Monday, July 16, 2018

Conventions

It is always interesting when you are getting ready to go to a convention because if it is work related you have one set of progress that you go through and then if it a personal one you go through different things. The conventions can be a one-day event or a week-long event but making sure that you are ready for them is always a good idea.

Professional Conventions

When you go to a profession convention/conference, you prepare in a way that will make sure that you have all the profession stuff with you. What I am talking about is making sure that you have the business cards ready to go, your work shirt (if you have one) is ready for the event and all other work-related material is available that you may need.

Personal Conventions

Now, these are the conventions/conferences that can be a lot of fun, but the preparation can be just about as much work getting ready for these. There are a few conferences that we go to for personal and the main one is a science fiction literary convention. Now before going to this event, there is the time figuring out what to wear each day and then there is figuring out all the other planning.

Both conventions

Besides figuring out what to wear at the events, there is the review of the schedule for the event. This happens for both of the conferences because you want to make sure that you get the most out of the conference, and you don’t end up wasting time figuring things out once you get there. More and more conferences are releasing the sessions before the actual event so that attendees are able to plan their days a little better. This also means that people aren’t walking into the sessions late as often because now they can prepare a little more.

There are other events that are normally part of any conference/convention, and these are the evening's events. Knowing the timing of these events are very important as well to ensure that you can attend the ones you want but also ensure that you can get some sleep. I know that there are times that sleep because something that is a bit lacking at the event, so you just need to be prepared for that.

Conventions can be wonderful to attend and something that if you are prepared for, you can have a great time. I go to both professional and personal conventions and have to admit that by the time they are over I am happy to see the end of them, as being an introvert, they can be tiring. I always make sure that I plan little bits of hiding time for myself during the event, and that helps me get through everything that I want to do.

The thing to do before going to a convention goes into it prepared to have some fun and learn something new. Also, understand that there might be some issues, but any convention can have issues, and it is how the attendees and organizers handle them that makes the conference a memorable experience.


Monday, July 9, 2018

Heat Waves

For a lot of us, we think of a heat wave as a couple of days of extreme heat. Extreme heat will also vary depending on your location. In the southern United States, extreme heat is over 100F (38C). In places in Canada, our extreme heat is anything over 86F (30C).

As I write this blog, we are on day 7 of extreme heat. We have had days reaching 34C (93F) and we also have a humidex, so our temperatures with the humidity have been reaching 42C to 46C. Today the forecast high is 31C (88F) feeling more like 40C (104F). A lot of people have been having issues because not everyone has air conditioning because we normally don’t stay this hot for this long.

In Toronto, we are fortunate as the city extends the hours of some of the outdoor public pools and there are cooling locations around the city. For those of us without air conditioning, it means lots of fans running, as well as finding cool places to go during the day. For people in smaller towns, it is harder to find the cool places.

The forecast is finally for us to have two or three cooler days, and everyone is happy to hear that. Sure, there will always be people that want the heat to stay, but when even walking short distances is being advised against it is too hot. There are people that still have to work outside in this heat, and I feel sorry for them.

I know in about six or seven months we are going to be complaining about the cold weather. I don’t mind temperatures around 28C feeling like 32C, but once it is hotter than that I don’t like it. For me, one of my favourite spots, when it is hot out, is sitting on our balcony. I can sit on the balcony and do some of my work and stay cool as we face north-east. We don’t get the hot afternoon sun directly on the balcony, so it is a nice place to escape.

Heat waves seem to be happening more often and lasting longer. Maybe global warming has something to do with it. I know I am looking forward to getting a bit of a break from this heat. If you are dealing with a heat wave, try and stay cool and know it won’t last forever.