Updated: Never — Philip's Blog

15:44 EDT

Rather lazy day yesterday. I had a mostly caffeinated breakfast and attempted some shopping. Only my heart wasn't really in it (is it ever?) and I ended up not buying anything. In the afternoon, I went to take a look at the break-out rooms in the Fauteux Building Dan has arranged for the developer summit tomorrow.

While the rooms are very nice -- I would kill for rooms like this at FOSDEM -- they are 'theatre-style' with staged seating rather than 'conference-style' with movable furniture. I'm sure the type of rooms we're looking for exist at the University but we've just not been successful at making them understand our needs. From what I know about dealing with universities regarding rooms for conferences, this surprises me not at all. Perhaps a number of us will take a stroll around campus noting the rooms we like so we can try to get them next year.

Dinner with Bjoern and Tiff (whose name I misspell consistently) at The Royal Oak just down the road here. I had some excellent nachos and a chicken salad. It transpires that a beer I found 'unimpressive' (to put it charitably) last year, I rather liked this year. I would find it unlikely if this was indeed the same beer -- I remember some really foul stuff across my palate last year -- but if it was, I happily retract my statement from last year.

Somehow, we managed to sustain a conversation on a wide range of topics until well after midnight. Instead of sending Tiff home across the river, a walk which would not be too interesting at that time of the night, we offered her some floorspace. Actually, of course we offered beds first, but it turns out that she is accustomed to sleeping on floors. What a strange idea. Oddly, it does not surprise me, however.

I slept like a (snoring) log until I was woken by the very bright sunlight around five-ish this morning and then caught up with email before we all headed out for more caffeinated breakfast.

Today was a nice stroll around Ottawa. I discovered that my camera is out of battery again. With hindsight, this was probably a good thing since I could have used it to take pictures of somewhat disturbing things. While I stuck to well-made paths and bridges, my sightseeing companions decided to climb around fences suspended over violent waterfalls and enjoy rainbows in the mist on narrow ledges over perillous drops.

While Bjoern and Tiff explored life on the edge, I studied the Ottawa Memorial. The North American involvement in the violent periods of the first half of the twentieth century is not taught so much in schools across Europe, in my experience. Or I must have missed it.

After sending Tiff home, Bjoern and I strolled back to the residence via the locks on the Rideau Canal. I wouldn't have minded taking some pictures of these, but as I mentioned, my camera had no power. An excuse to go and see them again.

Catching up with IRC and email, it seems I'm on "bag filling" duty tomorrow morning. More and more BSDists are starting to pour into the city. BSDCan registration is at the Royal Oak this evening. I'm quite looking forward to that.

In other news: I feel like a boiled lobster. The bright day star is ... bright. Long live sunscreen, but it would be more efficacious if I would take it along with me to reapply throughout the day instead of leaving it in the darkness of my room at the residence.