December 06, 2006

note to self: make these bad boys:

A La Cuisine!: Macarons (IMBB 10)

it seems like things that aren't work are mostly: attempt to get hands on Wii. Fail miserably. Bake. Repeat.

on the upside, the stories are getting better, and at some point I'll be able to buy one of the fuckers.

oh, I'm working on drafts for a couple sites, too - it should be a pretty interesting December.

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December 04, 2006

three things

- interview wednesday for a project management assistant position.
- my Frakkin Cylon shirt came.










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November 25, 2006

trials and triibulations

was fifth in line for four Wiis this morning at Zellers
Future Shop, Best Buy, Toys R Us and Superstore were all out.

bleh.

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November 18, 2006

five in heavy rotation:

I sort of thought about pitching this as a feature to Streethawk, but the simple fact of the matter is that I am too entangled in other things at the moment (baking, overtime, not-schooling-when-I-should-be, financial planning, cute boys at work, the redesign I keep going on about, etc) to really put enough into it to satisfy myself and by extension the editors.

That said, I'm going to put one up, because it seems like an easy way to ease back into writing, and though I am typing all day, I'm not writing and starting again is a good thing for me; halfassery here leads to fullassery in things that matter (shirts, photography, etc)

so here they are:
Herbert - Something Isn't Right
Despite the title, I think there's a lot right here; the interplay of the vocalists, the endless sound-collage that Herbert crams into every sonic nook, and the gently groovable beat have landed this song a large number of repeats. Also the line "cover up / it's an Allied slaughter" appeals to my mildly twisted war-joke sensibilities. I wonder if Herbert would find the squid cake funny...

Sufjan Stevens – The Predatory Wasp of the Palisades Is Out to Get Us!
I didn't really like this song until I heard it live, and along with John Wayne Gacy, Jr., it's become stuck in my head on repeat. It's hard to pick out any one thing that really, really stands out because it's all quite nice. I think it's the bit near the end "though we have sparred, wrestled and raged / I can tell you I love him each day" which is reminiscent of the end of Stars' Your Ex Lover is Dead but not really. Now, if only it was a waltz.

Radiohead - Like Spinning Plates (I Might Be Wrong version)
The guy who sits next to me, who listens and enjoys to most everything I put on during the day, asked me for my opinion on Amnesiac. I commented that while it was interesting, I thought a lot of the songs got a lot better live, and he asked me to demonstrate, so I played this. I'd forgotten how much I liked LSP live, and live Radiohead in general, so this popped back into rotation.

Ellen Allien - Alles Sehen
Previously mentioned cubemate turned to me halfway through this song, incredulous: "was that R2D2? Awesome."
He's also a big fan of Push, "so this song consists entirely of the words 'push', 'kick', 'your', and 'ass'. I like that."
Berlinette is good music for mindless typing to, and paired with the above quotes, it goes on at least once every couple days.

Ellen Allien and Apparat - Metric
[thump] [thump] [waaaaaaaaaaow] [strings]
While I have to remember to turn the bass down before I play this one, or my cube becomes the stationary version of That Guy In The Civic At The Intersection, there's something about this track that just works, be it in the bass, the subtle tension, the gorgeous string bits, or in the robot-cycling-down whooshes and whirrs that also occupy the song.

the downloads'll go up later; I'm going to read for a bit and then call it in so I can get up bright and early to go pick up a Wii.

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October 16, 2006

whee!

glarkware :: frakkin toaster -- NoN -- ships late nov

this doesn't get to me until november, but goddamn if I'm not excited now.

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braces, day 90

I'm not actually keeping count or anything, merely noting via Wikipedia which day of the year July 18th was (199) and which one this is (289) and then doing the math.

that said: I can live with this. The only real problems are the speed at which I go through toothbrushes, flossing and financing, and those are relatively minimal and I can see the effects already.

In retrospect, I should've taken monthly photos, but it seems like that would be making a bigger deal out of it, and while I'm quite pleased that this is a large positive change, there's no use fetishizing it.

I am, however, approaching the point where my jaw misalignment is pretty apparent, and while that's progress of some sort, it's also moving closer to the infamous jaw surgery, which promises to be a) painful, b) expensive, and c) will mean I can't talk for roughly ten weeks.

I'll cross that bridge when I get to it, I suppose.

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October 13, 2006

wrapped up in books

it's weird to realize that impulse-buying novels has become an avoidance mechanism and even stranger to make an effort to stop, but here I go.

the last six books for me to read are queued; three novels, what is apparently the best typography book written in a long time, the second of three photography books from Ansel Adams and then a re-read of Pattern Recognition, for nothing more than the flow of Gibson's sentences.

after that, I intend to move from almost solely consuming back into creation; I'm looking forward to getting my photographer's eye back. Also I find more practice helps my writing get better; both in terms of content and deliverance.

for now, I'm going to go finish Wind Waker and then shelve the Cube for a bit; while I admit to shifting gears rather abruptly, it's no excuse to leave things unfinished.

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October 12, 2006

for posterity

me: "oh, fuck off. you're the one who was threatening to spoon me shortly after I met you."
corbett: "I didn't know you were going to like it!"
me: "well, fuck; neither did I."
corbett: "shut up and take the shot.
also, pour some beam into the slurpees."
me: "dude, it's 3 pm."
[pause]
"let's roll."

and that was how we kicked off one hell of a saturday at whistler.

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October 11, 2006

triptych

the thing about posting lately is that I sit down and end up wanting to write three things in one, and in doing so end up doing nothing. I guess the most intuitive thing would be to write all three, so, uh, here goes. no neil-fu this post, and I'll explain that one later.

the thing about whistler for me is that none of the things that you're supposed to be doing, seeing, thinking about, or planning for are the ones that stick with you. This year's short themes for me were: bonding with Bock (things are cyclical; this was my year to watch over the puker and make sure he had water while he slept)  and T-Whatever (Cosy/Rex/Bone/Bag/etley); coming back up to speed on ACF; quality time with Ryan; getting comfortable with my satellite-like status; and seeing Pringle again.

came back from whistler, passed out in the office (and didn't go home) then went out to sushi to see Jill, going from Old Man to young'un, and walking in to meet Paul to be introduced with "this is Gerald. we became friends after he puked on my feet." It was nice to reconnect on both ends, to remind myself of this transitory phase (within a transitory phase) and also to where I want to be in six months, as a motivation.

there's more to say here, and I'll get back to it later; for now I'm going to ogle cameras and create a savings plan to afford one.

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September 04, 2006

half of everyone else moves around

my image host packed the fuck up and bailed on hosting with nary an email to their subscribers.

jerks.

I think it's time to retire this layout anyway, so it'll seem a little boring (okay, fine, really boring) until I throw down a new one.

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still got your words and you got your friends

I am learning to be okay with things, and also to change the things that need changing before they become... problematic.

I am trying (and advising others, which seems strange at this junction) to move in the direction of happiness, be the happiness in the movement, journey, or endpoint (ideally all three).

I am attempting to be less paranthetical, and I don't think I can do it alone.

I am not going to school tomorrow, and I don't know how I feel about that.

I think things will only be as I let them be.

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days of being mild

I am working full-time, doing data entry (interviewing people didn't pan out; I didn't really like it and I'd get headaches at least once a week.) and since I spend eight hours a day in front of a keyboard typing, doing more of it recreationally seems... counterintuitive, at best.

It's strange that no blog and no regular contact has made what interaction remains a little more intense; I am now a weekend warrior of some degree and cannot wait until this is no longer the case.

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July 24, 2006

wow. just wow.

Oh, Destructo. ? Concerning The Platinum Bitch

we all need more art like this.

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July 21, 2006

hired'd

I have a job, as of Monday.

One less thing to worry about.

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July 18, 2006

braces: day one.

I have never been so aware of my teeth, mostly because they hurt like motherbitches.

gah.

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July 16, 2006

trifecta'd

Al's party was fun, and included all sorts of mildly ridiculous things, like drunken baking, pancakes, and shots of whiskey toasted to being in the closet from our parents.

Also JD. So much JD.

Lots of awesome bizarro conversations were had, including this one (which was pretty up there but not the best, but I can't remember the other one so whatever.

Steve: "what's your next movie about, Al?"
Pat: "gay cowboys eating pudding."
me: "cowboys are on their way out, I think. Gay pirates, perhaps. What about gay ninja? You'd just show two hours of bamboo forest, because when ninja have a secret forbidden love, it stays secret."

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in the vein of the post below:

I like the sound of "obfuscate.ca", partially because it'd make for neat email addresses, but it's counterintuitive.

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followthrough: maybe.

Last night, I drunkenly proposed to Jackie that we start up some sort of webzine thing in the vein of McNorton's ill-fated (and badly color-schemed, if I'm going to be absolutely honest here) "Exit Pill" project thing.

I'm not sure where or when or why, but I like the idea of it, and maybe putting up some sort of actual personal website, with things that aren't a blog. Both'd give me a chance to stretch my design muscles and do some non-academic writing that isn't mired in navelgazing.

anyone else interested?
also: name suggestions are welcome.

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July 12, 2006

let the judging begin

renewed my learners today; did the test in 6.1 minutes with a 93% score.

the weirdest bit was that I was eligible for tests immediately, and would be expected to stick to the first GLP rule set when I get my N (so I can have non-family passengers).

I never really bothered with my license because I lived in Vancouver and didn't really need to drive, and then I was in three car accidents and was uncomfortable in them (and still have some anxiety surrounding driving) but I'll be able to deal with them now, I think.

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July 11, 2006

scam alert!

Canon EOS 5D 12.8MP Digital Camera (Body)

This is waaaay too good to be true, because the camera body retails for upwards of $4000. Keeping this in mind, I sent the seller a list of questions, and we'll see what the response is like (if there is one).

If this is legit though... holy shit.

[edit: it was taken down by the craigslist gang, so I guess someone called them on the scam. such is life: if something seems too good to be true, it probably is.]

questions

- I assume it's used. What sort of condition is it in?
- What is included with the camera?
- is there any warranty? is it a Canadian market camera or an import?
- how many photos has it taken?
- is there any way for us to meet up so I can have a look at the camera?

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all systems red

haven't said anything because there's not much to say.

no work.
no impending school.
nobody new.

just braces, jobhunt, and comics.

---
maybe a redesign soon.
maybe buying a camera.
we'll see.

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July 07, 2006

guppy update. (gupdate?)

hrm.
it appears names really do have power, because Sherry, Nina, and Saunders (the guppies) are all dead. They had bits missing from their tails and thusly I suspect Jack and Aaron (the fighting fish) did it. Aaron tolerates Logan for some periods of time, but chases him around the bowl roughly one in every ten minutes.

...I need to get out more.

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June 27, 2006

I'm not dead!

...I want to live!

haven't posted for a while due to work (90 hours! 6 days! one festival! I'm a professional now!) as well as Debutante Ball preparations and whatnot (ps send me your photos) and continuing the job hunt, but rest assured that the Coles Notes are slowly being compiled.

anyway: came home Saturday night to discover that my sister had bought four guppies to keep Jack and Aaron (my pet fighting fish who live in separate bowls) company. I didn't think this was a good idea, but decided to let it slide, probably because I was too tired to deal with it.
The guppies were put in, two to a bowl, yesterday, and seemed to have acclimatized as of last night. As of this morning, though, Jack and Aaron were chasing their respective guppies around the bowl, leading me to change their names from Mike and Palmer (for Aaron's guppies) to Sherry and Logan, and from Tony and Curtis (for Jack's guppies) to Nina and Saunders.

and yes, there is a theme.

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June 09, 2006

five in heavy rotation

I haven't done one of these for a while, which means that most of you probably haven't either. It's really very simple: pick five songs you've been listening to a lot in the last week, and write a couple lines about them and/or how they reflect on the greater context of, well, you.

Here I go (in no order):

Okkervil River - Another Radio Song
I've written and rewritten this blurb four times, and no matter which way I approach it, I end up with a conclusion I'm thoroughly unsatisfied with. Give it a couple listens. Maybe it'll grab you the same way it did me. Who knows.

...and you will know us by the trail of dead - Heart in the Hand of the Matter
The odd one out. I'm not really sure what to make of it except maybe that the iPod likes it a lot and sneaks it into shuffle. Of course, anthromorphizing a piece of consumer electronics is a whole other barrel of monkeys.

Rogue Wave - 10:1
Infectious sunshine pop. Waking up to this (as I've been doing lately) is like punching morning doldrums in the face.

Calexico - Sunken Waltz
I don't know why, but if you write anything not classical in 3/4 time, I will put it on repeat, and probably add it to the running playlist on my iPod called "Waltzes." No idea, but I'm a total sucker for 'em. This is another one of those.

Barenaked Ladies - Too Little Too Late
"Be good
I would
If only I was understood"

[sigh]

all five can be downloaded here
it's a yousendit link, so it'll expire after 25 downloads or a week. I'll put it up again if necessary, so long as the requester puts up their own Five in Heavy Rotation.

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cue the whitesnake

had two interviews last week, and just got the rejection email from the second one.

here I go again (on my own).

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June 04, 2006

from earlier today

Jess: "who would possibly leave an 8-track player in a bush?"
Me: "squirrels. [pause]
squirrels with funk."

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bah

looks like I lost another image host, so both the friends page and my images'll be down for a bit.

bleh.

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May 30, 2006

test

I am typing this from a Macbook! this will be mine.

...precious...

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globeandmail.com : Conservatives introduce fixed-date election bill

globeandmail.com : Conservatives introduce fixed-date election bill

I'm not sure how I feel about this.

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May 24, 2006

(two point) five year plan

it occurs to me that one of those things that I intended to write about and never got around to was the result of my trip to the orthodontist in early April.

To get my teeth all correctly aligned and functioning turned out to be a three-part project; two of which I was expecting, and one that I wasn't.

The first was to pull five teeth; three wisdom, one molar, and one bicuspid (not six as I'd previously thought; I was looking at two halves of one tooth). That went... okay - I escaped nerve damage and infection, lost a bunch of weight, and have awesome/awful stories to tell about the small talk that was had between the hygienist and oral surgeon as they went about the whole process (I was conscious and on Valium.)

The second is braces. They're going to be painful and awkward. There may be headgear involved, and timeframe on that appears to be in the region of two to two and a half years. Given that my jaws are apparently very well constructed, I wouldn't be surprised if they took longer.

The third, and unexpected one, is that I need jaw surgery, to move my jaws back into alignment. It shouldn't require breaking them, but I haven't seen the maxillofacial surgeon yet and don't know if that prognosis'll change. That'll happen about a year after I get the braces in, and takes about two and a half months to recover from.

and that's what I get to look forward to.

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May 15, 2006

what the kids are doing with their hands

rock-paper-scissors? old and busted.
cat-tinfoil-microwave? move on over.

Cowboy-Ninja-Bear is where it's now, apparently, at. The dude includes a nine-option variant, but that's just stupid.

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May 14, 2006

crunching = good

I had chips yesterday!

whee!

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May 11, 2006

no-crunch diet, day 7

Boost drinks (which I've been consuming when I've been away from home)
have this really weird aftertaste of creamed corn.

the worst part is that I've been drinking the "Mocha" flavor.

it's about as bad as you think.

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May 06, 2006

novel thought

not necessarily a new one, but one about novels.

William Gibson, for all his "father of cyberpunk" cred, really, really likes exploring the interface between art and technology.

...I wonder how he feels about CSS.

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May 05, 2006

good / bad / ugly

the good news: I have "jaws like cement"
the bad news: I had six teeth pulled yesterday. All of them had to be broken in the socket and removed piece by piece.
the ugly: I sneezed and it looks like someone got shot in our driveway.

___
I'm not going anywhere for the next few days.
Sorry, Spence. Have a safe trip and a good night.

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May 03, 2006

test

just checking something out.

there will be more of these random posts that come and go; I'm testing things out, using the "throw it against the wall and see if it sticks" method.

incidentally, it's a great way to test the doneness of pasta.

anyway:


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test

I wonder if this'll work...



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May 01, 2006

inadvertent hilarity

take one commercial for a super-soaker that now shoots "ooze" in addition to the usual Freudian overtones (commercial here (youtube).) and add Amazon's customer review system, seen here.

stir gently and enjoy.

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April 29, 2006

wow.

that was a lot of drinking.
a lot a lot.
jesus.

also, I'm still amused that nobody told Dave about Gary.
I understand the rationale, and I appreciate that you care, but holy crap it was hi-larious to watch Dave piece things together (especially since we were playing Never Have I Ever)

also: I wrote a bunch of stuff in a post below about things that are exciting. If you want to know about them, ask me in person, because sometimes, it's better to leave stories off the internets.

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April 23, 2006

posterity:

it's sort of strange to remember that the blog is more for and about me than it is about any real audience, and resultantly, I occasionally will throw down posts that are more markers for memories than intended for any real outside consumption.

I guess on the one hand, they're a peek inside my (mess of a) head, but at the same time, they're wildly incomplete, and I'm unlikely to flesh them out.

there'll be a couple backdated posts popping up here and there, but nothing too major; but if you find yourself poking through the archives and seeing a post you don't remember as being there, that's probably why.

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April 17, 2006

filler.

I haven't written about anything lately, and the last two weeks have been packed full of exciting happenings, so here's an outline of what's coming, depending on how procrastinatory I feel.

things to talk about:
- last EA meeting
- production week
- tube fights
- day-of
- five things you didn't know about control
- post-fair radio
- safety meeting #1
- cleanup
- safety meeting #2
- staff dinner
- post-staff dinner happenings
- hanging with bock and andy

- birthday
- jess'
- dinner
- awards
- board games
- pancakes

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April 11, 2006

whirlwind tour

there's a lot to write about, in terms of fair, and post-fair, and one certain post-fair happening, and news on the orthodontic front.

it'll come later.

birthday plans: I don't know what to do. so far, I've been invited to play board games with Jess and co, but Awards Night is also that night, and I'm not huge on taking a large posse to a house party that's not mine.

I propose a simple dinner at the Great Wall Mongolian BBQ on Broadway, before (or ideally between) drinking.

thoughts?

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April 04, 2006

by the numbers:

2 hours to production week
3 days until fair
7 days until orthodontist consult
10 days until birthday (I'm thinking dinner before E7A Awards - suggestions?)
18 days until first exam
22 days until last exam
24 days until joblessness
30 days until wisdom teeth out

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if I could kill people by willing it, I would have today.


additionally, light rain for friday.
godsdamnit.

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April 01, 2006

last night was absurd.

what started out as the intention to play manhunt and then go to liver training before going to Tim's to sleep (and then wake up and go to MexiCali) turned into the following:
- Some sort of Engineering beer garden, in which I played a low of XvSF against Alex from SUS
- Liver Training, where I paid for things, but then my money was no good, and so I got loaded on free good beer.
- I don't know what it is with me and the 29 year old guys, but I accidentally sort of almost picked one up. But then it got weird, and Tim stepped in as a Federal Air Marshal (he enforces no-fly lists) but that didn't work out too well, and he ended up coming to the party Patricia said I needed to wingman for her at, where I also ran into:

- Jack, who was drunk-tired and falling asleep on Ollie's couch, nose-cast and all
- Duck, who was approximately the same as the last time I'd seen him.
- Meg from the Bay Optical, whom I didn't recognize right away, but both of us were aware that we knew each other from somewhere, and so there was that mildly awkward sort of staredown until she said "nice glasses" and it all clicked.
I felt sort of bad when I told her that she had picked the frames I was wearing, but I'd gotten a hugely better deal elsewhere ($423+tax down to $300 all-in) and so that was a-OK with her. Bizarre, I know.

got back to Tim's at 3:30, after catching the last N22 and walking from Dunbar and 41st, and promptly fell asleep.

ye gods, guys are ridiculous.

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March 28, 2006

Pt

got my first platinum card offer in the mail today.
while I realize that it's the first of many and it's successors will undoubtedly plague my mailbox and torment my shredder, the first one should be a little bit special.

so I opened it before shredding it.

whee!

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I think I may be addicted to string cheese.

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March 26, 2006

nerd alert!

I just used the words "communicatory pincer movement" in a voicemail.

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procrastin-- aw, fuck, I'm too lazy to remember the last half

never before have I not wanted to start a paper so hard that I've cleaned my bathroom (chemicals and all) instead of actually working on it.

now that everything's goddamn sparkly, I may as well get going.

in happier news, I'm writing a personality analysis of Batman, having been inspired by Gav working as much IR into his lit papers as possible.

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March 25, 2006

I was definitely drunker than I thought last night, although looking back, I realize I was drinking double rum and diet cokes for most of the night, and it was probably the aspartame that masked the rum.

consequently, I had some fun and some... interesting conversations. The most notable was definitely the one where I decided that Tyler should be known henceforth as "Shuffleboard" for reasons I'm not entirely sure of.

the other one was a rambling one with Graham (not either of you that'll read this, oddly) about the importance of reminding people that they're important, and how he hadn't found that to be the case in previous endeavors which resultantly didn't go so well.

additionally, the UNA continues to blow my mind. I won't say more, so don't ask.

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March 23, 2006

this isn't turning into a Wu-Tang blog, I swear.

now, for a contradictory statement and mildly ridiculous link: The GhostFace Killah Doll

I'm not sure whether I'm a larger fan of the fact that "Each collector will have a 1 in 500 chance to spend a day with Ghostface Killah himself" or that it carries a "# Gold Chalice with Swarovski crystals".

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March 22, 2006

Blossom vs Wu

The Morning News - The Cast of Blossom vs. Wu-Tang Clan, by Pasha Malla

I'm not really sure what to say about this, except maybe that "bust you up in slow motion / burn your ass the DVD" is something that needs to be used more in daily life.

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March 19, 2006

dispatch from the front

there's nothing like evacuation plans to make one into a raging pessimist.

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March 18, 2006

paging dr jung

had a pair of strange dreams last night; more accurately, more than a pair but there's only two I sort of remember. I blame the green beer.

in the first, there was a Cylon invasion and I was a guerilla fighter, sneaking past enemy lines to blow up Tyllium refineries while simultaneously playing Capture the Flag with the other humans.

in the second, I broke the RAZR and had to go on a full-blown quest to get another one. There was a squire and everything. Bizarre times.

anyway, I'm off to pick up my glasses.
woo!

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March 16, 2006

adventures in technology:

my brother's bluetooth headset (picture) arrived in the mail on Tuesday, but his bluetooth-enabled phone (picture) didn't get to him until last night, and so in the interval, I borrowed it to see what the fuss was and also to see if I wanted one. I think the idea of hands-free phone usage is interesting, and while the usage of the headset/phone combo was neat, I ended up looking like a total douche.

in conclusion, a small chart of pros and cons. It should be a table, but I never did figure out how to hand-code them and I'm not about to start.

Pros:
- handsfree operation
- no actual contact with phone required to place or receive calls.
- decent quality/noise reduction
- looking like the Borg

Cons:
- looking like a douche
- voice dial still has some bugs
- uncomfortable after a length of time
- looking like the Borg

I don't want one. I'm interested in what the next step is, though.

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March 14, 2006

misc. points:

- I can't go to Electric Six tonight. Anyone want my ticket?
- new glasses get here Friday evening. I found a (not great) picture of the frames here. They were mostly covered by insurance and I'm getting a stupid deal, so I figured that going with nice frames would be worth it.
- I was offered a choice between a trip to Australia with my sister, or a big party, the kind of which I often make mad fun of. I haven't decided yet, but the fact that I'd be going to Australia with my sister makes me want to go with the party.
- The Battlestar Galactica season finale was crushing. Crushing.

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March 11, 2006

disclosure:

you should know the following.

- I lost my glasses making out with a guy.
- I came to the conclusion that it was rather fun and that I'll probably do it again.
- Not with the same guy, though. That was a bad call.

addendum:
- I still like women. I'm not sure if I made that clear.

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March 08, 2006

worrying statistic:

"Since U Been Gone" is #15 on my iTunes top played, having been played 34 times since I got my iPod.



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February 25, 2006

posterity:

me: "so, guess what I learned to do yesterday!"
jordie: "I hope it's not sexual."
me: "unless port forwarding is some sort of new slang, it's not sexual."
both: [helpless giggling]

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February 21, 2006

johari:

This Johari meme is interesting, but I think it could be better implemented by having the first user choose more things that they feel suits them and also by maybe having a section for traits that they don't feel apply.

anyway, give mine a shot: http://kevan.org/johari?name=heeeraldo

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February 20, 2006

unpleasant first / phonephylactic

fell down the stairs yesterday, having slipped on a drawing my cousin "decorated" the stairs with. nothing broken, but I definitely felt it this morning, so if you're wondering why I'm not sitting, now you know.

also: I figured out how to get mp3 ringtones onto my phone1, but have yet to find one that doesn't turn me into That Guy2. Any suggestions?

1. I've joined the ranks of the RAZR'd.
2. y'know - That Guy; the one wearing the band's shirt to the show (or a Guinness shirt in an Irish-themed pub), or the one whose ringtone gets stuck in your head or the one who orders the ridiculous drink, doubling your wait time. The ones responsible for an unending stream of low-level annoyances. I don't want to be one.

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February 04, 2006

my alarm clock is currently in a box somewhere, and so I've been using my iPod and a pair of speakers to wake myself up. Today, it was House of Jealous Lovers, which prompted a full-on pajamaclad dance party.

after a little hungover fumbling with slippers, I remembered that I hadn't plugged my phone in and so I went to retrieve it from my coat pocket.

...and found the trial packet of lube Jess had left in there.

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January 31, 2006

day 3

the process of moving and painting and scrubbing and whatnot felt a lot like production week. I'm not really sure how else to put it.

still not entirely settled; have been rearranging clothing and "stuff" and wondering where the hell the first four trades of 100 Bullets have gone.

my bed is fantastic.
my room ended up looking pretty good; I was concerned before the furniture arrived because the walls looked very boring but now that it's here they provide a balance to the overwhelming greenness of everything else. I'll put up a picture when I find the camera, mostly for Brie. Also Drew, who reads these things secretly and then spews details when you run into him at the Gallery, which is freaky as all fuck.

tangential: it's been pointed out to me that I could take the 44 and then the skytrain, thus meaning that I would traverse the entire length of the "Expo Line" every day. I'm sort of tempted.

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January 30, 2006

breaking deep cover

not quite done moving, but the major stuff is over.
beds are fantastic.

the rest of my life has left me behind, though, so I've got some catching up to do, which promises to be interesting, at the very least.

also: Rob and I are going "routers and pants" shopping on saturday. anyone else interested?

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January 25, 2006

I own a GameGear?!

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January 15, 2006

0700-0900

three things:

  1. Jack 3, necks 0.
  2. "If you don't tell me what I want to know, then it'll just be a question of how much you want it to hurt."
  3. (swoon)

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drowning in cardboard

actual content:
so many boxes.
SO MANY BOXES.

10 days left until we get possession of the new house, 11 until I repaint my room (grey walls/white trim, dark green furniture1 and carpet, leaf-themed fabrics2), and 13 until we move in proper.

I watched my mother talk a salesperson into reducing the price of my mattress/base thingamadoo from $599 + tax + delivery ($722 total) down to $550, all-in. it blew my mind. I guess the Force is strong in her.

footnotes:

  1. I didn't choose it; am going to use my brother's old furniture until we move again, which is apparently planned for two to three years from now. Said date also provides me with a window to get my name off the mortgage3 and move out in, come to think of it...
  2. I'm sure Brie wanted to know.
  3. Having seen enough families torn apart by feuds over property and money, my parents decided that the three of us should have an equal stake in the deed, so that when they pass on, we all automatically have the house. It's utterly sensible, and had the bizarre side effect of me signing off on mortgages about ten years before I'd planned to.

total asides:
  1. the fact that the HTML tag for superscripts is "sup" amuses me a little.
  2. I blame the new penchant for long footnotes on Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell, which has long and rambling footnotes that are often more interesting than that particular stage of the story.
  3. I will, at some point, post a list of things I have found while putting things in boxes.
  4. 24 starts tonight. People at Jon's, expect phone calls during breaks.

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January 10, 2006

give me grace and chemicals

  • one of these days, I'll figure out how to write an autobiographical statement that isn't a total wank.
  • moving date got moved up a week, so the moving weekend is the one of/after Cold Fusion. Sorry, P-Lau.
  • along those lines, I guess I should start packing 2 boxes a day, instead of my leisurely 1.5.
  • I'm doing nothing for elections, and it's freeing. So freeing, I'll spare the analogies.
  • SNAKES ON A PLANE!!! (link goes to webcomic which links to article about ridiculous movie.)

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January 06, 2006

note to self:

make shirts with taglines:
- recommended for use in conjunction with pants
- i need tungsten to live

...other suggestions?

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January 03, 2006

administrative:
images are down again, and I can't be bothered to set up a new ripway account; I think it might be time for me to redesign and/or move to another image host.

resolutions:
I have yet to not thoroughly fuck up my resolutions, so here's my list for 2006:

  • get fat, by not going swimming or to the gym.
  • continue to live at home
  • forget that I am, in fact, pretty damn awesome.
  • work >2 jobs over the summer.
  • cling to the AUS/AMS, like a whelk. Or perhaps a limpet.


actual thoughts:
these last few days of break are the only ones that have felt like a break should; packed with familiar faces and new stories, basking in the warm glow of remembered (mis)adventures and trading plans for whatever comes next.


an outline with which to finish this post.

Dec 29: beers with minischool gang
Dec 30: quitting PNE, Samosa Garden, Maggie and Joe's
Dec 31: LDB with Mom, Partysaver, Sarah's
Jan 1: Drunken Aunts
Jan 2: Cities and Knights of Catan

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January 01, 2006

year-ender

backdated because I wrote this and forgot to post it, so even though you're seeing it on the 3rd (or later), it's from the 1st.
meme starts here

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before?
Ran two campaigns at once, four jobs at another time, worked on the field at the Fair, got onto the ACF Exec, spent more than half of it on the couch, succumbed to iPod fever, settled with ICBC, and signed a mortgage, which I wasn't expecting to have to do for a good five to ten years.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
No and yes.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
A cousin in Calgary, so sort of.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
No.

5. What countries did you visit?
The US.

6. What would you like to have in 2005 that you lacked in 2004?
To move out.

7. What dates from 2004 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

January 8-23
January 27
February 13
February 26
March 24
April 1
April 8
April 28
May 14
October 13
October 27
Nov 7
Dec 13
Dec 30

would I like to forget the summer? yes. will I? probably not.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Leading two elections to victory, PMOing, inching my parents towards the realization that I am not, in fact, thirteen.

9. What was your biggest failure?
I gave up.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Just the opposite; the back is getting better.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
iPod, E4's.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?
They know who they are.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
They know who they are, too.

14. Where did most of your money go?
Tuition. Then clothes, food, booze, etc.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Work.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005?
And Then You Kissed Me - The Cardigans.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? Happier.
b) thinner or fatter? Maybe a few pounds thinner.
c) richer or poorer? Richer.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?
Gym time, studying.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?
Commute, meetings.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
At home.

21. Did you fall in love in 2005?
Yes. No. I'm confused.
Hold me?

22. How many one-night stands?
None.

23. What was your favourite TV program?
Battlestar Galactica.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
Nobody new.

25. What was the best book you read?
Comics, again. Fables and Fell.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
in terms of most listened to, probably Okkervil River or Wolf Parade.
in terms of obscurity, Imogen Heap, or perhaps Vitalic.
Oh, and I had an advance copy of Arular before you did, so nyar.

27. What did you want and get?
Material stuff, jobs.

28. What did you want and not get?
Material stuff, freedom.

29. What was your favourite film of this year?
none worth noting.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
20, and nothing, due to exams.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Less couch time.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2004?
I like coats.

33. What kept you sane?
Dark chocolate, raspberry juice, and JD.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Fancy? Not really any of them.
Kiefer Sutherland continues to be awesome, though.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?
AdScam.

36. Who did you miss?
Mostly Jill, Naf, and Neil; everyone else I see fairly frequently.

37. Who was the best new person you met?
Jess Klug. Also perhaps Bernie, because we'd met before but never actually talked.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005:
there are two types of family; the ones you're born with and the ones you choose.

39. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
got a hand
So I got a fist
So I got a plan
It's the best that I can do
Now we'll say it's in God's hands
But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he?

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