Winning Awards
30 November 2006 - 13:37.
This last Saturday night was the rowing club's Captain's Dinner, where all the rowers trade their spandex and lycra for slightly more fashionable, though not always less revealing, clothing. We celebrate the past year's accomplishments, drink copiously, and eat enough to change the crew's average weight. We also do the annual awards ceremony, and this year, I'm proud to announce that Artos and I won the Crash Tucker award. I wasn't at the dinner, but Artos graciously accepted the award on our behalf, and I now have a souvenir of a piece of boat rigger.
The Crash award is given annually to that member(s) of the club who caused damage to club equipment in the most spectacular fashion. Our winning performance came a few weeks ago at the Head of the Gorge race in Victoria when, during our race, we had some steering issues and ended up getting my oar caught in the cleats of a dock. Our momentum and the wonderful construction of my oars combined to rip off half of my rigger, detaching it completely at the weld. Yes, there was enough force to break a strong weld. This turned our boat into a coxed single, which is how we finished the race.
And while I'm excited to have won an award, it wasn't the first time...
But wait! There's more!
Smacked Down
29 November 2006 - 06:28.
So about 3 months ago, I put my blog up for review on I Talk Too Much, and the review finally came through early this morning. I got the dreaded rotten fish-slap, which essentially means that the reviewer would rather blow a goat than come back here. But there wasn't really much of a review, just a few lines along the lines of 'the title speaks for the blog'.
I guess the only disappointment is that I was hoping for some creative invective to be directed my way. I only ever submitted my blog in fun, and I don't take the review too seriously - a few months ago the staff went on strike, and one of the themes was that people kept forgetting that IT2M was geared for entertainment. And I know my blog is not really compelling, and there is a lot of fluff here. But I was hoping for the kind of tongue lashing that would make a sailor blush. I was looking for a bit of fun out of it.
Edit: I asked, and was told about some code that behaves differently depending on the browser. I'm able to reproduce the error, but I'm not really sure how to fix it. If you know code (I don't) then maybe I can trade some code services for some sysadmin services. Let me know.
Huh?
28 November 2006 - 23:28.
I really don't get it... sure, there's some ice on the ground. There's snow, and yes, it's on the chilly side.
It's not the end of the freeking world people!! It's not the apocalypse!!
Maybe it's because I grew up in Montreal, but I'm really not having a problem with the weather. Oh well, one more snowfall, then it'll all turn to slush. And slush-clogged sewer drains are so much better than snow, aren't they?
Congratulations
26 November 2006 - 18:13.
My oldest and dearest friend Andrew became a daddy for the second time late this morning. The new baby weighed in at 9 lbs 5oz, and measured 21 inches. All I can say is... ouch!!! I'm told that mom and baby are doing fine, although there is no word on whether or not Andrew's heart has been restarted yet.
Congratulations folks.
I Want....
23 November 2006 - 13:10.
I feel needy and demanding today.
- I want a new job. (If you know someone hiring high-ish end infrustructure people, contact me)
- I want to be in Mexico already (10 days and counting!!).
- I want to move. I like where I am, but I prefer other areas of our fine city.
- I want it to snow already.
- I want it to be Christmas already, so I can give the gifts I've bought.
There's more of course, but I don't want to admit to the depth of vanity and sefishness that's taken me over today.
Coming Together
17 November 2006 - 08:44.
I obviously have far too much time on my hands, if I'm finding stuff like this...
The Global Orgasm project, run in conjuction with Princeton University's Global Consciousness Project, aims to change the aura of the planet. "The goal is to add so much concentrated and high-energy positive input into the energy field of the Earth that it will reduce the current dangerous levels of aggression and violence throughout the world."
The scary part is that there may be some truth to the science behind this. The project page (which appears to be currently slashdotted - a summary is available at the Register) includes a small breakdown of the science behind the project. And they point out, accurately, that at the subatomic level, human consciousness can impact physical reality - there are some subatomic particles whose properties and behaviours change only when scientists start watching said particles (I've heard of this previously - I can't remember if it happens with strange quarks, but I think that's one of the particles). So the notion has a scientific basis.
The best part though is that they want the most concentrated efforts from those countries wherein lie weapons of mass destruction. So I'm guessing that Iraqis won't be getting much loving on December 22nd. Canada should be quiet too. But if you're in the US on the 22nd, grab a partner, grab some lube, and start making the world a better place. Edit: I don't actually put any real credence to this project - even though there is a small basis in fact of the underlying scientific principle.
They're Migrating!!
16 November 2006 - 11:35.
Okay kids... now, keep in mind here that I grew up in Montreal, which is ultra-urban east coast. And I now live in Vancouver, which is ultra-liberal west coast. And so I am, admittedly, one of those people who always got the biggest laughs out of the whole 'you might be a redneck if...' jokes. Let's face it - jokes about animal-loving, sister-marrying yokels from the back hills of the Ozarks were part of the staple of humour I grew up with.
So when I received a picture from my associate Lance near Seattle (actually, it was Puyallup to be precise), my first thought was that he'd found a picture on the internet. Then he told me that he took the picture himself, and I'm pretty sure Lance hasn't been to the deep south lately. The only conclusion I've been able to make? The rednecks are moving to the northwest, and here's the evidence. I'm scared, folks. I'm scared shitless.
But wait! There's more!
Friendly Skies
15 November 2006 - 08:11.
With my impending Mexican vacation, I'm finding I'm noticing a lot more about travel issues, news stories, and the like. And after reading this article I really had to have a good laugh. I remember my own initiation to the mile-high club, and it was anything but overt, like this one seems to be. I was scared enough, being just a teenager when it happened, that the idea of public demonstrations of that sort just didn't do it for me. (I don't mind public displays of affection, but anything too overt just isn't my cup of tea - some modicum of discretion, tinged with a chance of getting caught, is plenty for me thanks.)
Anyone else here a part of the club? And if so, bathroom or other? Enquiring minds want to know!!
Counting the Days
13 November 2006 - 19:50.
Yep... 20 days left until I get on a plane and go away to Mexico. That's me, a beach, the ocean, and someone to bring me drinks.
So yeah, I don't care a whole lot if it rains. Who's bothered about 50 Mph winds? Who cares about 3 inches of rain in the next 36 hours? I'll be in Cancun. Feel free to express your jealousy... I don't mind.
Pain is...
13 November 2006 - 10:00.
Pronunciation: 'pAn
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French peine, from Latin poena, from Greek poinE payment, penalty; akin to Greek tinein to pay, tinesthai to punish, Avestan kaEnA revenge, Sanskrit cayate he revenges
1 : PUNISHMENT
2 a : usually localized physical suffering associated with bodily disorder (as a disease or an injury); also : a basic bodily sensation induced by a noxious stimulus, received by naked nerve endings, characterized by physical discomfort (as pricking, throbbing, or aching), and typically leading to evasive action b : acute mental or emotional distress or suffering : GRIEF
3 plural : the throes of childbirth
4 plural : trouble, care, or effort taken to accomplish something <was at pains to reassure us>
5 : one that irks or annoys or is otherwise troublesome -- often used in such phrases as pain in the neck
6: Spending 7 hours, 3.5 of it in a border lineup, making a trip of 200 miles, only to have the regatta at the other end get canceled due to high winds. Which dissipated before noon anyways.
(Definitions 1-5 courtesy of Webster's Dictionary)
On Observances
10 November 2006 - 10:51.
Yeah, okay, I know there's been a bit of a bitter timbre to some of my post lately... maybe I'm just reacting to the rain, ok?
But Friday morning, when I went into Starbucks for a coffee, I saw something that really disturbed me. The store was completely done out for Christmas; fake wreath type things, Christmas patterned cups, little carousel thingies, gift boxes, and the like. Starbucks isn't the only store/ chain that's displaying Christmas decorations early this year. Army & Navy have had decorations up since at least November 2nd. Hudson's Bay Company has had them up since at least November 1st. And my problem with all this? It's not even Remembrance Day yet.
Don't get me wrong here - I'm not a Scrooge type. I really do love Christmas, albeit more for the spirit of the holiday than for the crass commercialism, and the bigger-is-better mentality that's foisted upon us by the mercantile leviathans ("Spend money! They'll love you more if you do!!"). But what about the men and women who sacrificed so that we had the freedom to spend as we wish, to worship as we desire, and to have holidays at all?
But wait! There's more!
New Ways To...
09 November 2006 - 08:15.
I found a whole new way to do something today that made me feel like it was summer. Instead of eating (drinking?) a slurpee really fast to get brain freeze, I discovered you can do the same thing by riding your motorbike really fast on a cold, late-fall morning. Especially when the helmet you're wearing leaves a small opening between itself and your jacket, and your occipital lobe starts to get frostbite. It felt just like brain freeze, except going up the wrong side of my skull.
On Timing
06 November 2006 - 08:43.
A few years ago I was in Little Sister's Bookstore, and I found myself enthralled by the music coming from the overhead grille. In asking the clerk about it, I was told that I was listening to 'Stay Human' by Michael Franti and Spearhead. I ended up buying the album. My friend and sometimes dinner companion Andrew listened to a few of the tracks off the album recently, and described it as if Stevie Wonder and Dr. Dre had a love child (not a bad analogy), for the old school funk style mixed with light rap on much of the album.
It's a theme piece, about an underground radio station who are protesting the impending execution of a community worker who has been convicted of murder. In the story of the album, her execution, despite mounting opposition and claims of cover-ups and conspiracy, is scheduled to take place on the eve of a gubernatorial election in a conservative southern state (I say southern because of the accents used by the 'incumbent'). Opponents and critics claim that the timing of the execution, on the eve of an election, is nothing more than a strategy and a ploy, using human beings as political pawns.
But wait! There's more!
In Tough
03 November 2006 - 08:58.
You know it's going to be a long tech support call when.... (And yes, this is an excerpt from a support call I worked on yesterday afternoon)
ME: Okay, click 'Start', click 'Run', then type 'cee-emm-dee' then press enter, or click 'OK'.
THEM: Ummmmmmmmm
ME: Something wrong?
THEM: I dunno.
ME: Well what happens when you click OK?
THEM: Uhhhhhhhh
ME: Did anything happen?
THEM: I can't find it.
ME: Can't find what?
THEM: A Start button.
ME: !!!!!!!
(Silence)
But wait! There's more!