tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-190025322024-03-07T18:03:49.607-04:00Cuzzy Likes HalifaxEverything about Halifax, Nova Scotia through my eyes.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1151938336227460362006-07-03T11:51:00.000-03:002006-07-03T11:53:49.786-03:00Halifax picture of the week<span style="font-size:130%;">My Mum at Pier 21.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/1600/DSC04579.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/320/DSC04579.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1151415306669824492006-06-27T10:33:00.000-03:002006-06-27T10:35:06.716-03:00Halifax pictures over the years<img src="http://michaelcusden.com/halifax1.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://michaelcusden.com/halifax2.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://michaelcusden.com/halifax3.jpg" /><br /><br /><img src="http://michaelcusden.com/halifax4.jpg" />M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1148905235242943612006-05-29T09:19:00.000-03:002006-05-29T09:20:35.256-03:00get greeky<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong><a href="http://www.greekfest.org/">Greek fest</a> in Halifax, June 5, 6, 7.</strong></span>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1144678439571605382006-04-10T11:13:00.000-03:002006-04-10T11:13:59.596-03:00Halifax transit<P><IMG src="http://www.michaelcusden.com/cuzzyhasopinions.jpg"></P><br /><P> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3><U><STRONG>Halifax Transit</STRONG></U></FONT></P><br /><P><STRONG><U><FONT size=3></FONT></U></STRONG> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>So it has been six months now living in the city and for the most part I have had success riding the bus to work. I have heard that I have been lucky with a route that is pretty good for being on time. Most people cringe at the thought of taking the bus here and it is certainly a car kind of town. Maybe I was spoiled in Toronto with the TTC and how often it ran and how little wait time there was. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>In recent weeks my luck has been running out and two recent incidents has me dreaming of driving days ahead. The most recent one was Saturday night at the end of my shift at work. The one bus that goes out to where I work runs every 30 minutes but on weekends it is up to an hour. So I am very careful to always be early at the stop and I am always calling the phone service that tells you when the bus will be at your stop. For months I have been doing this and have the thing down to a science. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>So on Saturday night I leave work am out to the street at 9:05pm with the bus usually rolling by anywhere from 9:12-9:17. I wait and wait and wait and wonder if it is running late or what. I won't bore you with details but I ended up waiting for an hour until 10:12pm. At this time the bus pulls up and I get on.</FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>I ask the driver if he was the same driver all night and if there was any problems with the route tonight. He says no and I said well no bus came last hour as I was there waiting. He told me I was wrong and said there was nothing he could do. That really helped my mood for him to say I was wrong and had not been waiting. Clearly he was too busy chatting it up with the weird lady in the front seat to even follow the times of the route and came way early. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>This was confirmed to me as every stop on the route home had an hours worth of grumpy people waiting. I know it is not the end of the world but when you have just worked a 12 hour shift and you just want to get home cause you have to get up and do it all over the next day, wasting an hour is a big deal. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>So I wrote down the time, route# and bus #. I emailed the Halifax transit and they emailed back that they would look into it. I highly doubt anything will be done but it was the thing to do to wash my hands of the whole pain in the ass incident. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>Transit wants people to leave the car at home and help save the environment by taking transit. Well if schedules are made and there are detailed phone services telling people when the bus is coming, you have to follow it or people will find other ways to travel. Especially when you reduce service to once and hour to a large business area of town with a many stores and a movie theatre. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>I for one cannot wait to get a car and never set foot on that bus again.</FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P> </P>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1144244392543492782006-04-05T10:39:00.000-03:002006-04-05T10:39:52.546-03:00Halifax drivers<P><IMG src="http://www.michaelcusden.com/cuzzyhasopinions.jpg"></P><br /><P> </P><br /><P><FONT size=4><U>Being a Pedestrian</U></FONT></P><br /><P><U><FONT size=4></FONT></U> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>More and more I am almost getting rundown on a daily basis in this city so I feel like I should give a good rant about it. I have lived in some cities with some pretty bad drivers, Windsor and Toronto to name a few but I have never seen it so bad as it is here in Halifax.</FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3>I have lost count at how many times drivers do not follow the lights and just drive around corners or even through reds. The walk signal is always there and yet I am having to dodge cars or trucks. Nine times out of ten they are not paying attention or on their fancy little celly. In Ontario is was more about agressive drivers trying to squeak into spaces they could not get and a lot of crazy passing in the curb lanes. Lights and crosswalks however were pretty safe and the pedestrian kind of had some pull. Maybe because there are so many people walking or biking, I don't know but Halifax must have all kinds of walkers hit per year. </FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3>It takes all of my restraint to kick or throw something at these drivers who just don't care about what is in front of them. I once had to yank Bosco back so hard I am sure he had some whip lash.</FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3>Anyways that is my rant for this week. I hope to make this a weekly column in attempts to spice up the blog for those who are bored of the everyday.</FONT></P><br /><P><FONT size=3></FONT> </P><br /><P><FONT size=3>Please comment and share your thoughts and opinions as well.</FONT></P>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1141322264147906962006-03-02T13:52:00.001-04:002006-03-02T13:57:44.146-04:00Coming soon!<a href="http://chocolate-dog.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://www.michaelcusden.com/desperatehousepets.jpg" /></a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1139580928102433422006-02-10T10:15:00.000-04:002006-02-10T10:15:28.160-04:00Like beer?ACTOR'S NEEDED! Time travel an asset! The Alexander Keith's Nova Scotia Brewery is hiring for Halifax's hottest acting gig! If you are over 19 years old, love to act, have musical ability, have experience in interactive theatre/tours, and are looking for a fun way to spend the summer and beyond - we want to hear from you! Auditions are Thursday, March 9 & Friday, March 10. Call 455-1474 ex 222 for an audition time.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1137420048264737402006-01-16T09:58:00.000-04:002006-01-16T10:04:47.756-04:00Feist ClubKatie and I went to see Feist last night at the Marquee. It was a great concert for sure!<br /><br />here is what the chronicle herald had to say about the Saturday night show.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Feist mesmerizing</span><br /><br /><strong>Amherst-born singer wows full house at Marquee Club</strong><br /><br />The words "intimate concert" and "Marquee Club" don’t go so well together these days; when the room is filled to the brim it’s hard to maintain much of a dynamic beyond "loud" and "louder."<br /><br />But slender chanteuse Leslie Feist mesmerized enough of the audience at the Marquee on Saturday night during her midnight set to let her sensuous cobweb of a voice hang in the air while a trio provided a striking set of arrangements for the songs off her album Let It Die.<br />"Halifax! We’re finally here!" the Amherst-born singer proudly exclaimed at the start of her sold-out show, her first in the city (after having to postpone a Halifax Pop Explosion appearance a couple of years back). It was followed by a standing-room-only all-ages performance at the same venue on Sunday evening.<br /><br />In a simple white dress, with a loose black tie, Feist took the stage solo, performing an a cappella version of the old hymn Leaning on the Everlasting Arms, augmenting her performance with digital delay that layered her voice and created a one-woman choir. The song is known to movie buffs — of whom the singer is one — for its eerie use in the ’50s thriller The Night of the Hunter whose star Shelley Winters passed away the day before the concert. It’s pure speculation to suggest it was meant as a tribute, but it certainly set the stage for a show meant to be greeted with a certain reverence.<br /><br />Appropriately, she moved on to The Build Up, a song she recorded with Norway’s Kings of Convenience, a dreamy tale of romantic indecision, before stretching out sonically with the ancient folk ballad When I Was a Young Girl.<br /><br />She moved into more familiar territory with Let It Die’s lead-in track Gatekeeper, accompanied by flugelhorn and xylophone, a tale of a simple life and a simple job with scatting vocals that elicited cheers from the audience.<br /><br />A new song inspired by the first lighthouse at Peggys Cove followed: "It was in 1622 . . . actually, I’m just making that up," she laughed. "Someone pick a date for me . . . how about 1842?"<br />The tune bore a hypnotic melody, although its lyrics in this solo rendition remained sadly unclear over the general club hubbub, but the red lights on stage seemed to mimic a shoreline beacon.<br /><br />The band returned for a playful Secret Heart by Ron Sexsmith, with Feist leaning over the edge of the stage and holding her large hollow-body guitar over the heads of the crowd, before an upbeat cover of a song by New Buffalo, her Arts & Crafts labelmate from Australia.<br />"This next song marks a momentous occasion," she told the crowd, "of how an innocent drive on the Eastern Shore, looking at land I could never afford to buy became an inspiration." With that she launched into a joyous Mushaboom, with warm flugelhorn lines and loping melody proclaiming the romantic joys of rural life. The song remains a wonder, and a prime example of a magical combination of the right tune with the right voice.<br /><br />Feist ended her set proper with a wild rendition of Nina Simone’s See-Line Woman, a portrait of a high-priced call girl turned into a frenzied electro-folk-gospel hybrid with some of the most soulful crooning of the evening.<br /><br />For the encore, she pulled couples out of the crowd to waltz onstage to Let It Die’s title track, although hopefully its lyrics —"The tragedy starts from the very first spark / Losing your mind for the sake of your heart" — don’t have to ring true in their case.<br />She finally said goodbye with her popular cover of The Bee Gees’ Inside & Out, given a much more downbeat solo rendition than the CD’s pop froth take. For many it was a rather low-key finish, but it wound down the spell of the previous hour and a half to send us spinning out into the wee hours.<br /><br />Also of note were the opening sets by Halifax’s Jenn Grant, who also has a way of combining rolling melodies with an aching scrim of a voice, and Sackville, N.B.’s Shotgun & Jaybird, playing churning and chiming songs with a surprise cameo by alternative Juno winner Julie Doiron on bass.<br /><br />Definitely worth a look-see the next time they cross over the Tantramar Marshes.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.sugarcainentertainment.com/music/images/feist.jpg">http://www.sugarcainentertainment.com/music/images/feist.jpg</a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1134848730794901792005-12-17T15:43:00.000-04:002005-12-17T15:45:30.806-04:00see any spiders at the grocery store?read this one in <a href="http://http://www.thecoast.ca/1editorialbody.lasso?-token.folder=2005-12-15&-token.story=103597.112113&-token.subpub=">The Coast</a> this week<br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></strong><br /><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Spider sightings have some grocery store produce workers in town on the lookout. Erin O'Halloran puts on protective gloves.</span></strong><br /><a href="http://www.thecoast.ca/1editorialtablebody.lasso?-token.searchtype=authorroutine&-token.lpsearchstring=Erin%20O%92Halloran&-nothing">by Erin O'Halloran</a><br /><br /><br />Steve Kronski, a produce worker at the Quinpool Superstore, likes his job. With the company for several years, Kronski says his job is less than exciting, except when someone finds a spider in the produce.Kronski (not his real name) says a black widow spider was captured a month ago. Some of the types of spiders found by Kronski and his co-workers include black widows, yellow sack spiders and a variety commonly called the banana spider."Am I afraid of being bitten? Obviously, it's the kind of thing that's always in the back of your head when you're putting the product out," says Kronski. "I always keep an eye out."In December 2003, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency released a report cautioning consumers about black widow spiders turning up in imported grapes. In September 2004, Atlantic Superstore sent a document to its Quinpool location informing staff of precautions to take while handling the imported produce.<br />Extras<br />The 2004 document recommended that tropical produce be handled in a contained area, employees handling tropical fruit wear gloves and that employees check their gloves, clothes and shoes for spiders after handling produce. It also recommends that spiders found be reported to the Natural History Museum for classification.Kronski says he doesn't wear the protective gloves and instead of notifying the Natural History Museum, the produce staff will ask co-workers to classify spiders. Kronski says a couple co-workers have a vast knowledge of spiders from years of personal interest. After the spider is killed or contained, Kronski says they are kept out back in the plastic pineapple containers for a fun type of show and tell. Recently, one staff member took a black widow spider home to keep as a pet.Pete Luckett, owner of Pete's Frootique, says his staff finds spiders in produce only "once in a blue moon." He says chemical and organic controls and new packaging techniques minimize spiders and insects found in imported produce. As a result, his staff isn't required to takes safety precautions while handling imported fruit.Atlantic Superstore employee Dirk Roymn says finding spiders in the produce section is a non-issue. He says that if an employee or customer did find a spider, the solution is simple: "drop it and step on it."Andrew Hebda, zoologist at the Museum of Natural History in Halifax, says there are usually two high volume times each year for finding spiders in imported produce. In June and July, they arrive from Central and South America and the southern States; in November and December, they come from banana producers in Chile and Mexico.Hebda says the spiders found in imported produce are not a big risk to employees or consumers. "It's cold when they handle the produce, and spiders are cold-blooded," he says. "They move slowly so employees have more time to react." Although spiders should be treated with caution and the CFIA advises consumers to wash their grapes thoroughly, most spiders found would be too small and weak to penetrate human skin or a protective glove, says Hebda.There haven't been any spiders reported this year from HRM, says Heather Leslie of the CFIA. "This year is a bit of an anomaly because out of the handful of complaints we receive every year at least a few are from Halifax," says Leslie.When Luckett worked in England, he says there were all kinds of spiders, snakes and frogs found in imported produce, especially in grapes. He says it was pretty scary stuff, but now that grapes come in individual ziplock-type bags those days are over. Luckett can't guarantee an employee or costumer will never find a spider in one of his stores because as he says, "shit can happen."M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1134398807572058192005-12-12T10:37:00.000-04:002005-12-12T10:46:47.583-04:00SnowGood day, now that someone has left a comment on my blog it has made me more interested in updating the site. So I am sure most of you know , we got quite a lot of snow this weekend. Well Friday night we did and the rest of the weekend it was melting. Friday night was my first Halifax snow storm and I have to say I really enjoyed it. It was that big, movie snow that looks nice falling to the ground. Granted I was lucky I had no reason to go outside or I did not lose my power like a lot of people did.<br /><br />here are some pics of the snow.<br /><br />I will get to working on this site some more this week with a lot more Halifax news.<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/1600/DSC03646.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/320/DSC03646.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/1600/DSC03654.0.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/320/DSC03654.0.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/1600/DSC03667.jpg"><img style="CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/6734/1867/320/DSC03667.jpg" border="0" /></a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1133928014368955932005-12-06T23:58:00.000-04:002005-12-07T00:00:14.556-04:00Halifax likes to drinkI read this is the herald today<br /><br />"One in five Nova Scotians is at a higher risk for alcohol-related injuries and diseases, a study released Monday by Nova Scotia Health Promotion says.<br />The Alcohol Indicators report for 1999-2004 suggests that about 20 per cent of Nova Scotians, most under the age of 29, risk injury, violence, heart and liver diseases, some cancers, unwanted or unplanned sex, and even death because of their heavy drinking habits."<br /><br />I can see this, late last calls and cheap drinks will do that!<br /><br /><br />besides what else is there to do out here? Have you seen a brewtender??M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1133271901337289722005-11-29T09:40:00.000-04:002005-11-29T09:45:01.386-04:00Willie is coming!from the daily news today:<br /><br /><span style="font-size:180%;">Nelson to play metro in May</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"> By Dean LiskThe Daily News</span><br /><br /><br />Willie Nelson is on the road again.<br /><img src="http://www.hfxnews.com/photos/stories/willie.jpg" /><br />The bandanna-bedecked singer is pulling his tour bus, the countrified Honeysuckle Rose III, into the Halifax Metro Centre this May.<br />Famous for his braided pigtails, and penchant for pot, Nelson is considered a living legend. His career spans six decades, more than 200 albums, hit songs like Crazy and Red Headed Stranger, and a slew of awards.<br />KIXX 780 morning show host Frank Lowe says Nelson is one of the originators of country music.<br />“Three chords and a song, that is the Willie Nelson thing,” he says. “When you have the right writer, you can say it all with three chords.”<br />Mainly a solo performer, Nelson successfully toured with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson as The Highwaymen. Working with rockers Neil Young and John Mellencamp, Nelson helped found FarmAid, a concert series to raise money for American farmers, in 1985.<br />All hasn’t been rosy for the singer. In 1990, he was found guilty of tax evasion, nearly losing everything to Uncle Sam.<br />In recent years, a new generation has discovered Nelson thanks to appearances on Fox’s King of the Hill and his role as Uncle Jesse in this year’s Dukes of Hazzard movie.<br />“He is timeless,” says Lowe. “Timeless is being true to your roots, and every few years the world comes around and catches up to you again.”<br />His Halifax stop is part of Nelson’s 13-city tour of Eastern Canada. Performances are also being held in New Brunswick and on Prince Edward Island. He toured Western Canada this summer.<br />On the road with the Texan is the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.<br />The popular country group has placed 21 albums on Billboard’s charts.<br />Willie Nelson and Family performs at the Halifax Metro Centre on May 10, 7:30 p.m. Tickets, at $54.50, go on sale Friday at 9 a.m.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132844053042429362005-11-24T10:48:00.000-04:002005-11-24T10:54:13.056-04:00The Christmas Tree debacleI read this in the Herald today. Pretty funny story about the relationship between Canada and the USA. Can we not all get along.<br /><br /><strong>O Holiday Tree, O Holiday Tree?</strong><br /><strong>Boston creates prickly scene by not calling N.S. evergreen Christmas tree</strong><br /><strong>By BEVERLEY WARE </strong><br /><strong>South Shore Bureau</strong><br /><br /><br />BEECH HILL — Donnie Hatt says if he’d known the tree he donated to Boston would be called a holiday tree, "I’d have cut it down and put it through the chipper."<br />Boston should "just put Return to Sender on it because we sent it as a Christmas tree, not a holiday tree," the Chester Basin man said Wednesday after a barrage of phone calls from U.S. television and radio stations and newspapers.<br />Mr. Hatt and his wife, Annette, donated the majestic 14-metre white spruce that had stood in their front yard for 36 years as Nova Scotia’s annual gift to Boston to thank the people of that city for their help in the wake of the Halifax Explosion in 1917.<br />The tree, its hundreds of branches now decorated with thousands of light bulbs, will be lit up next Thursday in a celebration the City of Boston calls its "official holiday tree lighting." The city also promotes Nova Scotia’s 34th gift of a towering white spruce at the Boston Common as a "holiday tree" on its website.<br />Mr. Hatt is none too happy with that, calling the decision "a bunch of bullcrap."<br />One Boston TV station polled viewers Wednesday night about whether it should be called a Christmas tree or a holiday tree.<br />"If they decide it should be a holiday tree, I’ll tell them to send it back. . . . If it was a holiday tree, you might as well put it up at Easter."<br />Mrs. Hatt isn’t quite so put out.<br />"To us, it is a Christmas tree because we celebrate Christmas, but for those who don’t, we want them to be included, too," she said.<br />So the couple has agreed to disagree on this one.<br />"We never agree on anything anyway," Mr. Hatt quipped.<br />But Mathew Staver is taking this matter very much to heart. He is president and general counsel of a conservative religious lobby group called Liberty Counsel.<br />It runs a campaign called the Friend or Foe Christmas Campaign, which has the backing of evangelical Christian preacher Jerry Falwell.<br />"We want to educate people that it’s OK to say Christmas, that it’s not a four-letter word," Mr. Staver said in an interview Wednesday.<br />"Everybody knows a menorah’s a menorah, not a candle-stick," Mr. Staver said. "And this is a Christmas tree."<br />The tree left Nova Scotia on Tuesday of last week, arriving in Boston under police escort on a flatbed truck with a white sign with red lettering that read Merry Christmas Boston.<br />"I was concerned as soon as it crossed the city limits that sign magically changed to Happy Holidays," Mr. Staver said.<br />He likened what has happened to Nova Scotia’s Christmas tree to the story of the emperor with no clothes.<br />"He was naked, but everybody pretended he had clothes on. Well, it’s a Christmas tree; let’s call it a Christmas tree."<br />And that’s what Mary Hines of Boston’s parks and recreation department does call it.<br />"Of course it’s a Christmas tree; absolutely, it’s a Christmas tree," she said.<br />Boston parks commissioner Toni Pollak initially said the term "holiday" is being used because it is more inclusive for those who enjoy the lights but don’t celebrate the Christian religious holiday.<br />She was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but Ms. Hines said the situation has mushroomed because of a misunderstanding.<br />She said when Mayor Thomas Menino flips the switch with Santa Claus next Thursday, he’ll also be turning on the lights on 300 other trees on the Boston Common, and that’s why it’s being called a holiday tree lighting.<br />Indeed, Ms. Hines said the Christmas tree is the focus of her own celebrations at home.<br />"I love it. There’s nothing I like better than sitting back reading, enjoying the smell of the Christmas tree with just one light on and the tree all lit up."<br />Though today it is seen as a symbol of the Christian celebration of the birth of Christ, the Christmas tree’s origins lie in pagan rituals, in which evergreen boughs represented the celebration of life’s renewal.<br />According to The History Channel website, Vikings saw the evergreen as a special plant of the sun god, serving as a reminder spring would return. The Druids and ancient Romans also decorated with evergreens.<br />The British monarchy’s official website says the tradition of the Christian tree began with the Germans in the 1500s, spreading throughout Europe when German-born Queen Charlotte introduced the tradition in Britain. It was then continued by granddaughter Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, who was also born in Germany.<br />( <a href="mailto:bware@herald.ca">bware@herald.ca</a>)M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132772706744149182005-11-23T15:01:00.000-04:002005-11-23T15:05:06.756-04:00Sport Nova ScotiaToday I visited <a href="http://www.sportnovascotia.com/">Sport Nova Scotia</a> to volunteer as a webmaster for <a href="http://www.trins.ca/">Triathlon Nova Scotia</a>. It was pretty cool to see the place and to meet a few people So now for a few hours a week I get to play webmaster, updating their site and helping out in other ways that they need. It will be good experience and something good to put on a resume.<br /><br />Weather report for today, warm but rainy. The season is so confusing!M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132681395859262452005-11-22T13:40:00.000-04:002005-11-22T13:43:15.866-04:00Halifax TuesdaysGood day from Halifax, it is Tuesday and today that means rain and wind. It is not the end of the world because it is warm. Can you believe 10 Celcius on November 22nd!<br /><br />anyways I have not had a chance to get to this blog as of late but I wanted to share some things that are coming soon.<br /><br /><ul><li>reviews of places I have been</li><li>more links of Halifax </li><li>what to do in the middle of the day on a Wednesday.</li><li>a little bit of history about my move here.</li><li>Toronto vs. Halifax</li><li>Why is chicken so much money out here?</li></ul><p>any many more.</p><p> </p><p>please also check out my website michaelcusden.com if you are needing help looking for work in the city.</p><p> </p><p>thanks</p>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132529207734979762005-11-20T19:22:00.000-04:002005-11-20T19:29:19.466-04:00The Parade of Lights post game reportMy girlfriend and I attended the Parade of Lights in downtown Halifax last night and it was pretty good. A large crowd was gathered and the floats were entertaining and well done. I did not know what to expect coming from Toronto where the parade is a big deal but I have to say I liked the smaller local feel. The only really corporate feeling to it was the Harry Potter float but that is what the kids love so I do not mind.<br /><br />Here is what was reported on it today. (from the herald)<br /><br /><br /><strong>Bluenoses with red noses</strong><br /><strong>Thousands cheer Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights</strong><br /><strong>By JOHN GILLIS Staff Reporter</strong><br /><br />An estimated 75,000 red noses — either of the foam Rudolph variety or the natural, just plain cold variety — lined Halifax streets Saturday evening for the Chronicle Herald Holiday Parade of Lights.<br />The crowd included 11 members of the Brooks family from Millbrook, who left home at 2:30 p.m. to stake out some prime real estate next to St. Paul’s Anglican Church in the Grand Parade overlooking Barrington Street.<br />After the clock at city hall chimed 6 p.m. but well before any floats arrived, Qualin, Shillo, Jacob, Skye, Victor, Justice, Willow and Chelsey Brooks, ranging in age from four to 15, were energetically trying to get the thick crowds on both sides of the street to join them in some festive songs as three older family members looked on.<br />"You’ve got to give somebody out there some Christmas spirit," Willow explained.<br />The Brooks’ polished call-and-response style rendition of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and vigorous Jingle Bells were certainly rousing.<br />Victor had a simple explanation for their enthusiasm.<br />"We’re just a big happy family," he said. "We love Christmas."<br />The Parade of Lights has clearly become a holiday tradition for people in Halifax Regional Municipality. But there were plenty of first-timers along the route.<br />Carlos and Karen Gonzalez and Yongsen Chen may have had the best spot on the parade route — nursing pints in Ginger’s Tavern with a clear view of the street below.<br />"It’s too cold," said Ms. Gonzalez, who recently moved to the city from Ontario.<br />Mr. Chen came to Halifax from China and was witnessing his very first Santa Claus parade.<br />"Cheers," the trio toasted, and clinked glasses as the parade came into view.<br />Joanne and Colin MacDougall and daughters Ashlin, 6, Marcella, 4, and Laurie, 2, just moved to Dartmouth from Truro this year.<br />The girls were dressed for the season in matching white-trimmed red capes embroidered with snowflakes.<br />"My mom made them for them for Christmas last year," Ms. MacDougall said. "They wore them specially tonight."<br />Marcella was clearly entranced with the passing floats, her hand stuck in a perpetual wave even as she turned around to retrieve a candy cane from her mom.<br />The weekend’s other big star, Harry Potter, was on a float with an imposing black Hogwarts Castle.<br />Maggie and Hannah MacDonald, 9 and 8, were both dazzled.<br />"I wish there was a Hermione, though," Hannah said.<br />One remarkable float entered by Dalhousie University students featured a dancing snowman surrounded by swirling flurries of marshmallows inside a geodesic dome.<br />The Jolly Old Elf followed soon after. His appearance left a pair of youngsters who had earlier been calling out Santa’s name totally speechless.<br />Another savvy boy, dad in tow, raced from Barrington Street to Spring Garden Road calling, "We get to see it again," as he crossed in front of the public library.<br />The sale of red noses raised an estimated $10,000 for the Goodfellows Club, said Chronicle Herald promotions manager Kevin Sanford, who walked the route beside Santa’s sleigh.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.halifaxherald.com/Front/">http://www.halifaxherald.com</a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132419846328997182005-11-19T13:00:00.000-04:002005-11-19T13:04:06.336-04:00Halifax driversI would like to make a comment on one thing I do not like about this city so far. The drivers! I have lived in many large cities (Windsor, London, Toronto) and I have never seen such bad drivers as I do here. Many times when I am out walking my dog usually, I am almost hit crossing the street. The reasons are plenty, people running red lights, going through designated walk zones and the number one reason, not stopping on right turns. So many times I need to pull my dog back from getting hit because people just round a right corner without stopping like they have the right of way. It is not always the case but usually it is people on cell phones. Even the one time I rode my bike around the city I felt very untrusting of the drivers. This is from someone who rode his bike for 3 years on the streets of Toronto. People of Halifax you have a great city that I totally love but the drivers need to watch where the hell they are going.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132330280434011912005-11-18T12:10:00.000-04:002005-11-18T12:11:20.443-04:00Parade of Lights<strong>HOLIDAY PARADE OF LIGHTS </strong><br /><strong><br /></strong>November 19: Every year this parade attracts crowds of about 70,000 people, a beloved rite of the holidays for families and children. It features, floats, majorettes, marching bands and much more. The parade route begins on Barrington Street at 6pm, turns up Spring Garden Road, over to University Avenue past the children’s hospital and ends at Robie Street. 423-6658M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132329906498527122005-11-18T11:00:00.000-04:002005-11-18T12:05:06.543-04:00Sunny day in the FaxVery sunny but cold today. I am going to go out and do some stuff since it is not raining. Hit the CBC and a few other places as I continue my quest of finding work.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132247012622373832005-11-17T13:00:00.000-04:002005-11-17T13:03:32.623-04:00Halifax Rainy DaysWell it is the second day in a row of windy rain here in Halifax and it does not make for great dog walking weather. I came home a short while ago with my Chocolate Lab, who now could be called Muddy Lab. It is very tricky to tell just how dirty he is since he is already brown. I find out pretty quick when he steps foot onto the white kitchen floor. Oh to be a dog owner, not everyday is sunny and nice but you still have to walk them. I wonder what would happen if I just let him out the front door and let him walk himself?M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132086792310542092005-11-15T16:30:00.000-04:002005-11-15T16:34:23.270-04:00Let me know where you are reading fromcheck out my frappr and let me know where you are reading from!<br /><br /><br /><p align="left"><a href="http://www.frappr.com/cuzzyscrew"><img height="305" alt="Image Hosted by ImageShack.us" src="http://img106.imageshack.us/img106/9180/frapprcuzzy5jd.jpg" width="315" /></p></a>M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132085764072147692005-11-15T16:15:00.000-04:002005-11-15T16:16:04.073-04:00Halifax walkingToday I went for a walk downtown. I needed to go to Kinko's and I heard that is was on Spring Garden Road. So I walkde to Quinpool and went east across the the CVC corner and then to Spring Garden. It is certainly a busy street on a weekday afternoon. I finally found the kinkos and did what I had to do. On the street I got a free copy of some new magazine launching here. I have not looked at it yet but if it is of any value I can post it soon. I walked back home stopping at Video Differance and then the Superstore. I am going to make a big dinner tonight and had to get some things.<br /><br />Now I am home and the sun has gone in for the day.<br />That is Halifax Life........M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132085685547452002005-11-15T16:12:00.000-04:002005-11-15T16:14:45.546-04:005 Favourite Places in HalifaxWell I have been here for just over 6 weeks now and I feel I am ready for a top 5 list. So here goes, my 5 favourite places (so far) in Halifax.<br /><br />(in no particular order)<br /><br /><strong>1-Maxwell's Plum</strong>- A nice pub downtown that certainly gives beer a good name. They have over 60 on tap and many more in bottle. The wings are great and they have brewtenders for 16 bucks. You can also eat all the peanuts you want and throw the shells on the floor. Good for watching the game or a night out with your buds.<br /><br /><strong>2-The Commons</strong>- I know all the locals are gasping at this but it is true. I walk my dog there quite often and cut through it to get anywhere in the city. A huge open space that gives you peace from what could be cement and buildings. I hear a lot of bad stuff goes on there but until it affects me it is going on the list.<br /><br /><strong>3-The Canadian Tire on Quinpool</strong>- not much needed to say here, it is Canadian Tire!! We all know it and love it, it just makes me feel happy to walk the aisles and smell the possibility in the air.<br /><br /><strong>4-Point Pleasant Park</strong>- I know I never saw it before the hurricane but I still love it. The trails, the history and the ocean. I went there a few weekends ago and took a lot of great pictures. I cannot wait to check it out when the snow hits.<br /><br /><strong>5-House of Dogs</strong>- this little pet shop that deals pretty much with dogs is just down the street from me. I love the name and the people there are off the charts friendly. Anyone who gives my pup free treats is good in my books.<br /><br /><br />until next timeM-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19002532.post-1132085187454622942005-11-15T16:05:00.000-04:002005-11-15T16:11:41.816-04:00I love this Cityjust starting out a blog about what I think of Halifax, my new home.M-Faxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09489332935328039042noreply@blogger.com0