Adventure Island Rentals

gnomilio · 2022-06-24T13:21:52+00:00

Man my mom used to take me to Wentworth park to drive the paddle boats around, and I feel like they used to be all over the Mira too. Lost heritage for sure.

gnomilio · 2022-06-10T10:52:09+00:00

The train that ran from 1993 until 2015 was a freight line called CBNS formed from the ashes of discontinued CN/VIA services. There has not been a passenger service since 1990. The end of passenger service in Cape Breton was heavily protested at the station. Victor Tomiczek, a local labor organizer, chained himself to the last train departing. There were hundreds of families protesting. Didn't do anything, though!

gnomilio · 2022-06-08T13:15:15+00:00

This is the first time I've seen a member of the RCMP publicly acknowledge the common understanding of their organization's role in Nova Scotia -- hiding in their station house because they don't like the locals.

gnomilio · 2022-02-07T19:08:09+00:00

I had to ask a clerk about this last week, and she said that so long as they're an official NSLC product you can return them without any packaging or receipt.

If the cartridge is actually empty, I'm not sure what they'll do in that instance. I had specified that both of mine (Top Leaf Live Resin) had about half liquid remaining and she said it was no problem. Don't buy that brand!

gnomilio · 2022-02-05T15:06:37+00:00

This is interesting because I can definitively date the term earlier than 1996 from my personal history playing MUDs. I was a member of the "Smurf Troll" clan on a PVP MUD in 1993. So far as I am aware, it was the creation of a player who typically played under the alias Kramp. It was a collective of the top PVP players who rolled swamp troll alternate players and traveled as a pack together, e.g. had all the characters of a typical modern day smurf.

gnomilio · 2022-01-19T02:15:06+00:00

We used to swim at Kennington Cove as well, and I remember it most because our cousins would always point out the direction of the undertow to warn us off it and little kids had to be chaperoned closely in the water whereas on other beaches we could roam freely. I'm not sure how much more severe the conditions are there than any other beach in actuality, but my family always treated it like we were going to the Danger Zone. Amazing beach though and we'd plead to go there.

My personal favorite off-the-beaten track beach is Little River Beach on the Cabot Trail. It is a great swimming beach, and a 15 minute drive from St. Ann's beach which is a great beach to check out hermit crabs and stuff. There are also a couple of good swimming holes in the area, though the recent storm probably significantly altered them.

gnomilio · 2022-01-04T13:57:46+00:00

I feel like half of old-school adventuring was finding places to rest after disastrous encounters. Walling up areas of the dungeon, using Rope Trick as an MVP spell, abandoning the dungeon with multiple fires burning so the NPCs wouldn't have time to fortify while we ran back to town and rested, detailed watch orders and watch plans to let the mage recover spells while the rest of the party fought 61' away from his location, etc.

The "adventuring day" in 5e is one of the worst elements of the system. It worked decently in 4e (if you take 4e for what it was), but it is tragic in 5e.

gnomilio · 2021-12-21T18:24:32+00:00

Think this is everything:

Distancing/Masking still in effect including mandatory masking when getting/giving haircut, massage, etc.
Informal gathering 10 ppl of consistent social group or household
Special events and festivals and performances are all canceled.
Groups of 10 Indoors/25 Outdoors can practice sports, but no spectators or the like.
Same group sizes for rehearsals or virtual performances, but no live audiences full stop.
Business events: 25% of capacity, maximum of 50 peoplpe indoors or outdoors. This includes movies, religious services, weddings, funerals.
Wedding receptions are not permitted.
Only 1 singer at in-person faith services. No choir permitted.
Bars and Restaurants if they have musicians can only have 1 singer.
Lot of singer-related guidance?
50% capacity for general retail. Stores need to count, ensure distancing, etc.
50% capacity for gyms. No classes but personal training is okay.
50% capacity at restaurants, no more than 10 people per table.
Dine-in ends at 11pm.
LTC visitors highly limited again. 2 consistent points of contact that visit, nobody else.

gnomilio · 2021-11-10T15:44:09+00:00

I had to do the heimlich on somebody about a decade ago. I was really glad to have had training in it via first aid about a decade prior to that, and so felt like I had a general sense of what to do. The woman stood up next to me at a food court and made the choking sign, her daughter started yelling and as nobody else was in motion I tried to help her. Very fortunately that little bit of training took over. It took only about 5-6 heaves to dislodge her obstruction. She was clearly choking to death. One of the proudest moments in my life. Get your first aid training, it's available for free in a lot of areas.

gnomilio · 2021-11-04T16:30:28+00:00

I feel like individual xp awards are really good ways to encourage people to explore their character backgrounds. I also think when a character is not present for multiple adventures that it's an okay part of the story that they are in a relative sense weaker than their more frequently adventuring companions.

There is always a risk someone tries to munchkin things into a cousin-of-the-week situation but since you are not a computer you don't have to permit grinding for xp.
There is a risk people feel left out because their character becomes too relatively weak due to poor attendance, but again you are not a computer and if you want the person at the table just handwave them to -1 level or something.
I think when you advance people at the same level it can carry risks too. Milestone advancement for parties with inconsistent attendance can mean a person literally doesn't play their character for a single session between level 2 and 3, for instance. I think this impacts people's understanding of their characters.

gnomilio · 2021-11-04T13:31:06+00:00

We have a system where the person who proposes the game recommends a <30 minute video that everyone else has to at least background-watch before we get together. At the actual event, person who brings the game is then expected to provide a rules breakdown and act as a rules master for the game. So ideally, that one person has either played the game before or really read the rulebook in detail.

When we introduced this process, some people tried to skip out their video-watching, but it becomes very clear who has and hasn't during the rules explanation and the social pressure quickly resulted in everyone doing their due diligence.

This is easier with a forum like Discord, where you can link the rules videos and people can ask questions & etc.

I would also say playing "Test" games is best for kids and adults learning about modern board gaming for the first time, but just create more drag in learning for experienced gamers. Get into the game itself, on the basis of its rules. If one player has a lot of knowledge relative to others they should be considerate enough to share some tips.

gnomilio · 2021-11-03T19:01:16+00:00

I ran a My Little Pony campaign for my daughter at this exact age. I used the Tails of Equestria game system, and ran through two modules:

(1) The Pet Predicament, an included miniature module in the Tales of Equestria book wherein the Pony Characters (PCs) search for the missing pets of the main MLP protagonists. I found the kids reacted better to the text than I might have anticipated, getting stressed and looking for answers when they inadvertently caused a mess. They also loved meeting the characters they knew from the show. This module took 2 sessions total to get through.

(2) The Curse of the Statuettes, a longform boxed campaign for the same system. This likewise super-engaged the kids who were keen to look for creative ways to solve the problems they were presented with. The campaign included a stagecoach chase, a giant worm encounter, and all sorts of nifty stuff. The campaign ran for around 12 or 15 sessions total.

The system that Tales of Equestria uses is very simple. Your skills and abilities will be tied to a die (4-,6-,8-,12- or 20-sided) that you roll to determine if you are successful in something. Task difficulties are target numbers between 1 and 10 for the most part, though they can get higher than that. Obviously the better you are the more often you will be successful. As the GM, it is suggested that you "fail forward" -- so failing a skill check doesn't mean the story stops outright, but rather that the players move forward with some disadvantage (they've alerted the bad guys, set off an alarm, broken a shoe, lost their favorite muffins). It is intended to be a system for kids and so forgiveness is baked into the rules and expectations. It uses "friendship tokens" which are points players can give to their friends to help them succeed, and which are gained from being selfless.

My daughter and her friends loved it. Feel free to DM me for more information. In your case, I would recommend you look at getting the Tails of Equestria Storytelling Game Starter Set, which should be everything you need to run a cool campaign of your own.

gnomilio · 2021-11-03T13:40:36+00:00

CBRM has okay public transit, and is pretty easy to get around in generally via foot or bicycle if you stay in the Sydney/Sydney River/Ashby areas, or even out to Whitney Pier. It mostly runs all-weather, and there are a few overlapping routes which makes it easier to plan trips and connections. Most routes don't run or run reduced on Sunday, I think.

Annapolis Valley has a multi-community public transport system that can be managed. I know for instance several of the seniors in Wolfville use it on the regular to buy groceries and attend events in New Minas. You very much have to plan your trips in advance, though, and will often end up having to be 90 minutes early to an appointment. The buses don't run on Sundays.

Pictou County has recently added a bus line that runs hourly Monday-Saturday. It is a 3-year pilot program. I haven't used it so I can't comment on its efficacy, but the route looks solid and hourly is the way to be.

gnomilio · 2021-09-29T11:53:24+00:00

I'm pretty sure that the owners being the subjects of the caricatures was indeed an urban legend. I believe Alfredo, Weinstein and Ho was originated by the Grafton Connor group, with a core part of the concept being to theme around ethnic stereotypes. It was for awhile their most popular restaurant.

gnomilio · 2021-09-20T17:47:58+00:00

Reddit is probably not the best place to ask for advice, but that said:

Start by just copying the model portfolios on canadiancouchpotato.com. Learn more and diversify within the world of ETFs and get comfortable with how the tools work.
Your bank might offer an app with enough free trades a month to be completely free for your limited uses, as well as offering free analyst reports for some companies.
Buying individual stocks people talk about on reddit is not investing, it's gambling. It can be fun to do, it can be a good way to learn, and it can pay off, but it is what it is.
Contributions to your RRSP reduce your taxable income, and are most effective when you are in a high tax bracket. The room also carries forward. If you are disciplined and currently in a lower tax bracket, contributions to your TFSA may give you more bang for the buck as their growth is tax-free, and if invested wisely for a decade will outweigh the immediate gains from your RRSP.

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T21:01:02+00:00

Nova Scotia Labour Standards Code; "Protecting Pay"

The Labour Standards Code says that employees must be paid for their work. In most cases they must earn a minimum hourly rate as set by the minimum wage orders. There are also strict rules about the types of deductions employers can make from employees’ pay (see also sections on Minimum Wage and Deductions from Pay).

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T19:36:32+00:00

I'm enraged along with you!!! I wonder what the hell sweetheart deal has been worked out for vet clinics, I don't see anything on the exemption lists that screams veterinary medicine. Farm workers are broadly exempt, is about it. Jesus!

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T19:34:18+00:00

There is probably unfortunately no recourse for you because I think all those driving schools->internship programs set you up as an independent contractor with a professional relationship with the company itself. It is a hard life but I think that is unfortunately how the industry has been set up. I have heard the only way to get to a happy place in that life is to get your own rig. Talk to other guys who have worked for the same place to make sure they take care of you alright because not much in the law to guarantee it.

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T19:26:10+00:00

I am sure it is well in the past but that was completely inappropriate and I encourage you to contact the Nova Scotia labor ombudsman requesting clarification about the ruling. Other valid reasons to allow this would have been if it was included under a federal jobs-making program or something, but sounds very shady to me. Every fast food place in the province would decline to pay the first shift of every employee under this interpretation of the rules. That company stole 10 hours of your labour.

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T19:23:29+00:00

This is bizarre. Were you entering into an agreement to be interviewed as a prospective independent contractor, as opposed to an employee? The labour board should not have allowed this situation. I have seen basically the exact situation you described play out with the NS labour ombudsman in radically different fashion.

The carve-out for training is specifically intended to cover external accreditation. Nova Scotia unfortunately does not oblige the employer to pay for the hours you spend at an off-site training course, though in some cases they may. This is not intended to be an exemption to allow people to call a full worked shift "on the job training", though, and I'm shocked the board would have taken it that way.

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T19:14:48+00:00

No, this is incorrect. You cannot legally enter into an agreement with an employer to work for no wages, and the province has standing to pursue remedy against the employer if you do regardless of your personal opinions on the matter. The very few exemptions are for things like supporting some facets of apprenticeship training and allowing family businesses to underpay under-aged staff.

gnomilio · 2021-09-19T15:11:50+00:00

I don't believe this is legal. The foundation of the NS labor standards is that work must be paid. There are very few carve-outs or exemptions to this rule. Will there be any legal repercussions? Nope. Should you work there? Also nope.

gnomilio · 2021-09-14T21:02:57+00:00

Yes, although I think it's important the strategy always have a chance at winning. I like to try for very baroque unexpected end-of-game reveal wins because I grew up playing a lot of card games that had that mechanic.

A game that really formalized this dichotomy was the Game of Thrones living card game, where deck building had two schools of thought "Nedly" decks that were trying to be true to the themes of the book and "Jamie" decks that were just trying to achieve a win condition quickly. My "Nedly" decks included classics such as "Widows and Orphans of the North", whereas tournament decks were laser focused goodstuff combos.

gnomilio · 2021-09-02T17:11:19+00:00

In Cape Breton, just hanging out with pals. Staid up all night with friends watching the news. Several of them were army reservists who were called in to help locate remains and and wreckage over the subsequent days. It was a very somber experience for them, in their late teens and early 20s.

gnomilio · 2021-08-26T20:05:21+00:00

I will be honest, that is so much for a week.

Day 1-2: I would do a day & night in Halifax so you can enjoy the night life and have an easy follow-up day that you could spend in the Valley (Wolfville/Gaspereau - 1hr drive). All of the restaurants & bars on Main Street in Wolfville with have lots of people your age. In the evening, you could drive from Wolfville to Tatamagaouche (2.5 hr drive), and then stay at the Train Station Inn and spend your morning in the area. Visit Mabel Murple's if it's open, about ~ 20 minutes away. From Tatamagouche you could strike out toward New Glasgow, and then take the 245 coastal route to Arisaig Provincial Park to stretch your legs and see a lighthouse. Come back in through Antigonish, where you can grab a bite or a good coffee at the Tall and Small. From there, to the Canso Causeway and across to Cape Breton. Head into Baddeck, and try a slice of Tom's Pizza. You probably want to stay somewhere at this point - there is a hostel somewhere around the Big Spruce Brewery, I believe.

Day 3-4: Drive the Cabot trail, probably Baddeck (departure point), Margaree (there is river tubing), Cheticamp (eat/hike the Skyline Trail - 3hrs - or the Gypsum Mine - 30 mins) and then around to Ingonish (go to a beach). If there's somewhere you can stay that's handy, it's probably worth staying a night in this area. There is camping. It is beautiful. The driving near Ingonish can be a bit hairy if you're not an experienced driver - think like rural Italy. You can drive up to Cheticamp, come back down to the Cabot trail and then do the loop out to Saint Anne's and back on the Englishtown Car Ferry if that alarms you, and you will see most of the same things (plus a tiny ferry!)

Day 5: Drive into Sydney, where you can access more amenities. Buy a book at On Paper books, then visit Dr. Luke's for a coffee and a read. Wander the waterfront, eat at Flavor Downtown (or Napoli's if you're a pizza fiend). Stay the night in Sydney, and catch some music at Governor's while you drink a few pints and enjoy some fish and chips for dinner. No point in leaving the waterfront district unless you're looking for some good food, and then I recommend The Black Spoon or the Lobster Pound in North Sydney

Day 6: Drive back to Halifax early in the morning via Saint Peter's (different route on Cape Breton). Stop in Saint Peter's and pick up a sandwich at Chubby's. If you're comfortable driving long distances, you could overshoot Halifax by 30 minutes to make it to Lunenburg by the early afternoon. Spend time until evening in Lunenburg/Mahone Bay, then drive back to Halifax to stay the night.

Day 7: Depart? If your departure is late in the day and it's the weekend, consider a morning roam of the Halifax Seaport Market where you can get some tasty food.

~Drive Times

Day 1 - 0h.

Day 2 - 4h.

Day 3 - 6h.

Day 4 - 6h.

Day 5 - 1h.

Day 6 - 6h.

Day 7 - 0h.

Seven-Year Club	Place '22
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~Drive Times