Underneath the hostel is an area of discontinous permafrost. In other words, it's not that deep but it's enough to cause problems to the buildings on the ground above. During thawing and freezing of the permafrost, the land under the hostel can move (we call it dynamic) and today I discovered it has actually caused quite a large gap between the floor and the bottom of the front door, meaning it can get quite cold in the porch, as I realised this morning. It's also affected one of the windows here; one of the lounge windows will not close properly, and permafrost has been guessed as the culprit.
As is custom on a Thursday, I went to the 'Music at One' concert at the university. One of the great aspects about these concerts, is that you never know what to expect. However, the first act was most certainly clear: the Flowerpot Performance. Sarah and Bill had warned me about this, ever since I started going to these concerts. The performer is one Bonnie Whiting Smith, and she seems to like to play with four flowerpots. Indeed, the american composer Frederic Rzewski composed a piece that uses only four pots, in 1985, and called it 'To the Earth'. (Google it!) While playing, the performer recites a poem; today the text was Homeric Hymm. Listen, this kind of percussion is hard going and some, like Sarah and Bill, don't class it as music at all. I too think I could go a few months without seeing it again, but I accept that it's well known in percussionist circles. The performances afterwards were much more my thing, with a trombone and trumpet feauturing aswell as a soprano. Lorna Eder was there (pictured below) playing the piano for all of these pieces; how she learns it all without making a mistake is incredible. 
I left the concert and made my way through the Wood Centre to the bus stop, and on the way, was offered a cupcake. It was from a stall promoting the University 'TechFest' that's happening at the moment; basically a couple of days highlighting the importance of technology in our daily lives. It includes lectures from Apple for instance, advice on how to avoid computer viruses, and much more besides. If it's as good as the cupcake was, I'm sure it's worth a visit!
The next job was unfortunately mundane but necessary; shopping for clothes, particularly for my fiedltrip this weekend. I made my way to Value Village, just outside Downtown, and outside was greeted with signs proclaiming 'Dead is in!' Yes, Halloween is here. When I stepped inside the shop, a whole aisle was devoted to the theme; well, one aisle is an understatement. Nevertheless, I managed to escape it, and made my way to the 'Men's Outdoor' range. Can you believe I got a belt, a jumper, a pair of waterproof trousers and a scarf all for $19? They don't call it the Value Village for nothing!
My next engagement I was actually really looking forward to; Ned Rozell, an Alaskan explorer, was going to make a talk at the Downtown Visitor Centre at 7pm regarding his adventures. To see this, the plan was to get the 6:22pm bus, but alas it never turned up, and I was most disappointed. Still, there was one other possibility; I decided to walk to the university and catch the 7pm Opera recital. It would be my second musical appointment today but I was glad I went as some of the performances were mind blowingly good. One in particular was Brigid Gleason, who sang Richard Hundley's 'Come ready and see me'. (Another one to check out on Google!) Once again, Lorna Eder was back on piano, making the whole experience most satisfying.
Back at the hostel, I made a very successful skype back home, during which time a new hosteller has arrived. Nicole, from Germany, is staying here for four nights. As Chris is leaving tomorrow, we all decided to go out in the car to the university sign for a picture underneath it. We arrived a little before midnight and understandably, the temperature has dropped since I last checked it. I don't think I've seen it this low in this particular point: -11 degrees C. If you don't believe me, see for yourself! Believe me, it's cold, even with my new scarf and jumper on!
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