structural

This is a good start to Steel & Timber Design:

Structural engineering is the art of
molding material we do not entirely understand
into shapes we cannot precisely analyze
so as to withstand forces we cannot really assess
in such a way that the public does not really suspect.

Building science is also looking to be good, hopefully there's at least 2 courses that I really enjoy this semester.

CAMP

aka keep calm and survey on.but camp is also a convenient acronym for civil and mineral practical, which is a good description of what you do there: sunrise to sunset of fieldwork, then finishing up assignments until 10/11.

It does teach you a lot of things, technical skills which we won't use (cause engineers hire actual surveyors) and soft skills which we will use. Things like team work, problem definition, time management etc.
Example: I actually understand sig figs now. Beforehand, when it's just theoretical problems, sig figs feel like an arbitrary thing that you do because you've been instructed to. Now, after having to squint through the eye piece of an automatic leveler to measured 5 pages worth of elevation readings, I get that the numbers I write down are estimates of the "actual" value and that it's simply impossible to know to the millimeter. Thus it's wrong to write "293.458", whereas it should just be "293.5". As Collins say, separate the signal from the noise.

But the most rewarding aspect of camp is the bonding between classmates that happen when we all have to go through these two tiring weeks. United against a common enemy haha.

Anyways, here's some photos since I don't trust myself to think coherently. Funny I've slept less now that I'm back due to frosh shenanigans.

Gull Lake is beautiful, especially in the mornings.

 Stream where we measured velocity and area to determine flow rate.

 I battled many mosquitoes to get good picture of clovers.

Making artificial rain and a rainbow in the process.

To end this post, a quote from the highway curve lecture:

You should run as far as you can see, when you get there, you'll see farther.

cycling

I have survived camp and subsequent f!rosh. So super tired though.

Finished reading Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, t'was a difficult read. Here's a particular passage that I like, from the afterword actually:

This book has a lot to say about Ancient Greek perspective and their meaning but there is one perspective it misses. That is their view of time. The saw the future as something that came upon upon them from behind their backs with the past receding away from their eyes.
When you think about it, that's a more accurate metaphor than our present one.Who really can face the future? All you can do is project from the past, even when the past shows that such projections are often wrong. And who really can forget the past? What else is there to know?

The book is about Quality, and the often lack-of it in modern life. I see similarities to what Vanderburg says. It's a good read.

Mackerel

'Twas a good weekend spent with friends. Our conversations always revolve around the same topic haha, but insightful nonetheless. 

Good food was involved too, via ND Sushi (below) and Taste of the Danforth. 

ripe

Tomatoes :D

sweet basil

First batch of tomatoes from Sky Garden, it's fantastic.

commute

fyi no internet at home for an indefinite amount of time until Teksavvy sorts out its "vendor delay".
Sigh

Train stations are kinda nice.