david.segonds.org Chronicles of an Agile Software Development Manager

25Oct/085

Houston vs. Calgary. Houston wins.

All right, I have now been in Calgary for four months and I can tell you right now, without hesitation, that Houston is a much better place to be. This is based on my own experience, do not believe anybody else since I am the quintessence of objectivity:

  • In Calgary, my commute is so short that I barely have time to listen to my IPod. Houston is much better from that standpoint because I enjoy listening to my IPod.
  • I have to commute by bike, this is not as comfortable as a car, especially in my body most sensitive parts. It takes me a while to change when I arrive at work. This is clearly not efficient and sometimes my legs hurt.
  • My trousers are too loose, no longer fitting and I will soon need to add an extra hole on my belt. I clearly did not have this problem in Houston. Loosing weight can be troublesome.
  • I now enjoy Sushi because it is very difficult to find a TexMex restaurant around here. I used to avoid Sushi because it was not nutritious enough. Now I love it. What's wrong with me?
  • Wasabi green color is not as nice as Tabasco red color. Which reminds me that I need to try Sushi with Tabasco.
  • Chopsticks are not as convenient as your hands when eating.
  • Last time I ate Salmon it had been caught in Alaska by the cook's husband. This is less convenient than going to Rock Fish Seafood Restaurant.
  • There are no Becks Prime in Calgary.
  • I have trouble finding Tabasco in stores and many restaurant do not serve it.
  • Food portions are smaller in Calgary
  • There are too many pedestrians in Calgary and I have to stop for them when I drive my car. Houston is much simpler from that standpoint. You don't have to stop for pedestrians and this greatly simplifies driving.
  • I feel unsafe in Calgary because there are no police cars at every street corner.
  • The sky is often without clouds and the air is quite dry. This is disturbing because I like clouds and humidity.
  • You barely notice when there is a federal election in Calgary. In Houston, you at least know two years in advance that something is coming up.
  • There are many political parties in Calgary and the Green party is growing in size. It is much easier in Houston where you only have the republican party.
  • George W. Bush is from Houston and John Stephen Harper is from Calgary. I guess we have a tie on that one.
  • Calgarians insists on recycling. In Houston, it is much simpler to trash your stuff.

Please comment if you have additional useful comparaisons that shows how Houston is so much better than Calgary.

5Oct/080

Fall in Southern Alberta

I know that some individuals—who I will not name here—wishes me to freeze to death in Calgary especially when they live in a warm climate such as Houston.

But, let it be known that winter is not here quite yet and I am exorcising the dreaded season by posting some photos on my Flickr account. Photos were taken in October in Southern Alberta at an elevation greater than 1000m. I will insist on the fact thet there is no  snow on those photos.