Bryan Crosby Dot Ca » queens

Beer Tasting with Big Rock Brewery

Bryan — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 17:39:50 +0000

Every once in awhile Queen’s Alumni Association holds events such as networking 101, wine tasting and how to tie-a-tie. I’m already quite good with the double windsor , and I don’t like wine. There. I said it.

I do like beer and was quite happy when I heard that Big Rock Brewery was holding a beer-tasting event on campus. The only thing I know about beer is that I like it better than wine. It’s a portable, cheap and diverse beverage of the people. $15 gets one an hour an a half with a Big Rock beer professional, a handy style guide and five samples of Big Rock brews. Grasshopper, Warthog, Traditional Ale, Pale Ale and some kind of Cider. Also included are interesting beer factoids like reason behind the bottle colourings and why MGD uses genetically modified ingredients.

The problem with beer tasting and broader beer appreciation is that one falls directly into stuffwhitepeoplelike.com . Just substitute ‘wine’ with ‘beer’.

When a white person offers you wine, you take a small sip and then say “ooh, that’s nice. What country is it from?” then they will say the name of the country and you say “I love wines from that country, I would love to get a villa in the wine region there.” White people will nod in agreement as they all want to have a second home in a wine region like Napa, Tuscany or Santa Barbara.

It is also a good idea to say that your favorite wine is from a small winery called [make up name like 'Spotswood,' 'Red Duck,' Random Spanish name] in [Australia, Argentina, France, California, or Chile] that is hard to get in whatever country you are in. White people will be impressed that they have not heard of this wine and consider you to be a very smart person. They will also make a note to try to find that wine, and when they can’t find it, your status will rise even higher.

This becomes even more true when it was revealed that there is a growing movement seeking to pair beers with food . One can’t just drink a beer anymore. Oh well…I guess there is a little white person in all of us. Well, maybe not if you like your wine in a box. Or a cooler. You’re still safe with that choice.

Technorati Tags: alumni, beer, beer tasting, big rock brewery, queens university, wine

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2010

Bryan — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:34:12 +0000

Seven years of website fun! I suppose I could have waited until a 10 year operational anniversary, but…I needed a good topic for the first post of the year.

Connected with descendents of my Great Uncle’s Typhoon squadron

Was provided information regarding a memorial cairn created for my Great-Uncle in France.
Acquired a long-term internet stalker.
Acquired several good friends through the website.
Routinely receive hits from individuals interested in the Nanjing sex industry…probably because of this post .
Became a whiz with WordPress and other blog related software.
410 posts – over 600 pages @ 12pt. font of scribbling (as of 2008 given that WordPress no longer exports in .txt format so I can’t read as a word document) – 921 comments – about 24,000 hits – 3343 individual photos.

I spent this weekend cleaning up my gallery. I had noticed some time ago that numerous albums were missing from the gallery, including most of my Southeast Asia, Nanjing, Slovenia, Croatia, some from Tibet and a couple of other random images. I’ve addressed that issue and added photos from this summers escapades in Shanghai and Nanjing. I might even add some more Canadian content (although the ole’ Pentax is still down and out…a resolution is to fix that bad-boy). Most of those have already been posted on the main page at some point over the past six months, but they are now archived back in the gallery. The India stuff will be in there eventually, although the trend is that I’m usually a year tagging and documenting my photos.

I’m writing this from a nice perch on the 4th floor of Stauffer Library over looking Queen’s. I’ve vowed to spend less time in my office at SURP this year in a bid for more productivity (as much as I love the socializing, I would like to get this Master’s report done somewhat on time). Stauffer is kind of a undergrad hang out, but the 4th floor has nice views and could be a choice location (but I’ll steer clear during the craziness of exams).

Crappy mobile phone image (Queen’s from Stauffer Library)

I’m clear headed and ready to dive into my final semester (hopefully) as a student. I’ve got a bike that tears up the snow, a new backpack that eats mud for breakfast and a thermos full of coffee. Just need some new sunglasses.

Technorati Tags: 2010, blog, grad school, Kingston, life, new years, pentax, photography, surp

Campus Space

Bryan — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 14:49:05 +0000

Interestingly enough, I was thinking about public spaces this morning as I walked through the desolate, abandoned landscape that is Queen’s University – Reading Week Edition .

One of the things I admire about the Queen’s campus is the way it effortlessly incorporates itself within the surrounding urban space, streets and fabric. The municipal streets slice straight through the campus as if it wasn’t even there. There are not gates, entrances, arches are grandiose signage that delineates the campus from the rest of the community. Students, faculty, residents and visitors just walk, drive, ski (in the winter), bike and possibly skip straight through as if there wasn’t even a university occupying the land.

This is contrast to say, some other Canadian universities I’ve visited (admittedly, I’ve only seen a few) and I am sure there are more like Queen’s. UVic, for example, which well-known for it’s campus landscaping (despite the monstrous architecture) is a suburban campus built inside and around a three kilometre ring road with clear entrances and exits. Simon Fraser University (Vancouver) is built on a mountain, as is the University of Northern British Columbia (Prince George). The University of British Columbia (Vancouver) is sandwiched between the Pacific Ocean and a nice, but thick and protecting wall of giant timber. Even McGill, which is smack in the middle of downtown Montreal has gates and defined entrances and exits. Concordia is a little more urban quite incorporated into the downtown – I attended a conference there two weeks ago and walked right past the building I needed to be in. I didn’t even know I was on a campus.

Chinese universities are also quite discrete from their surrounding space. Many schools have, or are constructing, massive campuses out in the suburbs, creating what some people call ‘University Cities’. These campuses are very isolated from the rest of the city and are almost all walled and gated, usually with guards. and curfews. The older, inner city campuses are very nice (Nanjing University, Nanjing Normal University etc.). While they are gated from the surrounding city with defined entrances/exits their space remains permeable to the public, usually 24 hours a day.

Nanjing Normal University Main Entrance – The Gate is always open

Nanjing Normal University – Main Entrance Lane

Nanjing University – Main Entrance Lane

I don’t have, nor could I find a decent photos Queen’s Union and University intersection. This is probably Queen’s most obvious sign…just to let you know you are on a campus.

Technorati Tags: campus planning, nanjing normal university, nanjing university, public space, queens university, university campus, urban planning

Thought Police

Bryan — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 15:38:46 +0000

From the Montreal Gazette …also on national radio.

It would be hilarious if it were not so chilling: Queen’s University will hire six “facilitators” who will listen in on student conversations, vigilant against incorrect speech. Officially, says the University’s website, these incognito “intergroup facilitators,” will “respond to, stimulate and invite engagement across difference and tensions that arise among and between groups” in residences. They’ll pay special attention to “incidents of bias, prejudice … harassment and discrimination” and they’ll be good at all this, because they will “receive intensive and specialized training in the areas of social-justice theory.”

…and there goes the credibility of my future degree…

Technorati Tags: gestapo, nazi, politically correct trash, queens, queens university, stasi, thought police

AutoMAD

Bryan — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 17:02:13 +0000

Yeah, I’m still around – but don’t expect any big post in the next few weeks. If you do, it is because I need to bust myself away from the super-duper exciting world of planning school examination/project period.

I swear, I will die at my computer…while using AutoCAD. I’m not kidding when I say my hair is falling out over this software package – it’s all over my keyboard right now :-(

Technorati Tags: autoCAD, grad school, Kingston, queens, queens university, surp

Weekend Update

Bryan — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 02:10:22 +0000

I’m currently munching my way through a multiculturalism planning paper so I’m a bit empty headed regarding posting concerns but I think I might post the paper when I’m finished as it is not very long and reads more as a narrative story rather than an essay.

Some interesting things from this week:

The Canadian Army operates a Afghan radio station out of CFB Kingston broadcasting into the Afghanistan.

Anthropocene -from an lecture on security and environmental change. Good lecture although I was surprised at how Robert D. Kaplan (one of my favorite essayists) was ripped to shreds by the presenter. I also didn’t feel that my question regarding the role of the Canadian military in environmental change was adequately answered…I couldnt’ tell if I was being ridiculed or not. Those policy study types are very obscure.

I was in Toronto last Saturday for a field trip. First time to Canada’s premier city although I have to admit I’m not nearly as impressed by Toronto’ apparant built environment. I just felt it to be rather mediocre given the mythical status is seems to hold in the Canadian mindset. I specifically target the skyline and built structures, as I’m sure the social environment is as vibrant as it is reported. I suppose it could be that I cut my ‘urban-teeth’ in Asia where the skylines and built landscapes are…well…massive. I was good to see some of the developments in that area that are often mentioned in class – such items are very abstract unless physically experienced. Visiting the new urbansit community of Cornell was the highlight for me as those design concepts only existed in text for me but I could finally put a space to the words, concepts and theory. New Urbanism is rather controversial, but I liked what I saw.

Technorati Tags: afghanistan, canadian army, cornell, gis, Kingston, new urbanism, surp, toronto, urban planning

More Coffee

Bryan — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 16:55:53 +0000

With a pseudo “Asian” theme interior design complete with required bamboo pieces (not sure if they are real or of the plastic variety) and hip wood tables with aluminum seating, easily takes the tea/beverage experience up from the grimy couches of the CoGro. The wide selection of interesting magazines I noticed on my last visit warranted a second glance this week and I wandered over there to grab a black and browse through articles not available in the online version.

Ah, Macleans – Canada’s very own answer to Time and Newsweek…I think I’ll start with you….

…except you are from 2007. No worries, I spy an Economist nearby…hmm…you are also rather dated…2007 vintage I see…

Looks like it’s going to be a newspaper session…lets see… National Post …two weeks ago… Globe and Mail …October 10th.

I am starkly reminded of my parents old ski cabin where magazine issues date back to 1991 and quite possibly earlier.

I eventually settle on the Macleans and begin reading a Conrad Black article from 2007, chuckling mildly…”oh how the mighty have fallen”.

If there is a way to take the current out of current events, this little coffee house excels at it.

Technorati Tags: canada, coffee, current events, election, macleans, magazines

Coffee and Gyms

Bryan — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 19:35:28 +0000

I’m not generally against coffee house background music, provided it adhere within the confines of the term ‘background music, tubed music, canned music or even shit music’. Several places of coffee persuasion can be found within the limestone quarry of Queen’s campus and the particular one I am patronizing at the moment chooses to play music that doesn’t adhere to the rules of background music, but rather chooses a different sound direction more akin to an outdoor concert. Honestly, I’m not yet clear why I continue to find myself inside CommonGrounds when the Tea House (a more quaint establishment) is three minutes down the street. The mystery continues…

Another pressing oddity is the concept of the 24 hour gym. Prior to purchasing a membership at Goodlife (at a killer price and because Queen’s has despicable recreation facilities) and the idea of a 24 hour fitness center only existed within the fantasy world of the Simpsons. A place were one could walk in at all hours of the day and get tips from celebrity muscle heads (aka Rainier Wolfcastle …aka Arnie).

I think that part of the joke surrounding that episode revolved around the idea of a 24 hour gym. I mean, seriously…who works-out at four in the morning other than Ranier Wolfcastle? Apparently enough people in Kingston.

Not a very interesting day, huh?

*In tetrospect, the music isn’t bad (a good mix of 90′s alt-rock)…just too loud

Technorati Tags: coffee, Kingston, music, queens university

Stauffer Library

Bryan — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:25:30 +0000

I was a bit of a library/book nerd when I was an undergrad (actually, probably ever since I became a library helper in grade 5). Having such an occupation would involve numerous hours browsing around looking for interesting items in a university library. That’s right…in a university library looking for non-fiction books to read that are not related in anyway at all to required or even suggested course readings. Let me tell you, I was the coolest kid on campus.

This habit diminished significantly during my time abroad but I suppose it was only natural that it would make a return with my return.

My program doesn’t involve much time in the library as most of our readings are provided in course packs and relevant journals can be easily accessed online and printed at the school – nevertheless, I thought it was time to visit Stauffer (the visit would also correspond with a project for one course involving graphically modeling the library).

In an attempt to keep my China skillz current (in regards to planning) I searched up some books on the topic and recorded down their call numbers. Call numbers are quite long and I am quite lazy, so after only one I noticed that most planning books held the first four digits in common thus would probably be found in the same section of the library – so a marched off confidently to the HT166 section of Stauffer. Sure enough, the books are there….all three bloody rows of them – I should have written down the whole call number.

I managed to find the several books I was looking for but I soon found myself surrounded by hundreds of relevant, current and damn interesting books on planning. The Stauffer Library urban planning section is quite good (too me at least, maybe it has an awful selection…I’m not edcuated enough to know – ignorance is bliss). I quickly discovered that I’m interested in almost all of them and in all aspects of planning…except maybe housing. Despite being probably one of the most important and relevant aspects of urban planning, housing just isn’t sexy….my concentration, land use is far sexier.

Planning sexy? *slap* – When was the last time you heard a woman comment – “I love a man that plans”. It’s usually the attraction to a dude’s spontaeous nature – something which is the anti-thesis of the planning profession.

So here I am – back to my dorky ways.

Technorati Tags: books, china, land-use, queens university, stauffer library, surp, urban planning

Manufactured Landscapes II and the Nail House

Bryan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 21:45:22 +0000

Edward Burtynsky ( Manufactured Landscapes ) was at Queen’s this evening and presented a number of his photos and discussed his goals in seeking out and visually documenting the world’s industrial landscapes. Unlike his documentary, he presentation didn’t focus on China and including more recent work in the Alberta Tar Sands…he also spoke quite a bit more than he did in his video.

He finished off the presentation with probably one of the most striking
photos regarding contemporary urban development in China (in my opinion, at least) and fortunately made clear that he wasn’t the photographer for that one (although he probably could have gotten away with it). He didn’t mention the name of the house (nor that it wasn’t in Shanghai, but rather Chongqing), which was surprising given it’s notoriety in 2007 as the ‘coolest nail house’.

The term “nail house” (dingzi hu 钉子户) is not directed specifically at this particular house but rather was coined as a term to describe a dwelling belonging to a person who has refused to relocate to make room for a new development. Often they are holding out for higher settlement compensation – but sometimes, in the case of older residents, they just don’t want to leave. The developers will often begin construction in absence of settlement, choosing instead just to dig around the property in question creating a nailesque structure on the landscape while waiting for the owners to settle.

This particular nail house in Changsha didn’t settle and now is permanently part of the plaza.

Technorati Tags: china, environment, landscapes, nail house, photography, urban planning