and obscure stats 2.

Boohoo Sid.

I couldn’t help but bring up yet another useless and obscure stat, which seems to be flooding sports highlights every morning (for the past month or so). Sidney Crosby, ever heard of him? On top of his Stanley Cup, and Olympic gold medal he’s now chasing a “most consecutive points” record. What this record means is: who can play the most games with at least 1 point in each of them. The other night Sid made it game 22 ...inching ever so close to the all time record, or is he?

A real picture from the NHL lockout

TheScore.com told me today that “Crosby tied Dany Heatley for the longest consecutive point streak since the cancelled season. Heatley also recorded at least one point in 22 games back in 2005-06 while playing for Ottawa.” Crosby has since added another game to his streak making it 23 (against Washington)  and making him sole record holder.

The cancelled season is referring to the lockout we all remember 2004-2005, a sad year of Canadian history. On average, an NHL lockout will last 10 years (1994-1996 was the other lockout). This means that anyone who wants to challenge Crosby’s [post lockout] record will have to do so in the next 6 years ...which to me makes this Crosby hype just another useless and obscure stat. 

Good hockey players get statues

It’s funny how most Canadians can easily name a few of Gretzky’s records off the top of their head. Gretzky has the most goals (894), most assists (1963), most points (2857), and ALSO has the most consecutive points (51 Games). That’s right ladies and gentleman, The Great One actually holds the all-time record at 51 games.  

 So over the coming weeks when you’re eating your cereal  and checking out the sports highlights please remember to really listen and understand what these “records” actually stand for. 

I'm really excited to see this so-called record crumble before Crosby's eyes, and hopefully it all ends at the Outdoor Winter Classic (Jan 1, 2011). What can I say I'm an Ovechkin fan ha ha ha. When all is said and done, the Great One, is in fact a great one, AND – Sid the kid, will always just be a kid.

***Gretzky also has 39, and 30 game streaks respectively. 

Super Nintendo Anyone?

Contra III: The Alien Wars (1992)

Konami- Super Nintendo

           Some of the best roommate bonding experiences originate not just from studying and partying, but playing video games. Most student houses have at least 2-3 game consoles where mindless hours are spent gaming. Before you read any further, let me tell you that today’s game Contra III: Alien Wars is not supported in HD, dual-shock controllers, or surround sound. It’s one of the best 2D MULTIPLAYER games of our generation that we can enjoy with our roommates and friends. To play this wicked side-scroller online just click here.

Shoot & Shoot More

           The storyline involves aliens invading earth, and that’s really all there is to say. To be frank, the plot doesn’t really make any sense at all. It’s based around two characters named Jimbo and Sully that have to save the planet in the year 2636 from an alien race. One minute you’re driving a tank down the streets of LA, and the next minute you’re shooting your way out of a giant alien body (you have to shoot your way out of almost every situation). Some of the levels are your standard 2D side-scroller, while other levels are played from a birds-eye-view... a nice little change up.

Konami takes full advantage of the Super Nintendo’s stereo sound, and 16-bit graphics. Some levels might be likely to cause epileptic seizures, but what game doesn’t these days? The only buttons you really need are: Left, Right, A (shoot), B (shoot more), and Trigger (change what you’re shooting). 

Hover-Bikes in 2636?

 

From the vast arsenal of guns, bombs, and vehicles you’ll find yourself replaying this 6 level game all day long.  The game has easy, medium, and hard modes... all of which are pretty difficult. At the end of the day this is definitely a great game. If you don’t have many plans for the day I recommend you take a look at this game.... who knows, maybe you’ll save the world today?

All Joking aside, this game is the perfect way to waste time, procrastinate, and much more. These two- dimensional games have become a part of our childhood memories, and are still worth playing. 

This game gets a whopping 5 guns out of 5.

Zach Morris VS BP Oil Spill

          The way we watch TV will never be the same. Streaming movies online, buying TV shows by the season, and downloading mp4 torrents for our IPhones, we are slowly but surely moving away from commercials. There are many companies out there looking to make our lives easier when we missed the latest episode of Jersey Shore TVshack, Sidereel, MTV just to name a few.

          The last DVD purchase I made was “Saved by the Bell” seasons 1-4. And let me tell you this has been one of my finest investments. I ended up watching all four seasons in a matter of days (commercial free 20minute episodes!). I stumbled upon an episode that directly related to the BP oil spill disaster. The episode was called “Pipe Dreams." It starts off with the high school, Bayside High, sitting on some very large oil reserves. An oil company comes in to do some drilling (which will make the school rich) and then an accident happens. The Oil ends up spraying all over the school pond and wildlife. Zack Morris’ pet duck ends up dying because of it. From there a large protest arises and the oil company packs up and leaves Bayside.

           The episode ends with all of the Bayside gang (Zack, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Lisa, Jesse) doing an epic 6 person high-five. Then the 1990s guitar solo kicked in and the credits role, another masterpiece for Zack and the gang.

           “Saved by the Bell” was definitely a great show of the late 80s/early 90s. I’m glad that I had the opportunity to grow up watching TV shows that would provide me with lifelong lessons and morals. Zach Morris and the gang were friends of mine growing up, and it’s always bittersweet watching these episodes (considering the original version of the show ended roughly 20 years ago).

 *Fun fact: BP actually purchased the search words “Oil” and “Spill” so it shows up first in the Google search!

Epic High-Five

No Title Needed.

Maybe if Dwight was the one making the marketing decisions for this university...

Top 5 Places to Study

1.) Twiggs- Let’s face it, this new social gathering hotspot is a great place to study. The front windows are usually lined with people diligently working on laptops. This Café is Wi-Fi friendly, and serves a decent cup of coffee. So if you’re looking for somewhere new to learn, go and explore Starbucks Twiggs Coffee Roasters for your next studying excursion.

2.) EC Library- This is a common spot to study for any Nipissing/ Canadore student. It has the option of two Wi-Fi connections (Nipissing is faster than Canadore’s connection). With all the books, resources and friendly staff that will help you cite APA or MLA you’ll surely be on your way writing that paper. The one downside is many students choose to hang out, procrastinate, and chat (I’m one of them). It’s a great place to study (until the new Learning Library is built) but, you might spend most of your time catching up with friends or making continuous cafeteria runs.

3.) Living room watching TV- It might not sound like the greatest place to study, and that’s because it isn’t. Many of us choose to study or read in front of a TV which usually ends up getting us sidetracked. At least if you don’t study you’ll know who won the Monday Night Football game. AND if your next Ancient Greece paper on HOMER mentions The Simpsons, take your studying elsewhere.

4.) In bed- This is probably one of the most comfy places to sit and read.  Make sure you have bright lights on and a warm cup of coffee so you don’t fall asleep. There’s nothing worse than waking up at 9:03AM for an 8:30AM exam. Here's a hint: Use two alarm clocks! 

5.) Alley behind Lucky 13- This location was bumped from 4th to 5th in just one year. Although it might seem like a friendly environment to share notes, and read a few chapters… it’s not. Please don’t study in the alley behind Lucky 13, its dangerous and you won’t retain anything.

It's not as friendly at night.