| european elections, etc. |
[Jun. 9th, 2009|12:40 pm] |
while the rise of the far right in england is more than a little upsetting (they elected a euro rep from a whites only party...), it makes me more than a little happy that there's been at least one pirate elected (see cbc news).
and in case you need a little humour, here's a quote from a latter part of the article:
In May, the Conference Board of Canada recalled three reports advocating tighter copyright rules after University of Ottawa law professor Michael Geist charged that the reports borrowed heavily from, and in some cases plagiarized, previously published material by the International Intellectual Property Alliance, a music, movie and software lobby group.
people for tighter copyright rules getting caught plagiarizing, that's more egg than fits on one face. |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 22nd, 2009|05:33 pm] |
i've been getting nasty headaches the last couple of weeks - possibly related to the wisdom tooth that's being extracted next week. still, it made me punchy toward the end of the conference this afternoon. in general, milwaukee's great. in particular, i'm gonna take a paracetamol and go drinking. except without too much drinking cause i'm guessing it's contraindicated.
k, off to talk to a guy about how i might get him on my doctoral committee. i should do something to try to fix the u & y soon. they're less responsive than keys should be. |
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| minus one cell phone |
[Apr. 21st, 2009|09:41 am] |
so, last night, i tried one of those new vitamin water drinks. it wasn't as good as the brand i tried around easter and the bottles are quite big, so i put about half of it in my puirse. now, this drink doesn't seal very well once it's opened. my phone and my ipod both went for a swim. they're both acting like they've decided to hold it against me...
it also happens that my tax return more than covers the cost of the reno we're doing on the house. so it really seems like everything points to a good time for an iphone. that way i can get my music and phone in one handy (and super-shiny) accessory.
i've got enough of an excuse, right? |
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| laugh, then cry? |
[Mar. 17th, 2009|04:25 pm] |
the ceeb is running a story about our federal science & technology minister's response to being asked whether he believes in evolution:
"I'm not going to answer that question," Goodyear, federal minister of state for science and technology, told the Globe and Mail in an article published Tuesday morning. "I am a Christian, and I don't think anybody asking a question about my religion is appropriate."
this imbecile manages to insult the vast majority orf scientists and religious people at the same time. if it weren't so upseting, it might be impressive. |
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| (no subject) |
[Jan. 30th, 2009|04:25 pm] |
on a friday afternoon, do you ever get the idea no one else is at work? that they've all taken off and you're the only one left? and do you start to wonder if you could get away with taking off a little early?
i have got to get into one of those motivation replacement trials... |
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| On guilt |
[Jan. 14th, 2009|11:32 am] |
there are many things i would be justified feeling guilty about. here's one that isn't on the list: buying more stuff. i buy quite a bit of stuff as it is and really don't want to take the blame for buyer spending being down. in fact, i'm not sure i like an economy that only keeps working if people keep increasing their spending.
more importantly, it strikes me that people didn't necessarily buy less over the holidays. it's quite possible that spending is down because the things that were purchased had already been heavily discounted. but just as i'm more likely to buy a sweater if it's one third the price, i'm not going to buy three of them to make up for the difference and i'm certainly not going to buy a sweater that was made three times as cheaply. my needs for a pretty sweater are met by buying one high-quality sweater (though needs is really the wrong word...).
reading between the lines of some news stories, the issue seems to be framed as "we aren't buying more, so there will be a recession". nobody says, "people aren't making things we want to buy" or "people really don't need that much" or even "some days, our conspicuous consumption needs are nicely met by buying an ice cream".
now, i don't want to shift the blame to all the folks who sold mortgages they shouldn't have (though part of me really does). but i also don't want to hear that my spending habits are driving us into a recession. i splurge every once in a while while generally staying within my means, think about what i want to buy, and purchase more than my fair share of chocolate and lattes. i'm the very picture of a good little consumer. so maybe you should stop trying to sell me a $6000 television with a 5 year life expectancy and get back to manufacturing a well made items. and while you're at it, try to use a little less packaging. |
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| (no subject) |
[Nov. 20th, 2008|10:23 pm] |
best headline ever:
Astronauts keep firm grip on tools during second spacewalk
it totally just made my day |
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| (no subject) |
[Oct. 30th, 2008|10:04 pm] |
the single thing that came closest to stopping me from getting my application in on time was a financial form i needed to fill out so that the dhs felt comfortable that i could pay for the program in case they accepted me into a phd with zero funding. i don't think that actually happens. if you're not good enough for funding, you're not good enough to get into doctoral school (where, i'm told, they teach you to play doctor. i really don't know why more people aren't trying to get in...).
they have a big statement on the form telling me that fraud is bad and that the money needs to actually be available to me next september, just in case. i'm pretty sure the last thing i want is for the dhs to think i'm trying to pull a fast one. i'm someone who gets stressed out just putting hand lotion in my carry-on bag.
this whole application process has in large part felt like jumping through hoops. the interesting bit was developing my research ideas and talking to people about them. the red tape may have been easier if i didn't also have a full time job.
it's strange to think that i intend to do this two more times before the end of the year. the other two applications will go much faster (yaay, applying to your home country!). now i just have to figure out what i'll do with all the extra time i'm about to have.
now, if you'll excuse me, it's way past my bedtime. |
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| federal election |
[Sep. 7th, 2008|09:45 am] |
i don't think of myself as very political but the current federal government has pissed me off enough that i want to work against them in this election. so after walking the dog this morning, i sat down in front of the tele to watch the speeches. duceppe's on rbc right now and, barring the flag-waving, he's saying some really smart things.
he's reviewing harper's record and using brilliant phrases like, "and i'm not making this up." there was a strong comparison between harper and bush and he hit on a bunch of points that are important to me.
dion spoke quite well, being honest, straightforward, and making fun of harper's emphasis on being a family man. in response to a question, he confirmed that he's also a family man but noted that he likes to keep his personal life separate from the political. take your politics out of my bedroom indeed!
jack layton's speech was quite good, but coming fourth meant that my focus just wasn't there anymore. and frankly, i'm much more familiar with his platform and personality.
elizabeth may of the green party is on now. she sounds a little too emotional. and she's speaking to a rally, which makes it come across poorly on tv. you need less screaming for tv. and to sound less flaky.
ouch indeed. |
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| lasik |
[Aug. 15th, 2008|10:01 am] |
lasik yesterday went surprisingly well. there's some pressure as they do the flap cutting part but the actual correction surgery went well. there was a comedy of doing stuff to one eye, taping it shut while stuff happened to the other eye & repeating. i was also full of ativan and had a stress ball to squeeze when panic came too close to the surface.
my favourite part was after the surgeon replaced the flap, he had a couple of sponge-like things that he used to pat it back down into place, making sure there were no folds. there's a curling analogy somewhere in there but it's beyond me right now.
so, yeah, i can see really well. i keep looking out the window and being surprised at how clear everything is. aside from the regimen of drops, it's all really exciting.
only, at some point, someone will need to teach me to put on eye makeup... |
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| (no subject) |
[Jul. 1st, 2008|12:56 am] |
i've been in a bit of a funk since finding a significant pool of water in my basement saturday afternoon. the prospect of renovations stresses me out more than i can say. i'll eventually think about it rationally but it's beyond me at the moment. still, it's embarrassing to be blessed in so many ways and sit around meditating on the 'humph' sounds for days on end. but that's where i am.
makes me think of my favourite ode to adolescence.
and you know she's half crazy
that's why you want to be there
...
And now, a game:
- Post 3 things you've done in your lifetime that you don't think anybody else on your friends list has done.
- See if anybody else responds with "I've done that." If they have, you need to add another!(2.b., 2.c., etc...)
- Have your friends cut & paste this into their journal to see what unique things they've done in their life.
1. confused the equator with a canyon running alongside the sign
2. picked cherries in an orchard and climbed a glacier on the same day
3. got sourdough starter from a sailor |
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| (no subject) |
[Jun. 9th, 2008|10:28 pm] |
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pudding and strawberries makes everything better. |
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| (no subject) |
[May. 25th, 2008|09:20 pm] |
the weekend was very productive, including lawn mowing, laundry, groceries and planting some vegetables we grew from seeds. weeding a patch big enough set up two rows of snap peas was the toughest part. i'm hopeful about the peas and little tomatoes but not too sure that the cucumbers are going to work out. the plantlets look amazingly limp.
and now it's time to crawl into bed and pass out. g'night. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 17th, 2008|09:10 pm] |
stupid bruins... and the commentators really aren't making me feel better about the score. grrrrr
well, at least i had a nice long walk at lunch. and the weather was really pretty out. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 13th, 2008|11:47 am] |
- the evil doctor and i seem to be reminiscing through the same music lately. midnight oil has been good to me over the past couple of weeks.
- i don't think i like recent vnv nation albums. most of the songs are way too mellow and the ones that aren't just make me think of how much i like the older songs.
- the kitchener market now has a great organic chocolateer, on the raised platform behind the future bakery. did i mention they're amazing?
- church craft sales are veeery dangerous.
- i want to create a plan for yard work for this season. that should make it all less overwhelming. think good thoughts about our magnolia blooming despite a bunch of the buds being from the december thaw.
- same thing re: house improvements. we'll probably keep to painting a couple of rooms and some preventative maintenance. |
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| (no subject) |
[Apr. 2nd, 2008|01:54 pm] |
- virtual paranoia? i can actually see that helping.
- getting bored/restless and in need of a plan
- getting handle on workload through creation of lists
- organizing other people's stuff and remembering my fondness for content management
- not terribly looking forward to losing wednesday nights to a project management course
that is all. |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 15th, 2008|01:12 pm] |
good things:
- sun, warmth & melting
- road trips & live music
- greg dulli's sense of humour
- the tattoos on mark lanegan's hands |
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| (no subject) |
[Mar. 9th, 2008|09:01 pm] |
dan and i saw four movies yesterday (the bank job, penelope, vantage point, & in bruges). it felt really nice to have a movie day. we did pass a lot of busses stuck at the side of the road. there was even a snow ploy in the ditch, which kept us from thinking there were no plows out mid-afternoon.
after this last snowfall, the snow at the end of my driveway is higher than the car. i have to wait for a break in traffic from further up in the driveway and then move quickly. and this is all supposed to start melting on tuesday? quick, get the books out of the basement! |
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| mmmm |
[Feb. 12th, 2008|12:36 pm] |
the diving bell and the butterfly is just as good as everyone's been saying, better if you're comfortable enough in french to follow the audio. and did you know that it just won a bafta?
homemade ginger squash soup is even better than they've been saying - not that it's made its way through the grapevine yet... thanks rebuilder. |
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thetamermaid's journal