November 30, 2004

shadows jumping all over the walls

I hate how the anesthetic used by the dentist tends to migrate around my face before fading away; at the moment my left ear, a portion of my nostril, half of my tongue and a little of my jawline are numb and the feeling is most disconcerting.
___
School's ending for a little while, which is nice; I'm looking forward to next term's classes but I also think that I may be stretching myself a bit thin; 5 classes, 2 jobs, working ACF and then the commute will be taking their toll on me. I do have Thursdays off, still, so I might be using it to get as much stuff out of the way as possible.
___
I have actual work parties to attend; there's bowling with Campus Tours tomorrow, and then possibly ISIT Wine and Cheese on Friday (which conflicts with MASS Anniversary, hence possibly). Bowling's going to be fun, but I'm mildly worried about the combination of geeks + alcohol + coworkers. And there's another ISIT party during the break. Decisions, decisions...
___
Two new items on the wishlist, bringing me up to a round ten.
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Had a dream last night where I moved out, and apart from my parents being all mopey about it, things went smashingly. It appears I'm trying to tell myself something.
___
Also last night I had the strangest feeling I was sleeping next to someone else, when nobody was there. Very weird.
___
Have gained mass, but lost volume. I still need to start swimming again, though; diet changes alone aren't cutting it.

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November 26, 2004

if it feels like it works, then it works.

I broke these up into two posts so you guys could comment on things that didn't involve the wishlist thing.

GWAR was fantastic.
I'm glad Gavin came, because it's always fun to have company, and the AMS meeting looked soul-crushing. And there's a phone interview soon!!

Wednesday was also a day of adventuring; I ended up hanging out with Spencer, while he attempted to get some stuff from the City Archives and then went shopping.
The best part about shopping with Spencer is that I don't have to pull punches; I can call him a douchebag, or whatever else comes to mind, (usually due to a particular clothing item more than actual faults with him) in public and not worry. It's freeing, and sort of fun to watch the poor salespeople try to convince him otherwise. Coming in a close second are his surprisingly concise fashion tips, like "The entire purpose of pants is to make your ass look fantastic."

I had to make a separate trip downtown after work, just before nine, to make an emergency buying of white t-shirts because I'd forgotten to do that on my first trip. Luckily, the Bay was still open, and due to the diligent efforts of one of their retail monkeys, I was able to pick up a reasonably priced shirt in time for GWAR.

GWAR was, as mentioned before, a fantastic show; I won't go into specifics because it'll be in my Discorder review, which I might put up later.

Got home from GWAR, showered, and collapsed in bed.

Thursday, I did a psych experiment. I almost fell asleep during it; whether it was due to the subject material or because I was that tired is beyond me. Then I gave a tour. It went reasonably well; about 2/3rds of the group showed up, which was more than we were expecting. After that, it was working time in the Buchanan B-Labs for a couple hours, before doing a little leadership training back in Recruitment. I picked up some useful tour stuff, and it was good to see the people I hadn't seen since the first day of training way back when.

Today's been another work/school/work day; I gave a school group tour today where we ran into B. Sull, and when he rushed through the crowd, I explained who he was, at which point he stopped, realized it was a tour, mentioned that they were in good hands because I was one of the campus' student leaders, and then rushed into the department of Asian Studies' Office (we were in the Asian Centre).

I don't think he knows who I am.

After that, I told the Asian Centre story (ask me sometime, it's bizarre), and continued on the tour, which ran smoothly after that point. Except that the kids stopped paying attention after we looked into a classroom in Angus (3/4ths point), which made the parts about the SUB (and the ones I feel most relevant to new students, because it's about clubs and services and getting involved in the community) sort of pointless.

I've been in the Buchanan B-Labs since 1, and at 4 I'll head over to the makeshift lab in BuTo to supervise the 15 iBooks corraled in the little fishbowl to make sure that nobody defaces the pristine, snowy machines.

I really, really want one.

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somewhere, a clock is ticking.

Speaking of wanting things, I've come across this semi-meme(sememe? pseudomeme?) over on Jon F and Christina's livejournals (people who used to also write for Another 48 Hours, and whose writings I regularly read, despite having met them once in passing, and having Jon once entirely not recognize me because I'd lost weight over the summer.) and I'm giving it a spin.

Step One

  • Make a post (public, friendslocked, filtered...whatever you're comfortable with) to your LJ. The post should contain your list of 10 holiday wishes. The wishes can be anything at all, from simple and random ("I'd love a Snape/Hermione icon that's just for me") to medium ("I wish for _____ on DVD") to really big ("All I want for Christmas is a new car/computer/house/TV.") The important thing is, make sure these wishes are things you really, truly want.
  • If you wish for real life things (not pics or icons), make sure you include some sort of contact info in your post, whether it's your address or just your email address where Santa (or one of his elves) could get in touch with you.
  • Also, make sure you post some version of these guidelines in your journal so that the holiday joy will spread.
Step Two
  • Surf around your friendslist (or friendsfriends, or just random journals) to see who has posted their list. And now here's the important part:
  • If you see a wish you can grant, and it's in your heart to do so, make someone's wish come true. Sometimes someone's trash is another's treasure, and if you have a leather jacket you don't want or a gift certificate you won't use--or even know where you could get someone's dream purebred Basset Hound for free--do it.
  • You needn't spend money on these wishes unless you want to. The point isn't to put people out, it's to provide everyone a chance to be someone else's holiday elf--to spread the joy. Gifts can be made anonymously or not--it's your call.
There are no rules with this project, no guarantees, and no strings attached. Just...wish, and it might come true. Give, and you might receive. And you'll have the joy of knowing you made someone's holiday special.

my list:
  1. to get five people to sign up and complete the freeipods thing.
  2. hugs.
  3. to go for coffee with people I don't see. Jon F, Kav and Christina, I'm looking at you three specifically.
  4. an afternoon to go thrift shopping.
  5. a scarf, somewhere in the region of six feet long, preferably in a darker color. knit, bought, whatever.
  6. mix CDs. They're always fun. In fact, I like making them, so maybe we could trade.
  7. recommendations for things to do, try, see, and listen to.
  8. for everyone who reads this to leave a comment; especially whoever happens to be reading this in Lithuania. I'm just curious, is all.
  9. dress shirts with french cuffs.
  10. dark chocolate.
Contact info is in the comments box so it's not indexed by google and that searching for my name will continue to not bring you here.
___
incidentally, it took me 40 minutes of my "workday" to actually write this post, which means I'll have been paid to blog. Fantastic.

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November 22, 2004

i know what my heart is for

  • looking for a new scarf is harder than I thought it'd be.
  • am currently owed: 3 paycheques, totalling something near $600.
  • GWAR cancelled their interview.
  • my dental plan doesn't cover anesthetic.
  • apparently, elections committee interviews are wednesday. I wasn't contacted, so I guess the "we'll put you in for CRO" thing fell through.
this isn't looking like a good day.
---
in happier news, I made another mix. (crossposted at indiemixtape)

  1. Björk - Who Is It (4:09)
  2. Mogwai - Hunted by a Freak (4:15)
  3. Secret Machines - Nowhere Again (4:13)
  4. Hope of the States - The Red the White the Black the Blue (3:39)
  5. The Arcade Fire - Wake Up (5:35)
  6. Dungen - Du Är För Fin För Mig (8:28)
  7. Death From Above 1979 - Sexy Results (5:53)
  8. The Notwist - This Room (4:45)
  9. Ellen Allien - Wish (4:49)
  10. Autechre - Leterel (7:08)
  11. Air - Alone in Kyoto (4:47)
  12. Squarepusher - Iambic 5 Poetry(5:30)
  13. Interpol - Specialist (6:40)
  14. Snow Patrol - Somewhere a Clock Is Ticking (4:32)
  15. The Futureheads - Carnival Kids (2:44)

there's timestamps because I used Winamp's "Generate HTML Playlist" feature.
I was surprised at the how well Squarepusher leads into Interpol, and also that I managed to work Autechre in at all.

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November 21, 2004

because it can't hurt:

should you be in the US and not already signed up:
http://www.freeiPods.com/?r=12017944

ps. yay jill!

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...I'll open source you!!

part of an MSN conversation I had earlier today:

graham :: http://www.buckstix.com/howitzer.htm: help me... have been sucked into skinning Windows
gerald // !: help me... went to the mozilla browser launch party last night
---

although the majority of my night was spent at the MozParty, it started at Zulu, where I picked up a used copy of the Travis singles disc, which was an entirely unnecessary purchase, but one that provided valuable consolation because they'd sold out of arcade fire tickets and wouldn't have more until monday. From there, I went to the Candy Aisle and bought Penguin Mints, which aren't all that great, but now I totally want to build a headphone amp in the tin over the winter break. After that, it was a walk to the Chinese restaurant next to the Ridge Bowling Lanes, where I had dinner with Rob, Lana, and Jay Garcia, whose birthday it was. Jordie and Kat came by a little later. And then we bowled. Five-pin isn't all that fun, but between the handles, the Big Lebowski references, and the 10th Frame Wackiness, it was a good time. From there, Rob Jordie and I headed out to Stamps Landing (right next to Monk McQueens) and the rest of the party headed off to Brandi's.

You read that right. I chose open source browser release party over strippers.

The party itself wasn't hugely exciting; take about twenty geeks, add three Macs (one 17" PB, one 15" PB, and a 14" iBook) and throw in a healthy portion of geek nostalgia ("hey, anyone remember Heretic?") and you've pretty much got the party.

The organizer didn't show up, so there was no swag. We were sad.

Get Firefox!

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November 19, 2004

flux = rad

I had three options for tonight:
1) go beer gardening, get loaded.
2) go to pink floyd laser show with Graham.
3) bake a cake.

I chose the cake.
Recipe's here, if you want it.
---

While at the buck a beaker today (for roughly twenty minutes), I ran into Rob Cross, who said that I hadn't posted much of what I was up to, and between that and not seeing him for two weeks (this is actually a long interval of non-Robicity), he felt like he'd fallen out of my life. I can think of far too many people I haven't seen that I used to see on a regular basis (circumstances such as England or graduation notwithstanding) that read this and might feel the same way. So, here's the rundown:

The Commute: It's much reduced; my mom's working again so I go to Nanaimo Street Station and then drive home from there.

The Schooling: Midterms are over, have an assignment due Monday, nothing pressing until exams.

The Working: Paycheques are late. This displeases me greatly. Am picking up a few extra hours in the computer labs because they're putting a bunch of iBooks into Buchanan Tower's lobby for student use for the next two weeks. Tours are fine, and I don't think I'll have a regular tour next term, which is something I'm sort of looking forward to. I may or may not be in the running for AMS CRO; they told me I would be put into the application pool when it happened, but since it's been a few months, and I have very little faith in people, I'll probably double check at some point.

The Home Life: Braces by the end of the school year. Wisdom teeth out sometime over break, and I'm seeing the dentist every. Tuesday. morning. from now until school gets out.

The Other Stuff I Do: interviewing GWAR on Wednesday; should probably research band so's I can ask intelligent questions. Around the AUS more than I think I should be; will probably cut back a bit. Have the reviewer slot for the Arcade Fire show, but given it'll be a packed show, I'm going to buy a ticket tomorrow or soonish anyway.

The Shows I Am Going To: GWAR, Arcade Fire, other stuff as it comes up.

The Reason I Have Not Yet Posted the Five in Heavy Rotation Despite Promising it a While Ago: Most of my listening happens on the commute now, which means that it's primarily full-album listening.

    Five albums are easy, though:
  • ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - Worlds Apart
  • Autechre - tri repetae++
  • Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
  • Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
  • Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People


The Scarf: Sold. For $30, which means I make a solid $14 profit. The hunt for a new one is on.

Other Stuff You Should Know: The Mozilla Release Launch Party is tomorrow. It'll be a geektastic time; it's an open-source browser release party, and part of me can't believe I'm going, and another part of me really wants some swag. You can find out more about Mozilla here (if you're not already using it) and about the party here.

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November 16, 2004

musical thoughts

Ta Det Lugnt is fantastic.
I don't have a clue what's going on, but it doesn't matter.
Hopefully, Dungen will tour.
Very unlikely, but here's hoping.
___
Have rediscovered Autechre, and this time around, it's less listening music and more soundtrack; makes the skytrain seem all futuristic and vaguely dystopian, what with all the clicks and beeps while I zoom about in a glorified sardine can filled with disgruntled suburbanites.

"The next station i--" [click] [whirr] [thump] [static]
Headphones are awesome.

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November 14, 2004

things I have been doing:

  • vastly enjoying most of what I've been downloading.
  • downloading some more stuff:

    • Slint - Spiderland
    • ...and you will know us by the trail of dead - Worlds Apart and Madonna
    • What's Up Matador (the tenth anniversary collection)
    • The Arcade Fire live at KEXP (which sounds good, but the quality is terrible)

  • studying for midterms.
  • being all religious-like; the last week or so has been the build-up to the hindu new year, and yesterday was new years proper, so it's been a lot of interesting stories and praying and hearing from family and whatnot. it's not a big huge thing, but it makes me shuffle the rest of my life around enough that I'm glad it's once a year.
  • realizing that my ...Trail of Dead shirt has a scene from the Mahabharata (lit trans: big war; it's an ancient Hindu epic poem) on it. and by me I mean my mom. I think this means that she approves of the band a little more. woo!
  • drooling over this laptop company
also, I've been cooking again. Most recently, I made this pineapple-coconut terrine/jello thing, the recipe for which I got here.
It tasted good, but didn't look nearly as good as that guys photo; I think that I might not have reduced the pineapple juice enough. Oh well.

also dug out the trusty cilantro pesto recipe, which is simple and fast and adds a swath of green to stodgy winter meals.
to make, take:
  • one bunch cilantro, cleaned and trimmed
  • two large cloves of garlic
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (about half a lemon)
  • a handful of nuts or seeds; I've made it with pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, peanuts and pistachios before.
  • salt, to taste.
  • about a quarter-cup of oil; whatever you like best.
throw everything but the oil in a blender. blend, adding oil until it becomes a smooth mixture, not necessarily a paste.

from there, the possibilities are huge; I like spreading it onto whole-wheat bread and making grilled cheese sandwiches, or tossing it with noodles and vegetables, or making nachos with it. the pesto tastes better after a day, and the proportions and ingredients are fairly flexible, so make it your own.

---
random question: what shade of blue do you think a super-intelligent shade of blue would be? a navy blue? an ice blue? a sky blue? it's sort of for a shirt.

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November 11, 2004

weirdest spam ever.

I'm bewildered by this; most spam has some sort of ulterior motive, but this one just wants me to accept Jesus.

---
From: Wendell
Date: Thu, 11 Nov 2004 11:58:00 +0100
Subject: Where is the path taking you
To: Gerald


Gerald,

Eternity is a really long time.If you or someone close to you has not
accepted God please do so tody, while you still can.

The following prayer can save you or someone that you love.

Say, "Oh God, save my soul. I'm so sorry that I have sinned against you, but I have come home. I will serve you, Lord, the rest of my life. Deliver me from all my sinful habits. Set me free! I do believe Jesus died on Calvary for me, and I believe in His blood, that there is power in His blood to wash away all my sins, all my sins!" Say, "Come into my heart, Jesus; come on in, Jesus.Come on in!"

If you meant it, He has come. If you meant it, Jesus is yours. Start reading your Bible, pray daily and believe that somebody's listening; His name is Jesus.

algeciras at Forsythia oreven barycentre as in asturias. Lynnette was at bacteriophage when that happened Forsythia. We met at bhakti and went to Lapland wher we had lunch at Rybinsk.It was Tuckwell and a Tolbert was had Tiruchirapalli by all.
---

the word Rybinsk was a link to www.rybinsnk.it, which I haven't hyperlinked because it might be some sort of instant-IE-exploiting hijack site.

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November 09, 2004

in wayfuckinbetter news:

  • increased RAM in the PC from 128MB to 320MB. In non-geek speak, things run better and crash less now.
  • have decided I like the scarf. it's a bit itchy, and doesn't work too well with about half of my wardrobe, which I guess means I'm going to be needing another one.
  • got my mom to agree on splitting the cost of a proper wool overcoat as my Hindu New Year gift (it's on Friday)
  • have been downloading music again, so far I have:
    • Annie - Anniemal
    • Pavement - Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain (LA's Desert Origins)
    • Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Shake the Sheets
    • Dungen - Ta Det Lugnt
    • Death From Above 1979 - You're a Woman, I'm a Machine
    • Mogwai - Happy Songs for Happy People
    • Spoon - Girls Can Tell
    • The Dears - No Cities Left
    • Hope of the States - The Lost Riots
    • Akufen - Fabric 17
    • Autechre - LP5 and Tri Repetae++
    • Belle and Sebastian - Tigermilk, Dear Catastrophe Waitress, If You're Feeling Sinister and Fold Your Hands Child, You Walk Like a Peasant
    • Benn Gibbard - Joga (Bjork cover)
    • more impressions on them later; so far Anniemal is the guiltiest pleasure ever, and The Dears are like a Britrock timewarp.
  • received email confirming that I will be interviewing GWAR, and that further details will be forthcoming.
  • mocked someone on the AUS email list; did not mean to send message to entire list, but have so far received 4 general "well done" type messages, one "that was unnecessary" and triggered Collins to send out a reminder not to respond to the entire list. whee!
  • opened ING account, am well on way to fiscal responsibility
  • am now reading Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, am enjoying vastly while also pondering if I shouldn't be studying in the time spent reading for enjoyment.
  • it's an interrobang‽ it questions? it exclaims!


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they've got six arms and omniscience. really, what do they need me for?

not going to celebrities tonight; apparently it's religion time.
___
Also, the scarf came.
It's itchy and doesn't look much at all like the photo, so I think I'm going to sell it.

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November 07, 2004

public service announcement

read this.

then sign this.

and then spread the word.

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wake up / hold your mistake up

there was a nebulous two-liner about my current mindset here, but I sat down with a cup of hot chocolate (the trick: real chocolate, scalding milk, and a pinch of salt) and figured out exactly what it was that was bothering me.

in one of my psych classes the other day, we were lectured about the concept of cognitive dissonance; the feeling that one gets when they realize that their actions and their worldview are not in sync, generally when someone else calls them on their hypocrisy.

there are two responses to this: change the action to suit the worldview, or rationalize it away by means of excuses.

I realized that I'd been acting out of line with my own beliefs, and that I've been rationalizing for far too long.
So I need to make some changes.

Starting with studying instead of writing this.

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November 04, 2004

words for life, #probably 4

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so."
- Ford Prefect
in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

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November 02, 2004

today!

I'm pretty sure that half of dental hygienist school is teaching would-be hygienists how to let patients know that they're terrible people for not flossing.

Also, it looks like I need all my wisdom teeth out, because the bottom ones came in sideways.

:/

On the upside, I bought the entire Hitchhikers Trilogy(all five books!) and Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell. Will post thoughts on them at some point.


--
question: is it too soon for another Five in Heavy Rotation?

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we'll make this place a heart to be a part of...

got a friendster invite today, which reminded me that I do, in fact, have an account over there, and that I should probably update the email. so I do. and then beano writes me a testimony. and then I spend half an hour randomly clicking on people's pictures and sending "friend requests" when I should've been doing productive things.

what's the point of the damn thing, again?

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