Montreal Metblogs » mont_frank

No Snow

mont_frank — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 02:50:02 +0000

Now that everyone is talking about cold weather again, has anyone else noticed the distinct lack of snow so far this winter? I’m not talking about the dustings we get every couple days. I mean the ones where it becomes difficult to parallel park for a couple days. Those ones that we normally get once or twice a week. By my count, we’ve only had one so far and that was over two weeks ago. And the Weather Network’s forcast says only more dustings for the next week. Will we only have a few ‘real’ snowfalls this year?

On one side, I’m enjoying it the same way we enjoyed the warm temps earlier this month. No problems parking, easy to walk the streets, and no driveway to shovel before leaving for work.

But on the other hand, snow IS winter. You can keep your cold temps. Instead of being primarily white, the city is a dirty salty grey. The added effort for us to make our way through the blankets of snow make us stronger. Without snow, we’re just TO with a mountain in the middle of it.

Neighborly Reconnect

mont_frank — Mon, 08 Jan 2007 01:51:16 +0000

Today seemed to be a day of reconnecting with your neighbors. With a summer and fall largely dominated by rainfall that forced everyone to squeeze their outdoor chores into limited windows, there was no time to walk over and shoot the breeze. But with today’s warm temps and no real yardwork remaining, people were out just enjoying the weather. Strolling through the neighborhood or going to the parc. We met two different groups of neighbors who we had barely seen since the spring. One we met at the parc and the other we spent over an hour catching up on our driveway. Both incidents were quite rare this past year. It was nice to have these little encounters before (or if) winter comes forcing us to stay largely indoors.

Thunderstorm?

mont_frank — Fri, 15 Dec 2006 18:09:19 +0000

A bolt of lightning just struck outside my window. While I’ve been enjoying the warm weather like everyone else who is not anxious for snow, it’s quite strange to have summer-like thunderstorms 10 days before Christmas. I won’t wade into the discussion on whether this is global warming or part of a cyclical pattern the planet goes through. But will this city eventually have a North Carolina type climate with the waves of the Atlantic Ocean lapping at the shores of the St Lawrence?

Canadian Blog Awards: Voting Begins

mont_frank — Wed, 15 Nov 2006 12:00:00 +0000

Voting has begun over at the Canadian Blog Awards. There are over 300 nominees in the 20 different categories. This blog has been nominated in four. Best Blog, Best Group Blog, Best Local Blog, and Best Blog Post. I had originnally thought I would check through all of the nominees and find those from Montreal, but the number of blogs has prevented me from doing so. So I have put together a list of noteworthy nominations that I recognize. If you know of any others, please give me a heads up and I will add them to the list. Voting runs from today until next Tuesday. You may vote once per day. It’s not required that you vote in every category, but you must make all your selections before submitting your votes. So vote for your favorites and make your keyboard heard. The list is after the jump:

Best Blog
Metroblogging Montreal
Zeke’s Gallery
The Other Bloke’s Blog
Blork Blog
Why was Daddy Kissing that Man in the Park
Chaos Theory
Rappaz.net
Midnight Poutine

Best New Blog
Kollectif
Gay Persons of Color
Montreal Simon

Best Group Blog
Metroblogging Montreal
Midnight Poutine

Best Humour Blog
Why was Daddy Kissing that Man in the Park

Best Photo/Art Blog
Digital Apoptosis
Monday Morning Photo Blog
Genestho
Walking Turcot Yards

Best Entertainment Blog
Zeke’s Gallery
Kollectif
Rappaz.net
Midnight Poutine

Best Personal Blog
Chicagoan in Montreal
Blork Blog
It’s All Grey to Me
Rappaz.net
Chaos Theory

Best Media Blog
Montreal City Weblog

Best Business Blog
The Other Bloke’s Blog

Best Blog Post
Metroblogging Montreal: My Day at the Office
Chicagoan in Montreal: Snow Removal in Montreal
Babayaga: Death of the White Trash Latte
The Eponym: Smell This Law
Blork Blog: The Tragedy of the Venetian Socialite
Montreal Simon: In the Shadow of the Angel of Death
Chaos Theory: Keep the Faith

Best Blog Post Series
Blork Blog: Of People and Places

Best Activities Blog
Blork Blog

Best Cultural Blog
Gay Persons of Color

Best Family Blog
Chaos Theory

Best Local Blog
Metroblogging Montreal
The Other Bloke’s Blog
Kollectif
Midnight Poutine

Best Sci/Tech Blog
The Other Bloke’s Blog

Halloween Chips

mont_frank — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:11:55 +0000

On Halloween there is one minor difference between here and the Midwest. Homes giving kids potato chips along with the assorted candies. So I was wondering. Is it a Quebec tradition, a Canadian tradition, or is it an East Coast thing? This happens quite often when I come across items that are different back home. Are they regional, provincial, national, or even linguistic? The discovery of all these new things has made the move here quite interesting. Then there is the matter of how extensively ketchup potato chips are popular.

Canadian Blog Awards

mont_frank — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 17:46:31 +0000

It’s that time of year again. Nominations are being accepted for the Canadian Blog Awards. Last year there was a small but high quality Montréal presense in the running. Captain Andre got fourth in the photoblog category, Ed got fourth in the Best Blog Post Series, Beth got sixth in the Best Personal Blog category, and fellow Metroblogging contributor Barry got sixth in the Best Business Blog category.

Yes, it is really just a popularity contest and it is exclusively anglophone which may be why Montreal doesn’t fair too well. But it would be great to have an even greater Montreal presense. So check it out and nominate your favorite blogs. Let me know if you nominate any local blogs and I’ll be sure to mention them around voting time.

Cloudless Montreal

mont_frank — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 22:15:11 +0000

No, I’m not talking about the beautiful day we’re having today or sun-drenched weekend that is perdicted. Earlier this week I went to Google maps to find the location of a place and got a clear satelite view of the place I was heading to. It wasn’t until a couple hours later out walking in the rain that it dawned on me that Google FINALLY updated their aerial satelite maps of the city. Before half the city was covered in clouds and it always seemed to be cloudy over the place I was looking for. Kinda like an omen or something. As far as I can tell, the images are from Sept 2004. The expansion at Dorval is almost complete, Goliath at La Ronde is not there, and a project I was working on was at the level of foundations.

I can’t tell you how overjoyed I am about this (maybe I should get out more). I’m a very visual person and using Google Maps gives not only the street layout but also visual points of reference and landmarks to keep an eye out for when going somewhere. Not to mention it may also help in the game of Guess Where in Montreal ?.

Oct YULblog - Why Montréal?

mont_frank — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 17:36:30 +0000

The question posed to most of this month’s YULblog attendees (though unclear) was a fill in the blank:
“I didn’t come to Montréal for the _____. I came for the _____.”
or if you are from here: “I’m not staying in Montréal for the _____. I’m staying for the _____.”

Pierre: Né à Montréal, les montréalais(es)
Patrick: job, les terasses
Isabel: scene, lifestyle
François: pour la proprieté, pour les femmes
AJ: money, Plateau music scene
Myriam: complexe desjardins, les stationnements parallèles
Daniel: the nightlife, and everything else, the subway sound (tou-dou-dooou)
Vero-B: to test my ability to answer random questions in a bar after several pints, to meet cute yulbloggers :-)
Julien: né à Montréal, cheap (inexpensive) lifestyle.
Austin: taxes, lifestyle
blork: didn’t stay for the woman, I stayed for the women (and now I’m staying for the woman).
Martine: poutine, poutine au foie gras.
Michael: les glorieux women.
Frank: baseball, great local brews.

It was a good size crowd for a cold rainy night. Feel free to let me know if you’d like to make any corrections. I wasn’t really clear with the question and I don’t think everyone signed in. Those of you playing at home can also join in with your responses.

See ya next month.

Engineer’s Greatest Fear

mont_frank — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 04:01:05 +0000

It is one thing for a structure to fail. As an engineer it could mean a loss of livelihood. But an even greater fear is to see that a structure you worked on has injured or killed someone. After concern for people involved in the recent collapse on Autoroute 19 and after interest in the cause, the engineers involved is what went through my mind.

The cause could have nothing to do with your work on the project, but you still feel a level of responsibility for preventing it. Although the Twin towers were brought down by commercial airplanes, Leslie Robertson, an engineer on the project, felt there was something more he could have done. The design of the structure had taken into account an airliner crashing into it using the best tools they had at the time. But he still felt he could have done more so the building could stand up longer to let more people get out.

I have worked with engineers who stayed up nights concerned about the structural safety of their projects. Exceptional engineers who have built complex structures all over the world. Their designs were built to code, double and triple checked, and their experience told them that the size and configuration were correct. You can be 110% confident in your work, but it’s a fear that you’re reminded of when something like this happens.

Smooth Road Alert!

mont_frank — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 20:01:35 +0000

Oh my goodness! The city of Montréal recently completed an almost bumpless stretch of road! It is a thing of beauty. And of all the places it is in the Old Port on Rue de la Commune. So rush over there with your cars, bicycles, rollerblades, strollers, and marbles. See what our counterparts in warmer climes enjoy on a daily basis. They have even swept the street clean of any residual little rocks. There must be some dignitary coming to the area. Or maybe one even moved into a residence on that three block stretch. But be sure to check it out soon because any day now the city will realize they forgot to replace some underground utilities and rip it to shreds.