7 Quick Takes (XLI)

1. I can't remember what happened last Saturday. Odd. Likely nothing important. Which is a little sad, I think.

2. I didn't serve on Sunday, which I thought was strange, considering that I've been away so long. I do serve tomorrow, though. This means I won't be sitting with the sun in my eyes, which will be nice. The time of year has come around that the sun shines directly in the front upper window and hits you square in the face. I was holding my hand at my forehead to see the lyrics and responsive readings. (Which are on a projector screen, for those many folks for whom this set-up is unfamiliar.)

3. Then, Sunday afternoon, I went to see the African Children's Choir perform. They were quite good for how young they are, and absolutely full of energy. I'm too cynical, though, to give unreserved support for the organization, but not well-informed enough to know how to go about researching it. Anyone know anything about the ACC?

4. At work I've been with children again, which is a joy. Among other things, I have learned that the first people to live in Canada was God; that five-year olds weigh on average seven pounds; that penguins, gooses, crocodiles, fish, and cats all have waterproof fur; that your aunt's daughters are your children; that Aboriginal people used beaver claws as can openers; and that we skin skunks and platypi to make hats. Also, somewhere in Fort McMurray is a little girl from India who is likely now of the impression that her people were the first in Alberta, thanks to her classmate's patchy knowledge of political correctness. When she went home to explain this to her parents, I imagine her father said, "Stupid white people."

5. Furthermore, regarding children, if I had not already known that they have a very weak concept of personal space, I certainly would have learned it again this week.

6. I also learned a fair amount about river transportation in Alberta. Did you know that people lived in cabins in remote areas along the Athabasca River, north of the Grand Rapids, where they cut wood and stacked it along the riverbank for the woodburners (stermwheelers, paddlewheelers, riverboats, whatever you want to call them). There was a whole complex of people hired by the Hudson's Bay Company to do this. The craziness of the Canadian northwestern fronteir, I tell you. Like any region's history, it's exciting and fascinating once you know where to look.

I talk about this because for work I was reading Paddle-Wheels to Bucket Wheels, a book about the history of the Athabasca region, which is unfortunately out of print. My workplace has one of the few copies I know of.

7. We went to Edmonton again this weekend, this time to visit the Valley Zoo. I include it because we left of Friday (hence the post coming today), but I'll describe the trip in the next one.

Yo. Visit Conversion Diary, host of this fine meme.