The Edmonton Expo (2018 edition)

And that's a wrap for the Edmonton Expo 2018! For me, it was 2.5 days, 36,795 steps, 25.74 km (according to my Fitbit), and all things geeky.

Things were a bit different this year. First, the Expo was smaller--fewer halls, and fewer exhibitors. (That's probably because the Expo is now owned by Fan Expo HQ, the company behind Fan Expo Canada, among others.) There were also some notable cancellations: Jason (Aquaman) Momoa, Karl (Judge Dredd, Star Trek) Urban, Katee (Battlestar Galactica) Sackhoff, and Katie (Arrow) Cassidy. Cancellations always happen, but these were some pretty big names.

On the bright side, I got to see two of my all-time favourite voice actors, Maurice LaMarche and Kevin Conroy. Conroy is, of course, the definitive voice of Batman, going back to Batman: The Animated Series in the 1990s. If you don't know the name LaMarche, you are nonetheless familiar with his work if you've ever watched Animaniacs, The Simpsons, Futurama, or Disenchantment.

The panels with Ray Park, Brent Spiner, and John Barrowman were also highly entertaining. Barrowman's dress, in particular, was stunning. (Sorry, you hadda be there...) I also learned that moderator Tanner Zipchen is originally from Saskatoon and does not go around giving out Scene points. One of the most fascinating panels for me was hearing how junior high school teacher Scott Hebert has completely transformed his classroom into a medieval realm using the principles of gamification--something I've been interested in for a while. His talk was titled, "Press start to begin: How turning a class into a live action game changed everything." (And no, that doesn't tell you everything you need to know.)

In previous years, I unleashed my wallet, buying goodies like autographs, toys, and original art. I tried to rein it in a bit this year, buying some Steven Universe-themed items (pins, art, etc.) for my two sweet daughters who did not attend with me. (Don't tell them, but I held some items back as stocking stuffers!)

As usual, I got the Premium Package which includes a bit of swag: comic book, poster, lanyard, and TARDIS lunch box. You could also go around to vendors, getting stamps in a passport. When completed, you took your passport and got to spin the big wheel to win a prize. The result? An Expo sweatshirt (size medium). Check it out:


Would you like to have this swag package? Of course you would. Like last year, I will give this prize package to the person who pledges to give the most items to the UAlberta Campus Food Bank. Make your pledge in the comments below. The contest closes on Monday, October 1 at 12:00p.m. MDT (that's noon). Whoever has pledged the most number of items wins. (You have to show me a picture of you actually donating the items to the food bank upon pickup.) Even if you do not win, I would encourage you to still donate your pledged items to the food bank.

Why aren't you studying?

What I Did on my Summer Vacation (2018 Edition)

Instead of trying to come up with a theme for my summer vacation post, this year I went back through my photos and social media posts to try and sum up my summer. Here goes!

PHD Comics: Summer https://t.co/8k2pKGKaTA via @phdcomics


It is so true, summer is a time to try and work uninterrupted (by teaching at least). I was home with my kids a lot of the time, so there still were interruptions. (I swear, those kids want to eat lunch like EVERY DAY.)

Instead of adding material to my courses, I spent my time scrutinizing my lecture notes overall, and my PowerPower slides in particular. I have increased the legibility, readability, and flow of my lectures, in addition to rewriting material for clarity and understanding. I have converted all physical media to digital files in anticipation of changes to the classroom computers by IST. That also meant spenting several hours with IST staff trying to fix problems, both old and new, with their systems. Unfortunately, I do not have a lot of confidence that everything will be running properly by the time the term starts. (Be prepared for your instructors fumbling and cursing a lot!)

Summer isn't all about work, though. There's time for a family trip. After visiting BC last year, we just stuck to Alberta for a short trip--Aspen Beach, Calgary, and Drumheller. After skipping the Calgary Zoo for a few years, we had to go back to see the pandas. My youngest daughter was so excited...and then so disappointed. The pandas just slept. The most action-packed moment was when one of them scratched its ear. Wow. To make up for the disappointment, we bought her an ice cream cone. Then a fly landed in it and everything went to hell. Yeah, good times.
Don't see how they can do kung fu.

The Royal Tyrrell Museum is always worth a visit.

Hoodoo? I dunno.




Who wants to see pictures of Aspen Beach when I could
show you the delicious cannoli at Sweet Capone's in Lacombe?



Ugh, I thought the smoke was bad last year.  The BC forest fires brought clouds of smoke again this summer, especially in August. When it's an otherwise nice summer day with wretched air quality, at least I don't feel bad about being at my computer and working all day.
While my wife wasn't looking, I slipped a jalapeƱo plant in among her annuals when she was buying bedding plants this spring. (Ain't I a stinker?) I didn't have great hopes, but it exceeded all expectations, growing about a dozen peppers. I think I'll pickle them.

Right at the end of August, the Department of Psychology held its annual Welcome Celebration. It's to welcome new graduate students, post-docs, and faculty members, and celebrate our accomplishments over the past year. Although I claim to go just for the food, it's really to hear the speeches. And lookit the nifty two TUTAs (Tolman Undergraduate Teaching Awards) I got!


Now, it's back to school for everyone. This year is just a bit more specialer, though. It's my 25th year of teaching. To those of you who have been taking my classes for 25 years--er, isn't it time to graduate already?
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