November 08, 2008
To the Victor Go the Spoils
November 07, 2008
When All Else Fails
November 06, 2008
Can You Lend Me a Feeling?
November 05, 2008
Where were you when...
November 04, 2008
I Give Up
- Just got a facebook message from an Albania group I'm a member of congratulating Barack Obama on getting elected... I guess they are ahead of things there? Who knew?
- Alright, so he's really elected now. I don't care what side of fence you're on, it's still a significant moment and that speech was pretty darn good. I'm interested to see how the next four years play out!
November 03, 2008
Almost....
What hurts us Canadians and the democratic process is the decided lack of pop culture around here. If we had late night television and day time talk shows that people actually watched, I think politicians could be more influential. We don't have celebrity endorsements (at least that anyone cares about) or major political gaffs with any air time (or any real comedians to perpetuate the joke). The political pop culture that is currently inflating the ratings of shows like Saturday Night Live and The Daily Show doesn't exist in Canada.
How can Canadian politics thrive in the current cultural climate?
November 02, 2008
Squeeze

November 01, 2008
NaBloPoMo
October 25, 2008
375
October 15, 2008
Who are the losers?
October 10, 2008
Onwards and Upwards
October 06, 2008
What's Business Casual?
October 01, 2008
Huzzah!
September 28, 2008
Batten Down the Hatches
September 25, 2008
I Give Up
September 20, 2008
Bye George
Prayer of Saint Francis of Assisi
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen
September 14, 2008
looC s'tahT
Anyway. One of the characters could write forwards and backwards. For whatever reason, that came to mind sitting here at work, so I picked up two pens and went to town. Guess what! I can write backwards!
I doubt it is a sign of genius (is that appropriately self-deprecating? cuz if it turns out I AM a genius, I don't want to come off too gloaty), but I do wonder how common it is. Basically all I'm doing is writing forward with my right hand and mirroring it with my left. The left is a little squiggly but since it is the devil's hand, I've been ignoring it's potential and it's out of practice.
Can you write backwards with your non-normal writing hand? I think I've seen my mom do it, but I probably just put that in the crazy file and moved on. This was back when I thought typing without looking at the keyboard was crazy and she'd freak me out by looking in my direction whilst happily ICQing away.
Of course, she never used ICQ, but I enjoy the late 90's reference to the then new fangled social media.
September 10, 2008
September 08, 2008
Don't Let Your Sons Grow Up to Be Cable Guys
Oh how I wish there was more competition in Canada. Here you get to choose between two companies. Two! One is run completely by monkeys and it's been a while since I was with the other guys but I'm sure they at least consult with monkeys.
So I have Bell ExpressVu, but I want Eastlink digital cable because the satellite goes out too often and it's annoying. I called Bell to cancel, assuming there'd be issues. Sure! says chipper lady. You can cancel! That'll $249, please. I told her the reason I'm canceling, and she said that they can send a tech out to readjust the satellite, and if it's still a problem then they'd waive the fee.
So tech guy arrives today and tells me he can't readjust the satellite because he doesn't do that. Oh, and he's with the wrong contracted company. But, just for fun, he takes a look at the set up and sees that it's working fine, then it's not, then it is (it comes and goes, hence the problem). He calls Bell and tells them they sent the wrong guy. He presses another button or two, apologizes and leaves. Only now the satellite doesn't work at all. Thanks dude.
Bell calls me and tells me to call the contractor company I've always dealt with. Thank-you have a nice day. I call them, and another dude is coming over tomorrow at 4pm to take a look. Hopefully it'll at least get back to the level it was before the guy came over here and broke everything, that'd be swell.
I'm sure you find this as enthralling as I do...
I Can Go for Miles and Miles
September 05, 2008
Coming Up
Stay tuned for full coverage of the annual 50 Mile Yard Sale happening tomorrow. It runs from Dutch Settlement to Sheet Harbour, and since you don't know where those places are, just believe me when I tell you that's a lot of miles of junk. Hopefully some of that junk will find a home with me.
I'll have my eye out for:
White Ceramics
Lamp(s)
Interesting storage/display thingy to replace my press wood bookshelf
Floral Sheets - used sheets are sketchy, this may or may not happen
Vintage Fan
Fabric that catches my attention
Mid-Century Occasional chair/Desk Chair
What I expect to find:
Thousands of VHS tapes - give it up people! They're garbage!
Thousands of Harlequinn Romances
Lots of Kitchen Gadgets
Figurines representing the minutae of human and animal life (or a mix of the two)
A plaque telling you to stand closer, because it's shorter than you think
CD's representing the various stages of Britney Spears
Plant pots with eyes and mouths glued on them and baby's breath for hair.
Oh wait.
September 04, 2008
Fine, I'll Do It
August 29, 2008
Who? Running for What?
Well maybe not that good, I know who the running mates are, I know they're having those little convention thingys at the moment, but quite frankly, if I were to truly avoid the whole thing I'd have to remove my frontal lobe and watch Danger Bay reruns all day (I used to have a crush on Jonah... don't know why looking back, but I also had a crush on Roger from Tarzan, who incidentally enough, was on Danger Bay for an episode - the more you know).
Anyway, I'm well aware that whoever wins this horse race will have some affect on me. We're neighbours, co-dependent economies, they have bigger guns, blah blah blah. But that doesn't mean I have to care about whatever happens from now until November, because, given the emblem on my recently expired passport, I don't have a vote, a say, or any leeway, nothin', nadda. And that my friends, is the way I like it.
Uh-huh, uh-huh.
I will, however, be following the Canadian election campaign which will likely be happening in the fall. I haven't been able to vote for one reason or another (last time I wasn't Canadian enough cuz I had been in the states longer than 6 months, and had only recently returned) and I'm going to take advantage of the opportunity.
I'll probably vote Conservative. Since none of the other leaders appear particularly competent. I believe my current representative is Liberal... but Halifax has a strong NDP streak, so I'm not sure what's happening up in this hood.
I just visited the NDP site, and whoa on the trying to be hip factor. That picture of Jack Layton is ridiculous. Looks like he'll be breaking into song a la "From Justin to Kelly" (go ahead, click on that link, I guarantee you will not be disappointed). They have widgets and facebooks and podcasts and youtubes. Then again, none of the parties have a particularly impressive website. After visiting the Conservatives it's evident that they have a hate-on for Mr. Dion. I bet that's an awkward conversation at the urinal.
So as for America... not that interested. It's a little too over the top for me, and I can only handle hearing about the same things for so long. They'll each be villified by their respective "unbiased" news networks, and frankly I don't care whether or not Obama refilled the Brita filter after drinking the last glass.
I'll listen for the winner in a few months, and tick off another box on the list of things I know, but other than that, I'm going to continue changing the channel when coverage comes on.
August 26, 2008
Look Ma! I Cleaned!
So the Olympics are over, and that should mean we're back to regular programming, but I've been distracted and unmotivated lately and a lot of things aren't getting done. I firmly believe the cure is running away to a foreign country, but they say that's "avoidance". Not that I have anything to avoid, really. But being somewhere else would be a great place to be right about now. Know what I mean?
But at least my closet is somewhat organized, that's something.
August 15, 2008
Oh Yeah, You
Scratch that. I have no reason not to do these things, but yet, I continue to not continue or persue.
Be the change you want to see in the world. If you change nothing, nothing changes...blah, blah, blah, etc. etc. etc. You know that thing that's deep inside that you have to dig down to to excel in moments of adversity? The thing advertisers tell you can be found in the bottom of a sugary drink? "It"? Are you familiar with "it"? I can't find it, so if you could point me in the right direction, that'd be great.
It's not like I have to do something fantasticly difficult - I can't even "push" myself to take a book back to the library.
I think I need an epic journey... travel TV has ruined me. Not that I even watch TV anymore... my DVR is almost full, but for that I blame the Olympics.
Ah, the Olympics. That great unifying sporting event that holds the world captive each Olympiad. Even the Americans are getting into it this year, with NBC pulling in huge ratings. CBC is doing a great job, this being their last kick at the can before it goes over to CTV. It helps that the Americans have the greatest Olympian of all time... that's a pretty good for the marketing department.
The Canadians however, are a different story. Here we are heading into day 8 with no medals, whatsoever. It's really hard to stay patriotic and optimistic when Azerbaijan has won more events than we have. The countries that are doing well are those with major government funds dedicated to athletic success, i.e. China. When the Olympics are hosted by a dictatorship the host country always does well. It happened in 1936 when Germany was winning everything, and it happened in Moscow.
If Canada wants to be competitive on the world stage, we have to change our tactics and spend a lot more money... Is it worth it? What's the purpose of winning everything at the Olympics? It makes us feel good? Those with the success now are the biggest violators of human rights... how do we find a better balance? Can we, or should we?

