Simontastic!

Celebrity

2009-02-23T17:42:00.001-08:00

I'm almost positive that the current culture of celebrity that we live in is dysfunctional in some/many ways. I'll look into it, but I have a feeling that popular media contributes to a litany of wrongs, the least of which is making you feel ugly.

But no matter.

One trend I've noticed is the increase in clothing "designed" by celebrities. Paris, Jessica Simpson, Eminem etc...

I think it'd be neat if we all were to do this. I mean, if we all designed our own clothes.

whistler

2009-02-21T10:45:00.000-08:00

Remember this Show?

2009-02-02T21:24:00.001-08:00

Deal or No Deal (Australia): The Unluckiest Contestant Ever

2009-01-15T19:37:00.001-08:00

I only get two tv channels. (Un)fortunately for me, Deal or No Deal is one of the few shows I am able to watch.

Here's a clip of some poor fellow playing this game in the Australian version of the show.

I find it hilarious.

Cypress!

2009-01-10T15:08:00.001-08:00

Tooth Brrrush

2009-01-05T21:44:00.000-08:00

I got an electric tooth brush for Christmas!

It's really weird to have this little motor going on in your mouth.

There's a 2 minute timer on it. It's made me realize that I've never brush my teeth for two minutes. Are we really supposed to brush our teeth for that long?

My teeth feel clean, I must say.

The Scientist

2008-12-16T18:34:00.001-08:00

I've been using Youtube lately to listen to music. There are a couple really, really neat things about this. Firstly, is that there are a plethora of covers on youtube. Famous and not so famous artists cover famous and not so famous songs. And it's really great because sometimes, you'll like certain aspects of a song, and not others, and you can find covers to suit your taste. The other really neat thing about youtube is the burgeoning amateur music scene. And it's so interactive too! You can comment on songs you really like, or you can even post a song or message in response. What a world.

Mario Kart Love Song

2008-12-16T18:00:00.001-08:00

I love Mario Kart.

beach

2008-12-07T17:21:00.001-08:00

We Are the World!

2008-12-06T09:12:00.001-08:00

Christmas Lights!

2008-11-22T17:46:00.000-08:00

I spent this morning in the park, helping set up some Christmas lights. There were a LOT of lights. If anyone is in the area, and notices the awesome light design on the doors to the petting zoo, you can be happy in the knowledge that yours truly was responsible.

When was the last time anyone went to a petting zoo? I spent some time moseying around some really friendly goats. They have the oddest looking pupils. I wonder why that is. Also, they are super curious, friendly creatures. The also love to chew things. Petting zoos are the bomb diggity.

Waiting for an Airplane

2008-11-15T14:23:00.000-08:00

So Jess told me she was flying back to Canada today, and would be arriving at 8am.

I think what she said on the phone was: "I'm flying on Saturday, and I'm arriving at 8am".

After waiting for two hours at the airport, it occurred to me that perhaps we had misunderstood each other.

Four Hands Guitar

2008-11-11T14:56:00.001-08:00

Fun!

Best Comics Ever

2008-11-10T08:07:00.001-08:00

Currently Active

Get Fuzzy - The dog is just so precious. The protoganist kinda reminds me of Richard.
Sherman's Lagoon - I find their wide-eyed stares hilarious.
Dilbert - Ever notice how it's only 3 panels whereas most other comics are 4?

Retired/Semi-retired

The Perry Bible Fellowship - Fantastic artwork. And so subversive and sly!
Bloom County - I love the penguin.
The Far Side - So much fun crammed into a single panel!
Calvin and Hobbes - When I was a kid, I was convinced that Hobbes was a magic tiger who actually became real.
For Better or For Worse - One of the few comics where people actually age.
Peanuts - You can't help but root for Charlie Brown.

Debate.

Get Fuzzy!

2008-11-10T08:05:00.001-08:00

Beer Bottles Mario Song

2008-11-09T13:52:00.001-08:00

Wow!

The Last Nomads

2008-11-09T12:16:00.000-08:00

Did you know you can watch CBC documentaries online?
So awesome!

I just watched one about a hunter/gatherer people in Bornea, the Penan.

It's about how they've had to give up their way of life and settle down to become farming peoples.

Is this good or bad? I'm not sure.

It seems universal though, that change is a scary thing. I think it's one of those things that is resistant to cliched advice. Change is good? Change is bad? It really does depend on the nature of the change, doesn't it?

Olympic$

2008-11-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

As you may imagine, tickets for 2010 are not going cheaply.

There's a lottery system in place. My understanding though, is that if you "win" a lottery for a ticket to an event, you are obligated to buy the ticket. The rumour on the street however, is that odds of winning in this ticket lottery are not very high.

What does this mean? This means that some of my friends have put there names down for a LOT of tickets, with the mindset that they'll be lucky if just a few of them come through. It'll be kinda hilarious though, if in fact, tickets aren't that hard to come by. Because then, I know quite a few people on the hook for thousands of dollars worth of Olympic tickets.

A lot of this purchasing happened last night, at a small Mario Kart gathering I held. The lesson is that peer pressure and a party atmosphere will make people do extravagant things.

Birds on a wire

2008-11-07T07:20:00.001-08:00

Obama Dance!

2008-11-04T23:23:00.001-08:00

Hooooooorrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

VOTE!

2008-11-04T18:18:00.000-08:00

Is everyone else following the American election too?

I'm amazed at how close the popular vote is. Absolutely amazed.

The exact intricacies of their electoral system isn't something I understand very well. But it sure is exciting, eh?

You know how they label Democrat states 'blue' and Republican ones 'red'? Apparently, that's a recent thing. The colour labeling thing began so tv could show pretty graphics during election coverage. The parties actually alternated colours (ie red one election, blue the next) until the Bush-Kerry elections, when the massive amount of media coverage have now ensconced the blue-democrat, red-republican relationships into our minds.

Also, did you know that psychologists have done studies to show that teams dressed in red win more?

They're showing video coverage of all these line ups at polling stations in the states. Our recent Canadian elections had very poor voter turn-out. They need to revamp our system. People feel like their vote doesn't matter.

Peter Pan

2008-11-03T07:31:00.001-08:00

I don't want to grow up! Someone make it stop!

I'm doing my darndest. I bought Mario Kart and played it all weekend. So great!

Healthy Living

2008-11-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

So everyone's got an opinion of how you should be eating, living, exercising, sleeping etc...

I remember Greg being all over the "Zone" diet when we were in High School. I also remember Richard eating raw spaghetti. But how to know which is actually better for you?

The thing about a lot of the recommendations you hear from "experts" is that there isn't great evidence supporting their advice. That's because that sort of unbiased evidence is very hard to get. That being said, in the medical field at least, there are all sorts of organizations devoted to trying to find good, hard evidence to back up therapeutic interventions.

Bandolier is one such source. It's based out of Oxford and apparently quite reputable. While perusing their site the other day, I came upon a list of ten recommendations they had for healthy living. Given the nature of Bandolier, I presume that these recommendations would all be backed by hard evidence.

Let's see how I do:

1. Eat more whole grains. (4/week)
Hmmm. Don't think I'm doing enough of this. I eat mostly refined grains. Read about the difference.

2. Don't smoke.
YES! A win for me.

3. Eat 5 fruits/vegs a day. Especially tomatoes.
I don't think I'm meeting this quota. I'm definitely not eating a lot of tomatoes.

4. Use Benecol instead of butter or margarine.
This must be some sort of European product. Either way, I rarely eat butter or margarine.

5. Drink alcohol regularly.
They recommend TWO per day! Since reading this article, I've gone out and bought a 12 pack of beer.

6. Eat fish.
I love sushi. Time to eat it more regularly.

7. Take a vitamin everyday. Make sure it has at least 200 mcg of folate.
I bought a bottle of vitamins yesterday. They have SIX hundred mcg of folate per tablet. Booyah.

8. If not pregnant or hypertensive, drink lots of coffee.
I'll have to step this up too...

9. Get breathless more often.
I must say, my rollerblade to work is usually done at a leisurely pace. I'm going to start gunning it.

10. Don't be overweight.
Check!

So the bottom line is, despite what I thought was a pretty good lifestyle, there are quite a few ways in which the hard evidence shows I can improve my health. I'm on it! Hope you all have a good weekend. I'm off to buy tomatoes.

PS How was Halloween for everybody? I learned to make a turban out of a bedsheet. Outstanding.

Madonna!!!

2008-11-02T09:26:00.000-08:00

Jess surprised me with Madonna tickets on Thursday!

I have now seen "Like a Prayer" performed live. Yet another life goal accomplished!

The most interesting thing about the show was the variety in the crowd. It was a true cross section of society. There were the crazy fans with wigs and cone bras, but there were also middle aged men with their children. The downtown was completely packed with people. That Madonna. She's a legend!

The other thing about Madonna? She sure is fit. The show was great re:pyrotechnics, dancing etc.., but the real amazing thing is that a 50 year old lady has it in her to gyrate like she does for 2 hours.

Dentista

2008-10-31T10:15:00.001-07:00

I went for a dental exam yesterday. They had televisions in the ceiling! How awesome.

They also told me that I grind my teeth and I should consider a night guard. What! I am not intending on wearing a mouth guard at night. That'd be losing a lot of my hard earned coolness in one fell swoop.

Ray of light

2008-10-30T23:50:00.001-07:00

Madonna concert!

2008-10-30T20:38:00.000-07:00

Fall

2008-10-30T12:47:00.000-07:00

I am not the Fine Physical Specimen I once was

2008-10-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

They say that males peak (from a physical standpoint) in their late teens.

I really hope this isn't true.

I gotta say though, I seem to feel stiffer and more achy nowadays. Like, you always hear how you're supposed to lift with your legs and not your back? Well, now, those tips are really starting to matter.

I reckon this is a sign that I should start taking better care of myself and whatnot. I wonder whether I should get into this yoga business everyone is so excited about. My Mom is a yogi! True story.

Either way, I think it'd be a good goal to try and get into the best shape of my life. It's kinda sad when I realize that that's not really that much of a challenge for me. I've spent all my life in a state of neglectful skinniness. Any fitness would be a step up. Maybe I should try and get muscly and what not. Wouldn't that be something?

Sunday!

2008-10-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

I did a licencing exam yesterday morning. It went alright I think. It's been awhile since I did an exam. I forgot about the sense of accomplishment that one gets after finishing an exam. There is also the sense that you've earned the rest of the day off. It's really quite nice, because you can spend the rest of the day/week puttering around and not feel guilty about it.

So after the exam, I went to play a couple hours of guilt free road hockey! It's just as good as I remember. Oh how I love road hockey.

I also had volleyball last night. My team won our division! I got a t-shirt.

In conclusion, I am a sporting superstar.

Explain!

2008-10-22T19:49:00.000-07:00

On my way to work, I pass a car with a bumper sticker that says "My Other Car is a Pynchon Novel".

I don't get it. What's it mean???

After school soccer

2008-10-22T17:20:00.001-07:00

I miss those good old days!

Spanish Banks

2008-10-18T17:26:00.001-07:00

Spanish Banks

2008-10-18T17:22:00.000-07:00

Looking out for number 1

2008-10-17T09:29:00.001-07:00

I was contemplating a purchase recently when it came to my attention
that the item in question cost 44 dollars .

I must admit that this fact did indeed contribute to my eventual
decision to forgo the purchase.

At this juncture, I will spare you all a discussion regarding the
algorithm and thought process which guides my consumerism. Another
talk for another time.

Rather, I'm somewhat concerned that a dedicated rationalist such as
myself should choose to be influenced by such things as numerology.
It hardly matters when it comes to piddling matters like whether or
not I'll buy a certain sweater or not. But what if it creeps into
more significant decisions I may be called on to make?

Vote!

2008-10-14T15:27:00.000-07:00

How was Thanksgiving for everyone?

I spent it on Thetis Island. It's a tiny little island off of Vancouver Island. My friend's father has a cottage there. Actually, maybe cottage isn't the right word. It did after all, have an 8 person hot tub.

We actually went around the dinner table and talked about what we were thankful for. Apparently, some people do this every Thanksgiving. Anyways, to summarize: "Hooray for family and friends!!!"

The other notable thing about Thanksgiving dinner? Our host had prepared TWO turkeys! So great! On an unrelated note, I've decided that I'd like to change my reputation of being some sort of human garburator. (side note: Apparently, one of my friends was talking to someone at our place of work. When my name came up, the other person said, "Oh yeah, isn't he the guy who eats everything?" This is not cool.) Anyways, step one would be for me to stop going to buffets with people. I was told that my appetite would decrease once I left adolesence. This has proved to be untrue. My ability to destroy a buffet remains very much intact, a fact which astounded my fellow diners at the buffet on the ferry to Vancouver Island.

To summarize.
1. I need to eat more discreetly.
2. I need to go to buffets by myself.

Other highlights from the cottage included ocean kayaking, hot tubbing, hiking and croquet. I'm surprised I haven't discovered croquet before this. It's grrrrrreat!

I hope everyone voted. I lived in one of those highly contested ridings. The most recent election separated winner and loser by 150 votes! It was quite exciting to vote and realize that it actually could make a difference.

In other news, I've finally bought some snowpants! I've been on a hunt for.. well for a long time. They are super. I'm so pleased. Three cheers for craigslist!

Simon's everywhere

2008-10-01T18:07:00.001-07:00

So I was working with someone today who had a grandson named Simon Chan.

Within two minutes of meeting him, he was pulling up photos of this kid on his computer.

Flake crashed at my house yesterday. He left to go to the airport before I woke up. He's a lot like I remember from high school, only with more facial hair.

I'm emailing this post to my blog. How cool is that?

does this work?

2008-10-01T17:58:00.001-07:00

does it?

Christmas!

2008-09-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Is coming!

well, soon enough anyways.

I'm going to be in O-town for a good week at least! Who all else is in town?

Is there any possibility the canal will freeze? I somehow doubt it.

On the way to volleyball

2008-09-28T18:16:00.000-07:00

Steven Pinker

2008-09-28T10:57:00.001-07:00

Steven Pinker!

2008-09-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

I went to a lecture by Steven Pinker yesterday.

I didn't realize how popular a guy he is. I ended up in one of the overflow rooms. I think there were a bunch of them.

His talk was actually really funny. The audience was full of linguistic and philosophy students. I'd say the majority of the audience was retirees. I found out about this lecture online. I wonder if everyone heard about it that way?

At work

2008-09-26T15:38:00.000-07:00

And so it goes.

2008-09-25T22:42:00.000-07:00

It's starting to hit the rainy season in my part of the world. Alas!

Time to polish off that old snowboard.

Sometimes, I feel very happy and optimistic and lucky about the work I do.

Robin told me that as much as she likes the pictures I post, she much prefers text. Is this a consensus view? It's such a neat thing, to be able to show you all what I'm seeing the moment I'm seeing it.

I've decided I need a car. I'm gonna start hunting. It's hards to head to the mountains without one. I'm pretty proud that I've managed to go this long without a motorized vehicle. I wonder how many kilometres I've bused/walked/biked/rollerbladed/longboarded?

On the kettle valley railway trail

2008-09-21T18:04:00.001-07:00

Wine country

2008-09-20T17:50:00.002-07:00

The lake from Mt Munson

2008-09-20T17:50:00.001-07:00

Sunlight Glittering

2008-09-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Lake Okanogan

Life's a Beach

2008-09-20T16:08:00.001-07:00

Dog on the Beach

2008-09-20T15:44:00.000-07:00

Three Mile Beach

Riverboat

2008-09-20T15:05:00.001-07:00

On Lake Okanogan

Cliffs

2008-09-20T15:02:00.000-07:00

Views from a canoe

Penticton!

2008-09-20T14:54:00.000-07:00

View from a canoe.

Lake Okanogan

2008-09-20T14:36:00.001-07:00

Yellow Spider Amongst Purple Flowers

2008-09-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Views from Penticton

2008-09-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Aeroport

2008-09-19T21:35:00.001-07:00

Penticton Ho!

Pillar of Glass

2008-09-18T08:38:00.000-07:00

Views from work.

Technocrat!

2008-09-17T19:44:00.000-07:00

So get this, I just updated the software on my phone, and now I have GPS! The little dot that represents me moves as I move around my house!

And I've just figured out how to post photos to this blog directly from my camera phone! (As the previous post will attest.) You know what that means? A new frontier! Simontastic goes graphical! A picture is worth a thousand words and blah blah blah....

Pictures on the go!

2008-09-17T11:25:00.001-07:00

The view from work.

Litiginous over Ligaments

2008-09-15T23:58:00.000-07:00

The mechanism of injury I described in my previous post: the fall on outstretched hand, is classic for hand injuries. If the stars had aligned differently, such an occurence could have proved disastrous for me.

And so it got me to thinking.

I had a chance to speak to a lawyer recently, about civil suits where plaintiffs seek damages. I was arguing that it seemed unfair to make companies pay large sums of money for the inappropriate actions of a small number of their employees. Shouldn't the employees in question be held responsible more directly? It seemed like the company was being held responsible simply because it had the money.

I'll admit though, had I suffered a potentially career threatening injury, I'd be suing the city, not the random workman who had left this unfortunate stub of concrete on the road.

I have noticed that I am more cautious going downhill now. I used to just fly down city streets. Now I'm riding the brakes like some old codger. Ah well.

City Cycling

2008-09-14T09:46:00.000-07:00

At the intersection of Burrard and Melville, there exists a small bump of asphalt in the bike lane. As fate would have it, at precisely 14:12 on Sept 13th, the front tire of bicycle would meet this bump of asphalt while travelling downhill at high velocity and stop dead in its tracks.

Nimble as I am, the hand of physics proved unavoidable, and before I could even process my misfortune, momentum had picked me up and threw over the top of my handlebars.

I was scarcely airborne before I found myself hurtling towards an alarmingly abrupt meeting with the road. I think I managed to throw my hands in front of me, and although I was helmeted, I can still report with grateful certainty that my noggin escaped impact entirely.

There was little time to ruminate however. Conscious of both a sharp pain in my right hand and the fact that cars were soon to be rolling up behind me, I scrambled to my feet, went back to retrieve my bicycle, and hobbled to the sidewalk and the concerned pedestrians standing there in wait.

After assuring the good Samaritans that I had escaped life threatening injury, I took the time to review my injuries. I had scraped (to varying degrees) my left knee, my left elbow, the back of my left wrist, my right elbow and my right palm.

I was fortunate to have one of my nurse friends patch me up before my friends and I hit the town yesterday. I'm feeling alright about the whole thing. I have a volleyball game tonite, and I suspect that I'll have to bandage my right palm a little more securely for that. Otherwise, it's business as usual!

Glasses

2008-09-12T17:56:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why glasses cost so much? I mean, it hardly seems to make sense that small pieces of glass stuck to little rings of metal should cost hundreds of dollars, does it?

I mean you can buy a laptop nowadays for the same price. That's just crazy.

Anyways, there is a solution. Buy your glasses online! I have family and friends who have tried this, and I have yet to hear any complaints.

Plus, this will allow you to buy a variety of glasses. We all change our shirts every day, so why not change glasses too?

I'll let you know how my online purchasing adventure goes!

Library.

2008-09-09T13:37:00.000-07:00

Have I written about this before?

About how the library at work is on the second level, and the building doesn't have stairs you can use to get there. So I end up taking the elevator to ascend just ONE level. man, what a waste.

Why on earth would you design a building so that people weren't even given the option of taking the stairs? It's not earth or heart healthy!

I'm hosting Taco Tuesday tonite! I bought a whole pile of ground beef in preparation. Wish me luck!

The net brings us together!

2008-09-07T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've just read an article about the new connectivity tools available to us online.

I think a strong argument for restarting the blog was this unique sense of connectivity it affords. Apparently, there is a term for this: ambient awareness. It refers to this sense of always being in touch, of always having a vague sense of what people were up to. Blogging is our (now old school!) way to achieve this sense of connection, something that people can now achieve with newer online tools like Facebook or Twitter.

I wonder what it's like to grow up in this new era of connectivity. Does anyone know any kids?

Also, has anyone heard about how the republican VP candidate has a pregnant 17 year old daughter? This seems to be a pretty damning indictment on their birth control policies, no? I'd figure this would be a pretty big hit to her credibility. But I'm not sure that will be the case. American politics drives me crazy.

Change!

2008-09-03T18:54:00.000-07:00

So awhile ago, I was all annoyed because a piece of equipment I needed at work kept on breaking, and I ended up trying three replacements, all of which broke.

Anyways, that was a very frustrating day.

As it turns out, word of this experience has reached the movers and shakers because they ended up buying a whole bunch of brand new stuff when they heard what happened!

Hooray for me!

Also, the squeeky wheel DOES get the grease.

Imagine.

Descent from the mists

2008-09-01T16:27:00.000-07:00

I'm just back from a weekend camping at Lake Garibaldi.

We hiked somewhere around 50km over the course of three days.

It's interesting how the weather changes as you hike up a mountain. Being in a cloud sounds heavenly, but is in fact a cold, wet experience.

I sprained my ankle walking back down the mountain. I'm finding that I roll (usually harmlessly) over on my ankle at least once during any given downhill trek. Any idea why this is?

I get flies in my apartment when I open up my sliding door. I was thinking of putting up some flypaper. My understanding of this product is that flies are attracted to it, and then stick on it and can't get off.

My question is, will this product actually change the number of flies buzzing around my apartment? Won't new flies just fly in to replace the ones stuck to the paper? In fact, won't I get more flies since they're attracted to the paper?

Sofa so gooood!

2008-08-28T16:57:00.000-07:00

I bought myself a sofa yesterday. It is leather and beautiful. True story.

Also, I bought a microwave and coffee table.

Actually, I bought the miocrowave and sofa and ended up being given the coffee table.

In conclusion, I love craigslist.

For those of you who've seen my place (and really... it's a pathetically small number of you so-called friends), you must visit again, because recent acquisitions (bookshelf, rock band, sofa etc...) have rendered my previously ghetto place ridiculously pimp. It's the bomb diggity. For realz.

And here my Mom was trying to convince me to abandon plan "kitchen-couch". Pah! My plethora of couches shall be the envy of all!

This is the best photo of the Olympics

2008-08-27T12:58:00.001-07:00

A million little pieces

2008-08-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

I need a secretary.

There are so many scattered little matters that I have one has to keep track of now-a-days.

I think the weight of these things are starting to slow me down.

I don't understand how I've come this far and still don't have a solid, tried and true way to deal with all the multitudes of to-do's that clutter up one's life.

I remember when I was in middle school, I'd run through everything on my to-do list in my head before I'd go to bed. I couldn't sleep otherwise. I wonder what happened to my hyper-organized self?

Goodbye sweet sweet Olympics!

2008-08-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

Once, I lost a spelling bee because I spelled Olympics incorrectly. Apparently, you have to specify that it is a capital O. Those grade school teachers sure can be nit-picky!

Anyways, I am supersad now that the Olympics are over. I think they are my favourite TV activity. I don't quite understand the big deal about Phelps though. I saw an article in the paper saying that they think his eight medals will be worth 100 million dollars to him over his lifetime. I don't understand how we can live in a world where someone can make 100 million dollars from swimming fast. Doesn't that thought seem ridiculous? I'll bet that he's wishing that there was a 150m race and a 250m race, and a175m medley. That'd be three more medals!

Also, I think horse back riding and shooting things are ridiculous Olympic sports. But that might just be me.

Did everyone watch the triathlon though? Boy that was something. It's so great to see Simon's do well. I didn't think he had anything left, but he just kept reeling the lead pack in.

I also watched a lot of volleyball (indoor preferably). I can't help but think how different the game is compared to how the founders of the sport must have envisioned it. They probably thought it'd be a great past time for regular folks, where-as now it's a profession for 7 foot superhumans. I mean, when the rules were originally formulated, do you think that it would eventually be played by guys who could jump so high that there waists were parallel to the top of the net?

Finally, I'd like to propose my super awesome Olympic idea.

People always talk about how athletes 'represent' their coutries. But do they, really? I mean, how is Michael Phelps representative of his country if the majority of his country is shaped liked beach balls and can't stay afloat without life preservers?

Here's what we should do. All countries select their athletes by random draw. Like a draft.

So basically, you'd get a letter maybe a month before the Olympics that you, Joe Blow, are going to represent your country in hurdles. Because your name came up.

Then, you'd go to the Olympics and you'd compete against all these other random, NORMAL people who had also been selected.

How engaging would that be? The commentary for marque events would be like this:

And in lane 5 of the hundred metre final we have Oleg Hardisky. He's a butcher in Poland and claims that all those years chasing escaped pigs has really contributed to him making the final. He's going to have to run his best if he hopes to beat Richard Kelland in lane 6 of Canada. Since the Nigerian runner false-started out of the race, Richard is now by far the skinniest runner in the race, and that gives him a huge advantage. His friends and family back home have got to be pretty excited right now.

Or this:

If Greg Roderick can just manage to stay on his horse, he'll qualify for the finals. Unfortunately, he's had two pretty spectacular falls trying to mount his horse in his first two attempts. He was quoted as saying "Man, why couldn't I have been drawn for water polo?". That's just how these Olympics are!

Kitchen couch!

2008-07-27T11:59:00.000-07:00

I'm currently in the market for a new couch.

Naturally, my parents asked me what happened to my old couch.

The answer, of course, is that I have moved it into the kitchen. Or just outside the kitchen.

The bottom line is that I can now lounge on my couch while at the kitchen table. And when I have friends over, they can sit comfortably on the couch and chat with me while I put on a spot of tea.

The botton line is that I think the whole concept of a kitchen couch is a real winner. Which is why I'm now looking for a new couch.

Also, I think I'm going to learn how to drive standard.

From the Pacific Time Zone

2008-07-23T20:46:00.000-07:00

One of my very good friends moved to the west coast a couple years ago while I was still living in Onterrible.

This turned out to be one of the best things to ever happen to our friendship.

I sometimes keep very late hours, and in those quiet moments of the night, my search for conversation would invariably lead to her; A product of the change in time zones which resulted in her being my only friend who would still be awake.

To my dismay, my moving West has not brought me similar benefits.

Why is this? Perhaps all the people I know out east sleep extra early. Or perhaps they're all just too busy to call. Ah well.

Camping

2008-07-15T11:24:00.000-07:00

I went camping in Manning Park last weekend.

We did a five hour long trek along this ridge in the mountains and then camped overnight in a little meadow.

I give thumbs up to mountains and meadows.

I remember disliking camping as a child, and I was wondering why this has changed.

I've come to realize that my childhood camping was a fundamentally different experience.

For one, I am now using blinged out equipment. The importance of this cannot be overstated. All those desperate childhood moments fumbling with a flashlight in one hand and toilet paper in the other? Gone, now that I have a headlight (so the bestest). Rolling miserably on the rocky ground? Gone, now that I have down sleeping bag and a thermarest.

Another thing I remember quite vividly are the bugs. I don't know if maybe there are less bugs out west, or maybe if my skin has gotten less tasty, but this is not nearly the problem it once was. Hooray!

And finally, I have all these memories of camping being a very squishy experience. I think my parentals thought that smaller spaces would maximize family time. This would be why they rented a two door sedan on our most recent trip to Newfoundland. I'd hit my head on the ceiling every time we went over a bump, and unfolding myself out of the backseat was like getting out of a clown car. Anyways, childhood camping entailed cramming five people into a four person tent. I can now say with great confidence that having a bit of elbow room while camping is a very good thing.

Either way, I'm re-evaluatng my whole outlook on camping. I may indeed become one of those 'campers'. It's altogether quite pleasant. Plus, I'm really good at walking. That's a skill the old family vacations taught me very well.

Oh world.

2008-07-10T19:17:00.000-07:00

You know what sucks? When you have to look for things.

That is probably the biggest pet peeve I have about work. I spend waaaaay too much time looking for things, looking for people etc etc.

And sometimes, I'll find what I'm looking for, only to find that it's broken or malfunctioning.

The frustration of it all is really getting to me. Good thing it's nice outside!

Posting thresholds

2008-07-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

I have a friend with a blog, who recently put parameters on his postings. Something like, it had to be a significant event, or something about how if it was reaaaally significant, he had to tell people in person first.

whatever.

I think we should all lower our posting threshold. I mean, really, the purpose of this whole thing is to make sure you all still know I'm kicking it old school waay out here on the west coast. So to that end, I'm gonna try and write regularly. I won't be writing anything deep or interesting necessarily, but I'll be writing. That, in my mind, is the whole point.

Also, I'm going to be editting less. I remember one of the points people brought up when trying to avoid blogging was that it was time consuming. I agree.

The bottom line, is that I've decided for bloggings sake, that quantity does indeed trump quality.

Roger!

2008-07-06T11:32:00.000-07:00

Watching Wimbledon!

Going to a fifth set!

Go Roger!

phone home...

2008-07-03T19:45:00.000-07:00

This pacific time zone is totally messing up my ability to keep in touch with my peeps.

It seems that I'm always just leaving work when people are going to bed, and I just don't have it in me to wake up early to phone people.

Sorry if I haven't phoned recently! The time zones conspire against me.

Promoted!

2008-07-03T19:41:00.000-07:00

So I got promoted, as of July 1.

This is not as big a deal as it sounds. It's sort of like how a first grader gets 'promoted' to second grade.

What does it mean? hmmm. More responsibility I suppose. I'd say a key difference is that I can no longer blame my incompetencies at being the newest person there. Gotta find some other excuse now...

Can you hear it?

2008-07-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

Can you see it? Feel it?

It's change. Change is in the air.

Change is...

good?
inevitable.
undeniable.

Is it gradual? Or punctuated?

It must be a bit of both. Because although I've seen it a long way coming, I'll remember this specific moment, this specific day among the thousands that slip by.

Way to go Groder!!!!!!!!!