bad ideas just happen

Apocalypse... maybe not?

2011-05-22T08:57:00.002-04:00

Hey! The world didn't end! Hooray!

The best news headline on T.V. this morning was something like;

'Believers disappointed apocalypse doesn't come.'

Which made me laugh out loud, cause I mean really? You're disappointed everyone's not dead, civilazation stands for a little while longer, and the planet isn't cracking in half? Jerk faces!

But we're all still here! Kinda...

Because I'm bored.

2011-04-29T06:52:00.002-04:00

Everyone's watching the wedding for the new Duchess of Cambridge. The frenzy over her dress was amusing at the very least. While interesting, I'm just trolling the internets mostly since well everyone else is busy.

I also may have not signed in to this blog in like six months. So yeah. Oops.

Started rereading the Lord of the Rings books again, but I'm starting with the Hobbit of course. One of my favorite passages is still as follows;

"Good Morning!" said Bilbo, and he meant it. The sun was shining, and the grass was very green. But Gandalf looked at him from under long bushy eyebrows that stuck out further than the brim of his shady hat.
"What do you mean?" he said. "Do you wish me a good morning, or mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not; or that you feel good this morning; or that it is a morning to be good on?"
"All of them at once," said Bilbo. "And a very fine morning for a pipe of tobacco out of doors, into the bargain. ...
"Good morning!" he said at last. "We don't want any adventures here, thank you! You might try over The Hill or across The Water." By this he meant that the conversation was at an end.
"What a lot of things you do use Good morning for!" said Gandalf. "Now you mean that you want to get rid of me, and that it won't be good till I move off."

Early to rise... why?

2010-12-24T06:50:00.003-05:00

It's 6:50 in Christmas Eve.

WHY AM I AWAKE?!?

Stupid body, go back to sleep! I was up late last night and everything too! Grrrrr....

A heavy cross, to bear on your own.

2010-12-03T08:35:00.003-05:00

All the rainy nights, the coldest of days,
you're moments ago, but seconds away,
The principle of Nature, it's true but, it's a cruel world,

I've just had this song stuck in my head all day, especially this section of verse so I'm blogging it. Cause I'm bored. And it's something to do. So there.

Present shopping is being difficult at present... anyone have any requests?

Brain tangent overload.

2010-11-29T21:21:00.003-05:00

Here I am flipping through books and journal articles trying to hunt down yet another reference I seem to have misplaced when from nowhere, I am struck by inspiration.

It's truly sad my inspirational a-ha moment of the day has such very little to do with anything resembling a useful thought.

What struck my sleep deprived caffeine addled brain you ask? Which of her manifold and unfathomable mysteries did our shy lady universe finally reveal to me you demand? What for the love of god did he smite into thine brain!?!

I finally realized where I'd seen the actress playing Coach Beiste in Glee before, in the movie Boondock Saints.

Yeah.
I know.
Pathetic.

And really freakin' random.

To show how even MORE of a mess I think I'm becoming at present, and also cause it's damn funny to me (I will reference the lack of sleep in the future as I disavow any responsibilities I may subsequently inherit by smacking you too hard with stupid. Plus, it's not like I'm reaching through the screen holding your head still with one hand while I keep your eye forced open and make you read this either. And so ends one long ass parenthetical.) I'm appending something I related in an email with regards to words I stated out loud to an empty apartment while cracking my knuckles like shit just got serious...

"Okay, I'm out of encounter powers, didn't get a short rest after the last battle, I've hit up my second wind, I'm spending two actions every round just to maintain effects, and I'm bloodied to boot. But I've got me a temp hp bubble from my potion of caffeine, a +2 bonus to all my defenses, and an automatic pure fucking grit damaging aura up for anything that wants to go mano-e-mano with me, and I've still gots me an action point ready to go.

I'm totally gonna smack you Mr. essay-beast back into submission, you hear me essay?!?

Roll for initiative bitch."

Sigh... back to reality.

Braggadocio - MC Frontalot

Of poop and santa.

2010-11-21T12:06:00.002-05:00

Today is the Santa Claus parade, and the route just happens to pass right outside where I work. Sunday's are usually busy here for us, but it's been interesting to say the least. Especially since nice and early in the day some poor little baby did an oopsies in the pool and it'll be closed for the busiest day for swimming lessons.

HOORAY!

It's been AWESOME today.

My backpack's got jets,

2010-11-06T11:32:00.004-04:00

I'm Boba, the Fett,
I bounty hunt for Jabba Hutt
to finance, my Vette.

This song has been stuck in my head all morning. I like it, but it can go away now. It just keeps skipping back to the chorus.

My essay is nearing some semblance of well, an essay. Instead of quotes and random assortments of ideas scattered around from a whole whackton of sources that I didn't have even at the beginning of this week.

Seriously though, that reference librarian has some crazy innate eldritch powers of finding shit. Just the one though, the other one I dealt with wasn't too helpful so I just went back to the first. It was fun but I suddenly had tons more info to sort through and deal with for this paper. Which I suppose is a very good problem to have right?

Fett's Vette - mc chris

Just fucking vote. <- That's the period.

2010-11-02T14:42:00.005-04:00

I don't care who you vote for (okay I do a little, but I can agree to disagree), but please please vote. Just vote. Don't 'meh', don't say you don't care, just vote. If I can, in Toronto Ontario Canada, go through the process of absentee ballot to vote, you can mosey on down the street to your polling place. I vote in elections here too! Most people only have one civic duty!Yes they're usually in your neighborhood. I vote in elections here as well! Most people only have one civic duty! I've been spending a lot of time in the libraries around campus over the last two days. Thank god for the coffee shop updates, the guy at the place near the Trin library saw me in line and just changed the tv station for me without me asking until an update came on and was over. Awesome, and embarrassing.

If only one person reads this I'm fine with that, as long as that person fucking VOTES! Of course most of you that I know and who occasionally read this are either a. Canadian citizens, or b. An American citizen living outside of the United States. But if you know people still in the states, remind them to vote too!

(The title links to where you can find your polling place. No excuses! VOTE!)

241 - Reel Big Fish

We live in hard times, not end times.

2010-10-30T15:36:00.005-04:00

Jon Stewart, during the rally to restore sanity and/or fear.

Eggs and bacon make mornings better.

2010-10-25T07:21:00.004-04:00

I learned a new term this morning. Before seeing that the diner I was in had won the award for best 'Greasy Spoon' in Toronto, I had never heard the term used to describe a restaurant. If I'd heard the phrase uttered in conversation I would have assumed the parties were talking about an actual spoon covered in grease. Who knew it was a catagory that an establishment could or even would take pride in being the best at?

So I still can't get to sleep before my opening shifts. You'd think getting up at 4am would mean my body would crave every second of precious slumber it could eek out of a night, but no. For the fourth week or so straight I've been unable to get myself to sleep at all... which has sucked.

So at around 3:00am I decided that instead of lying there for yet another hour wallowing in the futility of my quest, I would get up and get myself a decent breakfast. Decent being relative I suppose. Shreddies were on sale at Loblaws, and I've got some tasty looking pears I could have eaten with my juice this morning but I wanted something hot. Greasy spoon is not a misnomer it turns out. Two eggs over-easy, piles of bacon and homefries, two buttered pieces of toast and three (maybe four?) cups of coffee later and I was feeling much better about the prospect of the coming morning.

Greasy morning bacon. YES. Thank you 24 hour diners of the world. More specifically Vesta Lunch. Why you're called Vesta Lunch I won't pretend to understand, but hey. You've been reputable since 1955. And felt the need to put that on your sign... oh dear.

Geek - MC Chris

Zippity Do Da

2010-10-08T07:00:00.003-04:00

It's 7:00am, and other than muffled radio, constant electronic humming and masseuse walking around barefoot... I'm kind of bored.

Of course as soon as I finished typing that out 9 people came through the door. Such is life I suppose. I hesitate to invoke Murphy's Law here however. I'm not sure being un-bored for thirty seconds is a state of 'wrong'. Is un-bored even a word? Where the hell is my mind going to right now anyways?

Enough ramblings Jae! Do something constructive!

Good news though! A member just gave me breakfast. Fried egg sandwich with a touch of hot sauce... my day's lookin' up folks! Wheeeee! Free food!

Nothing, but Unrest in the House of Light is running through my head though... does that count?

So I need to get online more?

2010-10-04T07:26:00.003-04:00

Well that's entirely true. I've been basically gone for so long I'd almost forgotten my login info. I suppose that's just me in Massachusetts though, mostly always doing something else that isn't posting or being online in general. Now though, working a desk I suppose I'll have moments like these where I'm simply waiting for something to happen and I can post. Not likely at 7:00 on a Monday morning.

Of course, now that I've said that something should be about to explode and go horribly wrong...

And just to clarify, that wasn't fanfic, that was a character's backstory that my brother had me write up for his campaign.

CHUM 104.5 - Of course it's too loud in here for me to hear the actual song, but that's the station it's on.

A bard on a mission, even if he's not sure what it is.

2009-10-25T00:42:00.003-04:00

My name is, Danedarin Azurelson Ffelphi, for that was the name given to the gatekeeper when I was brought to the abbey as a babe. Growing up I was made to study the arts, history, magic, and mathematics, but found a special love in music, which I then began to include in almost everything I did. My ears taper at the tip, marking me right away as having elven blood, which along with the tattoo on the outside of my left shoulder which I’ve had for as long as I can remember, has marked me as an outsider. I know it has a greater meaning, I’ve ascertained it’s faintly magical, and that it’s mine in a way that makes it part of my very identity, but I don’t know what it means or who placed it on me. My earliest memory is of faces, angry faces standing over me, looking, and hating what they saw. These days I think they must have been relatives I’ve never met as they disapproved of my birth. The floating, glaring, venomous disembodied heads is a nightmare that recurs every so often at night.

I grew up in an abbey deep in a hidden woodland vale, sheltered from the outside world. When I was young, around the age of nine, I snuck out at times to go wander into the forest where I often felt at home more than in the cloistered halls and orchards. Once when wandering alone, both when and where I shouldn’t have been, I came across a stranger who’d been mauled by a boar in a terrible battle that saw both stricken down. He needed help badly, and was lying unconscious across the dead animals body, yet I was terrified and frozen in place. The smell of blood was everywhere and the horrific sight transfixed me to the scene. I’d never seen a ‘stranger’ before as I knew everyone at the abbey, and anyone who ever came to visit had either been before or had lived there in the past. The gore, the stranger, and the knowledge that I wasn’t supposed to be there in the first place scared me stiff and silent, and when finally I forced my frozen limbs to obey it was to run all the way back to the Abbey. I could not bring myself to tell anyone what I’d seen though the stranger was eventually discovered and brought into the abbey, now dead. Throughout the funeral and burial I blamed myself for not being brave enough to come to his aid and save his life.

The years passed and more pleasant days were ahead of me. I can remember singing with the skylarks and a girl under a willow tree near the abbey pond. It was the night before I left the abbey, and one of the few times I’d ever been truly at peace with the world and myself. A cherished memory. Though I was generally a popular person amongst my peers I was a bit of a nuisance at times to the older generation, playing pranks and such. But since I was a good student and such a gracious friend and servant to those in need (especially after the stranger in the woods incident) from a fairly young age, I generally got along with everyone. Especially the ladies. I wasn’t the toughest, the strongest, or the fastest, but I was smart and charismatic enough to be close friends with those who were, and was able to influence most others to my satisfaction and more often than not theirs as well.

Except for one fellow, who from a very young age had set himself against me. My first real conflict, and fight was with him, and in it I did very poorly for myself. It almost killed me in fact, but that was somewhat more my doing than my opponents. On the sparring ground (all students were required to learn swordplay for self and abbey defense, though at this I never excelled, but was proficient enough) I was paired off against this other member of my age group. He was slightly older and much stronger than I, but was a bully and someone I generally disdained as a bit of a blowhard. Something of which we were both keenly aware. He proceeded throughout the day’s training to bludgeon me a good many times in succession, and also began throwing insults my way for good measure. Things progressed as they will, to the point that instead of focusing on their own practice, my friends had begun looking on with concern with grumblings about stepping in before I’d finally had enough of his jibes (they were pretty lame, I was in general much smarter and better at my studies than he was, at this point I was just tired, beat up, and frustrated enough to be baited) and replied with one of my own… a cutting diatribe that angry as I was had unknowingly and accidentally infused with magic and hurled it straight into my malefactors thoughts. The boy faltered, in real actual pain as I hit him full force with the mental assault. I backed off immediately from the spell, shocked and a little horrified of what I’d just done. Everyone else around me was staring slack jawed at what they’d just heard and seen (though even the instructor would later state that the fellow had at least that much coming to him they way he’d carried himself throughout the training session… I did technically after all only insult him back) as the instructor rushed straight over toward us to break up the confrontation. That of course was when the fool went and pushed me over the edge. He pulled himself together and though I’d dropped my practice sword out of concern that I’d actually injured him, he came attacked me at full force. His assault cracked two ribs, bruised several others, gave me cuts all over, and left me with a bloody and broken nose lying in the dirt. All of which I cared nothing about because my eyes had misted over in rage over what he said next;

“You bastard mistake of a whore!”

I was not the only orphan at the Abbey, but I was one of only two who did not know who either of my parents at least were even named. The other was the Abbess herself though I only found out about that fact after this particular incident was over in a counseling session. I had always been touchy about the subject of my birth parents, mostly because I knew nothing about them. Calling my mother a whore, stating my father had no honor, and calling me a mistake after beating the crap out of me for over half an hour coupled with the recent damage he’d inflicted made me very, very angry. I reflexively reached deep inside me, feeling more than hearing myself scream, and touched some primal force deep within. The power I brushed against called to something in my heritage and past, and I grabbed hold of it. Purely by my will alone I demanded that it hurt my enemy. The eldritch fire that burst from my outstretched hand came seemingly from the feywild itself and it hurled my foe away, nearly killing him with its impact as the flames wreathed over his body. I was of course not in the least bit of control over what I had just unleashed and it nearly consumed me. Only the presence of the instructors who helped contain that inner fire saved my life from being burned away. After a long and painful healing process, I was left with a spiral shaped pattern on my right arm of slightly darker skin than normal, where the energies had spiraled towards my foe. I had almost killed my opponent, who barely ever even spoke to me again. I’d almost killed myself. And I’d managed to scared the living hell out of most everybody there. I still do not feel pity for the other guy, he recovered fine and never bothered me again, but I had lost control over myself. Something which I vowed not to let happen again. Doing so had scarred me, and not just physically. My ribcage and right arm had pretty much shattered of course, but my mind also was lost in turmoil. Even my muscles had seemingly been consumed from the inside to feed the fires while my skin had split in several dozens of small places because of the power running through me… I almost died from blood loss alone. It took a long time for the healers to work on me, I am told it was on the order of days, though I cannot recall the time myself. Even longer still however, for my mind to recover from what I’d almost done. There’s still the darkened spiral down my arm, and to feel my ribs would be to notice slight bumps where the breaks had occurred, but the mental scars though hidden are just as real. I am still not as physically strong as I once was either, and it will take a very long time if at possible indeed, to push my body beyond the average after the ravaging I subjected it to.

Then, I grew up. The forest wanderings of my youth gave way to talking and laughing with friends, making up stories and songs, writing poetry and trading riddles, and practicing my magic and telling terrible puns. I never really got a knack for it, but I try anyways thinking I know what I’m doing. I even had a pet of my very own, a cat named ‘Tac’. Two of my friends had the sister kittens which they kept named ‘Tic’ and ‘Toe’, though I named mine first. When younger, you think it clever when your cat is a palindrome of itself, and they just continued the joke.

Now however, I carry myself with poise and confidence. I will not allow others to intimidate me into doing what they want, but nor will I let others goad me into irrationality. I am a little uncomfortable with the idea of not being in control of myself after all. Most of the time I’ve discovered, a redirected remark will diffuse the situation, and I often go out of my way to seem like I would be a desirable friend, even if I don’t much like the other party. Since it also helps that to make me angry probably gets you kicked out of whatever tavern I happen to be playing, and since I’m the one singing the songs and telling the stories I can mock you in front of an attentive crowd (most of whom owe me a drink anyways and like me already) if you get testy, I rarely have problems with people.

The three defining moments of my life were failures of discipline and self sacrifice. To help the dying stranger (though while he probably was already dead when I found him, I never did check, I still felt as if I sacrificed him to save my own skin I guess), the incident at the training ground that nearly killed myself before even learning who I was, and the arrival of a letter from my sister, one I never knew I had. After the first two failures of character in my eyes, this last was something I did not want to give up on, and it has become my own personal mission. From then on, I vowed that I would seek compromise where I could, and look always to find common ground on which to settle my differences peacefully and avoid conflict whenever it’s possible, while finding my only kin. When I left the monastery to begin my search, I wasn’t allowed to take three objects that I cherished above all others. First was a platinum locket containing a kyanite visage of my mother and an engraved blessing from Corellon. Second, an ebony carving of a hippogriff made for me by my foster brother. And lastly,the very letter from a sister that I never knew I had, received on my 18th birthday slipped underneath my door. No one would admit to putting it there, and no one knew where it had come from. The Abbess could only promise me that it was real and not a hoax.

And so I began wandering, looking for clues. Since they are so scarce, following the work has served me just as well as any preplanned route. There was a need for my services here in town, and so I have come. I’ve been here for almost five months, and know almost every logger and low level worker there is to know, at least in passing and a first name. Many of the managers and traders have come to find my services as a mediator in disputes to be also be desirable so I’ve been able to create a small network of people who know me. All with the goal of tracking down my sister. Information in this regard is like ambrosia for me, and there is almost no length to which I won’t go to obtain it. I figured that there must have been some reason for her to hide the details from me about where she was, who she was, and how she found out about me, so I keep it a very closely guarded secret that I’m looking for her. I know her name, Mirabelsi, and that she speaks Anuirian (what the letter was written in), and that she’s well educated judging by the handwriting but that’s about it. The information seems to be drying up however scarce it was before. The traders and people who travel to this place were why I have stopped travelling for a while to see if I could learn anything. No one seems to want to talk about anything at all recently and since they’re not talking, to me or each other, I can’t even figure out why and it’s beginning to be frustrating. Something bad seems to be coming, and I haven’t managed to get a mention of my sisters name at all in nearly two months.

Oddly enough, I’ve found that I’ve taken some things with me from the abbey. Things I’d never have thought would stay with me. Though I’ve been away from home for almost a year, I’m still nervous around elves as they’re more rare that humans in these parts, and I don’t know who they are. I could be related somehow and to not know is unnerving. With humans it is the same but to a far lesser degree, I’ve been around them so much now that I’m used to this idea, though younger women with even a passing resemblance to me often get my attention if only because they might be her! I’ve found myself in the habit of folding my hands just above my waist as the monks from the abbey are prone to as well. One thing I did take that is very real however was a ‘lucky’ coin that I now wear around my neck. Given to me by the Abbess herself when I left, it was her lucky coin when she was wandering in her youth as well. I also started with some basic traveling gear from the Abbey of course, and have added to that as I have moved along on my journey.

I want earn my way towards my answers. Because until I’m satisfied with myself I can’t return to the Abbey in peace and be welcome. I need to know; who are my parents? Where is my sister and how did she find me when I can’t find her? And what the hell is this mark on my arm anyways?

Rocking the Kasbah

2009-03-07T16:19:00.004-05:00

So yeah, I missed a DnD night for the first time in a long time. I just couldn't go. I mean, I found a replacement die roller for my character and she did very well it seems. This is that game I drive an hour to get to usually twice a month, but at least once a month when it runs in Attleboro. I hear we're almost at 11,000 XP too. Hooray almost at 4th level!

I'm finding it harder than I expected. I know no one there thinks I ditched them, and I have a pretty damn good reason being in Morocco and all. But still... the call of rolling dice and sharpening pencils, the sweet smell of victory and mountain dew, and stupid in game jokes. These things I crave.

Okay. Morocco. I'm having a pretty good time here so far. I far preferred Marrakech to the current city of Fes where I'm writing this from. There (Marrakech) the medieval streets and close quarters was fun, the people laid back, and folks generally seemed amiable. Here (Fes) the streets are choke-points for grifters and fake guides who see you as a mark before you even turn the corner. We had people following us for 10 or 15 minutes at a time trying to become our guides or sell us things. Especially the cabbie who brought us out to the 'medina' as it's called. No means no people. No I haven't changed my mind in the last five seconds, and no I don't want something else from you instead, and god damn it if I ever ever did need something from you in the future at this point I'd go without. Language isn't a barrier. Their English would be good enough if that were the case anyways, but my mother and I both speak French. When people tell you to leave them alone in two languages, you should probably take the gorram hint and go elsewhere.

Not so much though in the land of the red tasseled hats (yes, I'm in that city of Fes, also spelled Fez).

Oh! But today my mother did her best to desecrate a graveyard! Just climbed on up citing some local goats as permission to go on ahead. Why? For the view of course! Sigh...

Actually the whole instance is pretty much already documented on facebook as follows;

Elizabeth at 8:12pm March 7
we did not desecrate them! we stepped gingerly around them because it was a much faster way to get up to the top of the hill overlooking the city walls. besides, there was a whole herd of goats climbing in and around and over them and the goatherd didn't seem to worry about it much.

Jason at 8:15pm March 7
Oh yes, if by 'gingerly' you mean 'on' and 'around' you meant 'tripped over' then you're absolutely right!

And as I tried explaining earlier, those goats were Muslim goats clearly and thus not the desecrating blue eyed infidels that we are, so they can do that whole walking thing. Also they were GOATS!

Chip at 8:18pm March 7
The goats probably pooped on them. I don't care what religion the goats were, pooping on the tombs is not cool.

Elizabeth at 8:19pm March 7
Jason, before we get into any more trouble, I think it's time to pay the cybercafe attendant and go to supper...

Really not that big of a deal, but I'm having a whole lot of fun teasing her on this trip. I mean, she had to expect it right? He he he.

So in other somewhat related news; my godmother's in Morocco. Right now. Close even as she's in a town called Meknes which isn't too far from here. This is Denise from Ottawa, not someone I usually bump into a whole lot (anyone who was at Adam's wedding may have met her, or more likely her two kids, Christian and Everett). Thank you facebook status updates I suppose (that's where my mother found out and contacted her). So we're going to get up early again for another train to meet up with her and hang out. We're kind of done with Fes anyways and ready to move on.

What are the freakin' odds of this happening by the way? Someone who can please do the math cause I'd love to know.

King Nothing - Metallica a là WBCN Radio on the Internet (damn licenses taking Pandora down outside the US).
Not exactly local flavor I know... but I needed something after a trying day. When I can get some of our pictures up you'll understand my feeling of being trapped in a rabbit warren surrounded by snakes. Marrakech was just so much more fun from my view. Not all of Fes was bad, but the experience of just running a gauntlet I'm finding hard to shake.

AWESOME!

While typing out the above this happened;

The Distance - Cake

Life's good right now.

Wheaton is a Geek. Respect.

2009-02-22T23:27:00.005-05:00

Now, I assume that most of the people I know read Wil Wheaton's blog from time to time. Of course, then I thought about it for a few more seconds and realized that may not be entirely true...

Well you should.

But in case you don't here's three things I've learned from him recently;

Watchmen is fucking awesome and I have no reason to worry about it being a rape of the graphic novel.

Zoe Keating and Yo Yo Ma should be required to breed and produce a beautiful Cellist Lovechild. Because they are both really really good at what they do.

Wil Wheaton is further behind in Battlestar Galactica than I am.

There is actually more that I gather from his site and store away into my brain like a precious gemstone of knowledge, but I said three so you get three. Just go read his blog. And listen to Keating's music. Then figure out how she does it. Then come back so that you can agree with me that she's awesome.

Unrest in the House of Light - The Protomen

WHEEEEEEE!

2009-02-22T00:49:00.004-05:00

So I was supposed to write more often here. I haven't been. Gah. This time it wasn't even a Toronto person who point this out to me so I figured I should probably get back on the ball. This of course is what I thought to myself last Monday night as I got back to my place from a wonderful board-game night in Billerica (where the a fore mentioned person reminded me about my promise to write more lives).

Then of course it was vacation week for the kiddos. And I became very stressed out, and very tired for the majority of it. Friday though... Friday kicked my ass the hardest (I can be stressed out working over 40 hours in 4 days, I'm allowed!) which coupled with the fact that I'd left the computron at my folks house for a few of those days meant I didn't even come close to having the energy to do anything but fall over after getting home nights.

But it's the weekend! Hooray! I'm tired again though, just waiting for myself to settle down a bit before I enter into sleepland for a while, and I remembered to update. Today I spent most of my waking time in Providence (Rhode Island) attending an alumni weekend. Saw improv, talked with people I don't know well, ate at a campus meal hall type place, and even got a tour of the campus while hearing anecdotes of former past lives. I had a lot of fun actually, the improv was a lot of fun especially. The people I was with and met all clearly loved going to school there and were pretty eager to show it off a bit for me. It's a small school though by my head's reasoning, and I could never have imagined attending there.

UofT is ginormous. I know this so I tried to put it all into perspective in that regard, but the place didn't sit right with me. And it's with me, not the school where the problem lies. I don't know, maybe it was the giant crosses above all of the residence dorm buildings names. Maybe it was that the school amounted to the east side of the St. George Campus in size. Maybe it was my general aversion to religious schooling in general that put me off (this might be the largest part of it actually, from what I gathered from the ad hock and continuous tour, the first renovation done to the campus during the current wave of stuff was a new church built in the middle of it all. I think this only because a lot of things were talked about having been done immediately after the people I was with had graduated, but the church was built before they had finished). Yes I know St. Mikes and Trin held mass and services respectively, that used to irk me as well a bit but mostly because of the people who actually WENT to those instead of the damn actual church two blocks away. And yes I know that Vic was affiliated with the United Church of Canada through Emmanuel and such... but it was a very different feel that is hard to explain. Or at the very least I'm having a hard time pinning it down. At Vic, Trin, and to a lesser degree St. Mikes the religious affiliation is very much in the background, well at least to me it was. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that the three schools make up part of a greater whole with Innis, Woodsworth, New, and UC along with all the various faculties and whatnot, and have to coexist with one another as well. But I also feel that it is a much, much bigger deal where I was that it was a Catholic College. When I jokingly pointed out how very white the college was compared to the rest of Providence and the Wendy's we stopped at on the way, the answer was in fact something along the lines of; "Well this is a Catholic College, so that's why."

Now the first thing that popped into my head was 'well what the hell does that have to do with anything?' Then she went on to say 'so it's very Irish and Italian Catholic like the rest of the north east' right about the time it dawned on me that it had a hell of a whole fucking lot to do with the demographics attending the school. My retort to that was by the way something like then where is the Brazilian/Mexican/Latin American contingent and something about a shift in demographics in the area that I'd expect' but I digress a bit.

The school is very small and very private and very catholic. Tuition alone would allow for a certain selection I'm sure, as well as the admission process itself. However, I felt I was a little bit of an outsider, and I'm a six foot christian white guy with blue eyes who got along great with everyone I met. So maybe there's something else maintaining the mix as well. The sports teams are the 'Friars', there are crosses and Jesus' life montages, i.e. religious sculptures and art everywhere (did I mention I'm pretty Christian too, my Episcopalian/Anglican upbringing you'd think would have me prepared for this kind of thing or something) and the Friar's Graveyard smack in the middle of the campus dorms was in my eyes... creepy. Real graveyard now, not a campus bar or student center with a kick ass name, cross headstones in rows. It was nice, but in the middle of where people live! Just saying the student body as a whole is pretty screwed if World War Z breaks out is all. Back on topic, had I come to visit this school and looked at it as a potential place to spend time on undergraduate work, I would not have ever chosen it. St. Mikes was Catholic, had nuns, man-hours in the dorms, and a large cathedral on it's grounds. It also saw a self described red-headed American Jew and a Muslim Pakistani Semi-Prince live on the same floor and become the best of friends who invited each other to meet with parents and to visit during school breaks. There it didn't matter to them any more that they were living in a catholic section of the school, actually it was something of a running joke with them (the red head claiming to not even having known St. Mikes was catholic when he applied... which actually sort of makes the point as to how minor religion could and often did factor into life at UofT I think) that people accepted as just the quirk of that section of buildings, than it did that I was Anglican and NOT registered at the Anglican affiliated school that is Trinity. Also, white people are not exactly the dominant majority downtown in the most multicultural city in the world that is Toronto either, and maybe the same could be said for UofT but I honestly didn't pay that much attention while I was there to how people around me looked.

It was just somewhat unsettling and off putting in such a subtle way that I wasn't even sure why I was feeling a tad uncomfortable until this conversation happened and I clued myself in. I will never begrudge the people who went there for having enjoyed themselves, I respect the hell out of people who can show pride in their school and they are as I said proud of it. But dear God I could never have gone there and been happy.

I'm sure somethings in that rambling will have to be explained in further detail later, maybe even to myself, but it's 1:40 in the morning and I should sleep while I can. So if this late night mumbling is incoherent, let me know and I'll do my best to fill in what I'm sure is cracks akin to the San Andreas to my musings.

Can we call you 'Archie?'

2009-01-19T18:34:00.007-05:00

An interesting weekend if ever there was one. Managed to, once again get only one day away from work, which I think is made even more impressive for the long weekend!

However, since I've got quite a bit to throw out there into the blogs, and who knows how much time I'm actually going to wind up with to do it I should get to the point and stop rambling. So let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

Friday night I went out with some of Laura's work friends into Jillian's in Boston for a 'work party'. I found this hilarious for the most part, mostly because my bosses would not ever be downing shooters, drinking beers, buying rounds, betting on bowling, and I believe the most correct term would be carousing with their employees. Actually they (or I with my employees. Yes that's right for those who didn't know, someone saw fit to deliver unto me minions to do my bidding) aren't allowed to do these sorts of things here at the family oriented non-profit organization that we are. This was just exactly what we walked into though friday night and they had a grand ol' time of it. After the bowling subsided we headed downstairs to the bar and dance floor to continue the party and everything was all fun times! Except the DJ was aweful.

I feel like I'm not usually one to be judgemental about club music, since it's not really what I choose to listen to on my own and I realize completely that I'm not always up to speed on the latest music or dance crazes. And I tried to be diplomatic about what I was hearing because of these very reasons. It was bad though. And as soon as some of the other people in the club started looking towards the booth scratching their heads in confusion (literally in some cases) I figure out it wasn't my tastes that were the problem, it was this man's execution of his craft that was leaving a lot to be desired.

It's not that he chose bad songs, it's that he didn't actually play any. What would happen is that he'd start with the introductory beat of a song, typically something well known, and overlay it with a beat ripped from another altogether different song. At first this mashup seems to be going pretty well until the melody arrives and makes people sit up and say WTF, where did that come from? It would be an entirely new song being played over the original baseline tune. The first mashup had somehow metamorphosized (and no, it wasn't a subtle mastery of rhythms and tempos that let him flow pieces into each other. Rather it usually came off as someone putting the round peg through the square hole with a sledgehammer. It didn't so much 'work' as 'happen') into something different and completely alien to what we had been trying to dance to in the first place. Now a shifting beat can sometimes keep you on your toes and make for a more dynamic and exciting experience, but he patently refused to allow any sort of dialogue to establish itself between the music playing and those dancing on the floor. Why didn't that happen you might ask? Simply put; the mashups, and since never ONCE was it ever a single song being played I cannot in good faith call them songs, the mashups changed in this manner about every 30 - 40 seconds. I know this because I began timing the durations it became so painful and infuriating. Painful because the transitions were not handled well, and infuriating because if you start playing a song, people get excited about it, and if you change the song 30 seconds into it, you've denied them the satisfaction and pleasure of the experience of that song, or songs in this case. The mashups were also just... strange. One example springs to mind; start off with the rock classic 'Born to be Wild', let two bars of intro play before laying over it the 'Genie in a Bottle' tune, proceed to switching the beat with Avril Lavigne's 'I don't like you're girlfriend' song, allowing Genie in a Bottle to switch to Michael Jacksons 'Bad' which would then become the beat for 'I kissed a girl'. Again, all of that in about 40 seconds.

Repeat ad naseum never using the same song twice. It was just not well done at all, sometimes making people wince as if in real physical discomfort.

God I wish that story weren't true. Also, the music was too loud for the place. Now, I like it loud when I'm going to a dance, but this was too loud. Too loud to hear your friend scream into your ear (I mean this completely literally), so loud the bartenders sometimes used a pen and napkin rather than bother trying to sort out what you were saying, when there are open areas on the dance floor you notice around where the speakers are hanging (and only a few feet above my head), that means too loud. It was as if this guy had decided to completely disregard what people might want and did what he liked. What happened to just playing a popular song and letting people dance to it?

No, he wasn't taking requests.

We still had fun of course, the DJ became the source of a kind of pained amusement and general comraderie amongst strangers there as we all determined to have a good time in spite of this fellow doing strange, terrible things to the music.

That was Friday night of course.

Saturday saw me hunting for a new wallet as mine had offically died (it was in three peices...), grabbing a bite to eat with some theater aquaintances of ours, and seeing the show Harvey as performed by Theater To Go. Knowing almost the entire production staff, including three family members (Adam, Katie, and Johnny), the director, and one of the actresses dictated that I would probably end up there anyways but I was really looking forward to this production anyways.

Part of the reason of course is that I'd filled in for Adam as Stage Manager on a night he couldn't make it and was therefor privy to one of the more trying members of the casts antics before hand. The majority however was that I like the show and wanted to see how they'd decided to play it off. Mr. Antics didn't dissapoint me either however (do not EVER let audience see you in costume before, during, or after a show. That was the second rule I ever learned in theater, and that was only the capstone to his hilarity) so it all worked out for my amusement!

I never even got to Sunday on this post did I? And here I have to run along now, so I'll have to update on that. The ex-Primate of the Anglican Church in Canada, the Most Reverend Michael Geoffrey Peers, visited my church this past Sunday and I was invited out to have lunch with the Archbishop afterwards, which was pretty sweet. He teaches in Trinity at U of T where our priest attended, so conversation ranged all over many topics, from good korean hot-pot, the best street meat, and the best Kung-Fu film Friday we'd seen, to what the hell did they put on the R.O.M. anyways? As you can guess. it was fantastic!

Nerd ho!

2009-01-14T11:07:00.002-05:00

Really quickly since I'm work (though I'm always at work according to some), our maintanence manager just showed me a clip I found amusing. Somewhere on the web is video of David Letterman fucking with people at a Taco Bell drive in. Go find and watch, because it's in a word;

Awesome.

Back to children and their worlds ending problems.

Somehow this is Steve's fault.

2008-12-26T10:26:00.005-05:00

Go us!

I couldn't stop laughing when I read this XKCD comic...

Sadly, I know people who would probably be responsible for something like that actually being true. Especially since my brother used to live in Somerville.

Christmas has come and gone! Hooray Christmas!

And yes, I had a beard. It's gone now though. Facebook has pictures if you're horrified enough by the notion to want to see.

Adam Sessler (of G4TV) had a great Soapbox recently. Not bad for a three minute segment, he talks about the violence and video games matter of factly, and you might want to check it out.

To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; credible we must be truthful. - Edward R. Murrow

Good god. I ranted. I admit it.

2008-11-20T02:13:00.002-05:00

What follows is an email that just left my computer for my gaming group. God help me I ranted didn't I? Did I? Crap. It drives me to it sometimes...

I'm in for a short recon mission like the one you described, and I completely agree that I do NOT wanting you two going places alone without some backup within reasonable reach.

On this treasure business, I'm sort of confused as to why this is such an issue; be warned everyone, it's late and I'm probably going to launch into what may end up sounding like little more than a rant.

(My arguments end up being summarized in the last paragraph of this email, so you can if you'd like skip ahead to it).

I have begun perceiving that what I define as treasure, and what others define as treasure apparently differ quite a bit. This to me is somewhat unexpected actually, as most everyone has some exposure to roleplaying games as I so I thought we were on the same page here. I must not have the same book or something because this argument seemed a strange one to be having. I should start by defining for me what I think is treasure:

Coins, gems, art, jewelry, music, pretty clothes, deeds to buildings, and bright feathers from exotic birds are what I would call 'treasure'. Treasure is wealth. It tends to be shiny in some way, and it's what you retire on.

Weapons, armor, magic items, scrolls, potions, sunrods, fishing lines, wands, lockpicks, tents, and warm weather clothing are not 'treasure' to me. They are what I call 'equipment'. Equipment is what lets you do your job and stay alive to get more wealth.

Cashy money, i.e. gold, silver, artwork, gems and such are treasure. That this should be shared in equal parts is true and good for my mind. So any treasure we find should be split up as evenly as possible amongst the party. That's the best deal for a group with a cooperative spirit who have agreed to travel together, split the profits. 8 gold pieces in a pouch means we all get one gold piece and we've so far been doing that for the most part. We could maybe do better though.

Now I can understand how equipment can be seen as something entirely different as some, but I honestly don't think it should be. As a party it's in everybody's best interest that everyone else in the party is performing at their peak. I can't pick locks anymore than VOID can pick a melee with an orc and be around 2 rounds later to think it was a bad idea. I want the sorceres to be mobile artillery platforms behind me, with as much magical power and utility that we can possibly give them. I want the Rouges to get me through the doors without being hit with every trap in the place, and I want them sneak attacking everything I ever have to go toe to toe with, and I want them to be as loud as a tick fart when they do all this. I want the monk breaking things in half with his bare hands, jacked up with whatever help we can give him in preparation. And as far as myself and Radegunde are concerned, I'll go on a limb saying that everyone else in the party wants us between the enemy and themselves with the highest defenses, best weapons, and most surly attitudes attainable when it heats up.

That being said, equipment is equipment. If I find a scroll of magic missile, it's going to a magic user, and I don't really care which one as long as they'll use it. That should be between the two of them, and is a great way to roleplay and start specializing maybe. That whole teamwork and communication thing. I'm not going to hold onto it because I 'found it first' or I might be able to sell it for a profit. I'm not 4 anymore and my kindergarten teacher taught me to share. It's going to a mage because when shit hits the fan I want whatever is kicking my ribcage out through my back getting blasted in the face from the dude behind me that I'm trying to protect.

That being said, if I have no healing potions, and said mage still has 3, and we started with say an equal amount, I am fully going to expect that he pony up at least one, but probably two. I'd hope he'd offer it even. I mean, I did use up my first three getting my ribcage kicked out through my back protecting his butt, and if he wants me to keep doing that he's going to need me alive at the very least, and happy with him at best.

Weapons, same deal. If you find a short sword, I should probably be the one to talk to (thank you by the way everyone, Chip does keep me very well informed when I can't make it). That being said, if I pick up a +5 Vorpal Longsword of Regeneration through some mental lapse of Jim's judgment (not that it would ever, ever happen of course) the very next day it's going to Radegunde. Even if no one else saw me get it, and yes, I could use it to probably good effect, she's the Longsword weilder, and I need her A game when she's fighting next to me. She'd hopefully give me the magical light armor the same I'd giver her the magical suite of plate. If she's kicking arse, I'm staying alive and vice versa, and to me this is a good thing. Great thing even.

Anything more than one person could use (and isn't a clearly class specific item, such as a scroll or wand) should be placed between them. Both parties should put forth a case as to why they'd use it more effectively than the other (something like a belt of giant's strength for example, would have at least three immediate candidates that it would work for, the ranger, fighter, and monk) and then the rest of the party should decide in a civilized and democratic fashion who gets it. It's the rest of the parties butt on the line after all. This should allow both claimers to understand the desire of the other side to own said item and the rest of the party some insight as to who has the need or simply who would probably use it better. We have two rogues and two sorcerers so they're going to have to share items sometimes, and possibly swap tools on a regular basis. (in the case of the belt, all our arguments would probably be based around damage potential. My claim might center around the fact that I have two weapons to potentially add that damage bonus to not just one, and that my strength isn't my highest stat by far so it could use the boost. I'd actually however prefer to defer and give the belt to the monk however for this reason; his damage potential is what defines him. Fighter/Rangers can get magical weapons to improve this, he normally will have very limited options in this regard. Also, I sort of regard him like a cruise missile; a watch as he points himself in a direction and goes off to break things... or people missile. A monk's damage potential is down right silly sometimes, and he's got interesting tricks as well with his ki strikes. He's not supposed to be the one holding the line, and his AC is not the best so that's not a good idea anyways. Besides, that's my job (and Radegunde's). BUT! When we do point and fire said missile I want whatever he runs into to be gone before he himself succumbs. Besides, he's got two weapons as I do, and he hits using strength as well. The monk should get it even though I would dearly, dearly love it on Kalendios. But the monk would be a wrecking ball.)

This is about survival people. If we don't help each other maximize our individual and unique abilities, Jim should kill us off to get it over with.

Now, if it's something like a gnome hooked hammer, and no one can use it, or would for that matter, the finder still should not keep it I say. This equipment should then be classified as treasure and separated out for the common pool. At first opportunity it's sold, the profits split, and voila, cashy money again. If it's someone no one wants, or has no clearly identifiable default owner (healing scrolls go to Kaylear, and Kale will hurt people who say otherwise for being silly) but someone feels they can use it to advantage, and they explain that advantage, then they should get it as equipment. The Mace was a good example of this in action. No one uses a mace in our party, but Caedan (spelling?) thought, hey, that might make me a bit more useful once I run out of spells. He spoke up, the party agreed and poof! He's actually hit something in melee after his spells ran out. Now I'm sure he'd prefer a staff of the magi, and I'd prefer cash to him risking his neck, but hey. We get what we get and we need to work with it. As a party, we should all come to terms with this. If we can, as a group decide that we're going to do our best to make sure that everyone else in the party has the best that we can give them to succeed we're going to be successful. If we start hording, being jealous about things, and distrustful of others it's going to get us killed. If you give up an item now, it means something down the road will be heading your way. If you don't, you might need help in a tight spot and find it not forth coming because you screwed that character out of something useful. Also, this is a roleplaying game. Characters here have their own motives and agendas, and party or not, you keep burning someone they could probably wind up trying to kill you. Or succeeding. Remember, Jim's actually let Radegunde roll dice to try and punch Kale. Now, she missed, but had it connected there would have been an inter- PC fight with a DM presiding that would allow it and has no compunctions about letting characters die (RIP Garrett).

If you find a wand, and your character sheet is blank in the spells section, you do not have rights to it. You do not get to keep it for any reason. Either for profit, spite, jealousy, or to hold out to trade up for a different item. It's going to a sorcerer. If you find masterwork lockpicks, it's going to Kara and Yiqinne. <-- that's a period, the sentence ended. If I find boots of dwarvenkind and I'm not an dwarf, guess who shouldn't keep them? That's right, me. Unless the dwarf says nah, take 'em, and the rest of the group is cool with that, it's going to the dwarf. Same for any racial specific item in my book. Magical items, weapons, armor, and tools should not be considered wealth to be bargained with or personal property. This is stuff we're going to need to get out of this place alive. Never, EVER, under ANY circumstances forget that access to this stuff was placed here by the very mind that put the bad guys in the same place. If it's here, it's probably NOT so much a coincidence.

Finders keepers is silly, no one wants that it sounds like anyways, plus the rouges are going to spot everything first for the most part. It is after all their job to do just that, and they are fairly good at their jobs. This method would mean anyone guarding the rear, or even in the middle of our marching order would pretty much get the scraps, and be screwed. Again, I get the sense that you know that already so moving on. Rolling for 'treasure initiative' seems to be a step in the right direction but doesn't work as an idea for me either however for a few immediate reasons. One, I can't roll (neither can Kara so she might back me there in the long run, even though Ryan proposed it). Two, Kale will end up killing someone if people keep taking the most expensive items first to try and make profits instead of taking useful things or leaving useful things for others. Three, I can't see a fair way at all to do this that isn't going to make someone feel cheated in some way right now. Do we add our initiative modifiers to this roll (the first row folks and the rouges have the edge again...)? Are we really going to place the tools of survival in this world into a system that amounts to what looks like a draft pick and hope to get lucky? In modern war, if someone's going to assault a room, you give him your weapon if his is broken, your grenades if he's running low, and you made sure before you got there that he/she had the best armor/protection you could find. Why aren't we doing the same thing as a matter of course? We're for all intents and purposes a combined arms combat unit, and should work to act like it. Caedan giving Kale mage armor got Kale and the rest of the six that went into that Orc fight through it alive. There were a LOT of 18, 19, 20, and 21to hit rolls that missed me and didn't do damage that would have without it. Kale's hard to hit, but that's it. He's not a tank like Radegunde, and he'll go down a lot faster than she will, and would have if not for the +4 the spell gave to my armor class. The trade off was autodamage from a magic missile, but I did a lot more by staying alive than 1d4+1 damage would have. That's a small thing but it works. This discussion of pooling resources has been awesome to read, because it's what I think we're going to have to do on a larger scale still.

Ryan was correct in the putting the needs of the group above the individual as the imperative. I just don't agree with his assertion that monetary compensation be made for items that trade hands as a matter of usefulness to the receiver. This smacks of finders keepers to me. The compensation should be the warm spot in your heart and the knowledge that your buddy has another tool they need to succeed and keep you alive. Okay so that's corny, but it's the way I'm seeing this. I guess my basic point is, and if I had my way in this world it would be as follows; If you can't use the equipment, or if you're not going to use the equipment, cough it up to the group to decide what to do with it. Sorry for the rant, I just think the discussion about treasure is approaching the path of the complicated, circular, and unnecessary. Again though, I think I define treasure a bit differently and if someone has a good idea that everyone can agree is fair, I'll be for it.

Red Feathery Pens

2008-11-07T00:42:00.003-05:00

I am so tired. So why can't I get to sleep!

The Crucible. Good show. But dear sweet Jesus what did Arthur Miller have against Actors! The man HATES THEM!? The scenes are long. Very long. He just refused to put curtains into the show. So what does this mean for me?

I get to stand carrying an awkward box and pretend to write with a red feather pen for a very long time. It wears. The only real consolation?

Its a bitchin' pen.

Why oh why didn't I bring one of these things with me to write a test when I was in high school!

So um... world?

2008-11-05T01:03:00.002-05:00

You might stop hating us now. I know we've got a long way to go to fix what Bush did.

Thank you God. Thank you everyone on both sides for voting.

I've been gone a while, busy as hell. I'm a little happy right now though, and it needed to be written down somewhere.

YES!

You need to see this.

2008-07-21T00:05:00.003-04:00

To quote Tycho Brahe;

WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!?!

O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!

2008-07-07T01:22:00.002-04:00

AH! It's a terrorist scarf! Beware the terrorist scarves! AHHH!

I found my second favorite poem in the world though! Enjoy! Read it!

'English Is Tough Stuff'

Dearest creature in creation,
Study English pronunciation.
I will teach you in my verse
Sounds like corpse, corps, horse, and worse.
I will keep you, Suzy, busy,
Make your head with heat grow dizzy.
Tear in eye, your dress will tear.
So shall I! Oh hear my prayer.

Just compare heart, beard, and heard,
Dies and diet, lord and word,
Sword and sward, retain and Britain.
(Mind the latter, how it's written.)
Now I surely will not plague you
With such words as plaque and ague.
But be careful how you speak:
Say break and steak, but bleak and streak;
Cloven, oven, how and low,
Script, receipt, show, poem, and toe.

Hear me say, devoid of trickery,
Daughter, laughter, and Terpsichore,
Typhoid, measles, topsails, aisles,
Exiles, similes, and reviles;
Scholar, vicar, and cigar,
Solar, mica, war and far;
One, anemone, Balmoral,
Kitchen, lichen, laundry, laurel;
Gertrude, German, wind and mind,
Scene, Melpomene, mankind.

Billet does not rhyme with ballet,
Bouquet, wallet, mallet, chalet.
Blood and flood are not like food,
Nor is mould like should and would.
Viscous, viscount, load and broad,
Toward, to forward, to reward.
And your pronunciation's OK
When you correctly say croquet,
Rounded, wounded, grieve and sieve,
Friend and fiend, alive and live.

Ivy, privy, famous; clamour
And enamour rhyme with hammer.
River, rival, tomb, bomb, comb,
Doll and roll and some and home.
Stranger does not rhyme with anger,
Neither does devour with clangour.
Souls but foul, haunt but aunt,
Font, front, wont, want, grand, and grant,
Shoes, goes, does. Now first say finger,
And then singer, ginger, linger,
Real, zeal, mauve, gauze, gouge and gauge,
Marriage, foliage, mirage, and age.

Query does not rhyme with very,
Nor does fury sound like bury.
Dost, lost, post and doth, cloth, loth.
Job, nob, bosom, transom, oath.
Though the differences seem little,
We say actual but victual.
Refer does not rhyme with deafer.
Foeffer does, and zephyr, heifer.
Mint, pint, senate and sedate;
Dull, bull, and George ate late.
Scenic, Arabic, Pacific,
Science, conscience, scientific.

Liberty, library, heave and heaven,
Rachel, ache, moustache, eleven.
We say hallowed, but allowed,
People, leopard, towed, but vowed.
Mark the differences, moreover,
Between mover, cover, clover;
Leeches, breeches, wise, precise,
Chalice, but police and lice;
Camel, constable, unstable,
Principle, disciple, label.

Petal, panel, and canal,
Wait, surprise, plait, promise, pal.
Worm and storm, chaise, chaos, chair,
Senator, spectator, mayor.
Tour, but our and succour, four.
Gas, alas, and Arkansas.
Sea, idea, Korea, area,
Psalm, Maria, but malaria.
Youth, south, southern, cleanse and clean.
Doctrine, turpentine, marine.

Compare alien with Italian,
Dandelion and battalion.
Sally with ally, yea, ye,
Eye, I, ay, aye, whey, and key.
Say aver, but ever, fever,
Neither, leisure, skein, deceiver.
Heron, granary, canary.
Crevice and device and aerie.

Face, but preface, not efface.
Phlegm, phlegmatic, ass, glass, bass.
Large, but target, gin, give, verging,
Ought, out, joust and scour, scourging.
Ear, but earn and wear and tear
Do not rhyme with here but ere.
Seven is right, but so is even,
Hyphen, roughen, nephew Stephen,
Monkey, donkey, Turk and jerk,
Ask, grasp, wasp, and cork and work.

Pronunciation -- think of Psyche!
Is a paling stout and spikey?
Won't it make you lose your wits,
Writing groats and saying grits?
It's a dark abyss or tunnel:
Strewn with stones, stowed, solace, gunwale,
Islington and Isle of Wight,
Housewife, verdict and indict.

Finally, which rhymes with enough --
Though, through, plough, or dough, or cough?
Hiccough has the sound of cup.
My advice is to give up!!!

(Apparently excerpted from The Chaos by Gerard Nolst Trenité.)

And so we'll continue.

2008-05-28T00:15:00.004-04:00

The shower is over... w00t.

No it actually went fairly well I thought, and some people complimented me on it so that's cool as well. And now I can relax a little. And I had a lot of fun too so that helped.

I was even invited to a gaming night! It was the night of the shower though so I couldn't get some gaming on... damn it!

Well camp trainings have started in earnest (helped run the the one today in fact), my boss is off on a cruise so I'm running the show at work as well... So I did say a little.

In other news, The Rain Slick Precipice of Darkness is out and I'm thinking I needs to play it. So tempted to buy it. So tempted.

I know this is a lame update, and I do actually have a bit of rant to go on about a certain DM of mine hamstringing characters by forcibly changing ability scores after they've been completely generated. I mean race and class chosen, feats selected, skills allocated, weapons purchased, and an an entire gaming session played. I'm not playing an elf for the low light vision. That's for damn sure.

Oh... and I found some absolutely terrible scifi movies. To put this in perspective for some of you who have an inkling as to my... ahem... taste in movies.

They make 'The Kings Guard' look like a blockbuster hit. One of them even directly rips off scenes from the original Battlestar Galactica. And I really really wish I were joking. I'm talking actual footage of Vipers flying around fighting Raiders.

-sigh-

It's delicious...

Tank! - Yoko Kano and the Seatbelts

FERRETS!

2008-04-25T23:53:00.003-04:00

My roommate just dropped $500 dollars.

And I came home to Ferrets!

That's right! There are now two in my house. Along with an asshole rat and a couple of gerbils. Doug likes small furry things it seems.

FERRETS!

Someone in the show I'm in (My Favorite Year, based on Mel Brooks early career... I think) told me to update my damn blog. Which is funny since that's one of the reasons I'm never home anymore to do just that sort of thing.

I had a good week though. April ran about 4000 times more smoothly than February Vacation for the kiddos, and I got to go on every field trip since I drove! Awesome.

Ferrets...

There were pogs in my house...

2008-03-17T02:48:00.002-04:00

The Raven
Edgar Allen Poe

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak
and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a
tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber
door.
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber
door;
Only this, and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon
the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of surrow, sorrow for the lost
Lenore,.
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name
Lenore,
Nameless here forevermore.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain
Thrilled me---filled me with fantastic terrors never felt
before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood
repeating,
"'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber
door,
Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.
This is it, and nothing more."

Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
"Sir," said I, "or madam, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is, I was napping, and so gently you came
rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my cham-
ber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you." Here I opened
wide the door;---
Darkness there, and nothing more.

Deep into the darkness peering, long I stood there, won-
dering, fearing
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortals ever dared to
dream before;
But the silence was unbroken, and the stillness gave no
token,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word,
"Lenore?",
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word,
"Lenore!"
Merely this, and nothing more.

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me
burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping, something louder than
before,
"Surely," said I, "surely, that is something at my window
lattice.
Let me see, then, what thereat is, and this mystery explore.
Let my heart be still a moment, and this mystery explore.
'Tis the wind, and nothing more."

Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and
flutter,
In there stepped a stately raven, of the saintly days of
yore.
Not the least obeisance made he; not a minute stopped or
stayed he;
But with mien of lord or lady, perched above my cham-
ber door.
Perched upon a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber
door,
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.

Then this ebony bird beguiling my sad fancy into smiling,
By the grave and stern decorum of the countenance it
wore,
"Though thy crest be shorn and shaven thou," I said, "art
sure no craven,
Ghastly, grim, and ancient raven, wandering from the
nightly shore.
Tell me what the lordly name is on the Night's Pluton-
ian shore."
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

Much I marvelled this ungainly fowl to hear discourse so
plainly,
Though its answer little meaning, little relevancy bore;
For we cannot help agreeing that no living human being
Ever yet was blessed with seeing bird above his cham-
ber door,
Bird or beast upon the sculptured bust above his cham-
ber door,
With such name as "Nevermore."

But the raven, sitting lonely on that placid bust, spoke only
That one word, as if his soul in that one word he did
outpour.
Nothing further then he uttered; not a feather then he
fluttered;
Till I scarcely more than muttered,"Other friends have
flown before;
On the morrow he will leave me, as my hopes have flown
before."
Then the bird said,"Nevermore."

Startled at the stillness broken by reply so aptly spoken,
"Doubtless," said I, "what it utters is its only stock and
store,
Caught from some unhappy master, whom unmerciful
disaster
Followed fast and followed faster, till his songs one
burden bore,---
Till the dirges of his hope that melancholy burden bore
Of "Never---nevermore."

But the raven still beguiling all my fancy into smiling,
Straight I wheeled a cushioned seat in front of bird and
bust and door;,
Then, upon the velvet sinking, I betook myself to linking
Fancy unto fancy, thinking what this ominous bird of
yore,
What this grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous
bird of yore
Meant in croaking, "Nevermore."

Thus I sat engaged in guessing, but no syllable expressing
To the fowl, whose fiery eyes now burned into my
bosom's core;
This and more I sat divining, with my head at ease re-
clining
On the cushion's velvet lining that the lamplight gloated
o'er,
But whose velvet violet lining with the lamplight gloating
o'er
She shall press, ah, nevermore!

Then, methought, the air grew denser, perfumed from an
unseen censer
Swung by seraphim whose footfalls tinkled on the tufted
floor.
"Wretch," I cried, "thy God hath lent thee -- by these
angels he hath sent thee
Respite---respite and nepenthe from thy memories of
Lenore!
Quaff, O quaff this kind nepenthe, and forget this lost
Lenore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore!"

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil!--prophet still, if bird or
devil!
Whether tempter sent, or whether tempest tossed thee
here ashore,
Desolate, yet all undaunted, on this desert land enchanted--
On this home by horror haunted--tell me truly, I implore:
Is there--is there balm in Gilead?--tell me--tell me I im-
plore!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

"Prophet!" said I, "thing of evil--prophet still, if bird or
devil!
By that heaven that bends above us--by that God we
both adore--
Tell this soul with sorrow laden, if, within the distant
Aidenn,
It shall clasp a sainted maiden, whom the angels name
Lenore---
Clasp a rare and radiant maiden, whom the angels name
Lenore?
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

"Be that word our sign of parting, bird or fiend!' I shrieked,
upstarting--
"Get thee back into the tempest and the Night's Pluton-
ian shore!
Leave no black plume as a token of that lie thy soul hath
spoken!
Leave my loneliness unbroken! -- quit the bust above
my door!
Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form
from off my door!"
Quoth the raven, "Nevermore."

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting
On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;
And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is
dreaming.
And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws the shadow
on the floor;
And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on
the floor
Shall be lifted---nevermore!

O Sole Mio - Me First and the Gimmie Gimmies

Velut Arbor Aevo

2008-03-14T01:23:00.002-04:00

Si possem sanior essem.
Sed trahit invitam nova vis; aliudque Cupido,
Mens aliud.

Ovid (Publius Ovidius Naso), Metamorphoses (VII, 18)

Not much to hear, save a lone heartbeat.

And so my family grows.

2008-02-19T07:09:00.000-05:00

Back for another post. Lets see, what's happened since I left you all. It's vacation week now, have some fun field trips to look forward to on top of all day kiddies. Fun fun. Bought some new pants as well. They're greenish. That sort of olive khaki colour green though. Comfy.

I am having a bitch of time beating the damn Slayer song in Guitar Hero 3. Same spot fucking kills me every time. I've taken to actually using their 'practice' function so I can slow down the song and try and figure it out. And you know what? Even THAT can kick my ass. I can beat every other song on hard with the exception of Dragonforce, Through the Fire and Flames. But even that's the bonus song of awesome you get to play AFTER defeating *****SPOILER ALERT***** Satan. Yes I was made to add that alert. I'm annoyed. So damn annoyed. I want to move on beyond hard. You'd think that if I can beat every other song in hard, I could pull that one off. Yet I can only get me about 37% of the way through.

Oh yes. The other annoying thing that happened to me. Bootcamp. Apparently I'm not good enough for Apple to deign to allow me the priviledge of using it. And all because I don't have $130 to spend on Leopard. Tiger's working just fine for me right now, I really don't want to have to switch. Quick! Someone steal me a copy! Go now and pirate for me!

...please?

Did I mention my brother got engaged? Just one more proof that Camp is the greatest place on earth. It's been a good weekend! Now, on to planning the bachelor party...

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-15T02:30:00.006-05:00

Oh god has it really been a week? Sorry guys I've been battling some kind of Martian Death Plague. Don't really know what it is, only that I'm freakin' wiped out all the time. Then of course, I can't fall asleep at night which compounds the issue. I got sick of lying in bed waiting to do just that so I decided to post since it's been a week!

Of course, being sick means there's not so much news at all to tell. I've had work, rehearsals, a public hearing on proposed new licensing regulations (bureaucracy sure is fucking boring, especially when all you want to do is take your turn on record and get the hell out because your temples after twenty three years of getting along just fine on opposite sides of your head have decided they want to meet one another at last. And of course that one woman who is there to complain, not to offer advice, voice a concern, or even criticize but to just whine a lot is right before you in line...) and went to Your Move Games prerelease for UFS (which I won... w00t).

That's about it really. Too tired to move much more, so I'm going to end this post here. I want to talk a bit about some of the programming we're trying to get done at camp, but I'll do that later. Big meeting to discuss just this very thing in the morning in fact. But goodnight!

Shut the fuck up you damn bird I'm trying to sleep!

PS: If you're up for something odd, try googling 'Martian Death Plague'. Some very suprising results, at least to me.

I've got guns & Jutsus

2008-02-07T01:05:00.001-05:00

Your Move Games was pretty full today. Got to teach a guy how to play UFS, and got a few real matches in as well which was welcome. I cannot lie, there was indeed a whole lot of pokemon being played amongst a few DS systems there, at least they showed me a way to hatch my egg easily. Now I need to catch like five more.

Gotta catch 'em all.

Next Sunday we're having a pre-release at the store though for the two new sets of UFS. Maybe now people will stop whining if they lose to me. Fairs fucking fair, in Toronto I was better than Tyler and Christian. And Tyler could put up one hell of a fight. Everyone else (except for a certain Kyo deck that my Ken could occasionally pull off a win against) pwned my ASS hardcore.

Here Steve's my competition really if I'm playing one of my better decks (namely Ken, Rock, or Adon) but we've got a host of newbies, at least two maybe three who are just picking it up so they'll be able to duke it out with one another with some level of parity. As for the other three guys who have been playing for a while... they've got to drop the damn two checks, learn what card advantage means, and stop complaining about cards they don't have. They've got cards I don't have too. Grah. Had a good throw down using my Astaroth against Chris' Terry deck today though. First round went to me after I managed to use my Astaroth's R: to spam attacks (I had three Floats running in my staging area... it was pretty) until I drew down into Demented Moon for the win. We were at 4 and 5 life each so it was close. The second match was equally close, I couldn't draw enough attacks to finish him off, and he nailed me with a Buster Wolf, juiced up with its Powerful, and following a Fierce Determination (which I traded him in the first place) as the finishing touch.

The third game saw me with a starting hand of Demented Moon, Lost Memories, Experienced, Legendary Blade, Float Like a Butterfly, and False Contrition. Oh yeah. I can deal with that. A first turn Float always makes my job easier, the lost memories slowed him up (that Terry runs Float off All) and experienced is good in my deck. A two drop to follow Float and Legendary Blade that helps me play a lot of my cards was great, especially since I made every check and had Astaroth available to let me throw down Lost Memories the first turn as well. Three foundations is a solid start any day. But chucking in an asset like Legendary Blade made me feel good things about the coming third round. Even better was on my next draw I picked up two Made Not Born, another Lost Memories, and a Beginners Luck. Fucking sweet. Four or five turns later, with a Gyulkus and a Dirty Pool in play, I played a twenty one point unblockable Demented Moon for the win. I like my Astaroth. His job is to survive until he can bring all his guns to bear and take out the trash. Luckily he's got the vitality to pull it off most of the time.

Work was interesting. Not much to say. We have one prick of a child in our program, but he can be dealt with. Kids watched The Gameplan today, no one spotted Emily, but they weren't looking all that hard I'm sure. Other than that, I'm not really all that interesting tonight.

Well since I'm pretty much done with this post, time to kick Steve out of my room and shut guitar hero off for the night.

Nautical Disaster - The Tragically Hip

Looks Like Hillary's taking this state.

2008-02-05T23:31:00.002-05:00

Hello out there in the world.

I had a very full day today. Voted, started work quite a bit early, like 8:30 early (I normally go in at 10:00 and today I was supposed to start at 11:00, so yes this was very early indeed) as I was called by my boss. Why the fuck did I answer that phone... hell on any other day I would have slept through it (it was set to stealth mode) I was up early to vote and meet for breakfast. Random luck that I walked by it when it was ringing. It was almost immediately after my DS woke me up as well.

It's not my job that to cover preschool when a teacher is called out. No seriously, it's not at all. But today I was an assistant doing just that. I love where I work, and am all about helping out, but that's way out of my zone of expertise here. The kicker, instead of getting out early? I end up staying late since we were down staff and such. I think I've spent maybe an hour and a half total, all times added together in my office in the last two days. Grah! I just hope shits getting done in there.

Had goodbye cake today though. Sad because I'll miss the guy who's leaving, but it was tasty!

Lets see now, I voted (not the town I live in but the one I work in is either insane or just collectively moronic about where they're voting is held. In one place, in a busy area, with one way in and one way out. Of course, it's pretty much next door to where I work so driving twenty feet was like diving headfirst into a power juicer. That's right, it felt like my brain was an orange with Fruitfucker Prime on the loose. Not so much fun.) worked, had pancakes for dinner (Mardi Gras!), attended rehearsal to block a scene for my show. Waited a long time for other people to show up for the second scene that was supposed to be blocked that of course never showed up. So now I'm home and tired. Steve's been strumming away on Guitar Hero over my shoulder for... actually a very long time! Fuck that my turn! My Wii my turn!

Goodnight.

No Transitory - Alexis on Fire
(also an attempt at Through the Fire and Flames with GHIII)

PS: I'm so going for an ALL patch to bust out with for Ken.

Armageddon Empires

2008-02-05T00:09:00.001-05:00

Ahhhhh, falling asleep to the dulcet tones of Ninja Scroll. Ani-Monday, thank you for showing me a classic after a long Monday.

My classes went well though. Jerk kid wasn't too jerky and things went smoothly for the most part. Got to clean for a good hour and a half though. Oh there was anger. There was much anger. I bit of blood too, but only a little bit. The Superbowl party trashed my god damn rooms, so bad the cleaning staff couldn't even get in there.

And we all know how much I LOVE to clean up other peoples messes.

Tycho, this game better be worth me mucking through the instructions, it's not so much well thought out. I'm taking your word for it, please don't steer me wrong.

Now to the bed. For tomorrow, I vote!

Ninja Scroll - Clangy clash clash of bitchin' swordplay

It's a doozy

2008-02-04T04:25:00.001-05:00

"My name is Wil Wheaton, and Jack Thompson can suck my balls."

Just listened to Wheaton's keynote speech from PAX last night. It was awesome, and you should hear it too. So go now! Shoo! Listen to it now! What I've quoted was the introductory line... awesome.

I'm back to blog. And yes it's because certain people began poking me with sticks (both proverbial and literal... you fuckers). Everyday before I go to bed and after I brush my teeth it seems. So tonight I'm going to start. If anyone is wondering why I'm up at 4:30am, I'm going running to try and detox from the horror that was the Superbowl. How the fuck did we manage to lose that one?

I Am A Poseur - X-Ray Spex

Roles a bit more clearly defined.

2007-11-01T23:40:00.000-04:00

Yikes are the weeks flying by! Work and training and now I get to blog again before I go to bed. Tomorrow I've got the day off so's I can go and have the entire weekend at Carnage, a convention that I used to go to on a regular basis in my youth. Or at least before I went to T.O. for school. I'm excited, the entire apartment is actually. Steve's trying to decide which M:tG decks to bring along with the UFS. There was some mention about Yu-Gi-Oh! in there as well, but it remains to be seen whether or not he's willing to deal with the certain heckling from Adam and myself. Adam's just shut his door to the world so who the hell knows what he's doing in preparation.

Me? I'm packing clothes, some cards (just decks and my UFS rare binder for trades maybe), listening to my new CD (details on what to come later), and the Star Wars d20 core books for a session I registered for. After I finish this post and that, I'm going to get the hell to bed. I've been wiped out since ten.

Yes, me, Jae wanted to go to sleep at ten. Odd isn't it?

*EDIT The next part of my post deals with my job. According to my employers' Electronic Code of Conduct I can't mention my workplace specifically by name in a public forum like this one. Anywhere potentially anyone can find and read what's written, you've got to be really careful about what you put down.

Of course if you know me at all, you'll know where I work. I just can't bitch about people if kids can find it online and know it was someone about someone they know, perhaps even them.

What I AM allowed to say is that I have a job, I work with kids, I have an awesome set of upper management (I actually mean that too. There's some really useless meatsacks wasting space here, don't get me wrong. But I don't report to them.), get along pretty well with my staff, some I'd even call friends, and I go home both happy and tired almost every day. Truth be told, I haven't been posting a lot because I wasn't sure what specifically I could get canned for here, and since I've been wrapped up in really digging my heels in anyways. It's been fun.

Long story short, if you know me and you leave a comment please don't use a name about the job. I can't post it or I could get fired. They take that stuff very seriously (I work with kids after all), and I LIKE my job. Thanks.

Works been pretty good for the most part.. Some behavior issues to deal with every now and then of course but nothing too nasty. Halloween happened which was pretty sweet (and yes I got to go trick or treating, keepin' the streak alive!) though they didn't carve pumpkins until today. Day after and all but whatever, it amused everyone and the entire childcare wing smelled like pumpkin!

What did your intrepid author get to do during the Halloween party? I had a tape recorder, a game called 'Fairy Tale' (also known as '...and then' to some) and a whole bunch of kids from ages 5 to 14. They went youngest to oldest recording the next part of the story. Needless to say there was lots of death, poop, and explosions of course, but it was/is freakin' HILARIOUS. I even got cake. It was tasty. As only free cake can be.

My biggest problem this week actually was being shorts staffed as my minions called out for some silly preference of watching the sox parade, the aforementioned discipline problems and you know what one major problem for childcare professionals is? The god damn fucking meds kids get these days. See, we pick them up after school and have them for 3 plus hours and guess, just GUESS when their meds start wearing off. You betcha! Right after school ends! HOO-FUCKING-RAY!

Now some of them really need to be on what their on to survive a day at school. And off them they're just fine actually. In fact I like a lot of the kids that give us the biggest problems sometimes. Off them meds they're great kids, and on them they're great too.

It's that in-between state.

Youth personalities adjusting to chemical balances within their bodies changing = my group leaders worst nightmares. It's awful. We almost literally witness explosions of energy and very visible mood swings happen sometimes in spans of minutes and sometimes very long hours. If it were just them it would be hilarious. It's the collateral damage we have to minimize and prevent.

You don't think minutes is a big deal? Take a monkey, give it speed, set it loose in a classroom. Then sit back and bear witness.

Enough on that though!

The Pats are facing off against Indy this weekend. This will be fun to watch.

The Revs are in the playoffs. Go Revs!

The Bruins actually have a winning record going into their division series.

The NLL lacrosse season was uncanceled! The Blazers are the only team not to confirm, but their the expansion team so I hope that's the delay.

The Celtics (I don't care all that much, but I live here so it's a bit difficult to escape) have been picked to win the East. Though from what I've understood in years past, teams with losing records went to the playoffs from the East. I hope the division's become a bit tougher and they have a real chance, instead of a chance in hell chance.

Well toodles, this thing was not supposed to b this long and rambly.

Bat out of Hell - Meatloaf

Did I mention that the Red Sox were the best team in baseball? That we've got another World Series? I may have forgotten stuff.

FUCK YEAH!

Yikes

2007-10-25T01:14:00.000-04:00

So. The Rockies got spanked.

Very hard.

Work's been keeping me busy, and I'm liking it a lot.

More on that later. But for now I've got to go to bed.

Dear god did the Sox spank the Rockies though. I hope it keeps up but I can't see Colorado being that bad every night. Also we won't have Beckett being that good every night either. Though our pitching isn't bad for the rest of the series.

Oops

2007-10-01T23:57:00.001-04:00

I forgot my password.

Actually I'd forgotten my username.

But I'm better now.

Hey, the Pat's just spanked the Bengals. And the Sox are in the playoffs. And the other good news? The Revolution won again. Sweet.

SF show quote: "...we are both patriots.'

2007-06-25T23:38:00.000-04:00

First day of camp gone off without too much of a hitch. Had nine of my CITs, the last one comes tomorrow. One of them really didn't want to be there at all but we'll see what we can do to make her life less miserable at camp.

In the meantime, a little wisdom from one of the great sf writers;

By ‘nationalism’ I mean first of all the habit of assuming that human
beings can be classified like insects and that whole blocks of millions
or tens of millions of people can be confidently labeled ‘good’ or
‘bad’. But secondly–and this is much more important–I mean
the habit of identifying oneself with a single nation or other unit, placing
it beyond good and evil and recognising no other duty than that of
advancing its interests. Nationalism is not to be confused with
patriotism. Both words are normally used in so vague a way that any
definition is liable to be challenged, but one must draw a distinction
between them, since two different and even opposing ideas are involved.
By ‘patriotism’ I mean devotion to a particular place and a particular
way of life, which one believes to be the best in the world but has no
wish to force on other people. Patriotism is of its nature defensive,
both militarily and culturally. Nationalism, on the other hand, is
inseparable from the desire for power.

Notes on Nationalism by George Orwell

Enjoy the week everybody. It's the summer. 90's with high humidity tomorrow.

The waiting game

2007-06-21T10:37:00.000-04:00

Sitting here, waiting
Need a ride, so I can work
Wakanda begins.

C.I.T.'s reign supreme!

2007-06-15T21:51:00.000-04:00

So's I'm back in the town of beans, and I've been working up a bit of a storm. The afterschool program stuff is winding down, and camp is revving up to go. I've got some ideas and a general outline of what I want to do with my CITs now, and I've made some good contacts at other camps with whom to swap info and compare notes. For those of you who don't know or are confused I'm the CIT Program Director now. This morning we were actually on site at camp getting some more work down there and things are looking good. We even got suprise visitors! People we hadn't seen in a long time which was cool. We're in good shape there over all. If only the damn Tee-Pee would show up.

Then there's the paper side of it and that's almost a walking nightmare. It's also the reason I haven't made it home before ten every night this week until today. I don't mind, not at all. I could use the money, I've got stuff that needs getting done, and if I'm able to help out someone else (namely my boss, not my brother but his boss) that's a good thing too. It should be a good summer though, most of the crew we have are very dedicated and almost everyone is a returning Wakanda veteran. There's 'Hollywood' who I think I might deck before the summer ends, and a girl I find abrasive as all hell... let's call her 'Nails' for these purposes, but other than that I think the staff is awesome. And the boss is on our side since she understands that Wakanda is the greatest place ever to exist.

It helps that she fully supports the anti camp rotary fervor we're kicking up.

Now... I say I might hit Hollywood, but other people tell me he's almost a different person up at camp and that he's a lot better. For now though just about everything about him ticks me the hell off. His nickname is Hollywood for gods sake! That says a lot about him actually. If I don't kill him, I'm at least going to grind his glasses and blackberry under my heel.

Wait, this is the first night I've had a bit of free time at all. Why the hell am I inside?!? On that note! Bye!

Now let's see if I can track someone down...

Condors are very, very big birds.

2007-06-08T20:33:00.000-04:00

I saw very large birds today while standing at the lip of a very big hole in the ground. And also had both cúy and alpaca in the same meal. I had to pick out little tiny claws from the guinea pig, which is pretty good but insanely bony.

What else can I even talk about? Let's see. I'm in Arequipa waiting for our bus to leave. It's an overnighter, but it gives new meaning to the term. I'm going to make sure I have some pictures of it, but it's a double decker with seats that fold into beds or something. Some of the other buses I've taken here have had what I call 'ride attendants' to serve you as on a plane. Usually it's pretty comfortable even if the dvd skips like crazy from the road.

If only greyhound was like that...

I suppose I should mention that avocados here are huge, and delicious, and as ubiquitous as apples are in New England. They're everywhere, and cheap, and so very very good. Christian's going to be jealous of this. What else for food... there's the pisco sours, the local famous brandy stuff that I think is pretty good and Chip detests, and Inca Cola.

Ah Inca Cola... it's this crazy nuclear-yellow color and tastes like a fruity hybrid somewhere between bubblegum and rootbeer. And that's about the only way to describe it. It's the locally produced and favorite soft drink though and my goal is definately to bring some home. At the very least to prove how unnervingly yellow the stuff is. And if you think I didn't do a very good job of describing its taste then when I get back, YOU can taste it and then tell me. It almost defies description. It's so yellow it almost glows. The one tee-shirt I nabbed was an Inca Cola one, as I'm fond of the strange eldritch elixer. Expect to see it if I see you.

I'm very bored right now. I think I'll go play scrabble with the family or something. I've already finished a few books on this trip (thank god for the hostel book exchange) in down time and I'm going to probably finish another one on this trip. Let´s see, I finished 'A Canticle for Leibowitz', and moved on to a novel called 'Alas, Babylon' by Pat Frank. I wouldn't much recommend it, it was a quick read and follows the trials and tribulations of a group of people caught in central Florida in a basically all clear zone during and after nuclear war between the USSR and the States. It was written sometime after the Korean War and before the Vietnam War got underway, so a lot of the assumptions and talks center around that. If you like what if scenarios and Swiss Family Robinson type stuff then go for it. I'll say this for it, it killed some time.

After that I found a Philip K. Dick story 'Inter-galactic Pot Healer', which was welcome to say the least after 'Alas, Babylon'. Better writing, more interesting, and well, it's Dick so it was good. Look, it's been a long day (up at 5am to see the Condors) and my brain's not trying all that hard to provide you my very bored reader with proper and exciting exposition about things in the recent past. Short story is;

Canticle was pretty good.
Alas, Babylon was readable.
Pot Healer was a fun one.
My next book is the Bourne Supremacy.

For those of you scoffing at my next 'selection' let it be known that it won out over the likes of 'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People', a plethora of Danielle Steele and lesser known romantic novelists, and the '2007 Visitors guide to New York City'. I think there was a Tom Clancy novel in there as well but I tend to glaze over those and move on without paying attention so I can't be sure. I think I made the right choice.

I can't think of things to write and yet we've done a lot here. We're approaching the 1,000 picture mark so you'll get to see a lot of Peru and Bolivia.

OH! I´ve been meaning to respond to the Comment left on one of my entries for a while but commenting from here hasn't been working so let me say something here.

Whoever it may be who blogged.

1. Emily is 8. She's in very good physical condition. I stopped her from hyper-ventilating because she was starting to panic. She was fine. We were just you know, really really freaking high up where it's difficult to breath when you're hiking up. The air was just very thin and she did a lot better than some of the adults on the Inca Trail. Try explaining to an eight year old how to control her breathing, really do it. I'd like to hear how you faired. Again. She was fine and it was once, and early on and she was more scared than anything.

We had the lightest packs possible. We had two changes of clothes (for three days), 2+ liters of water each (Emily did not carry anything on the trail, and we were required 2 liters minimum), a towel, and that's it. What are you talking about? It was long and arduous, but worth it at the end. We weren't sleeping in tents and we were in the cloud forest not the rainforest.

Anyways. Hi, who are you anyways? Do you have a name?

Home on Monday. Like 3 days to go now.

Hi, bye

2007-06-07T08:46:00.000-04:00

So the computer I'm on is still running Windows 98 as it's OS. It's stepping into the way back machine or something. I actually just looked at the clustermaps and it seems the only place showing up is Arequipa (where I am now, surrounded by big, big volcanos). There's a bunch of new ones from what looks like Santiago, Chilé and parts of Argentina. Gotta run to the deepest canyon in the world now. Bye.

Out of Bolivia safe and sound

2007-06-05T14:01:00.000-04:00

So! I´ve been trying to blog with some kind of frequency, but of late the connections have been too slow to let me even log in without timing out. Then again I was in Bolivia, a substantially poorer country than Peru. Well, we're back in Puno, Peru and just had another lunch in the form of a 'menú'. Now we're in an internet cafe (obviously since I could type this) killing time until our bus leaves for Arequipa (five hour ride), where hopefully I get to see the deepest canyon in the world. The place is also apparently surrounded by vocanos, so this should be fun! Especially since we're dropping about a mile in altitude... now that we've just about fully adjusted to it of course.

Yesterday we hiked Isla del Sol (after a very sloooooowwwww ferry ride over) which according to legend was the birthplace of the first Inca, and before that the place that gave birth to just about everything in the world. It was neat. Dry. Very dry. And a very long walk. Somehow it seemed be mostly uphill as well, and with the complete lack of tree cover (not many trees at that altitude anyways)it was dry, cold, and sunny. The sun was incredibly strong since we were so high up, but it was too cold to not wear long sleeves. That probably saved me from some serious sunburn though so I suppose it's a wash.

Bolivian T.V. Talk about a propganda conduit for the government. Just about every hour had about fifteen minutes devoted to saying good things about the President. I mean they could have made even Bill-O and Fox noise blush. Sometimes you have to see the other side to appreciate just how important some things are. And yes of course, as anywhere, The Simpsons are on at all and random hours of the day. Los Simpsons! My favorite parts are when they read anything written on a sign (or Bart's chalkboard in the opening sequence) aloud in spanish over whatevers going on in the show.

I'm not sure what else I've forgotten to blog about. There was the long bus trip from Cusco to Puno a while back (about ten hours with the stops to visit some tourist things) in which we saw some interesting things. We've also all been pretty sick (Emily's actually been pretty much fine though) but I'm feeling a hell of a lot better than I was even a few days ago, and Chip was never all that bad. Mom though had a rough time of it for a while. And no this has nothing to do with altitude, these are the cold old fashion viral and bacterial sicknesses. All kinds of fun.

It seems like the local 'protest' is over now completely. By protest it was kind of an almost earth day event though. People were parading with bands and such to stop polution with signs demanding greater protections for Lake Titicaca which they (and rightly so from my point of view) see as their and their city's future.

The trout here is freakin' tasty. The Alpaca delicious. And guinea pigs aren't just pets anymore. Roast 'cuy' being a local delicacy. It just goes to prove again that cuter means more delicious. I've got to try and remember to get a picture of it...

That's all for now. I'm going to have a fairly steep bill so I've got to run now. Bye from Peru!

Internets are slowwwwwww here.

2007-06-01T16:54:00.000-04:00

I'm going to keep this brief since the webs are really slow here. We are kind of in the middle of the Andes out by the middle of almost nowhere so I'm happy to have access at all though.
He'res what's happened the last couple of days,

Day trip to hike ruins in Pisaq and Ollantaytambo.
Hiked the Inca trail to Machu Pichu.
(here I learned a new loathing for stairs)
Went back to Machu Picchu to watch the sunrise, and hike up Waynapichu.
(here the loathing was reaffirmed).
Went to some natural mineral hotsprings and a museum.
And slept. A lot. In between hikes.

This medicine sucks. The worst stuffs over but I still get this really freakin' weird tingly feeling in my fingertips, face, and feet sometimes. The Inca trail is really something different. Hiking it you get a two guides one person to lead from the front and one to follow at the rear and then the rest of you. For people such as myself and family, living at basically sea level, you learn fast that you just can't seem to breath.

I had to stop Emily from hyperventilating fairly early on actually. We were hiking with a group obviously and this thing ends up forcing bonds on people. Justin/Justino our guide called us a family and we definitely bonded as such. The Chambers from Tennessee had a bit of an easier time of it with much lighter packs and having lived on a plateau and whatnot, but we all suffered pretty much together. Andrea and Chris were the closest people to my age on the trip, but what was more surprising was that their grandparents did the trail. Yeah they were in the back with 'Happy Eric' (the guy was always freakin' smiling) as the rear guide for most of the time but they made it.

This thing made people in pretty damn good shape stop for breathers, swear out loud at steps and have to help each other up steps and these octagenarians actually MADE IT THROUGH. It was impressive. So was Machu Picchu. It was so worth the climb and we made some good friends on the way. But when was the last time I was asleep before 8:30? After that trek I was.

The Incas must have had the lung capacity of a humpback whale and legs like tree trunks because everything they built, EVERYTHING, is just so high.

Time to catch the train for Cusco however, and from there on to Puno, Copacabana, and Lake Titicaka.

From the Andes with love

2007-05-29T10:35:00.000-04:00

I'm in the Peru right now. About to head out on another adventure. So you know, the medication I'm taking for the altitude sickness is the terribles. I think altitude sickness would be worse but this stuff just sucks.

We also keep getting fed coca laced tea.

Time to go. More to come when I have more time, about home too since I didn't write anything about that, the Y, or about how I may or may not become qualified to drive a greyhound bus around.

Bye

It's changing quite a bit.

2007-05-03T12:06:00.000-04:00

My Daemon has switched a few times since I've been looking at it. Last night it was a mouse (?!?) and now it's back to a raccoon this morning. Interesting.

Trina?

2007-05-02T18:02:00.001-04:00

A... a raccoon? Ooookay?

I'm not too sure how it got humble out of that questionnaire... I'd like to be humble but I don't know if I qualify. And shy? WTF? I am? You guys look and see.

Rudy can Ski!

2007-05-02T01:08:00.000-04:00

I'm watching a movie with a bald Bruce Campbell. I think he's dying of cancer or something. He's not the star though, no that's in fact Sean Astin. This movie is crazy. That's right. Of the Bat shit freakin' variety.

Did I mention Bruce Campbell's a terrorist? And that not only is the movie taking place on a ski resort, but it's hitting on every freaking cliche that I could possibly think of. The damn thing is named 'Icebreaker'.

Brucies name is 'Greg', his cronies names are Josh (the hipster techie cliche), Franz (the creepy looking blonde East German looking doctor/terrorist cliche), and there's Sandra, the British chick who's a mercenary who was brought in from Canada to help the terrorists get there stolen Plutonium out. Like I said, cliched to hell. And I didn't even mention the love story between Astin and Stacy Keach where he's the poor as dirt local ski patroller and she's the rich girl who's father doesn't approve...

Stupid ass one liners soaked up by Christian and I;
- "Hope you don't mind a little walk."
- "Will! There's some strange shit happening at the local ski resort!"
- "Go! Go like a man... Leave Me... Go!"
- "How did they get Louis out of Beck?", "No one really listens anymore...", "What?"
- "If it were dangerous would it be in a small plane?"
- "Why am I sensing a bad weather report?"

Just as a sidenote! THAT'S CLEARLY A SUBMACHINE GUN! THEY DON'T FIRE LIKE THAT!
... and he's also a really really crappy shot.

- "He're's a tip, the next time someone hands you a gun while being chased by by machine gun wielding psychos... SHOOT THEM!", "Yeah, that's a good tip."
- "He're's what I need from you, peace and quiet, and then I'll be out of your hair before the die phase!"
- "Isn't that... stupid?", "No, it's suicide... but... she's all I got man."
- "Here? On my mountain? TERRORISTS?!?"
- "People get scared when you do that! They start jumping off! Like those... furry... things...", "...Lemmings?"

This Mr. Clay guy who runs the place is having a bad, bad day. And he's also kind of an idiot. The future father-in-law of Astin's is a dick too. I'm laughing way too hard to keep this up though. This is very much a Jae good movie. So worth the two bucks I paid for it.

This thing is just getting more and more ridiculous (read: awesome!) as it goes!

One last line though!
- "This is not a good place! I'm a park ranger not the lone ranger!"

*snicker*

- http://www.pandora.com

Winter, for Poland and France

2007-04-25T11:03:00.000-04:00

Hey look! 'Super Earth'!

It's a dumb thing to call it yes, but still very cool! Gliese is bigger, has a year of thirteen freakin' earth days, and also happens to be twenty and a half light years away so my vacation plans aren't going to be quick in coming... but it's in the right mix of temperatures and that means we silly humans have another world to think about messing up by colonizing besides Mars. Yes I'm geeking out and no you can't rain on my parade so there!

To go back to this world of the absurd, wonderful, hilarious and frightening though, I give you... this. Just when you think that Japan has a lock on the this-is-so-crazy-it's-actually-awesome, South Korea comes through and shows that the competition is far from over. So you know, you'll have to sign up for YouTube to view it. Apparently someone out there thought it contained material for those in the 18+ crowd. That's right. Ballroom dancing is now inappropriate for minors. If you don't have a YouTube account already though you've either been under a rock the last two years, or not connected to the greatest information sharing device since mail was invented, and should probably get one anyways.

I was going to complain about Bill O'Rielly being a terrible human being, but I'm in a good mood right now (don't want to spoil it) and I have to get back to work. Though it's nice that I'm able to do it outside now that the weathers nice. Strange that I get better internet reception in my back yard than I do in my kitchen though don't you think?

Alicia's decided that I needed a new profile picture along with Devora and Christian. So they did this. Well mostly Alicia did it with tacit approval from Devora.

Yeah... I have like no say sometimes. It's growing on me though...

She's My Man - Scissor Sisters

It's like the uber-crossover or something.

2007-04-14T08:46:00.000-04:00

This cartoon, whatever it is, was basically ripped off from my deepest memories and subconscious desires as a youth.

Who am I kidding? They still are!

I've heard the Star Wars theme in the background during a Supermanesque backstory... complete with bug/cylon hybrids chasing a princess in her private starship.

Christ I've noticed Spiderman, X-Men, Star Wars, Ender's Game, Batman, and even a few Hitch-Hikers Guide references, and if that wasn't from the Last Starfighter then I'm a moderately evolved ape. The talking poultry, so Mighty Max...

In short this thing is freakin' awesome. The strangest and probably only Fairly Odd Parents (I just found out what it was) episode I'll ever watch to its entirety, and enjoy.

Devora made cupcakes!

2007-04-07T01:10:00.000-04:00

And I got to eat one. No frosting. But still tasty!

It's damn chilly outside too!

Okay, now that it's fresh in my mind after wrestling with it to let me in and post finally (huh... um... it's been a while hasn't it?) New Blogger irks me. Well maybe not irks...

I guess the jury is still out as far as I'm concerned on this 'new blogger' then. For those of you not involved with this portion of the digital world, Google went in and devoured blogspot a while back. What does this mean for me? Stupidly I had to create a new account so that Google could use their strange alchemical processes and make my experience somehow better than it was prior to their ascending the throne. Really, they wanted more people to have google accounts. God (or Satan?) only knows why. What are they doing with them? Do they print out user names in giant lists on thousands of sheets of paper and then roll in them with orgasmic fervor? WHAT WAS THE POINT?!?

As far as I can tell this is what's changed so far;

- I'm being annoyed a lot more.
- I now have a google account. Whoopee.
- My sign in username went from six keystrokes to twenty fucking three.
- My browsers suddenly become cousin to Sesame Streets fuzzy blue cookie addicted creature of sin. Google loves cookies it seems. If only I could pelt it with Oreos in a vain attempt to satiate it's demands! But alas...
- Did I mention the I'm really annoyed part?

Other than those things. Not much that I can see has changed.

In other news. Almost done with this year. I'm almost scared of how much I'm looking forward to working at Camp Wakanda again this year. Almost. Because I'm still excited. On that topic, I'm trying to find some archery lessons in the area, can anyone help? Hart House hasn't replied to me, and both stores I've called haven't picked up their phone, or returned my messages.

MAY WHY CAN'T YOU BE HERE ALREADY!

Quick Post Filler Thing

2007-03-22T09:44:00.000-04:00

So, I'm about to run to class in about sixty seconds but I hadn't put something in since Pi Day.

It's Spring now. Still kind of gross out. At least the Athletic Banquet is tonight so that should be fun. It'll be a free meal at least though right? Gah. I really don't like school...

Succession of Witches - Nobuo Uematsu

3.14159

2007-03-14T11:08:00.000-04:00

It's Pi day. The party starts at 1:59.

Everyone boogy.

Really I'm to tired to care a whole lot.

EDIT: I posted this as a comment into Alicia's blog.

SPOILER ALERT BELOW!

You really suck at this spoiler thing. Like really really suck.

The strongest argument I have heard of late for the Starbuck not being dead theory came from LotR Amy. She pointed out the name of the episode in which she goes kabloo-y as being 'Maelstrom', and referenced the Edgar Allan Poe story 'A Descent Into the Maelstrom' in which the character goes into the storm and given up for dead, only to emerge later as being quite alive to tell the story.

http://bau2.uibk.ac.at/sg/poe/works/maelstrm.html

Well go ahead and read it.

There was also discussion of a war in heaven spilling over into the human/cylon universe, Starbuck being prevented from death because of that very war and all sorts of cylon conspiracies on who's what and where.

End Spoiler

Lyta's hotter than Talia

2007-03-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

You will find, that many of the truths we cling to in life depend greatly on our own points of view. Prayer is fleeting, wars are forgotten. What is built, endures. Also I can kill you with my brain...

So say we all.

It's a Sunday SciFi mash-up. It's amazing what wonders the library will do to you when you've been there a lot. Especially this one.

Every person is a fool in somebody's opinion.
- Spanish Proverb

This has been a depressing lecture on Japan.

2007-02-28T11:05:00.000-05:00

Emily was here!

Well that and I went home for what turned out to be most of reading week. Which was nice. Got to see some friends again and see the family. All good! The trip there was a bit of an adventure, got stuck in Syracuse for a while do to a nasty Snowstorm. Always interesting when they can not only not tell you when a bus is going to get there, but even if a bus will come.

And now we're back to the schooling. I'm a bit more blah about that one. Grah.

Emily and the hotdog. It's just not a trip to Toronto without street-meat is it?

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.
- Dr. Robert Anthony

Upstarts and Broken Hearts

2007-02-14T17:28:00.000-05:00

Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all? Snow White baby, and don't you forget it!
- Clay Clay Williams, Dutchman by Emiri Baraka.

One of the lines I didn't get to use (as it was from scene II, and we performed scene I) that I really liked. My character is kind of a tool in the beginning of the play. So while I'm glad I didn't have to learn and perform his rant (a nearly two page monologue... yikes!) I never liked him until scene II.

So we did the scene. We ended up going second as opposed to first in order of the scenes being performed due to the other groups preference. And we dropped a line. We recovered just fine though, and it was a really minor bit we left out but we're both pretty steamed at ourselves for it. Sara for dropping it, and me because I didn't catch it and move on with the next line. I got stupid and let myself slip into reactionary brain mode where I hear the line then follow. I should know better.

I guess that's why Emily's the professional and I'm not huh?

On the plus side we got a lot of comments about the performance, all of them good so I feel we did alright in the end. It's encouraging when strangers approach you and compliment you on the performance (the two people I did know in the class did so as well, but me with the salt grains and the search for ulterior motives of them trying to make us feel better) so that was encouraging. Overall, not bad for a two person, self-directed play after our two group members dropped last weekend. I feel pretty good about it anyways.

Speaking of Emily! And here! And more! I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with any sister of mine being likened to Britney Spears though. Meh. I might also get some actual copies of some of the movies she's been in too. Most important on my list? The Vampire movie, the Zombie movie, the post apocalyptic dystopia movie (that I helped with too), and really whatever else I can get my grubby little paws on. Cause let's face it. We're in some serious need for a movie night around here in T.O.

Well, it's 5:55 now. Off to class we go.

Man's chief enemy is his own unruly nature and the dark forces put up within him.
- Ernest Jones

Understanding is a three edged sword...

2007-02-14T14:31:00.000-05:00

Your side.
Their side.
And the Truth.

Happy Valentines Day

I spent a good hour shoveling last night. After Christian had spent a good hour shoveling, and woke up this morning to have to force the door open, and wade calf-deep through it all again. As of right now, (2:32pm) it's still snowing a little but it looks like it's about to stop.

At least it feels like I'm living in Canada again! Tis good stuff!

Not to mention that I'm almost going home. But there's so much to get done in the meantime that I haven't even been thinking about it. I've got to get through this scene for class in about twenty minutes ('Dutchman', by Emiri Baraka/Leroi Jones if you care to know) so I'm nervous.

It never helps when half (being 2 of 4) of the group drops the gorram class the weekend before you have to perform a scene in front of the class. Grrrr...

And now since I'm getting back to the old ways now that I have my brand-spankin' new Blogger engine (they finally forced me to upgrade to the Google brand ) back to the end quotes or songs. No song this time, I'm in the main Sidney Smith Hall area. Noisy folks students are. There is free hot chocolate though. That's always a bonus right?

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp,
Or what's a heaven for?
- Robert Browning, Andrea del Sarto (l. 97)

Shadow Dancing

2007-02-12T03:43:00.000-05:00

Stephen Franklin: I can't go back, but I can appreciate what I have right now, and I can define myself by what I am, instead of what I'm not.

John Sheridan: And what are you?

Stephen Franklin: Alive. Everything else is negotiable.

JT HANDS OFF YOU JERKFACE!

2007-01-10T16:26:00.000-05:00

I like Jack Thompson about as much as I like the after affects of a crowbar to the face. So not a whole lot.

AND NOW HE'S MESSING WITH MASSACHUSETTS!

Really now, come on! You've wasted how much of other state's monies! GRAH! Why do you suck SO HARD!

On a happier note, Christmas came and went, as did Epiphany and Emily's nativity pageant. Got to see some friends that I hadn't in a long long time. That was a pretty big highlight right there. Go the initial plans laid for a Machu Pichu hiking trip as well. Which should be pretty cool!

Back into the swing of things in Toronto, though sadly a great sadness has befallen us. For the first time ever, due to some rediculously hard questions put forth by the Professor, the LotR Alumni finally lost in the Trivia Competition.

Man were those questions hard though. I mean just... obscure.

Okay, time to get more tea for the readings. I've got a busy weekend ahead of me it seems so back to work.

HNY

2006-12-31T16:42:00.000-05:00

Happy New Years everybody.

2007's not going to sneak up on me!

Make a joyful noise unto the world!

2006-12-24T19:14:00.000-05:00

It's Christmas Eve and I've just come from Church and the annual Chinese food dinner. Emily and I just tracked Santa over the U.K. (thanks to NORAD), and we're about to go and open a gift!

Awesome!

Here's a picture of the Christmas Tree on Boston Common donated by Halifax all dressed up!

Have a Merry Christmas everybody, no matter your faith. Love one another and give thanks for those around you. Have a good night!

Project: Red Sheep

2006-12-16T01:05:00.000-05:00

Project: Red Sheep
Timeframe: Thursday December 14th, 3am - Friday December 15th, 8:15.
Outcome: FAILURE

Well, moving on. Child's Play happened recently; for anyone who doesn't know it's a fund raiser that happens every year (for the last three anyways) put together by the guys over at Penny-Arcade to help brighten up kids holidays, and happens to be my general charity of choice (not that I don't donate elsewhere, but this is the one I've made sure to do every year). What it allows gamers all over the world to do is buy gifts for kids in children's hospitals or to donate to the charity itself and they'll do it for you. Basically in three years it looks like they might top two million dollars which is for lack of a better term... awesome.

In other news, just one more test to go and I'll be done and on my way home. I can also see the floor of my room for the first time in a while which is pretty cool. Other than that, I don't know what else to add right now really. I'll guess I'll go away until I have something more exciting to say then.

Since starting at sundown today (well... friday anyways) there's a holiday on, Happy (C)Han(n)a(u?)k(ch/kk)a(h) for all those of the Jewish faith out there!

My mind is gooey with overflowing apathy.

2006-12-08T07:11:00.000-05:00

So, it's bloody frakkin' early in the gorram morning.

And I'm up.

Yeah. But here's the thing. I turn on the T.V. and start flipping the channels towards CBC. Thought I'd get me some news.

Now, I don't know why but here I am watching a show about a storm. The main reason I stopped was because there was Kaylee on the screen. Well, no not Firefly. But there was Jewel Staite (looking mighty fine I might add) on the television talking about reading cards or something. And it just started getting weirder after that. She was talking about Anakin Skywalker in this show (that for some reason I'm still watching... I don't know either). Again, her character wasn't talking about Star Wars; Hayden Christenson on screen not three feet away. The best part? He's doing his whole bat-shit predatory insane about an older woman thing. A councilor or something like that. SHE even looks like the detective from the original CSI series. Five minutes of footage and I still can't tell if it's her or not.

And 'D' just walked into the show. She's even angsting over deaths and the men in her life. Yep. That's Anastasia Dualla currently of the Battlestar Pegasus. A.K.A. Klandyse McClure. Christ where the hell did this come from? Oh! And Hayden just went insane seeing ghostly apparitions of provocatively nightgown clad women in his head. Yeah... what the hell am I watching? All I can make out so far is that they're all in crazy camp together. Which... actually doesn't surprise me somehow in all this.

I mean, putting Kaylee, Dualla, AND Anakin together would be a recipe for disaster. What a crossover episode that would be though.

And oh dear lord I've seen more jealous looks in the last five minutes than anyone should. I think the show was called Higher Ground, but I'm not sure on that one. Really I'm not going to bother looking it up either. Okay this post was NOT supposed to be about this at all. I didn't even get to my recent exploits in the realms of almost setting myself on fire (ruined two pretty shirts too, pictures to come later) and not being dead yet. Several missions to attend to right now though. Holy crap has this been a busy week for me. I haven't had much of the life recently (until tonight that is. Seriously though, you should see my calender. Just packed.)

However, the fast has been broken, wonderful life giving caffeine ingested, and the iPod all charged up and ready to roll. Library's open in a half hour now so it's time to head on out! Excelsior!

Please dear sweet baby Jesus this day needs to end.

POST EDIT: The lady wasn't the CSI lady, but the show afterwords has Nathan Petrelli from Heroes investigating 'miraculous phenomenon.' I need to leave now. Save the Cheerleader, save the World.

Stupid name but I want one SO BAD

2006-11-28T18:10:00.000-05:00

I just got a look at my blog as seen from Safari...

What the HELL!?! It looks oh so very strange there. Where'd the header go! And the footer! Huh?

Also, if anyone anywhere ever had any doubts about what I might want for Christmas I wrote a small poem. In Haiku form;

It haunts fevered dreams;
Hyrule! Zelda needs my help!
Please Santa, a Wii?

Onto my phone situation as it's now 'later.' I do indeed have it back and all is getting better as I close out my essays and move on to studying for tests. Of course, if I had your phone number before, I don't anymore since everything on my phone was erased. So! Give me a call! Or just send me your phone number a different way. That's cool too.

See? There it is all put together again. It's much nicer looking when it's not in two pieces! Please call?

Tune In - 311

Hostage Phone Crisis '06

2006-11-26T13:41:00.000-05:00

I did say I would post again so here it is. In the end I did get my onion bagel at Tim Horton's. Alas, they have no chive cream cheese so I had to opt for herb & garlic. Which wasn't so bad as an alternative really.

I haven't been posting much recently as was pointed out to me recently. There's a few reasons for this. The main one really being that I've been really busy with school. Lots of the papers and tests and whatnot. It's been a hard year back. Much harder than I thought it was going to be after the year off. Skills are definitely rusty. I'm doing much better now, and the winter semester will be a hell of a lot smoother for me but this early one was rough.

There I am now though. I've had me a bit of rest but I still have work to do. Fun fun.

The other reason I haven't posted in a while has to do with my phone. I still don't have one. It's absurd actually. Even thinking about it for a while just made me angry so I just didn't.

The stories short version runs as follows; I brought my phone into where I'd purchased it with my warrantee that I'd also purchased when I bought my phone. Nifty neh? So they guy takes it in, sets it up and says yep, cool this will work fine. They had a Purolater package going to the repair place leaving that night and he promised me it would go out. Should take a week or two. After a lot of bullshit and being told one thing or another I made it quite clear after three weeks that I would not accept 'come back next week' as an answer.

Enter me last Friday spending about four hours in the damn store not being happy. We've now topped a month. I had the regional manager in the store just to handle my case (the store clerks see me coming and scurry away in fear desperately looking for something to do so they don't have to deal with me). The very first person a month ago who took my phone in, screwed up. He shouldn't even have sent it away it turns out, not with the warrantee that I'd purchased. I should have just walked out of there with a shiny new phone right then and there. The kicker? The dude doesn't even work for the company anymore so I can't vent rage at the person responsible for getting my case stuck in a never ending loop of bureaucratic red-tape of doom. The manager guy was cool enough to give me a line over to the repair shop and let me yell at them since the store can't do anything without the damn thing and they're still holding it for 'appraisal'. I calmly explained (so I wasn't calm, but whatever) that the company trying to save a buck had now prevented me from having my phone for a full month, and that they needed to do something about it immediately.

It was a frustrating day. I leap back into the fray Monday, at noon, so if you're interested in ringside seats come on down. The Source, Eaton Centre, Toronto. I'm not leaving there without a phone. It has now been promised to me by several levels of management and I'm thinking of researching the legal areas as to when I'm entitled to my pound of flesh in compensation.

I freaking month of me walking down there to be told nothing useful. The Rage. Oh, the Rage.

That's where that stands now. Had an okay Thanksgiving. Dead bird was eaten, cranberry sauce in can shape was observed, and I got a nifty package from home with gravy mix, stuffing, and corn muffin ingredients to go with the thanksgiving themed napkin and muffin holders. Huzzah!

I want my phone back.

October - Captain Tractor

The power of hunger compels you!

2006-11-26T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hello! I want a bagel! So I'm going to go get one! I'm thinking onion, with chive cream cheese if they have it. I'll update later to let you know what I ended up settling for. That's about all I can do. I keep being called a pervert too... but there's actually no real reason for it that I can figure out. I'm not doing anything perverted. I think I'm just being teased or something. Interesting, and annoying.

Pandora is ferawesome by the way. Props to Alicia for telling me about it!

And I was just made to lose again this morning. That's like three times.

: (

2006-11-25T02:57:00.000-05:00

Revs lost, again. Frakkin' hell. Three championships in five years and we haven't won yet. It's like we're the bills or something. And that hurts the soul. I'm really tired now though. Had fallen asleep, woke up for I don't know why. This is after of course after I had a funtime visit! Knock on my window and everything. Went and got pizza. So much Garlic. Damn.

So.

I'm going to sleep.

Doesn't everyone have happy dances?

2006-11-12T02:08:00.000-05:00

"So there’s a new balance of power down in the States and the South Dakota abortion ban was voted out of law (pretty disappointing about all that anti-gay-marriage legislation, though) and Rumsfeld resigned, and I got to see my roommates’ and Jae’s various Rumsfeld-resigning-happy-dances when I told them the news."

This is from Alicia's blog, and yes I am proud to say that there was in fact a Rumsfeld resigned victory dance done in her apartment upon my hearing the news. Heh.

Veritas.

2006-11-12T01:50:00.000-05:00

There was apparently nothing wrong with me. I can't remember last night because I didn't DO anything last night. I was so tired that I just collapsed into bed and into sleep when I came home briefly to get my stuff for the Rugby party.

That explains why all the beer was here and not drunk.

Lessee. Today I did some reading, very little of it actually. Met Ben, Maggie, Becca, Alicia, Alex, and Sunita for food. Julia joined us for a bit later. We did some hanging out. Maggie continued her tradition of constant abuse of Jae while she was here. I think some of it got pent up since I haven't seen her in so long.

I also ate the largest god damn apple I've ever seen in my life. I saw it in Kensington and it was fate. The thing was actually over half the size of my head. It was just plain ginormous. Took me a good 15 minutes to eat the bloody thing, and when I was trying to start it I thought I'd have to unhinge my jaw to be able to just bite into it! It was too big and the curve wasn't sharp enough to allow for the teeth sinkage. But I ate the thing. It was tasty the way apples from the market should be.

Don't you just love genetic engineering? I do.

I also saw 3x07 of Battlestar Galactica with Ben and Alica at my place. Right before we reset the password on my modem, and tricked out Mara Jade some more. There was later Korean BBQ (I didn't do the all you can eat though) and then Trivial Pursuit which Maggie and I won. I know. I won at a non-Star Wars version of Trivial Pursuit. It took me a second as well.

I won the macsaber fight with Ben if anyone's keeping track. By virtue of, he doesn't have the application.

ALSO! In further updated news! If anyone was under the impression as I was that I'd have my phone again for this weekend sadly 'tis untrue. Another week they said. I called shenanigans after not having had a frakkin' phone for two weeks and didn't leave until I had confirmation of where exactly my phone was. I now have the store managers email address so I can harass him for updates on its status.

If I show up there again, and they don't have it ready, there will be pain brought unto whatever unlucky till monkey happens to be working then unlike any other pain that they had experienced up to that point in their lives short of childbirth.

Cause I can't really top that I'm told.

I'm rambling, time to say goodnight!

How the hell did I get here?

2006-11-11T02:29:00.000-05:00

Can someone tell me how I got home?

I also think I dreamt most of last night.

I just woke up extremely disoriented at 1:59. I was home, in bed, lights on with my shoes.

I think I was more tired than I thought I was.

j00 r teh su1<

2006-11-07T16:19:00.000-05:00

Midterm elections and a December to make mothers weep for unborn babes. Oh yeah. I missed school.

Did I mention Saddams being hanged? You probably knew that though. He'll meet ropes end for that one me buckos.

I hate one class and one professor, too bad they couldn't be one and the same.

Grah!

Also, today's poetry class has reaffirmed my membership in the I really dislike Sylvia Plath as a poet club. I got to listen to her do a reading of her poem 'Daddy' on tape.

Well then, once more into the breach my friends;
Class is about to start so I'm going away now.

Free hugs to all! And to all a good night!

2006-11-07T01:26:00.000-05:00

HEEEEEEELOOOOOOOO!

Time flies when you're in the suck! Okay it's really really early out and I'm about to go to bed because I can't take anymore Latin American Politics tonight. I know. What a suprise huh?

However! Maria DID make my day by sending me this fantastic video of a fantastic guy!

FREE HUGS FOREVER!

Now that there is one ordinary guy making the world a better place. I now have a hug quota I must meet every day. That is my goal! I'll start with a low number. One. One hugged stranger a day sounds like a good target to start with. I can't get greedy now, and I won't have a sign so bear with me.

Election day in the States is also officially this afternoon so get your ass out there and vote! There is NO excuse unless you are HOSPITALIZED, hiding from those wishing to hospitalize you, or aren't a citizen of the U.S.A! So get out there!

In other news, the housemates and I made a pumpkin cheesecake last night. After it's obligatory time in the fridge it was sampled (I'll admit, hesitation was evident on my part) tonight. It was fantastic. Bit runny, but good nonetheless for our first try. So rich though. Only ate one piece and decided more would be absolute folly.

And I still can't figure out why David Gemmel is as good as he seems to be as a writer. His books so far have been consistantly well above decent. It's uncanny. I decided to read his first one 'Legend' and see if I can't do them in order now. To be fair, this one isn't as clean as the others I've read, but it's still good and it was his first book of the series/genre so I'm prepared to give him some leeway on this one. There's not even a map on the frontispiece (this is rare for a fantasy book and those with map in such a place usually herald their own demise)!

My thoughts are REALLY disjointed in this post. I need to do it more often, I'm out of practice... or something.

Phone is breaky.

2006-10-30T17:48:00.000-05:00

Phone's broke, turns out they don't make very good hammers. Sometimes I really dislike stupid drunk people. So it's going to be in the repair shop for a week or so.

Shite.

Oh well, I'm so busy from school I shouldn't have a phone.

Well, I just met a random band from Philadelphia, 'Band on the Run'. Might show them around before their show. I'll have more to say later.

Late!

2006-10-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

Hey now it's been a while between posts. It got busy with the schooling and whatnot really, and it's also just because I didn't think I had that much to talk about recently.

There has been some hangings out, a few anyways, and I went to houseparty that a girl from work threw last weekend. Probably wasn't in my best interest to get as little sleep as I did before my rugby game, but I really had a good time so it was worth it.

Also I think I've scared Johnny off sports forever because of how caked in mud I was when I got home from the game. What else is new in the world hm?

Well, baseball playoffs are in full swing, the bruins can't win, the pats won again, the revs lost their last game but are still in second place, and it looks like I might be shaving it very close as to whether I can get back home in time for Adam's birthday.

But hey. Life moves right?

Okay, back to the typing of notes. At least the Australian history ones are interesting... kind of.

Random pictures:

Carnivorous joy!

2006-10-15T00:40:00.000-04:00

So... much... meat...

Such is Korean BBQ in a nutshell. Following Ben's motto of; "You go, you stay until you pee meat", a group of good friends and pseudo strangers (to each other at least, I knew everyone there) came together to celebrate Julia's birthday and mine!

Lessee...

Laura, Dan, Nicole P., Katy, Joanna, Girl Alex, Alicia, Julia, Esther, Christine, Sunita, Boy Alex, and then myself to go around the table starting immediately on my left.

I am also the new proud owner of the Buffy musical episode soundtrack, as well as some new star wars minis!

I so got to geek out and then I was taken out and had a few beers and then got to geek out some more.

I'm... so... full...

Urge to fiddle.... RISING

2006-10-13T22:45:00.000-04:00

Now that was interesting. Closed for the first time at the Starbucks today. And it was a very busy afternoon. At least that's what everyone else there said. The library this morning was most...

I really don't know how to say it well. For all the adaptability and depth inherent with the English language, and I'd like to think that I'm fairly proficient with said language, this feeling doesn't seem to have an accompanying adjective to describe it that I'm familiar with.

Unnervingly vengeance and fury inducing towards bookshelves. I... that didn't do it enough justice. I mean, I just became a vessel of pure rage and wrath after being in there for about five minutes. Five minutes after that and I got up and left to go sit in sid smith. On the plus side; I take some very interesting pictures of myself when playing with mac photobooth.†

Also I'm not exactly sure how that cross looking thingy got placed there... but it's kinda neato... so I'm going to leave it up above.

Odd isn't it?

Well tomorrow there shall be Korean BBQ eaten with celebratory flare! And Sunday I'm going to go see Johnny's show. Devora saw it tonight and reports that it was indeed, quite fantastically full of awesome (my words not hers).

I do hope Oakland takes the next four games from Detroit... actually I hope they win at least one game at the very least to stem the pain a bit. I'm with you in spirit Maria!

Adios Lorena - Eddie From Ohio

Marvel 1602: Better then I remembered

2006-10-09T01:03:00.000-04:00

So the sister's been here this past weekend, as well as the Mother and Chip. It's been interesting, and two trips to the Old Spaghetti factory later I'm feeling a lot more full. With the pastas.

The pastas were joyously delicious of course!

So in the recent past I've been moved in for real full and good and finally got my crap out of Katy's family garage. I fought with the strep-throat that was handily defeated with the help of modern science and sleep, and of course have hung out with the family this past holiday weekend. There was even a pseudo-birthday celebration for my recent past day of birth at the Velvet Underground where I met Ana, Adam, Andrew, and Emily (who just had to have the name to throw off the alliteration and be all different). There will of course be an extravaganza of sorts in celebration of Libra's being cool and the awesomness that is Julia and I, later, but we figured we'd like people here for it so not on the holiday.

Lots of walking around, a harbour boat tour (thanks J.J.) and some interesting conversation. Maybe I'll explain that later. Maybe not though. Still haven't decided.

Hope everyone had good Thanksgivings/Indiginous Peoples Days (read: Columbus Day) and more to come later.

Man I'm beat, onwards to the REM cycle.

Johnny non-Mneumonic

2006-09-25T23:24:00.000-04:00

So Alicia commented that my roommate Johnny is now going to be writing for the Torontoist and that her world is shrinking rapidly. So I went on over there to check it out.

And there he is with the red hair.

Yep.

That picture is of course from the website.

The Long Expected Party

2006-09-22T17:17:00.000-04:00

It's Friday and I just got some serious sleeping done. Made the rest of last week seem worth all that effort and work. I have some very interesting classes this year, and the worst lecturer I've ever had in my LIFE. If ever there was a man who needed to discover powerpoint it's him.

Back in Toronto! Wheeee! Still don't have a bed since the day I was going to bring it in was pouring rain. Soaked mattress = bad. But that shall be remedied this weekend.

Other then Bon Cop Bad Cop fantastically awesomeness that I saw with Nicole last night I've got nothing popping into my head other then not having posted in a good long time from lack of a computer. I've seen some people again which I hadn't seen a good long time. Bumped into Dan which was nice, didn't get a picture though. Emily, Andrew, and Nicole however I caught on film for everyone to see!

Hey look Jae's arm!

Adventures in the Eaton Centre. I can't remember the original reason for going there. It might have had something to do with not wanting to spend money. A certain celebrity however was there and all of freakin' Dundas Square was clogged. It took us I think ten minutes to get from the entrance of the Eaton Centre to the north side of Dundas and Younge. Total distance is about 50 feet at the most.

Ahhh, if looks could kill my soul would have scars. Though Nicole trying to smile for a camera while in the midst of a deathglare is amusing to watch in person!

That's all, now I'll go prepare for the 'Long Expected Party'.
Chapter One of Book One of the Lord of the Rings if read will bring understanding and enlightenment. As well as entertainment! Really you can't lose.

One more thing, has anyone out there read Lord Foul's Bane? I can't decide on whether I like it, or hate it. Looking to discuss. Alex is in the same boat I am I think.

Emily = Camera Shield

2006-09-10T03:44:00.000-04:00

This sister's mine!

pwning n00bs!

2006-09-04T04:48:00.000-04:00

Don't know why I didn't think of this before but I discovered that my home PC is broadcasting WiFi a couple of days ago.

Words can not describe the moment of pure joy I experienced.

The one oddity is that my basement room here gets the best reception for some strange reason (the computer is on the second floor of the house) but there's a couch and privacy down there so it's all good.

Needless to say the DS has been getting a workout. Especially since during the day I'm stuck here a lot and the computer is occupied. It also probably might be because I picked up Starfox Command and Tetris DS (both WiFi games) as well as Trauma Center:Under the Knife, and that two of my friends here, Craig and Steve, as well as my stepfather Chip all have DS's. Craig even imported the Bleach Fighting game that I played and somehow managed to not come in last in. Even after I figured out how to turn off the handicap that I didn't know I had going for me.

I don't know if many people know this, but I have the language settings on my DS set to French. I only mention this because Tetris actually recognized this and on it's own volition switched to using French instead of English like every other game I own. Even during local download play, it was able to send it's info and handle whatever language the other DS was using. It's not even a kind of Canadian dual language thing either as this one was bought here in Massachusetts and I tested it with Chip's with his set on Spanish. I think it's brilliant and I actually sort of appreciate it, more so after playing that Bleach game and not understanding what the hell was going on for all the Kanji. It would be nice to see more games, especially the WiFi capable ones be multilingual capable like Tetris.

As a side note, Chip capitulated in the most recent showdown the two of us had (a very closely contested and brutal match in Advanced Wars Dual Strike) so I claim bragging rights over him for the time being. w00t.

Labo(u)r Day's a Tuesday this year?

2006-09-04T04:12:00.000-04:00

Meh. My phone ran out of the juice. When I thought I'd plugged it into the wall socket to recharge I apparently didn't take into account my sisters desire to recharge her gameboy. Looking at the table it wasn't immediately obvious that the plug had been removed from the socket. Of course, why she pulled the plug instead of just using the other empty socket is something I have already...'discussed' with her. So no pictures yet again.

It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside when friends send you links like these two because it made them laugh with me in mind. Thanks Maria!

Also, my family has been quite the busy people of late;

Emily's in theaters again. The stage variety. With guilds, and unions involved and the like. One of the step-sisters in the show has kept a blog going which might interest some of you out there.

I just finished helping my brother move into his new apartment in Somerville. It's the good part so don't worry (I know what you're thinking, there's a good part of Somerville? I asked the same question...) but he is indeed going to UMass Boston this year. As for him moving in. Yeah, he's got roommates and wasp nest in what used to be a bathroom attached to one of his rooms on his mountaintop retreat of a mansion. I humbly direct your attention to the plural form of 'room' being used there. He has his own floor.

And there was a wedding yesterday it seems. At least I didn't get to go. Emily and I saw Superman in 3D at the Imax instead. There was icecream and watching trapeze artists, before an epic trial of Denny's, so it wasn't a total loss of a day. My god that service was awful. Just, I mean, it's Denny's so I'm not expecting much but still. The company was stellar however.

Tommorow I shall help Steve move into his dorm. At least that's what I think is happening. Either way it's sleep time for me!

Stick a fork in them, they're cliched

2006-09-01T03:28:00.000-04:00

Just so you know, I'm really not trying to make it a habit of posting at this godawful hour of the morning. Fluke.

Also it's when I'm most assured of getting access to the internet capable PC here at the home for longer then four consecutive minutes.

However, I'm tired. So no pictures this time.

BUT! I did go to the Sox/Jays game at Fenway due to tickets my Stepfather received for his birthday, and Joe, this ones for you buddy;

Thank you Alex Rios!

So the Sox losing streak is at an end thankfully. Onwards to other news now.

So most of you don't know that Boston Cannons lost in their semi-final game last weekend against the Philadelphia Barrage. One of you, that being Maria, might actually know that the San Fransisco Dragons lost to the Denver Outlaws just before the Cannons game (I was rooting for them for you Maria, even if you weren't!) but that would have more to do with her love of Bay Area sports in general as opposed to any love for Major League Lacrosse. Anyways Philly went on to lay a spanking on the outlaws to win it all. I'd hate them, but I'm busy despising New York.

Hey is anyone up for a Fantasy Football League or something?

So I'm in Massachusetts, I was in Arizona, and I'll be back in Ontario in a couple on the 11thish. <-- does that work?

To the bed for now. Later I'll fill in links, and a new post shall materialized with pictures, and even more links. For today I have to help my brother move in to his new place. I leave Toronto, where I moved/am moving twice in as many months, to come home relax and... move.

I need a hug!

w00t!

2006-08-21T15:16:00.000-04:00

I geeked out a bit...

Wishlist

I guess I'll have to do a ThinkGeek one now.

Back from whence I came.

2006-08-19T16:30:00.000-04:00

I'm in Arizona. It's more brown than I remember.

More later. Going to annoy the stepsister now.

Since when were American Airlines employees so rude?

I'll have pictures!

Oh. And my father's house, GINORMOUS.

Newsletter of DOOOOOOM

2006-08-17T20:03:00.000-04:00

Well, I just finished my second to last day here at the Regent Park School of Music. In two days I'm off to the land of my birth for some visitings.

Did I just survive that year? Whoah.

I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale

In other news, cease fires to wars are good things, Yellowcard is a band I like more and more the more I hear of them. And right now I'm very very very tired.

Tonight, Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins

No one here is exactly as they appear.

2006-08-12T18:51:00.000-04:00

At this present moment in time;

I am hungry.
I'm listening to Suicide Machines.
I am bored.

You know... that's probably not a good combination now that I've typed it down. I should be going for food right now but a certain roommate (ALICIA!) is on her computer and not leaving for food. From there we go to High Park to see Shakespeare in the Park. 'A Comedy of Errors' I believe. I'll let you know how that goes.

Okay. Now to drag Alicia off to a food serving place.

In which I post

2006-08-12T01:23:00.000-04:00

Okay the last two posts that I put up don't show up as having ever existed on the material plane. One of them was even my class schedule!

What the hell Blogger!

Saw a bunch of peeps and talked to Heather from the land down under tonight which was good. Apparantly she's going to Fiji, on my birthday and she isn't taking me. I mean, that would be a bitchin' present would it not?!? In other news Alicia fell asleep about five to ten minutes into the most recent Babylon 5 episode so we're going to have to rewatch that one I guess.

Tomorrow there shall be breakfast with Joe and Jordan. Awesome.

Oh! And click here to see two girls spooning! With their powers combined they make one hot asian!

World War III, or just the regular old hell?

2006-08-04T13:38:00.000-04:00

Seems like images like these are the only things I see these days.

"All that running around and shooting at one another. You'd think it would go out of style."
-Londo Mollari

"I believe that the sectarian violence is probably as bad as I’ve seen it, in Baghdad in particular, and that if not stopped, it is possible that Iraq could move towards civil war."
-Gen. John P. Abizaid, commander of American forces in the Middle East.

Sigh

Hey look! The town of my birth in the news! Crap!

The news has been awfully depressing of late. We have active warzones in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Israel/Lebanon/Gaza. Is North Korea still being belligerant? Has the Sudan stopped murdering itself and screwing up Chad? I'm too depressed to go find out.

So what now Dick, how would you spin a Civil War? Are you going to tell us that it's all been worth it, U.S. Soldiers have been dying for the right reasons, if what they're supposedly there trying to prevent happens anyways? Well this is FUBAR isn't it...

Interesting bit of local news (for me, local meaning Toronto. See? Isn't it pretty?) is that an American Army Deserter who fought in Iraq has decided to return home, turn himself in, and face charges. He's been in T.O. for two years and is married now, but says the time is right to bring his story out. Apparently he left over misgivings about orders given and what he may in the future do... well here, you can read it yourself.

Good on the Dems for blocking a lowered estate tax, at least there's some kind of 'opposition' in the government these days. Grah.

On the Canuck side of the coin...

A very bad day in Afghanistan yesterday, and it doesn't look like it's going to get any better. Especially since this happened today. Princess Pat's Light Infantry must feel like sitting ducks in Khandahar. The Brits aren't having any fun either.

The Chicoutimi is apparently still down mostly because of beaurocratic B.S. and waffling, I'm not suprised but it's still aggravating that a Rear Admiral has to retire before he can say anything admonishing. We spent how much on them? Why can't we just pay the extra, and get the frakkin' thing seaworthy already!?! It's a disgusting waste of money in drydock which also means they can't patrol both coasts, or a military asset in the water and on patrol. Now which one scenario better there?

In other things, this interesting bit of news came to my attention. I'm sort of hoping that a Californian will send a letter to this guy with some alternative ideas for putting the money to better use. Like I dunno, the International Red Cross or something. Maria? Or if you're gone already, one of the other 'M's'?

What else... well New Zealand has an interesting idea about how to handle drunks at bars, this is the only good news story I've heard in a while coming out of the Middle East, I found this to be a good idea and a progressive move for the world, and according to Tycho Brahe of Penny-Arcade; "You basically need to watch this now."

I'm out to do something less depressing. Maybe go to Oakville. Well... um... it's for a party but yes I realize I just said that Oakville wasn't depressing. Let's hope?

Humidex's a Bitch

2006-08-01T06:56:00.000-04:00

It's warm.

And I mean hot.

When celcius hovers around 40 at either end of the scale it's usually not very pleasant. Now I've got a roommate who's sleeping in nothing but his underwear out on the couch. Not what I want to wake up to in the morning.

Also some people have been getting increasingly annoyed with me for a general lack of communication. Sorry about that. Just let me get through the summer and back into school. I'm trying my best not to lose sanity. I figure that's a noble and reasonable goal for myself. Rest assured it is nothing that you have done and I am not trying to out anyone from my life.

I just don't have a life right now with which to share. Yes it's that pathetic.

Okay then. Off to work.

Happy Birthday Mom

The Source is a fickle master

2006-07-31T14:14:00.000-04:00

Okay! So I've mostly got the new layout figured out. An astute veiwer would notice that both the header AND the footer no longer have bendy edges, but that's due to those problems with the images I mentioned that make it so. I don't know why it's such a pain in the rear for this to work out, but editing the images and loading them in did something very strange so they're off for now.

It'll be worked out eventually. Mostly I just wanted that third bar to the left. Yes I know I have two profiles and whatnot now, like I said this is just the beginning layout to get things started. The content on the blog will change pretty quickly as I go through and fix things. For now I just don't care. It worked! Wheeee!

Grah. My phone's in Oakville. Teh Suck.

I win at the future!

2006-07-26T14:59:00.000-04:00

I so predicted this in the eighth grade. So for everyone out there who told me I was just being a 'hater' or 'jealous' or whatever it was I was then. HA HA I was so right!

Come on, one of them HAD to be gay!

Okay, my gloating over my clairvoyance is over.

Tardination!

2006-07-23T12:29:00.000-04:00

It's overdue this post.

I've been trying to actually change the blog around a bit. Trying to redesign it, well I would have been had I any semblance of what 'design' was. Turns out, while I had everything worked out just fine, I didn't. Blogger uses images in it's backgrounds and templates. And I've given up trying to figure it out on my own. The good news! That means I won't get frustrated and not post! And I have Alicia whom if I buy egg-bread, make iced teas and other such things, might help me!

Hope is not lost!

Some images of life;

This is what I live for circa 8:15 on a weekday. The streetcar coming to take me home.

This is Alex letting me know exactly what he thinks of me taking his picture.

And this kid in Chinatown was just staring at me. Staring and staring and staring. So I stared back and then took his picture. And I checked and no my shirt wasn't on inside out.

Maria: "I think all the pebbles should be allowed to vote."

2006-07-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

In other news Chip is on Morphine after tearing his arm out of his socket on a long distance bike trip... or some such injury like that.

To quote the maternal parent;

"I just dropped Emily off at camp and suddenly I've got another baby!"

He he.

It's too late for the pebbles to vote.

2006-07-03T23:55:00.000-04:00

Alicia is standing over me to make sure I blog. Yep.

To quote, "Spend less time threatening and more time blogging!"

But.

So. I joined the ranks of those souls eternally damned today. It was horrible.

Bought a cell phone.

"No wait don't you have to work? You shouldn't be blogging you should be sleeping!".

Yeesh, women can be a fickle lot can't they (she's now hitting me).

So yes. Cell phone. Bleh. And back to work. Bleh bleh. Double Bleh if you will. But! In six minutes from this moment it will be Independence Day. So you know, let's all go revolt from Bush or something.

G'night.

Oooo! Shiny! An email from Maria!

In the end, there can be only one.

2006-06-27T13:12:00.000-04:00

Maria left this morning. Now the apartment is feels abandoned.

Last night we packed up all her things and watched some favorite episodes of Babylon 5 together one last time before she left for the airport this morning.

The sum was greater then the whole of its parts for our apartment for me. The dynamic was bizarre, wonderful, and crazy at times but I loved it. It's even more evident now without the cute little redheaded girl and the goofball workaholic around. It's like being homesick while at home. I miss you guys already.

Gah. I guess I'm next now...

On My Own - Eponine, Les Miserables

And now I'm all alone again,
Nowhere to turn, no one to go to.
Without a home, without a friend,
Without a face to say hello to.
And now the night is near,
Now I can make believe he's here.

Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping.
I think of him, and then I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping.
The city goes to bed,
And I can live inside my head.

On my own,
Pretending he's beside me.
All alone,
I walk with him till morning.
Without him,
I feel his arms around me,
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me.

In the rain,
The pavement shines like silver.
All the lights
Are misty in the river.
In the darkness,
The trees are full of starlight,
And all I see is him and me for ever and forever.

And I know
It's only in my mind,
That I'm talking to myself
And not to him.
And although I know that he is blind,
Still I say,
There's a way for us.

I love him,
But when the night is over,
He is gone,
The river's just a river.
Without him,
The world around me changes.
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers.

I love him,
But every day I'm learning,
All my life,
I've only been pretending!
Without me,
His world will go on turning,
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known!

I love him...
I love him...
I love him...
But only on my own...

I'm feeling all nostalgicky, and it's only been hours.

I don't like moving.

2006-06-25T00:08:00.000-04:00

Ben's gone now.

I now have a big empty room in what will soon be a big empty apartment.

Teh suck.

It's been a pleasure Ben, a good two years. Have fun in Ohio... it at all possible.

I'm tyring to pack now. It's going but not so well. I have lots of crap. I mean... a lot of crap. More so then I thought. It's kind of a suprise you know? Then again, it has been two years. You can accumulate a lot of stuff in two years it seems. I shall have to keep this in mind for the future. Well, off to bed with me. I should get some sleep on the weekend since the week sucks so much (still) and I've also go the RPSM's recital tomorrow to get done as well.

Hrmm...

What's new?

World Cup I suppose. Was rootin' for the States along with Uncle Sam's Army but that didn't work out so well for us. Group E = Group of Death. On to the second round.

The Argonauts are shaky this year it seems. Okay, I know they beat Hamilton but they still don't look that strong. And Ricky isn't helping in my opinion. I hope they get their shit wired fast!

Andrew Raycroft is now a Maple Leaf. Seems like the Bruins are staying with the tradition of getting rid of players I like. Damn it all!

The Sox are still on top right now as well. Here's hoping it will stay that way!

And woah man did the Cannons stick it to Philly! Now they're only ahead of us through point differential. Who's unbeaten now punks! NOT YOU! 5 - 1. We're having a good year! w00t! Shame the Rev's have fallen to 3-4-6 now after tying Real Salt Lake... eeek...

Oh! Saw one of the teachers at the school play in her band today at the Toronto Roots Festival, and I kind of liked it. Sort of a cross between Eddie From Ohio and the Waifs, AND there was a song about two Vampires! I mean, how can you go wrong! I'm too tired for links right now. Maybe later I'll send you guys to the bands sight. It's Melanie De la Paix & the Delastocracies or something like that.

Adam had a gathering of peeps, Julia K. had a birthday party, and we all did a happy dance before following the dancing fuzzy bunnies down the rabbit whole of doom.

There's a chance I'll be getting Wedge some new internal organs too. Which would be cool, since... well he's getting old! Sucks when you can't play games that are running on almost two years old and your a geek like me. It's like being an artist without color. Or something.

Hiya!

2006-06-15T20:05:00.000-04:00

Rather then let this go another week without posting, here's something interesting I got in the email;

From: cgill@bostoncannons.com
To: jae.rodgers@utoronto.ca

Jae,

We appreciate the long distance support. Rochester has great fans so
you'll need to be loud.

See you in August.

CG

Now all I have to do, is figure out if that was actually Conor Gill. Nice that it's not just an automated message. And that they actually CHECK the emails.

There was a party last weekend. Emily had a birthday. There has been a bad bad work week. There will be a big fancy dancy kegger (should keggers have dress codes? Just asking....) tomorrow night, I'm really tired, apparently I'm going both camping (again! I know! cool!) and Arizona this summer.

Also, the end of two jobs is only three months away. I can't wait for school to start again in the fall.

Congratulations to Alex for placing second in his 'A Game of Thrones' CCG tournament. It's a crying shame I'll be gunning for him all Saturday at paintball (it's his birthday after all).

All that stuff I've been meaning to post on is piling up.

Swan Lake - Tchaikovsky

2006-06-09T17:06:00.000-04:00

Running tally of people I saw on the Webcast of graduation; ps the sound quality wasn't great and I think I missed people, sorry if I did!

First things first;
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCH!

Good will hunting huh? Neato. The guest speaker guy. Math and tutoring! Butterfly effect.

He just ripped off Henry Ford! Ballsy!

Okay, to the awards!

She has to be pronouncing a good chunk of these names wrong though.

Spencer
Christian
Dan
Alexis
Katy
Brian
Maria
Miriam
Lianne
Ed
Elyse
Nick
J.J.
Nicole

What loser just put on the ladies hat! Have some freakin' tact dude!

Folabi
Ramon
Melissa
Marsha
Alexandra
Jen S.
Adam
Keith
Proctor
Amita
Calvin
Joseph
Angela
Kristina
Kelsey
Ken
Blake
Vanessa (my theoy on the pronunciation has been confirmed at this point, without a doubt... though to be fair this is a different announcer then the one that started.)
Carson
Meghan
Linda

w00t. Great job guys!

It worked!

2006-06-08T18:31:00.000-04:00

Okay, blogger is acting six kinds of wonky... so whether or not this makes it as a post is your guess...

It literally looks broken right now. And I've actually got stuff to say too!

First things first.

http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S16799.html?cat=1 (I'm sketched that links won't work... it barely displayed the page.)

If this place 'Galactic Pizza' were in Toronto, they would earn my complete and utter devotion as being my exclusive provider of pizza. Yes, even over Papa Ceo's and Cora's. I'm that impressed. The man chased down a purse snatcher because the store is just like that. Doing things for the community, being superheros, delivering fresh baked pies with the power of the wind infused within them?

BRILLIANT

If they open a branch in Toronto or anywhere I'm currently living, I'll be the first to sign the petition to ge the Aquabats to play at the opening.

In other news. My soul almost revolted. There's was a small riot and battle lines drawn, but cooler heads prevaile on both sides and a negotion was reached across the bargaining table. I think things came to a point after I got two hours of sleep last night. That was a pretty good faculty meeting though. Go stuff done! AND drank champagne! Back to the point;

See, I looked at the schedule for the next two weeks at Starbucks. It's as follows;

Mon - 5:15
Tue - 5:15
Wed - 5:15
Thu - 5:15
Fri - 5:15

The rumblings of internal discontent began. That's just not cool yo. I know I only opened once this week, but I average more opens then anyone else in the store. And there's not even a close second. Five opens in one week. Damn. For those of you who don't know, this means my alarm will be set for 3:45 for all of these mornings.

That would be the time I'd normally want to go to bed not leave it.

But then the follow up, placed like the second half of the ol' one-two punch combo. The week following this is;

Mon - 5:15
Tue - 6:00
Wed - 5:15
Thu - 5:15
Fri - 5:15

And that's when my soul declared independance from Brain and Body and began it's brief attempt at seccession.

I will sleep when I get home from work on those days... or I don't think I'll hold it together.

I mean, I'm comparing my psyche to the demiliterized zone between North and South Korea! That can't be a good sign.

A LOT is happening this week. Visitors galore, graduations, and I'm working on Saturday. Birthdays, gatherings, and sports to be played! And sleep to fit in there... somewhere...

I also want someone else's opinion. I know I like to 'I drew this', but that's a webcomic so I thought I could get away with it. But I've tried to generally keep things as politically not offensive to either side. And by that I mostly mean the right. Around election time I let things go a bit but I haven't railed off on tangents about what I think is actually destroying, and I mean that in the way a lawnmower would destroy an infant kind of way, not just harming a little, the United States.

I love my country. So much that it hurts now to watch the news a lot. But I swore I wouldn't live there if Bush was reelected for another four year term because I didn't want to be there under that kind of torture. And because someone had to keep up relations north of the border.

And yes... I use a 'postal' as opposed to a 'zip' code right now.

But I'm just about fed up. Should I start railing? Linking to some other blogs and such who maybe share similar opinions?

With the current goings on in Congress over the Gay Marriage Ban Amendment, I decided to put up the following quote by one of my Senators to end the post;

"Look, either we're all drinking from the same water-fountain, or we're not."
- Sen. Ted Kennedy

EDIT: Maggie and Becca are here!
EDIT: Getting to Arizona is going ot be.... interesting this summer.