I'm going to strong-arm myself into being brief with this post because I don't want to cause unnecessary embarassment/attention towards someone who might not want it. I do try my best to take out other people from my blog as I know they might not always want a mention. Thankfully, I don't do too much with other people so it's not usually a problem.
Anyway, today was another beautiful day weather-wise so I headed out to meet Joseph for some ice cream and lemonade in the Annex. We go to the Annex all the time - to the cinema, to the pub, for sushi, for books, for videos...etc. I kinda consider it to be more my neighbourhood than my real neighbourhood [as glamourous as it is]. My friend Seth [who I think sometimes reads my blog] has lived in the Annex for a year or two [or maybe more? I am very bad @ realizing the passage of time] and while I dutifully point out his apartment to people [well, the vague direction of his apartment] I have never seen him. In fact, I haven't seen Seth in years. Until today when I had a chance encounter with a friend that I haven't seen in over six years. Generally speaking, I don't have a lot of these chance encounters, although people are always telling me that Toronto is so very "small world" - there might be 3.6 million of us, but you bump into the same people over and over.
It was wonderful to see him again - he was such a big part of my life for the first three years that I lived in Toronto. Only now I will say that he seems calmer and more relaxed [I think the opposite is true of me, so perhaps I'm the ultimate bad influence]. We hugged [yes, I think I kinda initiated a hug - which is quite huge for me], I asked him if he wanted to go for coffee with us [a throwback to the hours and hours we wasted @ Starbucks on Queen West that first year in Toronto] - he couldn't...but who knows? Maybe we will run into each other again...[or maybe not]...
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Day Three Hundred and Five - Reposado
Those who knew me in another life [well, it certainly feels like it was that long ago, but probably more like 8 or 9 years ago - that's a small lifetime though, right?] know that I loved my tequila. I still do, actually, except that tequila has become so fantastically expensive that it's actually now a more special treat than Joseph's special scotch drinks. See, I always knew that tequila was a classy drink. That's why I was drinking it straight out of the bottle - to savour its pure essence and to not sully it with such trivialities like limes, salt or glasses. I have also used tequila as an excuse to not get married - I told my family that I would get married when tequila was once again cheap and plentiful. Obviously this has not happened.
Tonight we decided to do something special as it is the long weekend and we don't generally do much on these weekends and really - this summer has been a bit of a bust [to put it mildly]. So, I got gussied up and wore my new Roman gladiator sandals for the first time [I know, I know] and we went out to Pizzeria Libretto - a new restaurant that just opened this week. They serve authentic Neopolitan-style pizzas and a host of other assorted deliciousness. Delicious. After dinner we decided to live it up and I went to a tequila bar. I read about this place a couple of months ago and wanted to try it then...but I was wary of hipsters and I thought there might be too much buzz due to media attention @ that time. Turns out I was partially right - there were some hipsters a-float. However, there was also a lot of tequila there so that muted any negative vibes. I thought they might offer flights of tequila, but they didn't appear to do that so we had to read through the superhuge tequila menu a million times...with Joseph selected a tequila that scotch drinkers would like and I selected one that had notes of jasmine, peppercorn and roasted agave. Ordering was a bit intimidating, but I persevered and was greatly rewarded. The tequila was served in neat little glasses. The room was all dark. The music loud [and speakers in the private bathrooms so you can dance down there if you're shy like me - also, there is no dancing]. The whole experience was quite perfect I must say [though not cheap].
Honestly, if I had friends I would totally go to this bar for my birthday. Unfortunately...yeah...
Tonight we decided to do something special as it is the long weekend and we don't generally do much on these weekends and really - this summer has been a bit of a bust [to put it mildly]. So, I got gussied up and wore my new Roman gladiator sandals for the first time [I know, I know] and we went out to Pizzeria Libretto - a new restaurant that just opened this week. They serve authentic Neopolitan-style pizzas and a host of other assorted deliciousness. Delicious. After dinner we decided to live it up and I went to a tequila bar. I read about this place a couple of months ago and wanted to try it then...but I was wary of hipsters and I thought there might be too much buzz due to media attention @ that time. Turns out I was partially right - there were some hipsters a-float. However, there was also a lot of tequila there so that muted any negative vibes. I thought they might offer flights of tequila, but they didn't appear to do that so we had to read through the superhuge tequila menu a million times...with Joseph selected a tequila that scotch drinkers would like and I selected one that had notes of jasmine, peppercorn and roasted agave. Ordering was a bit intimidating, but I persevered and was greatly rewarded. The tequila was served in neat little glasses. The room was all dark. The music loud [and speakers in the private bathrooms so you can dance down there if you're shy like me - also, there is no dancing]. The whole experience was quite perfect I must say [though not cheap].
Honestly, if I had friends I would totally go to this bar for my birthday. Unfortunately...yeah...
Friday, August 29, 2008
Day Three Hundred and Four - Why Did The Blogger Cross The Road?
Yesterday marked the day when Toronto joined some great, world class cities - Tokyo, Edinburgh...Barrie [obviously] - we unveiled our own pedestrian scramble! What is a pedestrian scramble? Well, it doesn't involve eggs and hopefully also does not involve actually scrambling pedestrians. What it does involve is an intersection, pedestrians, lights and crosswalk signs painted on the diagonal. I think perhaps a photo is in order and could probably explain things better.
I was going to do this yesterday, but there was a bit of a weather delay so today I walked across a pedestrian scramble [multiple times]. What happens is this - half of the time when the lights change, cars stop and people cross normally and some cars don't stop. The other half of the time is INSANE - all of the cars stop and then people just run out into the street any which way - jaywalking, multiple crossings - anything goes. It's pretty frakking awesome - I loved it! And I'm saying this as someone who loathes the Yonge-Dundas area - it's totally the place to be if you are interested in combining your interests in 1. tacky tourist crap and 2. getting shot. The scramble changes this a little bit as it really lessens the congestion in this area to a very impressive degree. Also, running wild into the streets is always a recipe for good times.
I was going to do this yesterday, but there was a bit of a weather delay so today I walked across a pedestrian scramble [multiple times]. What happens is this - half of the time when the lights change, cars stop and people cross normally and some cars don't stop. The other half of the time is INSANE - all of the cars stop and then people just run out into the street any which way - jaywalking, multiple crossings - anything goes. It's pretty frakking awesome - I loved it! And I'm saying this as someone who loathes the Yonge-Dundas area - it's totally the place to be if you are interested in combining your interests in 1. tacky tourist crap and 2. getting shot. The scramble changes this a little bit as it really lessens the congestion in this area to a very impressive degree. Also, running wild into the streets is always a recipe for good times.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Day Three Hundred and Three - It Might Be A Soft J
So I decided against having my thing for the day be that I watched a political candidate that I actually liked recieve his party's nomination would put me in the ranks of the biggest Obama fangirls ever...and yeah, I guess this blog isn't really overtly political, so I'm not going to do that. It would certainly be something that would be in my other, non-existent, but to-exist in November of 2008 blog though. I expect to lose all of my readers with the format change. Good stuff.
However, tonight's festivities left me with some pent-up energy so I turned on the Wii Fit and worked out a bit. I love that I don't have to feel guilty about dumping my gym membership now that I have VIDEOGAMES to work out with. Ha. Joseph is also registered on the Wii Fit, but tonight we decided to try something different and I went for a jog with Joseph. I've never really jogged [or is it yogging?] before. Apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's a new fad and it's supposed to be wild. I used to run cross country and was in something called the Fitness Club in elementary school [mostly just to earn Winnit Seals - okay, ENTIRELY for the Winnit Seals]. But now I have a dodgy knee and dodgy ankles. However, the Wii Fit allows us to jog in our own homes! We can even unlock different areas to jog in as we continue to use Wii Fit Jogging. Currently we run on this nice island populated with lots of other Miis [some of whom routinely eat it while running, all of whom wear tight shorts] and has a windmill and is a very pleasant daytime scene generally. We kinda felt like yuppie scum doing this and is probably the closest we've ever come to being yuppie scum. I totally gave it 110% and actually earned 142% on the Wii Fit for my efforts [that is impossible, by definition 100% is the most one can give].
What can I say...both of my ETs for the day mark us as elitists. Please pass the arugula.
However, tonight's festivities left me with some pent-up energy so I turned on the Wii Fit and worked out a bit. I love that I don't have to feel guilty about dumping my gym membership now that I have VIDEOGAMES to work out with. Ha. Joseph is also registered on the Wii Fit, but tonight we decided to try something different and I went for a jog with Joseph. I've never really jogged [or is it yogging?] before. Apparently you just run for an extended period of time. It's a new fad and it's supposed to be wild. I used to run cross country and was in something called the Fitness Club in elementary school [mostly just to earn Winnit Seals - okay, ENTIRELY for the Winnit Seals]. But now I have a dodgy knee and dodgy ankles. However, the Wii Fit allows us to jog in our own homes! We can even unlock different areas to jog in as we continue to use Wii Fit Jogging. Currently we run on this nice island populated with lots of other Miis [some of whom routinely eat it while running, all of whom wear tight shorts] and has a windmill and is a very pleasant daytime scene generally. We kinda felt like yuppie scum doing this and is probably the closest we've ever come to being yuppie scum. I totally gave it 110% and actually earned 142% on the Wii Fit for my efforts [that is impossible, by definition 100% is the most one can give].
What can I say...both of my ETs for the day mark us as elitists. Please pass the arugula.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Day Three Hundred and Two - *ahem* Mi Mi Mi Mi!
So I noticed an internet meme thing going around to some different blogs that I read pretty faithfully - specifically Kathy's and Colette's had this meme/questionnaire thing. I had not done an ET today, so I respectfully begged [as respectfully as one can beg] Colette to tag me for the meme [she hadn't tagged anyone]. I checked back after dinner and bam - there it was I got tagged for an internet meme and I completed it. I'm not entirely convinced that this is the true definition of an internet meme - I think it's more just the type of survey type things that have been floating around since the beginning of the internets [imagine a time before internet! scary!]. But, whatever. I have never been tagged before, and even though I had to request a tag - I think it still counts as something special. So, here we go.
Four Places I Go To Over And Over:
1. The frakking Price Chopper [!!!]
2. Geneva Centre
3. Lansdowne subway station
4. Bloor Cinema
Four People Who Email Me Regularly:
1. Barack Obama [seriously – I’m now getting multiple emails per day]
2. Joseph [usually sending me forwards]
3. Blogger
4. Facebook [seriously I get no real emails – it’s not a medium I use to communicate]
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. On holiday [just about anywhere would do @ this point – but just a really nice hotel please]
2. In a really comfortable bed with lots of fluffy pillows and a soft duvet
3. At the Democratic National Convention
4. In an airplane
Four TV Shows That I Watch Over And Over:
1. The Simpsons
2. Seinfeld
3. Arrested Development [even though I have the entire series on DVD]
4. King of the Hill [I know – nothing revolutionary @ all – I will watch Battlestar whenever it’s on, but these shows are on much more often so they get top billing – also any kind of true crime show – I keep watching for new clues]
Four Things I Have For Breakfast [though mostly I don’t eat breakfast]:
1. Yogurt – I’m fully yogurt obsessed and I think it’s the main reason why I can’t be vegan
2. Juice [this is a recent obsession]
3. Coffee
4. Children’s cereal – right now I’m really into Corn Pops and Mini Wheats, but generally I will eat anything that would also appeal to a six year old
Four Animals I Like Best:
1. Kitties! All kinds – domestic Guthrie cats, big jungle cats, puma, etc. – they are all unspeakably awesome
2. Monkeys/Apes – because they are generally better @ humanity than we are
3. Penguins – I was obsessed with them as a kid, but only saw a penguin for the first time about two years ago – they are elitists
4. Cephalopods – this is my most recent animal interest – they are so damn cool [also Giant Terror Birds would totally be on this list except they are extinct]
Four Beaches I’ve Been To:
1. Port Elgin – GBC represent
2. Crazy British beach in Eastboune – so much rock and old people
3. Welsh beach – we didn’t walk on the beach, but our hotel was right on the beach…in February
4. The beach part of the man-made lake @ the provincial park I went canoeing on a couple of weeks ago [seriously – this question was the hardest ever…I don’t do beaches]
Four Places I Go To Over And Over:
1. The frakking Price Chopper [!!!]
2. Geneva Centre
3. Lansdowne subway station
4. Bloor Cinema
Four People Who Email Me Regularly:
1. Barack Obama [seriously – I’m now getting multiple emails per day]
2. Joseph [usually sending me forwards]
3. Blogger
4. Facebook [seriously I get no real emails – it’s not a medium I use to communicate]
Four Places I Would Rather Be Right Now:
1. On holiday [just about anywhere would do @ this point – but just a really nice hotel please]
2. In a really comfortable bed with lots of fluffy pillows and a soft duvet
3. At the Democratic National Convention
4. In an airplane
Four TV Shows That I Watch Over And Over:
1. The Simpsons
2. Seinfeld
3. Arrested Development [even though I have the entire series on DVD]
4. King of the Hill [I know – nothing revolutionary @ all – I will watch Battlestar whenever it’s on, but these shows are on much more often so they get top billing – also any kind of true crime show – I keep watching for new clues]
Four Things I Have For Breakfast [though mostly I don’t eat breakfast]:
1. Yogurt – I’m fully yogurt obsessed and I think it’s the main reason why I can’t be vegan
2. Juice [this is a recent obsession]
3. Coffee
4. Children’s cereal – right now I’m really into Corn Pops and Mini Wheats, but generally I will eat anything that would also appeal to a six year old
Four Animals I Like Best:
1. Kitties! All kinds – domestic Guthrie cats, big jungle cats, puma, etc. – they are all unspeakably awesome
2. Monkeys/Apes – because they are generally better @ humanity than we are
3. Penguins – I was obsessed with them as a kid, but only saw a penguin for the first time about two years ago – they are elitists
4. Cephalopods – this is my most recent animal interest – they are so damn cool [also Giant Terror Birds would totally be on this list except they are extinct]
Four Beaches I’ve Been To:
1. Port Elgin – GBC represent
2. Crazy British beach in Eastboune – so much rock and old people
3. Welsh beach – we didn’t walk on the beach, but our hotel was right on the beach…in February
4. The beach part of the man-made lake @ the provincial park I went canoeing on a couple of weeks ago [seriously – this question was the hardest ever…I don’t do beaches]
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Day Three Hundred and One - Morning Zoo
So - I think we can all agree that radio is...not great. I dunno - maybe I'm speaking too quickly here - but I get frustrated with radio - the crummy, repetitive music, the endless adverts...and the horrific chatter. Oh yes, it is the chatter that bothers me the most. In particular, the morning show prattle. How I loathe it. When I moved to Toronto I listened to The Edge which is an "alternative" radio station [totally owned by some big corporation and playing music that is really anything but alternative or interesting - there is a lot of Nickelback and such...in my defense they used to play a good amount of Britpop]. After university I made the switch to Q107, which plays classic rock. The music is not generally the problem [though they do seem to be playing an ungodly amount of Foreigner and Loverboy lately - it makes me long for Rush, which is just plain wrong] - the problem is the idiotic morning show that has been tormenting me for years now.
I have no idea why it's taken me so long to make the switch, but this morning my foot went down and the dial...she got shifted. This morning I changed radio stations to CBC. Yes, that last and long-standing liberal bastion of hope - the CBC. There's nothing quite like it. I'm not quite sure it's going to wake me up as well as the idiotic Derringer in the Morning for you see - Derringer did angry up my blood but good. I would start yelling and swearing @ the radio and my blood pressure would be elevated to a normal level, instead of its normal lowless that makes me all loagy. CBC Radio is all about talking in nice soft voices and sometimes there is a little bit of music [like world music or jazz or maybe some local artist]. But mostly they just tell you about things that you should be concerned with and then little human interest type stories of do-goodery. It's a little bit sedate. However, it keeps me away from the fat, braying, jackass voice of John Derringer who has an opinion on everything [and yes, his opinion is always wrong]...so I guess this is one win for the elitist, hippie, liberal set. We do win so few.
I have no idea why it's taken me so long to make the switch, but this morning my foot went down and the dial...she got shifted. This morning I changed radio stations to CBC. Yes, that last and long-standing liberal bastion of hope - the CBC. There's nothing quite like it. I'm not quite sure it's going to wake me up as well as the idiotic Derringer in the Morning for you see - Derringer did angry up my blood but good. I would start yelling and swearing @ the radio and my blood pressure would be elevated to a normal level, instead of its normal lowless that makes me all loagy. CBC Radio is all about talking in nice soft voices and sometimes there is a little bit of music [like world music or jazz or maybe some local artist]. But mostly they just tell you about things that you should be concerned with and then little human interest type stories of do-goodery. It's a little bit sedate. However, it keeps me away from the fat, braying, jackass voice of John Derringer who has an opinion on everything [and yes, his opinion is always wrong]...so I guess this is one win for the elitist, hippie, liberal set. We do win so few.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Day Three Hundred - Holy Exploding Shark, Batman!
As previously mentioned [I do like to previously mention things and now that we are @ Day 300 I think you probably know everything one would ever really need to know about me - or at least all that I am willing to reveal] I am a pretty big Batman film. I don't have much to back this up aside from watching the films [the ones with Michael Keaton and with Christian Bale - let's not talk about the other two] and owning one graphic novel. And merchandise. Mostly I just think that the idea of Batman is pretty darn cool. Also, it's interesting to see how Batman has evolved through the years - very evident this evening as I watched the original Batman film from 1966. I had previously seen a few minutes of it on TV @ 3:30 in the morning, but this time the Bloor Cinema was playing it and it was FOR FREE for members. Membership does have its privledges [and obviously this is so super exclusive].
I don't really think that my words can do this film any justice. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend that you do so [and it's totally fun for the whole family unlike the filthy fun of The Dark Knight]. It's fantastic comic book film satire - which is pretty interesting because the film was released before there were roughly 8.3 million comic book films released each summer. So for anyone feeling the burnout from such films - I would recommend this as a good release. Incredibly funny, incredibly silly...Adam West is a total legend. And although there is no Batman dancing [what about the Bat-tusi?], I think perhaps Senor Bale could learn a thing or two about inflection and comedic timing from this film.
I don't really think that my words can do this film any justice. If you haven't seen it, I would highly recommend that you do so [and it's totally fun for the whole family unlike the filthy fun of The Dark Knight]. It's fantastic comic book film satire - which is pretty interesting because the film was released before there were roughly 8.3 million comic book films released each summer. So for anyone feeling the burnout from such films - I would recommend this as a good release. Incredibly funny, incredibly silly...Adam West is a total legend. And although there is no Batman dancing [what about the Bat-tusi?], I think perhaps Senor Bale could learn a thing or two about inflection and comedic timing from this film.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Nine - Tri Colore
As previously documented I am not a big fan of salads. You can also see that I continue to make rich, hearty, wintry soups all through the summer. This summer I have been especially disinterested in fresh vegetables as we no longer have a garden full of goodness and also, the Price Chopper sucks [again, as previously mentioned]. However, Joseph's boss brought us some tasty tomatoes from their garden and I thought I would do something special with them. So tonight I made a Caprese salad. Yes, it's kinda deconstructed as that's the way I cook - kinda sloppy. The Caprese salad tends to be a bit over-stylized - I've seen it in restaurants stacked up really high and precariously balanced. That's kinda difficult to enjoy - I like food that's a bit messy as then I don't feel bad about polishing it off.
Regardless of how it looked, it tasted delicious. It's such a simple dish that I'm not sure why I haven't made it previously. The bocconcini were mini, mini bocconcini and I love them. I'm not crazy about mozzarella generally [even the high-quality stuff I find quite bland and tasteless and yes, even occasionally poor in texture - too chewy], but the tiny ones [and there are tinier ones still called "pearls"] are exceptional. The basil was also extra special as it was nicked from the containers outside that do not belong to us. Mmmmm...stolen goods.
Regardless of how it looked, it tasted delicious. It's such a simple dish that I'm not sure why I haven't made it previously. The bocconcini were mini, mini bocconcini and I love them. I'm not crazy about mozzarella generally [even the high-quality stuff I find quite bland and tasteless and yes, even occasionally poor in texture - too chewy], but the tiny ones [and there are tinier ones still called "pearls"] are exceptional. The basil was also extra special as it was nicked from the containers outside that do not belong to us. Mmmmm...stolen goods.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Eight - BiMonSciFiCon
It finally happened...although it very nearly almost didn't! Yesterday afternoon in a bit of a panic I discovered that this weekend was the Fan Expo - which is a big nerd convention. As terrified as I am of large crowds of nerds [or anyone really] I have been wanting to go to one of these for a few years now, and this year I have kinda developed my own real geek interests and the special guest list included frakking ADAMA...so today I went to a sci-fi convention! It was also a comic book, horror, videogame and anime convention, but for me, it really was the BiMonSciFiCon. I made lots of new friends, including my Stormtrooper friends pictured below.
I posed with a wide array of Star Wars people including my Sith friend [guess who] and a Jawa [I was taller than the Jawa - yeah!]. I also met Edward James Olmos and Aaron Douglas from Battlestar Galactica - got one autograph, one photo. I kinda made an ass out of myself twice as I didn't realize that EJO wouldn't be an ass. I have been to signing type things before and the celebrity is always rude, distracted and really doesn't care about the fans. This was not like that. EJO was very charming and seemed like he wanted to talk...but I didn't have any prepared material so I just kinda stood there and stared blankly [it's what I do best]. I then related this story to Chief Galen Tyrol who had a good laugh @ my expense and called EJO "Eddie." He was also very nice and quite tall [I tend to assume that all actors are short, actresses are tall]. In addition to meeting real BSG people and staring @ them, I also got some cool BSG merchandise [it's so hard to find] - a Starbuck glass for when I go a-drinkin' and some fancy buttons. Sadly, I didn't crash into/knock down any of the celebrities...and Sean Astin was totally asking for it.
So...that was my sci-fi convention. It seemed as though most people were there for the comic books and anime - the line-ups for sci-fi things seemed the shortest and there didn't seem to be a huge interest in the videogames, even though they were doing tournaments like in The Wizard. But oh - the fans...I was witness to an amazing conversation between nerd vendor and consumer vendor - it was like something out of the Trekkies documentary - I had to stand @ that stall for ages and listen to them - it was like a dream! I overheard another t-shirt vendor saying that he reserves all of his size XL to XXXL shirts for conventions...and how the huskier nerds are always so appreciative because they can't find anything elsewhere. And yes...the costumes - I suppose they must be mentioned as well. They were...about 90% either scary, exceedingly lame or entirely unrecognizable. So much eye bleach needed. I find the whole taking pictures of complete strangers to be completely creepy, so I didn't. It was however, nice to see all of the geeks together and happy and nerding it up. Warmed my cold, black heart it did.
I posed with a wide array of Star Wars people including my Sith friend [guess who] and a Jawa [I was taller than the Jawa - yeah!]. I also met Edward James Olmos and Aaron Douglas from Battlestar Galactica - got one autograph, one photo. I kinda made an ass out of myself twice as I didn't realize that EJO wouldn't be an ass. I have been to signing type things before and the celebrity is always rude, distracted and really doesn't care about the fans. This was not like that. EJO was very charming and seemed like he wanted to talk...but I didn't have any prepared material so I just kinda stood there and stared blankly [it's what I do best]. I then related this story to Chief Galen Tyrol who had a good laugh @ my expense and called EJO "Eddie." He was also very nice and quite tall [I tend to assume that all actors are short, actresses are tall]. In addition to meeting real BSG people and staring @ them, I also got some cool BSG merchandise [it's so hard to find] - a Starbuck glass for when I go a-drinkin' and some fancy buttons. Sadly, I didn't crash into/knock down any of the celebrities...and Sean Astin was totally asking for it.
So...that was my sci-fi convention. It seemed as though most people were there for the comic books and anime - the line-ups for sci-fi things seemed the shortest and there didn't seem to be a huge interest in the videogames, even though they were doing tournaments like in The Wizard. But oh - the fans...I was witness to an amazing conversation between nerd vendor and consumer vendor - it was like something out of the Trekkies documentary - I had to stand @ that stall for ages and listen to them - it was like a dream! I overheard another t-shirt vendor saying that he reserves all of his size XL to XXXL shirts for conventions...and how the huskier nerds are always so appreciative because they can't find anything elsewhere. And yes...the costumes - I suppose they must be mentioned as well. They were...about 90% either scary, exceedingly lame or entirely unrecognizable. So much eye bleach needed. I find the whole taking pictures of complete strangers to be completely creepy, so I didn't. It was however, nice to see all of the geeks together and happy and nerding it up. Warmed my cold, black heart it did.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Seven - Dreams From My Father
Seven years ago today my father died. We had a complicated relationship, although not dramatically so. I had a very happy childhood provided by my reasonably stable family life and then a very angsty teenagehood that was pretty much entirely self inflicted in its misery. You know how that goes. In the interest of full disclosure and because this is not the time for getting weepy I will say that my dad was never my superhero - he was entirely too human. And we fought a lot. Then, in our typical melodramatic style we would both cry and then we would end our fighting. We were very close though - I think because we are two sides of the same coin. Anyway, I have a hard time connecting to him in the city so usually I buy myself some white roses and then have a drink for him [I know he would like this tradition - he loved buying me and mum flowers and always said that he would rather see flowers while he was alive, rather than decorating a grave - yeah, we're a morbid family...as to the drinking he always said that he wanted a party when he died - and we did just that after his funeral...and it was a beautiful day and a fun party - of course it would have been better if he could have been there].
The other day I was watching CNN and they were showing a slightly old interview with Barack Obama. He was talking about his father and said something to the effect of how he has spent his life trying to live up to the myth of his father...while also trying to fix his father's mistakes. And I was like - yeah...that's exactly it. So today I did buy my white roses and I did go out for drinks and I bought a memoir [Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama] and I started to read it. I know I'm a shameless Obama fangirl...but I love this book already. Also, I know my dad would be really interested in the upcoming US election - we've always both been into American politics...but I'm not sure who he would be rooting for. Parent-child relationships are complicated...I remember thinking I was the only one when I would fight with my dad - most other families I knew seemed so idyllic. But now - as I continue growing up a bit...I feel as though I can let go of some of my anger over my father's death. It's true that most of what I hate about myself I also saw in my dad...but also all of what I love about myself is also a reflection of him. So there. I still miss him and it still hurts. I think that's a forever thing.
The other day I was watching CNN and they were showing a slightly old interview with Barack Obama. He was talking about his father and said something to the effect of how he has spent his life trying to live up to the myth of his father...while also trying to fix his father's mistakes. And I was like - yeah...that's exactly it. So today I did buy my white roses and I did go out for drinks and I bought a memoir [Dreams From My Father by Barack Obama] and I started to read it. I know I'm a shameless Obama fangirl...but I love this book already. Also, I know my dad would be really interested in the upcoming US election - we've always both been into American politics...but I'm not sure who he would be rooting for. Parent-child relationships are complicated...I remember thinking I was the only one when I would fight with my dad - most other families I knew seemed so idyllic. But now - as I continue growing up a bit...I feel as though I can let go of some of my anger over my father's death. It's true that most of what I hate about myself I also saw in my dad...but also all of what I love about myself is also a reflection of him. So there. I still miss him and it still hurts. I think that's a forever thing.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Six - How Will It Move You?
My long quest is over! I'm happy to report that I bought [and used] Wii Fit! We have been looking for Wii Fit since it came out @ the beginning of May and due to [I'm assuming] the growing number of fat kids in Toronto it has been flying off the shelves. Joseph thinks that all of the unemployed bums have been able to pick them up as they aren't doing anything else. To that I say - I am only partially employed! Today I went off to Zellers to NOT buy videogames, but stopped into the electronics department anyway and there they were - three boxes of Wii Fit [I just bought the one]. Delighted [until I found out how heavy it was] I bought it and carried it home to hide in the closet until after my shift @ the museum this evening. I wanted to surprise Joseph, but I think he's getting too accustomed to how awesome I am @ finding games/consoles so he didn't seem that shocked.
Since tonight was a bit of a bad night to be really trying anything out too much due to me being @ the museum we only managed to load up our Miis and do the balance test and a few of the games each. I'm assuming that sometime over the weekend I will play it a lot more and then either bust my head open slipping off the balance board or hurt my ankle/knee or maybe a brand new injury [this is what's wrong with all other consoles - I just can't hurt myself enough playing them - only a little bit]. While I'm delighted with my BMI [and my weight as it's lower than I thought] and with the fact that the talking balance board didn't call me an out-of-shape fattie, my Wii Fit age is a whole decade older than my real age. Boo! However, I am out of shape - I know that. I am very curious to see exactly how fit I can get if I do dedicate myself to the Wii Fit regime [barring injury of course].
Since tonight was a bit of a bad night to be really trying anything out too much due to me being @ the museum we only managed to load up our Miis and do the balance test and a few of the games each. I'm assuming that sometime over the weekend I will play it a lot more and then either bust my head open slipping off the balance board or hurt my ankle/knee or maybe a brand new injury [this is what's wrong with all other consoles - I just can't hurt myself enough playing them - only a little bit]. While I'm delighted with my BMI [and my weight as it's lower than I thought] and with the fact that the talking balance board didn't call me an out-of-shape fattie, my Wii Fit age is a whole decade older than my real age. Boo! However, I am out of shape - I know that. I am very curious to see exactly how fit I can get if I do dedicate myself to the Wii Fit regime [barring injury of course].
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Five - Staycation
A few things inspired this ET [and one of them was laziness, but this turned out to be a rather taxing thing to actually do] - one of them being fellow thing-a-dayer Colette's recent amazing safari adventure and another being my recent real-life staycation of taking time off work to spend time in my own city. I wasn't exactly inspired and I haven't really left the city since February 2007 [yes, the last time I cut my hair]...so I'm getting a bit antsy. So tonight I planned my dream holiday. I did a similar project back in seventh grade - we had to plan a trip around the world. We had to keep track of costs of everything and plan activities and such. Back in those olden times there was no internets so we had to go to travel agencies and get books and such. We also had to walk to school barefoot in the snow, 5 kilometres, uphill both ways.
This time obviously I took some shortcuts. I didn't track all of the prices since things vary so much with times of the year and stuff and it was mucking up my searches to type in exact dates. My dream holiday @ age 29 is quite different from my dream holiday @ age 12 [I don't remember all of the details, but I do remember a large portion of time spent in Paris, Austrailia and possibly China]. Here are the main places I would like to go and some activities I would like to do:
First Stop: Southern California. I would like to spend a few days in Southern California. I have never been to San Francisco and I would like to go. I would also like to go to the San Diego Comic Con [and the zoo]. Joseph and I would both like to go to Universal Studios and maybe some other amusement park [not Disney]. I would also like to go visit Marilyn's gravesite [I know - it's a hacky thing to do].
Second Stop: Tokyo. Joseph and I have been vaguely planning a holiday to Japan for a couple of years now [his brother lives there]. We would likely go to Tokyo as that's where Greg is and he could help show us around a little bit. I don't have a lot of specific plans for Japan aside from doing a lot of annoying touristy things [temples, sumo, tea ceremony, shopping, eating lots, nightlife, museums]. The culture seems so different from Toronto, so I would just kinda want to hang out a bit. I would also like to visit an onsen [hot spring] so I researched some hotels that have onsen. Sometimes macaques go into the hot springs, so...monkeys!
Third Stop: Africa. Yes, I realize that's a whole continent. I have been looking into different safari options. I found two that interest me most and would potentially allow me to see lots of cool animals. The first one is in Tanzania and Kenya and has lots of different game animals and some gorillas/primates. The second is in Rwanda that is just pure gorilla [and also Lake Victoria]. In addition to safaris I would like to visit Victoria Falls to swim in the Devil's Swimming Pool [please use your Google-fu]. Joseph would not like to do that.
Fourth Stop: Rome/Pompeii. Since reading an "around the world" Richard Scarry book back when I was three years old it was my dream to visit Italy. Well, I did that a few years ago and it was fantastic. Really exceeded my expectations. However, Rome was not on our itinerary. I have been obsessed with ancient Rome pretty much my entire life as well so I really must go there. Mostly to see the ancient stuff, although of course there is a lot of art and architecture there that should be pretty obvious. In addition, I would like to visit the ruins of Pompeii. We went to a touring exhibition of the ruins [casts of them] in Ottawa a few years ago and it was amazing. Seeing them in real life would be quite beautiful I imagine.
Fifth Stop: London/New York. Yes, I know I've been to these locations before. I couldn't choose just one, but I wanted to end @ five stops. So it would depend upon time of year I guess. For London, if there were really good exhibitions on @ any museum, I would go there [also for the UK Starbucks]. For New York - of course I would love to see the Yankees play @ their new stadium and go to a taping of the Late Show before Letterman retires [he's my TV dad].
This would obviously be one expensive holiday and I would need well over a month off. Good times. Anyone wish to sponsor me?
This time obviously I took some shortcuts. I didn't track all of the prices since things vary so much with times of the year and stuff and it was mucking up my searches to type in exact dates. My dream holiday @ age 29 is quite different from my dream holiday @ age 12 [I don't remember all of the details, but I do remember a large portion of time spent in Paris, Austrailia and possibly China]. Here are the main places I would like to go and some activities I would like to do:
First Stop: Southern California. I would like to spend a few days in Southern California. I have never been to San Francisco and I would like to go. I would also like to go to the San Diego Comic Con [and the zoo]. Joseph and I would both like to go to Universal Studios and maybe some other amusement park [not Disney]. I would also like to go visit Marilyn's gravesite [I know - it's a hacky thing to do].
Second Stop: Tokyo. Joseph and I have been vaguely planning a holiday to Japan for a couple of years now [his brother lives there]. We would likely go to Tokyo as that's where Greg is and he could help show us around a little bit. I don't have a lot of specific plans for Japan aside from doing a lot of annoying touristy things [temples, sumo, tea ceremony, shopping, eating lots, nightlife, museums]. The culture seems so different from Toronto, so I would just kinda want to hang out a bit. I would also like to visit an onsen [hot spring] so I researched some hotels that have onsen. Sometimes macaques go into the hot springs, so...monkeys!
Third Stop: Africa. Yes, I realize that's a whole continent. I have been looking into different safari options. I found two that interest me most and would potentially allow me to see lots of cool animals. The first one is in Tanzania and Kenya and has lots of different game animals and some gorillas/primates. The second is in Rwanda that is just pure gorilla [and also Lake Victoria]. In addition to safaris I would like to visit Victoria Falls to swim in the Devil's Swimming Pool [please use your Google-fu]. Joseph would not like to do that.
Fourth Stop: Rome/Pompeii. Since reading an "around the world" Richard Scarry book back when I was three years old it was my dream to visit Italy. Well, I did that a few years ago and it was fantastic. Really exceeded my expectations. However, Rome was not on our itinerary. I have been obsessed with ancient Rome pretty much my entire life as well so I really must go there. Mostly to see the ancient stuff, although of course there is a lot of art and architecture there that should be pretty obvious. In addition, I would like to visit the ruins of Pompeii. We went to a touring exhibition of the ruins [casts of them] in Ottawa a few years ago and it was amazing. Seeing them in real life would be quite beautiful I imagine.
Fifth Stop: London/New York. Yes, I know I've been to these locations before. I couldn't choose just one, but I wanted to end @ five stops. So it would depend upon time of year I guess. For London, if there were really good exhibitions on @ any museum, I would go there [also for the UK Starbucks]. For New York - of course I would love to see the Yankees play @ their new stadium and go to a taping of the Late Show before Letterman retires [he's my TV dad].
This would obviously be one expensive holiday and I would need well over a month off. Good times. Anyone wish to sponsor me?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Four - Bird Flu
Yes, another not good ET to report. I had something else queued up to happen, but then something gross happened, but it was indeed to extraordinary to not report. Please note that just because I use the word extraordinary does not mean that it's something fun/good/pleasant.
It all started with an ill-fated trip out shoe shopping [one of my most loathed forms of shopping]. No suitable shoes were found [what a huge shock that is] and not wanting to waste the fact that I managed to actually leave the house and walk around in the bright sunshine I decided to pick up a snack for the way home. There is a small bakery in Bathurst station that makes really good baked things [duh], so I went in and ordered a vegetable patty. The pastry was lovely and warm and I started eating, getting mouthfuls of just pastry...and then it happened... I ate chicken. At first I didn't even know what it was and was really confused. I started picking @ it a bit and smooshing it and smelling it - but the spices are kinda overpowering in patties so I couldn't determine much, even with my awesome nose. But then - the spices faded out in my mouth and the taste was pretty foul and foreign on my tastebuds. It was the foul bird [ha - get it? puns.].
And yeah, I kinda freaked out. I'm not entirely proud of myself, but it was very upsetting as I haven't had chicken in well over a decade. I returned to the bakery...queued up AGAIN [so you see - I'm not entirely a madman - I still obey the rules]...and then kinda threw the patty back in the person's face. It didn't hit them or anything so again, I'm not a psycho. She kinda told me that it was my fault because "when you open it up you can see that it's meat." Ummm-k...I guess I'm eating them wrong because I just eat them, I don't tear into them like a feral animal. Good to know. Also, the vegetarian ones have bright green dots on them - the meat ones have big red dots [I just noticed this]...so clearly she's the idiot. Then I went home and I got sick and I kept brushing my teeth, but could still taste chicken. Very unpleasant. I'm hating all non-cooked-by-me foods so hard right now.
It all started with an ill-fated trip out shoe shopping [one of my most loathed forms of shopping]. No suitable shoes were found [what a huge shock that is] and not wanting to waste the fact that I managed to actually leave the house and walk around in the bright sunshine I decided to pick up a snack for the way home. There is a small bakery in Bathurst station that makes really good baked things [duh], so I went in and ordered a vegetable patty. The pastry was lovely and warm and I started eating, getting mouthfuls of just pastry...and then it happened... I ate chicken. At first I didn't even know what it was and was really confused. I started picking @ it a bit and smooshing it and smelling it - but the spices are kinda overpowering in patties so I couldn't determine much, even with my awesome nose. But then - the spices faded out in my mouth and the taste was pretty foul and foreign on my tastebuds. It was the foul bird [ha - get it? puns.].
And yeah, I kinda freaked out. I'm not entirely proud of myself, but it was very upsetting as I haven't had chicken in well over a decade. I returned to the bakery...queued up AGAIN [so you see - I'm not entirely a madman - I still obey the rules]...and then kinda threw the patty back in the person's face. It didn't hit them or anything so again, I'm not a psycho. She kinda told me that it was my fault because "when you open it up you can see that it's meat." Ummm-k...I guess I'm eating them wrong because I just eat them, I don't tear into them like a feral animal. Good to know. Also, the vegetarian ones have bright green dots on them - the meat ones have big red dots [I just noticed this]...so clearly she's the idiot. Then I went home and I got sick and I kept brushing my teeth, but could still taste chicken. Very unpleasant. I'm hating all non-cooked-by-me foods so hard right now.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Three - Sniper
So - I got my Zune a little while back, if anyone recalls. It was free and fun and we are still getting to know each other. I can be very reluctant to try any sort of new technology, but once I get myself comfortable, I am off to the races. Anyway, earlier today I was invited to participate in a Zune photo sniper contest thinger. Friend Lisa had requested that I do this ages ago, but then life got a bit mentally unstable here for a while [I'm recovering]. So it didn't happen. Well, tonight it finally happened - I participated in the Zune Photo Sniper contest by creating a Zune photoalbum online. You can check it out here if you are interested [and I do highly recommend it].
I'm not really concerned with winning the contest [and that's good because I didn't take enough photos - I might still work on that - but the photos I do have a supercute. My inspiration was the writing n the inside of the Zune box which says something about the Zune being social. So, I decided to introduce it around the house to all of my favourite electronics. I cannot stress that enough. Only my favourites. You will notice that the phone is not featured. I loathe the phone. And while I did neglect to take the required number of photos friend Lisa tells me that I will be entered anyway. I enjoyed myself and I like that I have a little story. And I know that you will enjoy yourself if you go check out my hot Zune album. Woo!
I'm not really concerned with winning the contest [and that's good because I didn't take enough photos - I might still work on that - but the photos I do have a supercute. My inspiration was the writing n the inside of the Zune box which says something about the Zune being social. So, I decided to introduce it around the house to all of my favourite electronics. I cannot stress that enough. Only my favourites. You will notice that the phone is not featured. I loathe the phone. And while I did neglect to take the required number of photos friend Lisa tells me that I will be entered anyway. I enjoyed myself and I like that I have a little story. And I know that you will enjoy yourself if you go check out my hot Zune album. Woo!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-Two - Long, Luxurious Hippie Hair
I haven't had my hair cut or coloured in eighteen months [it was the same day that Brit-Brit shaved her head actually]. Yes, we went through some harsh times re: length and the colour, but that is all well in the past. I'm not quite sure what the plan is for my hair @ the moment so I'm just letting it grown and obviously it's also returning to its natural [and crummy] colour. I never really have a plan for my hair and just let my stylist do what he wants [although I like to point him in a certain direction for colour, I'm not bothered about cut/style]. Today I decided to do something in celebration of my long hair and to follow some advice given to me by Homer J. Simpson. This morning I lathered. I rinsed. And then I repeated. Then I combed out my hair and blew it dry ever [this is a special effort for me]...brushed it even...and the results were...underwhelming.
But still - I have always, always wanted to try the whole lather, rinse, repeat thing. I'm not sure why I haven't done it before aside from my innate sense of cheapness. I've recently found myself a supply of inexpensive, non-animal tested health and beauty products, so I was in a good position to waste some shampoo. Sadly, this resulted in no spectacular result for my hair. Just, regular hair. Which obviously is pretty darn stunning...but still, a little disappointing.
But still - I have always, always wanted to try the whole lather, rinse, repeat thing. I'm not sure why I haven't done it before aside from my innate sense of cheapness. I've recently found myself a supply of inexpensive, non-animal tested health and beauty products, so I was in a good position to waste some shampoo. Sadly, this resulted in no spectacular result for my hair. Just, regular hair. Which obviously is pretty darn stunning...but still, a little disappointing.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety-One - Make-O-Ver
So, I pretty much completely gave up reality TV a while ago - well over a year ago. I just couldn't handle it anymore...except for that Girlicious show, which of course was hideous, but I couldn't stop watching it. Well, I do have another show that I am shamefully addicted to - and it's pretty bad and as an aspiring foodie I should probably just give it up as well. That show is Restaurant Makeover - it's a very simple premise - a supposed hot designer and a supposed hot chef come into a struggling [or sometimes established] restaurant, gut it, switch up the menu and then they re-open. Then everything is supposed to be awesome. Frequently it isn't and many of the restaurants close [there's even a notion of a Restaurant Makeover curse]. And yes, it's all terribly staged and with unnecessary drama, but sometimes the truly amazing Massimo Capra is a chef and also, Igor!
One episode in particular caught my eye as I have been looking for a new Indian restaurant to try out and this was an already established and popular Indian restaurant. The chef was Susur Lee and he thought that the pre-existing menu was awesome...so I guess the restaurant owner just wanted to do the show for publicity and a cheap facelift. The owner runs the restaurant with his family and I thought they were all darling and very personable - the type of people I would like to give money to and who probably put love into their food. Joseph's parents have been wanting to go for Indian food all week so tonight I went to a restaurant that was featured on Restaurant Makeover. Mmmmm - so much foods. So much delicious foods. And I couldn't even manage dessert [aside from Masala chai]! Next time...this time - I had a seafood samosa to start...and I strong armed Joseph into getting a starter so that I could taste some of it [he was not feeling hungry]...and then the saffron rice, the garlic and coriander naan and the obligatory saag paneer. Everything was phenomenal. I ate everything. I ate so much that we had to stop walking to the subway so that I could sit down. I regret nothing.
One episode in particular caught my eye as I have been looking for a new Indian restaurant to try out and this was an already established and popular Indian restaurant. The chef was Susur Lee and he thought that the pre-existing menu was awesome...so I guess the restaurant owner just wanted to do the show for publicity and a cheap facelift. The owner runs the restaurant with his family and I thought they were all darling and very personable - the type of people I would like to give money to and who probably put love into their food. Joseph's parents have been wanting to go for Indian food all week so tonight I went to a restaurant that was featured on Restaurant Makeover. Mmmmm - so much foods. So much delicious foods. And I couldn't even manage dessert [aside from Masala chai]! Next time...this time - I had a seafood samosa to start...and I strong armed Joseph into getting a starter so that I could taste some of it [he was not feeling hungry]...and then the saffron rice, the garlic and coriander naan and the obligatory saag paneer. Everything was phenomenal. I ate everything. I ate so much that we had to stop walking to the subway so that I could sit down. I regret nothing.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Ninety - Crystal Light
I've got a legitimate two for one things-o-the day here today, so hold on to your virtual hats. The first thing is that I finally visited the new "crystal" at the ROM. For those of you who aren't from round these parts, the ROM = the Royal Ontario Museum - it's a museum of natural history/civilization and might be the biggest one in Canada, but I'm not sure. Also, I don't care enough to look up much information on it since I don't really care for the museum. It's too expensive and jammed with kids all of the time and even though I like natural history museums, the ROM has always rubbed me the wrong way. They have continued to rub me the wrong way through their new architecture. They are situated in a lovely "old" building [only "old" because nothing in North America is truly old] and a few years back decided to have some much ballyhooed architect stick some ginormous, crystal shaped partially windowed, lumpy monstrosity on to the lovely old building. From the outside it looks like a hot mess and now I can safely say that it does from the inside as well. There is something though - thar be monsters hanging from the ceiling!
I'm not just saying I hate it because such is the fashionable thing to do...I just think that North America has so little that is old/traditional and we will never have a sense of history if we keep lumping odd bits of aluminum siding and windows onto lovely old buildings. Also, natural history museums tend to be very old timey in nature and I don't think this is the best medium to display the works. The dinosaurs do make some neat shadows and they have some interesting lighting going on - however this also highlights the amount of stupidly wasted space...and stupidly dusty space [lots of inaccessible corners and slanty bits of wall]. I will say something for the ROM though - as annoyingly kid friendly as it is in some areas, they have stuck with a "just the facts ma'am style" through most of the museum proper - BRAVO! Overly kid-ified/edu-tainment museums make me feel like a dumbass for going to them.
And now - the second thing! Following our trip to the ROM we decided to go out for Japanese food to a new and exciting Japanese restaurant. They had origami cranes on the tables! And they also had a more extensive dessert listing than most Japanese restaurants and I was able to try something I had only heard about earlier this week, but was already craving. I ate black sesame ice cream. The colour might be a bit of a turn off [yes, it's black-black - when melty slightly dark green-black, but super inky], but it was delicious. Tastes like black sesame seeds. In ice cream form. Fancy that.
The colour was also extremely transferable - to Joseph's ginger ice cream and also to my teeth and tongue - as evidenced below. I'm pretty classy I know. Now I just have to try squid ink pasta to round out my inky-coloured food list!
I'm not just saying I hate it because such is the fashionable thing to do...I just think that North America has so little that is old/traditional and we will never have a sense of history if we keep lumping odd bits of aluminum siding and windows onto lovely old buildings. Also, natural history museums tend to be very old timey in nature and I don't think this is the best medium to display the works. The dinosaurs do make some neat shadows and they have some interesting lighting going on - however this also highlights the amount of stupidly wasted space...and stupidly dusty space [lots of inaccessible corners and slanty bits of wall]. I will say something for the ROM though - as annoyingly kid friendly as it is in some areas, they have stuck with a "just the facts ma'am style" through most of the museum proper - BRAVO! Overly kid-ified/edu-tainment museums make me feel like a dumbass for going to them.
And now - the second thing! Following our trip to the ROM we decided to go out for Japanese food to a new and exciting Japanese restaurant. They had origami cranes on the tables! And they also had a more extensive dessert listing than most Japanese restaurants and I was able to try something I had only heard about earlier this week, but was already craving. I ate black sesame ice cream. The colour might be a bit of a turn off [yes, it's black-black - when melty slightly dark green-black, but super inky], but it was delicious. Tastes like black sesame seeds. In ice cream form. Fancy that.
The colour was also extremely transferable - to Joseph's ginger ice cream and also to my teeth and tongue - as evidenced below. I'm pretty classy I know. Now I just have to try squid ink pasta to round out my inky-coloured food list!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Nine - Reboot
Within the last year Joseph and I both upgraded our computers. I have my shiny new red laptop [yes, it is much talked about] and Joseph has his too cool for school black with the bright blue lights regular computer. But what to do with the old computers, keyboards, mice, etc? E-waste is a huge problem - computers, mobile phones, TVs, etc. as people tend to be upgrading things so much more these days because of changing technology and relatively affordable prices [it anyone wants to purchase me an extremely affordable flat screen TV that would be cool]. The thing is that electronics take roughly 8.3 billion years to biodegrade [yes, all of my statistics are totally accurate as Joseph works in the environmental industry]. And even then, they don't really biodegrade and their components leech out all sorts of nasty things into the earth.
A while back my friend Lisa told me about this charitable organization, Sky's The Limit, that takes in older computers and gives them away to kids/families that need them. Neat-o! The only problem-o is that while the drop-off location is within walking distance of my house, I can't walk very far carrying computers and I don't have access to a car/driver's license. However, Joseph's parents rented a car [actually some huge orange SUV/van type of monstrosity, speaking of environmental consciousness] for the past two days so today I donated/recycled my old computer to charity. I have been working very diligently @ lessening the clutter in my life and clearing out two computers and all their related accessories has made a huge difference in the bedroom. I struggle with keeping things, but I'm also really conscious of the fact that I'm happier when I'm more minimal and the fact that keeping things could eventually make me crazy. We even got a tax credit!
[i can give you the name/place of where we recycled our stuff, but if you don't live here it's not much use. however, similar facilities are popping up everywhere, so please use your google-fu next time you have e-waste of any kind. for the country dwellers - save up e-waste and it bring it with you on your next trip to the big city.]
A while back my friend Lisa told me about this charitable organization, Sky's The Limit, that takes in older computers and gives them away to kids/families that need them. Neat-o! The only problem-o is that while the drop-off location is within walking distance of my house, I can't walk very far carrying computers and I don't have access to a car/driver's license. However, Joseph's parents rented a car [actually some huge orange SUV/van type of monstrosity, speaking of environmental consciousness] for the past two days so today I donated/recycled my old computer to charity. I have been working very diligently @ lessening the clutter in my life and clearing out two computers and all their related accessories has made a huge difference in the bedroom. I struggle with keeping things, but I'm also really conscious of the fact that I'm happier when I'm more minimal and the fact that keeping things could eventually make me crazy. We even got a tax credit!
[i can give you the name/place of where we recycled our stuff, but if you don't live here it's not much use. however, similar facilities are popping up everywhere, so please use your google-fu next time you have e-waste of any kind. for the country dwellers - save up e-waste and it bring it with you on your next trip to the big city.]
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Eight - Great White North
It should come as a shock to precisely no one that I am not really an outdoors kinda gal. Remember, I'm a bad Canadian and therefore I do not enjoy the wilderness. Since birth I have not really enjoyed being outside and I have especially disliked the notion of going outside as part of a holiday. Thankfully, my family was on board with this [my mum said that camping was more work than staying home] so I enjoyed a productive childhood of driving across the continent and staying in a variety of motels and hotels [some of them were scarier than the outdoors and had more wildlife, too - I'm looking @ you Bowling Green, Kentucky]. I was a Girl Guide and while I was very successful @ being a Girl Guide [I earned the All-Round Cord, which is the highest honour], my camping adventures were extremely lackluster. And sometimes just laughably bad - like the weekend camping trip where the following thing happened: a wayward cow broke into my tent while I was sleeping in it, I burned up a baseball infield with my tin can cooker thing and I was attacked by an aroused owl while attempting to lead my young Guide charges on an Owl Hoot. Fun times. Then there was the time with the multiple funnel clouds and big assed junebugs in my sleeping bag and etc. etc. etc. See - I don't like the wilderness and it's pretty clear that it doesn't like me either - it's a solid agreement we've got going.
However, as mentioned before - with Joseph's parents I step out of my comfort zone a bit. Hence, the lengthy introduction to this thing - it was a pretty big deal to me. This afternoon I canoed! Originally I was only going to sit in the canoe and be canoed around [okay, originally I was going to sit @ home and catch up on DOOL, but I digress], but then the moment took me and I really did canoe. Using the canoe stick and everything [yes, I really did call it a canoe stick]. Here's an excellent action shot.
On Rory's suggestion we went to Earl Rowe Provincial Park, which is near Barrie and just over an hour out of the city. Adventurous. As much as I loathe the steaming, festering, vermin-infested hellhole that is Toronto when Joseph's parents asked what we would like to do with a rented car outside of the city we could think of nothing. I may not like the city, but everything I do like is in it [most of it is already in my house to be honest]. The canoeing was quite fun though - the "lake" [it was manmade so I'm not sure it qualifies] was excessively calm and we got to see lots of cormerants, a heron and a turtle and some other insects and things. I liked that part. Joseph taught me a special canoeing trick so that if he keeled over I would be able to canoe to safety alone without going in circles. I reckon I'm pretty good with a canoe stick. I mean, I still prefer the outdoors if I'm doing something more adventurous [white water rafting, hiking through rainforest, exploring ruins], but being in a canoe was pretty okay.
However, as mentioned before - with Joseph's parents I step out of my comfort zone a bit. Hence, the lengthy introduction to this thing - it was a pretty big deal to me. This afternoon I canoed! Originally I was only going to sit in the canoe and be canoed around [okay, originally I was going to sit @ home and catch up on DOOL, but I digress], but then the moment took me and I really did canoe. Using the canoe stick and everything [yes, I really did call it a canoe stick]. Here's an excellent action shot.
On Rory's suggestion we went to Earl Rowe Provincial Park, which is near Barrie and just over an hour out of the city. Adventurous. As much as I loathe the steaming, festering, vermin-infested hellhole that is Toronto when Joseph's parents asked what we would like to do with a rented car outside of the city we could think of nothing. I may not like the city, but everything I do like is in it [most of it is already in my house to be honest]. The canoeing was quite fun though - the "lake" [it was manmade so I'm not sure it qualifies] was excessively calm and we got to see lots of cormerants, a heron and a turtle and some other insects and things. I liked that part. Joseph taught me a special canoeing trick so that if he keeled over I would be able to canoe to safety alone without going in circles. I reckon I'm pretty good with a canoe stick. I mean, I still prefer the outdoors if I'm doing something more adventurous [white water rafting, hiking through rainforest, exploring ruins], but being in a canoe was pretty okay.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Seven - Don't You Hate Pants?
Woo hoo - it's finally time for a sexy post! Well, okay - as sexy as I can be when combining partial nudity with rubbish. Oh yeah. It all started when Joseph was breaking down some big pieces of cardboard for recycling. He was doing this in his tshirt and boxer shorts as it is always eight million degrees in this house. Even in the dead of winter. So it's kinda clothing optional here - and yeah, we don't get any visitors and maybe this is why. Anyway - he asked me to take out the rubbish since he was in a state of partial undress and I wasn't. I immediately accused him of being a wussy and I said that I would take out the rubbish in my underpants. Then it became a bet type of thing so of course I had to do it - I took out the rubbish while wearing only underwear. This was definitely a Homer Simpson moment! Though it seems that guys can more easily get away with wearing their underpants and I'm not sure why - it's not like they look better.
True enough, it was quite late - definitely after midnight. However, our house is tightly packed with many other houses and we do have bright streetlights. Thankfully our elderly Portugese neighbours had turned in for the night, however the young students who live two doors down were out smoking on their front porch and I provided some entertainment for them. I had to make the trip out to the curb twice due to the epic amount of recycling. It was fun though and liberating. I really do hate wearing pants and I've always been comfortable with my body and not shy @ all to a potentially disturbing degree. So in conclusion - look forward to more exciting pantless things-o-the-day in the future!
True enough, it was quite late - definitely after midnight. However, our house is tightly packed with many other houses and we do have bright streetlights. Thankfully our elderly Portugese neighbours had turned in for the night, however the young students who live two doors down were out smoking on their front porch and I provided some entertainment for them. I had to make the trip out to the curb twice due to the epic amount of recycling. It was fun though and liberating. I really do hate wearing pants and I've always been comfortable with my body and not shy @ all to a potentially disturbing degree. So in conclusion - look forward to more exciting pantless things-o-the-day in the future!
Monday, August 11, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Six - Hogs and Dogs
As my year o'thing-a-day comes to an end my mind is more and more often drifting towards my next blog project. I have the blog name picked out, but not really a full theme yet. In looking back over the 285 days I notice that one thing tends to stick out - my obsession with food. Eating it, not eating it, new things, new twists on old things and old favourites enjoyed in new settings. Also, my continued rants against the Price Chopper always amuse. So this thing is interesting in that it's a total true foodie thing, but something that poor impovershed me would not purchase. Thankfully Joseph has a generous family and they provided me with a little something special to make my Monday extraordinary. Tonight I made scrambled eggs with truffle oil. While my scrambled eggs are highly tasty, they are also totally ordinary and something we generally eat once a week. I experimented for the first time with truffle oil as I've hard that it is particularly tasty with eggs. It...kinda is?
The thing about my cooking is that I rarely do it with any degree of subtlety. At all. I like big, bold, bright flavours that kick your ass. Until recently I haven't been great @ cooking meat as I used to just cook the heck out of it [that's right - heck]. I liked to be bowled over a bit. So...I bowled a bit with the truffle oil. I should have known better as it was so strong - the smell of it in its wee bottle. I put in just over one teaspoon with the eggs...which was probably about one teaspoon too much. The entire apartment smelled of truffles for hours after I finished cooking. It's the most luxurious our house has ever smelled I'm sure. And while truffles aren't a bad match for eggs - they seemed a bit divorced in this dish. You tasted [and smelled] the truffles...pause...then the eggs. I think the next time I bust out the truffle oil I will consult a recipe - it's the teeniest bottle ever so I must use it sparingly.
The thing about my cooking is that I rarely do it with any degree of subtlety. At all. I like big, bold, bright flavours that kick your ass. Until recently I haven't been great @ cooking meat as I used to just cook the heck out of it [that's right - heck]. I liked to be bowled over a bit. So...I bowled a bit with the truffle oil. I should have known better as it was so strong - the smell of it in its wee bottle. I put in just over one teaspoon with the eggs...which was probably about one teaspoon too much. The entire apartment smelled of truffles for hours after I finished cooking. It's the most luxurious our house has ever smelled I'm sure. And while truffles aren't a bad match for eggs - they seemed a bit divorced in this dish. You tasted [and smelled] the truffles...pause...then the eggs. I think the next time I bust out the truffle oil I will consult a recipe - it's the teeniest bottle ever so I must use it sparingly.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Five - Buy Me Some Peanuts And...
Last year we took Adam to his first baseball game and he was very into it - the game lasted around four hours and he was thoroughly engrossed in the whole process. I was beyond delighted - finally another baseball fan! So we decided to go again this year and off we went today. The game was highly mediocre, but Adam still seemed to enjoy himself [and really enjoyed his hot dog - a North American speciality!]. The last time we went I got myself a big bag of popcorn, but Adam was disappointed with it as he only likes sweet popcorn, which we were unable to locate.
In fact, I thought the idea of sweet popcorn + baseball was a bit strange...but then it hit me - "take me out to the ballgame - take me out with the crowd, buy me some peanuts and CRACKERJACK..." and so on. What is Crackerjack but name-brand sweet popcorn? So I set off to find some and I did find some as I was purchasing pizza [this is probably my last kick @ the can for baseball games this year so I needed to make the most of it]. So while it was really for Adam, he's very generous with sharing his food when he thinks it's delicious so I ate Crackerjack while watching a baseball game. It was too sweet to be honest. All stuck in my teeth and such. But - traditions! Baseball! Awesome! I still haven't managed to eat a hot dog [veggie hot dog] while @ a game, but I've got to reserve something for next season.
In fact, I thought the idea of sweet popcorn + baseball was a bit strange...but then it hit me - "take me out to the ballgame - take me out with the crowd, buy me some peanuts and CRACKERJACK..." and so on. What is Crackerjack but name-brand sweet popcorn? So I set off to find some and I did find some as I was purchasing pizza [this is probably my last kick @ the can for baseball games this year so I needed to make the most of it]. So while it was really for Adam, he's very generous with sharing his food when he thinks it's delicious so I ate Crackerjack while watching a baseball game. It was too sweet to be honest. All stuck in my teeth and such. But - traditions! Baseball! Awesome! I still haven't managed to eat a hot dog [veggie hot dog] while @ a game, but I've got to reserve something for next season.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Four - Downbeat
It seems like Joseph's parents have the ability to suggest things that I would normally be totally opposed to and I will go ahead and do these things and sorta [or full-on] enjoy it. Not things like having a big old meat BBQ or going to MarineLand or anything that I'm morally against...but just things that I would normally not do. Today's thing is a minor one of these, but still something I would feel a bit too hipster or something doing. It was late and they were jet lagged, so we kept things kinda low-key for this evening. After dinner they suggested going back to the lounge in their hotel as there would be live music so we did just that - I drank a latte while listening to live jazz music. This is nothing negative towards those who choose to drink caffiene on a Saturday night or those who choose to listen to live jazz. They are just not things I would ever do, especially in combination.
It all sounds very hippie and beatnik and kinda freaky...and yet, if you were there I suspect that you might have a different impression of the evening...please see below for pictoral evidence [yes, that is joseph and littlest brother adam - caffiene and ice cream were consumed - the first of many for the week, i incited a bizarre and angry rant from adam re: the politics of playing rock, paper, scissors and the juzz was just great. wait, i mean - JAZZ. right on.]...
It all sounds very hippie and beatnik and kinda freaky...and yet, if you were there I suspect that you might have a different impression of the evening...please see below for pictoral evidence [yes, that is joseph and littlest brother adam - caffiene and ice cream were consumed - the first of many for the week, i incited a bizarre and angry rant from adam re: the politics of playing rock, paper, scissors and the juzz was just great. wait, i mean - JAZZ. right on.]...
Friday, August 8, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Three - Max Power
Joseph's family is arriving tomorrow afternoon for an approximate 10-day stay in our fair city and I totally haven't given any attention to cleaning the house. At all. While creating my epic spaghetti casserole on Tuesday evening I realized that I some of its deliciousness spilled out onto the oven bottom [is that a thing? oven bottom?]. Actually I didn't realize that until I tried to make Joseph a turkey pot pie the other day and the smoke and horrible smell filled the house for like two hours. So, for the first time ever I cleaned an oven. It took a full day to do this and made me really, really appreciate the self-cleaning oven that I grew up with [though I suspect that if you did this with a gas cooker like I have you might surely die].
So, yeah - I attempted to clean the oven yesterday, but in my food-deprived haze and with the cleaner only resting for two hours the gunk did not want to kindly remove itself. So, I put the cleaner on...went to bed...went to work...came home...waited even longer...and then it all came together. I was an extremely crummy environmentalist as it took me about a roll of paper towels to clean off all of the unpleasantness. And really - it was so unpleasant. Before the extreme cleaning power was applied it was just regular foodstuff...post-cleaning spray foam it turned into black slimy sludge and smelled like death. And I still had to scrape things off using our one good flipper [according to Joseph - I think we have two other viable scraper/flipper things]. After I was done I was worried I shouldn't have used that particular product for our gas cooker - I have this big fear of exploding everyone. However, fortunately I didn't explode us all and I made a frakking delicious pizza in the newly clean oven. I really hope Joseph's family checks out the interior of the oven.
So, yeah - I attempted to clean the oven yesterday, but in my food-deprived haze and with the cleaner only resting for two hours the gunk did not want to kindly remove itself. So, I put the cleaner on...went to bed...went to work...came home...waited even longer...and then it all came together. I was an extremely crummy environmentalist as it took me about a roll of paper towels to clean off all of the unpleasantness. And really - it was so unpleasant. Before the extreme cleaning power was applied it was just regular foodstuff...post-cleaning spray foam it turned into black slimy sludge and smelled like death. And I still had to scrape things off using our one good flipper [according to Joseph - I think we have two other viable scraper/flipper things]. After I was done I was worried I shouldn't have used that particular product for our gas cooker - I have this big fear of exploding everyone. However, fortunately I didn't explode us all and I made a frakking delicious pizza in the newly clean oven. I really hope Joseph's family checks out the interior of the oven.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-Two - Hungry Hungry Blogger
This thing sorta happened by accident, however it was on my list of things to do, so once I noticed it was happening I ran with it. Today I did a fast. I have done fasts before - but not for well over ten years [they tended to twig my eating issues, so I stopped doing them]. Anyway, it so happened that I ate my last bit of food yesterday @ 2pm and then I failed to eat dinner. I finally ate something again [just fresh vegetables as I didn't want to upset my stomach with lots of refined foods] around 8pm this evening - so I guess that I fasted for 30 hours. I could have easily gone on longer. I was still drinking calorie-laden drinks [and some non-caloric drinks like water, black coffee and assorted teas - lots of teas/hot drinks] and I find that liquid of any kind fills me up. Especially fizzy drinks like Perrier - must be the bubbles.
I am mixed on fasts in general. They are very en vogue within the proanorexia community [which I find a bit funny as back in my day I would have not termed what I was doing as fasting - it was just not eating - there is a difference]. However, fasts are also supposed to be good for doing a bit of internal housecleaning. I think that must be true, but not really in a pleasant way [the morning after the fast I was abruptly and violently ill so I guess that was my toxins escaping me]. And yet, the thing I like about modifying my diet is that you become acutely aware of everything that you do put into your body. Sometimes less is more.
I am mixed on fasts in general. They are very en vogue within the proanorexia community [which I find a bit funny as back in my day I would have not termed what I was doing as fasting - it was just not eating - there is a difference]. However, fasts are also supposed to be good for doing a bit of internal housecleaning. I think that must be true, but not really in a pleasant way [the morning after the fast I was abruptly and violently ill so I guess that was my toxins escaping me]. And yet, the thing I like about modifying my diet is that you become acutely aware of everything that you do put into your body. Sometimes less is more.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty-One - By Gelfing Hand Or Else By None
Before I was old enough to go to school full-time I went to a baby-sitter throughout the week. I adored her and even my mum agrees that my baby-sitter, Marg, was like a second mother to me [my mum worked a lot]. Despite [or perhaps because of] the fact that I was the only girl in the baby-sitter's house, I loved being there. They had a swimming pool and lots of board games and I thought she was a great cook - with lots of macaroni and cheese with ketchup smiley faces and tollhouse biscuits. I also liked the other four kids who were there with me - I think I was more of a tomboy than what I remember. However, there was something I did not like - the media selection. These days kids don't have to drive to the corner store without some portable DVD player blasting the latest Disney/Pixar rubbish. Back in my day - we had three films @ the baby-sitter's house and I loathed them all - Annie, Puff the Magic Dragon and - most dreaded of all - The Dark Crystal. The latter would cause me to hide behind the sofa for its entire duration or maybe even go outside [and we all know how much I hate that].
Let's just say that today has been an exceptionally trying day [it really, really has for reasons I won't discuss]. I'm exhausted and my thing du jour got thrwarted by the badness - and what does Teletoon happen to be playing? Oh, that's right - tonight I watched The Dark Crystal. Really. I don't think that anyone will get that this is a huge thing for me - that film scarred and terrified me - I think it's why I don't like birds to this day, even though I didn't remember the Skeksis birdy people. Repressed memories are still memories people. And yet, this film is not scary in the slightest. It's also not a great film so I don't really recommend it - but I have no idea why it terrified me so - like, I couldn't even look near the TV screen when it was on. I also couldn't make it through Labyrinth or Willow - I think for similar reasons - fear of fantasy films - they probably aren't scary either. And just so you don't think I'm a total wuss I watched all sorts of proper horror/thriller films even as a young kid and I was totally fine with them. I guess I should thank my new love of Star Wars for curing me of my fear of Muppets/puppets.
Let's just say that today has been an exceptionally trying day [it really, really has for reasons I won't discuss]. I'm exhausted and my thing du jour got thrwarted by the badness - and what does Teletoon happen to be playing? Oh, that's right - tonight I watched The Dark Crystal. Really. I don't think that anyone will get that this is a huge thing for me - that film scarred and terrified me - I think it's why I don't like birds to this day, even though I didn't remember the Skeksis birdy people. Repressed memories are still memories people. And yet, this film is not scary in the slightest. It's also not a great film so I don't really recommend it - but I have no idea why it terrified me so - like, I couldn't even look near the TV screen when it was on. I also couldn't make it through Labyrinth or Willow - I think for similar reasons - fear of fantasy films - they probably aren't scary either. And just so you don't think I'm a total wuss I watched all sorts of proper horror/thriller films even as a young kid and I was totally fine with them. I guess I should thank my new love of Star Wars for curing me of my fear of Muppets/puppets.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Eighty - Fresh Obsessed
Back in my first apartment I lived very close to a very nice and very huge Dominion grocery store. As it was my first time being on my own, I had no idea how much groceries were supposed to cost...but after moving into a different neighbourhood and dealing with the Price Chopper - I realized that I was saving about 50%. Dominion might not be Whole Foods, but it ain't cheap. However, they did [and possibly still do - it seems they advertise less these days] have this freshness guarantee thing. If you found something past its sell-by date or like a gross piece of produce they would give you that thing for free [not the expired thing, but a new fresh one]. Let's just say that my current food shopping situation is not @ all like that - one is lucky to find any decent produce ever [this is how the man really keeps us poor folks down - malnutrition]. And yet, until today I thought that the dairy case was safe from unplesantness...I was wrong.
This evening I had visions of grandeur - I wanted to create this fabulous-seeming spaghetti casserole thing with homemade tomato sauce and like a million kinds of cheese and all baked into gloriousness. And, I was well on my way and mid-way through creating the mixed cheese component when I realized that the cottage cheese was expired...by like over a week. Sick. So everything had to be shut down - the sauces, the melting, the boiling - all of it - and yes, I was pissed off. It was pouring rain and I was beyond miserable, but I wasn't about to pay more @ Al's across the street - aw hell the the no. What I was going to do was make a statement to the Price Chopper - I returned something to the grocery store. It didn't really make much of a statement. The cashier was super disinterested - I feel like I could have just stolen myself a new cottage cheese [which might have been a more powerful political statement - but I so hate prison] as no one cared. Even more gross was returning to the dairy case and seeing other tubs that were like way, way beyond expired [several weeks] - cottage cheese lasts a long time, too! So I think they have been there since the beginning of time. But yes - if you do plan to return something to the grocery, you would best be advised to clear your schedule - lots of queues.
This evening I had visions of grandeur - I wanted to create this fabulous-seeming spaghetti casserole thing with homemade tomato sauce and like a million kinds of cheese and all baked into gloriousness. And, I was well on my way and mid-way through creating the mixed cheese component when I realized that the cottage cheese was expired...by like over a week. Sick. So everything had to be shut down - the sauces, the melting, the boiling - all of it - and yes, I was pissed off. It was pouring rain and I was beyond miserable, but I wasn't about to pay more @ Al's across the street - aw hell the the no. What I was going to do was make a statement to the Price Chopper - I returned something to the grocery store. It didn't really make much of a statement. The cashier was super disinterested - I feel like I could have just stolen myself a new cottage cheese [which might have been a more powerful political statement - but I so hate prison] as no one cared. Even more gross was returning to the dairy case and seeing other tubs that were like way, way beyond expired [several weeks] - cottage cheese lasts a long time, too! So I think they have been there since the beginning of time. But yes - if you do plan to return something to the grocery, you would best be advised to clear your schedule - lots of queues.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Nine - Callsign Dangergirl
So Joseph has this very neat-o joystick set for computer videogame [in the interest of full disclosure he bought one cheap-o one, but has recently upgraded to the kickass instrumentation you see below - it was too expensive for me to officially declare without some embarassment]. The main reason for the presence of such elaborate-ness is because of this Battlestar Galactica game that allows you to be a Viper pilot. It's pretty cool, but I was getting motion sickness just watching Joseph play it and it looked to be very difficult [because Joseph struggles with it and he is good @ videogames], so I didn't have much interest in trying it out, despite my rabid love for all things BSG. But then Joseph pointed out that it could be a cool new thing so this afternoon I played a videogame with a joystick.
As you can see from the photo, it's more than just a joystick - it has like a secondary component to it [yes, all of that wanting to be an astronaut/pilot training really paid off - so much retained knowledge]. As previously thought - the game is incredibly difficult and frustrating - this little task ended up being a much better test of patience than the origami crane. I feel like it took HOURS, but I finally managed to complete the training course and kill some cylon drone things. I didn't feel as motion sick while playing as opposed to watching, but I really reeked it up out there. It's a bit disappointing, really - that I can't be more like my TV role model, Starbuck. I guess I will just have to be more like her in other ways [yknow - all of those bad ways].
[ps - clearly i found earth - it's right there on the right-hand side of the screen!]
As you can see from the photo, it's more than just a joystick - it has like a secondary component to it [yes, all of that wanting to be an astronaut/pilot training really paid off - so much retained knowledge]. As previously thought - the game is incredibly difficult and frustrating - this little task ended up being a much better test of patience than the origami crane. I feel like it took HOURS, but I finally managed to complete the training course and kill some cylon drone things. I didn't feel as motion sick while playing as opposed to watching, but I really reeked it up out there. It's a bit disappointing, really - that I can't be more like my TV role model, Starbuck. I guess I will just have to be more like her in other ways [yknow - all of those bad ways].
[ps - clearly i found earth - it's right there on the right-hand side of the screen!]
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Eight - Black Sabbath
It seems like every summer there are more and more and more comic book/superhero films out. I have no actual statistics to support this, but it seems that since Spiderman came out the whole superhero film as actual, semi-serious film [y so srs?] or at least as a replacement for a traditional action film have been blossoming. And yes, I'm clearly part of the problem as I go to see a lot of them. I don't really think that the sheer number of these types of films is necessarily a problem - look @ how many stupid romantic comedies come out every year. Bleh. Well, finally - three months too late to be considered any sort of hip I saw Iron Man. Yes, the Bloor finally decided to not lose the reels or whatever happened back @ the end of June when we were supposed to see it. Maybe the mice ate it.
It was a pretty quality film, although I know that my impression of it has suffered what with seeing The Dark Knight first. Apparently Robert Downey Jr. didn't "get" TDK and, in fact, had some very harsh words for it and Marvel Comics generally. While I don't think that type of criticism is at all justified [I think that TDK - like many other forms of media - is only a "thinking person's film" if you want it to be - that's what makes it great - it's also just a great action film if that's what you want], I forgive him and honestly I'm just happy to see him getting good work, such as Iron Man. Although I wasn't familiar at all with Iron Man/Tony Stark, RDJ was really great in this - fun, glib and very in control - most entertaining. Even The Fishstick and Terrence Howard didn't bug too much. The director's hand was delightfully evident for about 75% of the film [something that's missing from the new Batman films, although Nolan most definitely can set a scene/mood], but then falls away completely @ the finish, which is a shame as it was superfun and very original. Better luck next time!
It was a pretty quality film, although I know that my impression of it has suffered what with seeing The Dark Knight first. Apparently Robert Downey Jr. didn't "get" TDK and, in fact, had some very harsh words for it and Marvel Comics generally. While I don't think that type of criticism is at all justified [I think that TDK - like many other forms of media - is only a "thinking person's film" if you want it to be - that's what makes it great - it's also just a great action film if that's what you want], I forgive him and honestly I'm just happy to see him getting good work, such as Iron Man. Although I wasn't familiar at all with Iron Man/Tony Stark, RDJ was really great in this - fun, glib and very in control - most entertaining. Even The Fishstick and Terrence Howard didn't bug too much. The director's hand was delightfully evident for about 75% of the film [something that's missing from the new Batman films, although Nolan most definitely can set a scene/mood], but then falls away completely @ the finish, which is a shame as it was superfun and very original. Better luck next time!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Seven - 999 To Go
I am very proud of today's thing as it required a lot of instruction following and a great deal of patience. Also, a friendly relationship with spatial relationships. To say that I'm not great @ any of these things would be a gigantic understatement. Tonight I folded an origami crane. This is my first successfully completed origami anything so I'm very proud. While everyone else in elementary school was making those jumping frogs or cootie catcher things I was using that same paper to write some sort of emo missive about how unfair the whole activity was. I think it looks pretty nifty, especially considering that I used regular computer/printer paper, not the fancy origami stuff. In the interest of full disclosure I did require a lot of help [A LOT] from Joseph to complete this as I was having a lot of difficulty with the instructions and with not snapping/freaking out and destroying not just that paper, but all paper in the house.
I'm not sure that this is my path to inner peace. In fact, I'm not sure that any path to inner peace is available to someone like me. That's a shame. I'm not sure that I could make 999 more of these - although that's what one is meant to do. If you make 1000 of them then you can make a wish and it will totally come true. Also, 1000 cranes are made for when you have a loved one in the hospital or for weddings. I think they look really impressive all strung together as decoration. Apparently sometimes people do float them down rivers or whatever - although I'm assuming they don't use generic computer paper if one plans to do this.
I'm not sure that this is my path to inner peace. In fact, I'm not sure that any path to inner peace is available to someone like me. That's a shame. I'm not sure that I could make 999 more of these - although that's what one is meant to do. If you make 1000 of them then you can make a wish and it will totally come true. Also, 1000 cranes are made for when you have a loved one in the hospital or for weddings. I think they look really impressive all strung together as decoration. Apparently sometimes people do float them down rivers or whatever - although I'm assuming they don't use generic computer paper if one plans to do this.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Day Two Hundred and Seventy-Six - City Wise
Kinda feeling like a crumb bum today with a migraine and stuff so I've got kinda a crumb bum thing for today. However, it is something that my dear readers can participate in so maybe that makes it slightly better/more interesting. Tonight I took a National Geographic quiz on Toronto. Apparently Toronto has been designated as one of National Geographic's Places of a Lifetime...which I find a bit incredulous as this city is dreadfully boring. I ended up getting 80% on the quiz which is much better than I would have predicted as I am dreadful @ geography and I don't really pay much attention to Toronto due to the aforementioned boring-ness.
If you would like to take the Toronto quiz you can do so here. There are many other cities featured. I took a few of the other quizzes - I did terribly on the ones for Tokyo and Venice [I have been to Venice, but not to Tokyo, though I do want to go]. I did really well on the ones for Paris and Rome [have been to Paris, not to Rome]. I'm still not sure why Toronto would be considered interesting enough to actually come some distance to visit...we don't really have anything here that you couldn't find anywhere else. Though tourists certainly do come here - I've always been too timid to ask them why when I encounter them.
If you would like to take the Toronto quiz you can do so here. There are many other cities featured. I took a few of the other quizzes - I did terribly on the ones for Tokyo and Venice [I have been to Venice, but not to Tokyo, though I do want to go]. I did really well on the ones for Paris and Rome [have been to Paris, not to Rome]. I'm still not sure why Toronto would be considered interesting enough to actually come some distance to visit...we don't really have anything here that you couldn't find anywhere else. Though tourists certainly do come here - I've always been too timid to ask them why when I encounter them.
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