Interesting turn of events this afternoon in the office of World Wide Water!!
I sold three computers. I like selling computers to my boss. He just calls me into his office and says, I want this stuff. He talks himself around to asking for a quote but, I'll give him that and he'll just okay it. He might as well just say, make me happy, and let Kim see the bill. It will be a multiple thousand dollar sale.
Other news coming out of my bosses office. We are getting a full time salesman. I think my boss wants to semi-retire. He'll still be president, but the operations of the business will be handled by others. We're getting a taste of that this week, because he is on vacation. He can't stay away completely, and spent a few hours here today, but for the most part he's gone.
His being here kind of put into stark perspective that he's best left out of a technical decision. Its not that he doesn't have the knowledge or skill. He definitely has that. But he's not applying it very judiciously. The response to a question is usually to just throw money at it. I needed some advice on membrane scaling and while he had the answer to my question, he didn't follow the logic path to it, but just suggested making random adjustments. I guess I'll have to just figure it out myself.
Anyway, back to the salesman. I'm at once happy about this, and nervous at the same time. I don't like looking over my shoulder. Its just a paranoid reaction, that I wish would go away. I'm sure I'm golden, as a friend is often known to say. I really should look into my paranoid reaction to things.
That's all from my world. Hope things are better in yours. I especially hope that some good things come Greg's way before the end of the day. He's had a nervous week so far, and today's events have not helped much. Be well Greg, and I hope things get better soon.
Toodles all!!!
Wednesday, February 18, 2004
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
For those of you that would like to vote on today's blog question, another piece of information to aid your decision. A picture of the aforementioned vehicle.
Sean's white 2000 GMC Jimmy
Sean's white 2000 GMC Jimmy
Okay people, its survey time again!!!
Bloq Question Of The Day:
Should Sean buy the white, 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE?
Things of note, its the mid-range package, with all the features of my 2000 Jimmy, but as its the SLE model, it will have some extra dangles, dingles, bee-bops and whiz-bangs. No leather though, and no sun roof. Mileage is in the 50,000 range. It is white in color, with gold trim. Those are the features I can recall, and the rest escapes my attention.
Please respond as usual. Toodles!
Bloq Question Of The Day:
Should Sean buy the white, 2000 GMC Jimmy SLE?
Things of note, its the mid-range package, with all the features of my 2000 Jimmy, but as its the SLE model, it will have some extra dangles, dingles, bee-bops and whiz-bangs. No leather though, and no sun roof. Mileage is in the 50,000 range. It is white in color, with gold trim. Those are the features I can recall, and the rest escapes my attention.
Please respond as usual. Toodles!
It is my sister Candace's birthday today. All of you that know how to contact her, please do so. Candace is a sweet, and caring soul, and deserves to hear from all of us, on this her special day.
In addition to a birthday gift that I gave her on Sunday evening, I would like to add this public message.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY CANDACE!!!
I am becoming concerned about the state of my office computer. There appears to be something glitchy in the hardware. Today, when I rebooted it, I got performance similar to what occured to me a week and a half ago. It rebooted but then when it switches to Windows desktop resolution, it would reboot itself. At least I know what the problem was this time, and could skip right over the diagnostic phase, and apply the solution.
However, I am still unsettled about why it is behaving in this way. It doesn't seem to be related to anything I've done with the machine, or settings I am making to the main OS environment. It seems to be just 'random' moments of flaky behaviour. I've checked system temps, fans, and the usual indicators of hardware failure, and its not that. I am left with the conclusion that its software based. But I'm getting no errors messages that scream at me 'THERE IS A PROBLEM' so I'm stumped about what to do next.
It seems to work fine, when its working. Leave well enough alone?
Toodles!
However, I am still unsettled about why it is behaving in this way. It doesn't seem to be related to anything I've done with the machine, or settings I am making to the main OS environment. It seems to be just 'random' moments of flaky behaviour. I've checked system temps, fans, and the usual indicators of hardware failure, and its not that. I am left with the conclusion that its software based. But I'm getting no errors messages that scream at me 'THERE IS A PROBLEM' so I'm stumped about what to do next.
It seems to work fine, when its working. Leave well enough alone?
Toodles!
Monday, February 16, 2004
Sunday, February 15, 2004
Saturday, February 14, 2004
I have a question.
What the hell is the deal with people in their cars?
I'm driving down a major collector road this afternoon. I'm in the right hand lane because I know that in a half kilometer or so, I'll want to turn right. The roadway is three lanes wide. In my lane I am the last in a string of about 4 vehicles that are reasonably close to equal space. Not tailgating, but a respectable safe distance in case of emergency. The other two lanes have more cars, spaced out in front and behind me.
These two nitwits just had to get ahead of me, and into the right lane in front of me. There was not enough room for them between myself and the car ahead of me. There was lots of room behind me. Nevertheless these gene pool winners had to speed up, get beyond me, and then dive into spots that weren't really there, in my lane. Why the HELL couldn't they just fall into the right lane behind me? You're not going to gain even 5 seconds with this irritating behaviour.
WHY!?!?!?!
What the hell is the deal with people in their cars?
I'm driving down a major collector road this afternoon. I'm in the right hand lane because I know that in a half kilometer or so, I'll want to turn right. The roadway is three lanes wide. In my lane I am the last in a string of about 4 vehicles that are reasonably close to equal space. Not tailgating, but a respectable safe distance in case of emergency. The other two lanes have more cars, spaced out in front and behind me.
These two nitwits just had to get ahead of me, and into the right lane in front of me. There was not enough room for them between myself and the car ahead of me. There was lots of room behind me. Nevertheless these gene pool winners had to speed up, get beyond me, and then dive into spots that weren't really there, in my lane. Why the HELL couldn't they just fall into the right lane behind me? You're not going to gain even 5 seconds with this irritating behaviour.
WHY!?!?!?!
Friday, February 13, 2004
Thursday, February 12, 2004
I was riding my exercise bike this evening, as part of my typical exercise regime. Its kinda boring to just sit there and pedal. I try to watch TV while I'm doing this, but for some reason I was not enthralled by the action. My mind drifted and my eyes wandered. I started looking at the stipple on ceiling. I don't know if I just have an active imagination or if anyone would have made this connection.
I saw, as a pattern in the stipple, the representation of male genitalia in an aroused state.
Its entirely possible that I have a defective brain.
I saw, as a pattern in the stipple, the representation of male genitalia in an aroused state.
Its entirely possible that I have a defective brain.
My computer is behaving strangely lately. Thus I've been monkeying with settings, trying to figure out what is going on with my system. I stumbled upon a setting for my graphics card that allows me to change my desktop orientation. I can rotate it 90, 180 or 270 degrees.
Why the hell would you turn your desktop sideways!?!
LMAO!!!!!!!
Why the hell would you turn your desktop sideways!?!
LMAO!!!!!!!
I just got an alert in my system tray. It said, I have a message from 'rebecka'.
My spam filter is usually efficient enough that I don't get alerts for unwanted emails anymore. If anything its too efficient, and I'm finding mail I want, in my Junk folder. (as was the case with Christiane when she was emailing from a different computer) I assumed this was an email I might want to read, so I clicked the alert to open the message.
rebecka thinks I need another 3 inches.
Who the hell is rebecka!?!?!
My spam filter is usually efficient enough that I don't get alerts for unwanted emails anymore. If anything its too efficient, and I'm finding mail I want, in my Junk folder. (as was the case with Christiane when she was emailing from a different computer) I assumed this was an email I might want to read, so I clicked the alert to open the message.
rebecka thinks I need another 3 inches.
Who the hell is rebecka!?!?!
Wednesday, February 11, 2004
I am disturbed by a trend I have witnessed among my friends, and for that matter in myself.
Everyone is asking to be shot. Counting my own plaintive cry, the total numbers four. Which is kind of remarkable, since my circle of friends and acquaintances is not that wide. (At least not when measured by the number of them I talk to day by day) In fact, at least half of the people I talk to daily, have asked me to shoot them. Of course I have not, because they are all too important.
The truly perplexing part of this equation is, the two people who most have cause to ask for some hot lead, have not made the 'please shoot me' request. In my left hand is Greg, who had no water at his house. None. The well, metaphorically speaking, was dry. Not a drop. Melting show in the tub for water. I consider that a pretty sufficient hardship. No requests to be shot. Greg and Irene are made of hardy stock. I would guess they just leveled up their stamina. In my right hand is Sean. Perhaps his tribulations were not as dire as the 'no water' at Casa del Schwalm but, for those of you that have seen the pictures, I think you'd agree, he had reason to be angry, or depressed. Spewing invectives with every breath he was but, there was no request to be shot. Sean has a healthy dose of mettle as well.
Its 8:00 and all seems quiet. Here's to hoping it stays that way, for me and all of you.
Toodles!
Everyone is asking to be shot. Counting my own plaintive cry, the total numbers four. Which is kind of remarkable, since my circle of friends and acquaintances is not that wide. (At least not when measured by the number of them I talk to day by day) In fact, at least half of the people I talk to daily, have asked me to shoot them. Of course I have not, because they are all too important.
The truly perplexing part of this equation is, the two people who most have cause to ask for some hot lead, have not made the 'please shoot me' request. In my left hand is Greg, who had no water at his house. None. The well, metaphorically speaking, was dry. Not a drop. Melting show in the tub for water. I consider that a pretty sufficient hardship. No requests to be shot. Greg and Irene are made of hardy stock. I would guess they just leveled up their stamina. In my right hand is Sean. Perhaps his tribulations were not as dire as the 'no water' at Casa del Schwalm but, for those of you that have seen the pictures, I think you'd agree, he had reason to be angry, or depressed. Spewing invectives with every breath he was but, there was no request to be shot. Sean has a healthy dose of mettle as well.
Its 8:00 and all seems quiet. Here's to hoping it stays that way, for me and all of you.
Toodles!
A couple random thoughts on my mind this morning.
I have a bag of baby carrots in my fridge, that I had intended to eat as a fruit/vegetable contribution to my lunches. However, I spent a lot of time away, and recieved fresh fruit from my mother, such that the bag of carrots has sat there for awhile. They still taste fine but I'm wondering, would their flavor be improved if I were to boil them up?
The dry mouth situation has not abated. While its not a huge problem, I do find myself intrusively curious about what is causing the condition.
There will be more random thoughts as a I think of them. Toodles!
I have a bag of baby carrots in my fridge, that I had intended to eat as a fruit/vegetable contribution to my lunches. However, I spent a lot of time away, and recieved fresh fruit from my mother, such that the bag of carrots has sat there for awhile. They still taste fine but I'm wondering, would their flavor be improved if I were to boil them up?
The dry mouth situation has not abated. While its not a huge problem, I do find myself intrusively curious about what is causing the condition.
There will be more random thoughts as a I think of them. Toodles!
Tuesday, February 10, 2004
Calling all amatuer physicians!
I have a medical problem of a very minor nature. So minor that I wouldn't begin to consider troubling an actual doctor with it. My mouth is dry lately. And not casually dry, or else I wouldn't be mentioning it. I'm talking about, parched, dry as the Sahara. I will find my tongue nearly glued to my mouth and it will require several concerted attempts to moisten the condition. This is not a normal situation for me.
Thoughts?
I have a medical problem of a very minor nature. So minor that I wouldn't begin to consider troubling an actual doctor with it. My mouth is dry lately. And not casually dry, or else I wouldn't be mentioning it. I'm talking about, parched, dry as the Sahara. I will find my tongue nearly glued to my mouth and it will require several concerted attempts to moisten the condition. This is not a normal situation for me.
Thoughts?
Monday, February 09, 2004
Well, that was a uselesss, god damn, day!
Monday is now only a memory in our collected minds. The events and moments that define Monday, February 9, 2004, are sealed for posterity, as the last moments of the work clock pass without incident. My contribution to the cumulative advancement of society's purpose? There wasn't any.
Today was a waste of my good time. God damn vehicle dealerships! They screwed around until 2:30 before examining my truck. Their conclusion? There is nothing wrong with it. The test probably took 10 minutes, and they pissed away my entire day because they can. I hate that. When do we, as consumers, step up and say no, you can't lie to us like this. If you say you'll look at it at 9:15, then dammit, by 10:15 you'd better have looked at it and reported back.
As it was I was on the phone a bunch of times today, trying to work, without being at work. It did not help that my laptop is a brick and completely useless to me. At least when I have that, I can look stuff up, and work on things. I'm having a lousy string of luck lately. I hope the tide turns.
That is all from G-Fresh today. I know you all must be tired from the other endeavours you have undertaken today. Be well and hopefully I have better news tomorrow.
Toodles!
Monday is now only a memory in our collected minds. The events and moments that define Monday, February 9, 2004, are sealed for posterity, as the last moments of the work clock pass without incident. My contribution to the cumulative advancement of society's purpose? There wasn't any.
Today was a waste of my good time. God damn vehicle dealerships! They screwed around until 2:30 before examining my truck. Their conclusion? There is nothing wrong with it. The test probably took 10 minutes, and they pissed away my entire day because they can. I hate that. When do we, as consumers, step up and say no, you can't lie to us like this. If you say you'll look at it at 9:15, then dammit, by 10:15 you'd better have looked at it and reported back.
As it was I was on the phone a bunch of times today, trying to work, without being at work. It did not help that my laptop is a brick and completely useless to me. At least when I have that, I can look stuff up, and work on things. I'm having a lousy string of luck lately. I hope the tide turns.
That is all from G-Fresh today. I know you all must be tired from the other endeavours you have undertaken today. Be well and hopefully I have better news tomorrow.
Toodles!
Sunday, February 08, 2004
This blog entry is probably more suited to Saskatoon residents, as some of you others may not have similar commercials in your cities. However, I think the question that I pose should make equal sense to Saskatoonians and non residents.
I've been listening to the radio lately. I'm not motivated enough to get some new CD's for my changer, and I'm bored with the current roster I have installed. Thus I have taken the path of least resistance and put my car stereo on a radio station. I got back and forth between C95 and Rock 102. Usually there is a decent song on one or the other, as I listen.
How many of you have listened to the radio ads? I know we've all heard them, found them annoying, and wish they weren't there. I concede that they are really superlative enough to warrant deep attention. However, there seem to be two particular ones that get enormous air time. One is the never-ending string of Cupid.com ads. I could accept these ads as legitimate if they seemed to be working on increasing usage of the Cupid.com site. I've been there. The ratio of, people signing in just to find out what it is, as opposed to those that are subscribing, does not seem to indicate a healthy revenue stream. Perhaps these ads are working better somewhere else but, for the amount of times I hear their ads, compared to the number of Saskatoon subscribers, I gotta think they are in a loss position right now.
Which brings me to the second ad that I hear incessantly, when I listen to Saskatoon radio, www.saskatoonjobshop.ca. I will admit, the radio ads made me check out the site, and the posting on that site got me my current job. And its the best job I've ever had. That aside though, I want to comment on the idiocy of the one particular ad.
The premise is, this guy's mom phones him up, pretends to be a stranger, and tells him to look at saskatoonjobshop.ca for a position that will bring him success and wealth. First of all I think the, pretending to be a stranger, angle is stupid and pointless. Who's not going to know the sound of their own mom's voice? Second, is how the ad ends. The guy sees through the 'stranger' facade, and as they end the call, tells his mom he'll be over for supper on Sunday. So the mother says, have you ever considered taking your dear mother out for supper? Let's think about this for a second. If you, mom, are phoning your son up to tell him to look for a job on saskatoonjobshop.ca doesn't that kinda suggest that he's either a) unemployed, or b) stuck in a lousy job that doesn't pay well. Either condition, I think, makes it a little tough for the guy to take his sweet mother out for dinner.
I hate a lack of consistency in a radio ad.
Toodles!
I've been listening to the radio lately. I'm not motivated enough to get some new CD's for my changer, and I'm bored with the current roster I have installed. Thus I have taken the path of least resistance and put my car stereo on a radio station. I got back and forth between C95 and Rock 102. Usually there is a decent song on one or the other, as I listen.
How many of you have listened to the radio ads? I know we've all heard them, found them annoying, and wish they weren't there. I concede that they are really superlative enough to warrant deep attention. However, there seem to be two particular ones that get enormous air time. One is the never-ending string of Cupid.com ads. I could accept these ads as legitimate if they seemed to be working on increasing usage of the Cupid.com site. I've been there. The ratio of, people signing in just to find out what it is, as opposed to those that are subscribing, does not seem to indicate a healthy revenue stream. Perhaps these ads are working better somewhere else but, for the amount of times I hear their ads, compared to the number of Saskatoon subscribers, I gotta think they are in a loss position right now.
Which brings me to the second ad that I hear incessantly, when I listen to Saskatoon radio, www.saskatoonjobshop.ca. I will admit, the radio ads made me check out the site, and the posting on that site got me my current job. And its the best job I've ever had. That aside though, I want to comment on the idiocy of the one particular ad.
The premise is, this guy's mom phones him up, pretends to be a stranger, and tells him to look at saskatoonjobshop.ca for a position that will bring him success and wealth. First of all I think the, pretending to be a stranger, angle is stupid and pointless. Who's not going to know the sound of their own mom's voice? Second, is how the ad ends. The guy sees through the 'stranger' facade, and as they end the call, tells his mom he'll be over for supper on Sunday. So the mother says, have you ever considered taking your dear mother out for supper? Let's think about this for a second. If you, mom, are phoning your son up to tell him to look for a job on saskatoonjobshop.ca doesn't that kinda suggest that he's either a) unemployed, or b) stuck in a lousy job that doesn't pay well. Either condition, I think, makes it a little tough for the guy to take his sweet mother out for dinner.
I hate a lack of consistency in a radio ad.
Toodles!
Friday, February 06, 2004
There is the distinct possibility that I'm cursed.
This morning was the morning from hell. I don't even know how to write it, with enough energy to accurately portray the series of events that bordered on catastrophe. Likewise, it is somewhat surreal to reach 2:00 in the afternoon, and discover that you've met all the challenges of the morning, and find yourself back at square one.
First bad thing to happen this morning was . . . the truck didn't start. What the hell is up with that? Its not THAT cold out. It should have turned over. I was not amused. Fine, deal with it, get a ride to work.
Second bad thing, after I arranged for an appointment to get it looked at, the guy from TJ Electric shows up, to review the SCADA system (remote monitoring) in Okanese, and discuss the potential for a similar system for Balmoral. I'd forgotten about that. So, I had to deal with this guy, and shelf the, fix the truck, plan.
Third bad thing, we install PCanywhere on my desktop computer, as that is the method by which is remote monitor this treatment plant. We install and there's the typical, request to reboot. Fine, I gotta hook up modem cables anyway. The phone cables take me several minutes, and in the mean time, my computer is rebooting, over and over again.
Fourth bad thing, the guy who's here to show me how to remotely sample the system in Okanese, can not get his software to work. He's sitting in my guest chair, working on his laptop, while I try to fix mine.
Bad things three and four continue to battle each other for dominance through the rest of the morning, and right up until lunch. Finally, after an exhaustive process I find out what the problem is, and am able to move towards fixing it. Its 12:!5 now, and I finally go for lunch.
Fifth bad thing to happen this day, my truck STILL won't start, even though its considerably warmer, and I've had it plugged in for 5 hours. I'm honked right off about that but, my boss has a battery charger and about 1 minute from that and she turns over finally. Still, Sherwood and I are going to have a discussion about what the hell is going on with my truck.
So its been a collection of misadventures in my life today. How are all of you?
P.S. Thanks to all that responded to my 'poll'. I appreciate the feedback.
This morning was the morning from hell. I don't even know how to write it, with enough energy to accurately portray the series of events that bordered on catastrophe. Likewise, it is somewhat surreal to reach 2:00 in the afternoon, and discover that you've met all the challenges of the morning, and find yourself back at square one.
First bad thing to happen this morning was . . . the truck didn't start. What the hell is up with that? Its not THAT cold out. It should have turned over. I was not amused. Fine, deal with it, get a ride to work.
Second bad thing, after I arranged for an appointment to get it looked at, the guy from TJ Electric shows up, to review the SCADA system (remote monitoring) in Okanese, and discuss the potential for a similar system for Balmoral. I'd forgotten about that. So, I had to deal with this guy, and shelf the, fix the truck, plan.
Third bad thing, we install PCanywhere on my desktop computer, as that is the method by which is remote monitor this treatment plant. We install and there's the typical, request to reboot. Fine, I gotta hook up modem cables anyway. The phone cables take me several minutes, and in the mean time, my computer is rebooting, over and over again.
Fourth bad thing, the guy who's here to show me how to remotely sample the system in Okanese, can not get his software to work. He's sitting in my guest chair, working on his laptop, while I try to fix mine.
Bad things three and four continue to battle each other for dominance through the rest of the morning, and right up until lunch. Finally, after an exhaustive process I find out what the problem is, and am able to move towards fixing it. Its 12:!5 now, and I finally go for lunch.
Fifth bad thing to happen this day, my truck STILL won't start, even though its considerably warmer, and I've had it plugged in for 5 hours. I'm honked right off about that but, my boss has a battery charger and about 1 minute from that and she turns over finally. Still, Sherwood and I are going to have a discussion about what the hell is going on with my truck.
So its been a collection of misadventures in my life today. How are all of you?
P.S. Thanks to all that responded to my 'poll'. I appreciate the feedback.
Thursday, February 05, 2004
Okay, we're going to do something a little different today. Our post for the day is going to be a 'Blog Question Of The Day' but with a twist.
Unless I subscribe to the 'subscription' Blogger model, I can't collect statistics on my site, how many people are reading it, and so on. I have contemplated going that route but, it seems like a poor choice to make since I can get around the 'no pictures' problem by posting to them to my SaskTel web site, and linking to that in the blog. The only other thing I want is the counter, and we're going to try and get around that right here.
Part one of this mysterious blog posting is, to collect site statistics. Do you read my blog? If so, please respond to the email posted on the page. There are probably some of you that want to remain anonymous. I'm okay with that. Set up a bogus Hotmail (or Yahoo, Mail.com, Netscape, etc) and email me with 'I read your blog' I just want numbers. I don't need names.
Part two. This is an issue that has become more and more prominent lately. It came to a head with my 'Janet Jackson' post of a couple days ago. The Question Of The Day is, do you think I should pursue some type of professional writing assignment? I'm not looking for a pat on the back. Several people have said I should, so I'm just curious about whether this is a general consensus or whether I'm only hearing from half of my readership.
Its all voluntary. I'm just curious about these two things. Thanks for listening.
Toodles!
P.S. I couldn't think of anything to rant about today. I spent the day being pissed off about Mouse. I didn't want to spit venom about that yet again. Thus, my lame appeal for feedback.
Unless I subscribe to the 'subscription' Blogger model, I can't collect statistics on my site, how many people are reading it, and so on. I have contemplated going that route but, it seems like a poor choice to make since I can get around the 'no pictures' problem by posting to them to my SaskTel web site, and linking to that in the blog. The only other thing I want is the counter, and we're going to try and get around that right here.
Part one of this mysterious blog posting is, to collect site statistics. Do you read my blog? If so, please respond to the email posted on the page. There are probably some of you that want to remain anonymous. I'm okay with that. Set up a bogus Hotmail (or Yahoo, Mail.com, Netscape, etc) and email me with 'I read your blog' I just want numbers. I don't need names.
Part two. This is an issue that has become more and more prominent lately. It came to a head with my 'Janet Jackson' post of a couple days ago. The Question Of The Day is, do you think I should pursue some type of professional writing assignment? I'm not looking for a pat on the back. Several people have said I should, so I'm just curious about whether this is a general consensus or whether I'm only hearing from half of my readership.
Its all voluntary. I'm just curious about these two things. Thanks for listening.
Toodles!
P.S. I couldn't think of anything to rant about today. I spent the day being pissed off about Mouse. I didn't want to spit venom about that yet again. Thus, my lame appeal for feedback.
Wednesday, February 04, 2004
Tuesday, February 03, 2004
Isn't this just so typical? Haven't we got bigger, more important things to get excited about?
Okay, she exposed her breast. Big deal. And it wasn't even complete nudity. There was some stupid piece of jewelry covering the part that, by fairly common agreement, is essential to determining whether a woman is revealing too much or not. And now they want federal inquiries on decency, fines, penalties, and on and on and on until you can't blather on about it any more because your throat is hoarse.
Its a boob. For crying out loud people, can't we put this in the right context? There are soldiers dying in a foreign land, for a reason that is turning out to be spurious. There are children being abused, and living on the street, selling their souls for $5 and the chance to eat for the first time in a week. There are people dying of diseases we can't cure. With all of this other heartbreak going on, real people suffering real indignities, the sight of one woman's partially exposed breast, is the thing that we can't get past?
Grow up people. All the adults in the world ought to have the sense of reason to know that seeing one breast will not bring down upon us the fall of the heavens. And to those that scream in anguish 'think of the children!' I have some wisdom. Kids don't care. Curious they might be, but offended they are not. Nor should you be. Its one breast, on one stage, at one event. Was it the most tactful choice to have made. No, probably not, considering the zealots who live for an opportunity to get excited about something like this. But is it indecent? Hardly.
Its a breast people. Every woman has them. Grow up, and find something more important to crusade about.
Okay, she exposed her breast. Big deal. And it wasn't even complete nudity. There was some stupid piece of jewelry covering the part that, by fairly common agreement, is essential to determining whether a woman is revealing too much or not. And now they want federal inquiries on decency, fines, penalties, and on and on and on until you can't blather on about it any more because your throat is hoarse.
Its a boob. For crying out loud people, can't we put this in the right context? There are soldiers dying in a foreign land, for a reason that is turning out to be spurious. There are children being abused, and living on the street, selling their souls for $5 and the chance to eat for the first time in a week. There are people dying of diseases we can't cure. With all of this other heartbreak going on, real people suffering real indignities, the sight of one woman's partially exposed breast, is the thing that we can't get past?
Grow up people. All the adults in the world ought to have the sense of reason to know that seeing one breast will not bring down upon us the fall of the heavens. And to those that scream in anguish 'think of the children!' I have some wisdom. Kids don't care. Curious they might be, but offended they are not. Nor should you be. Its one breast, on one stage, at one event. Was it the most tactful choice to have made. No, probably not, considering the zealots who live for an opportunity to get excited about something like this. But is it indecent? Hardly.
Its a breast people. Every woman has them. Grow up, and find something more important to crusade about.
Monday, February 02, 2004
Okay, rant number two for today.
Why the hell don't people just listen to me!?!
Here we are again with this infamous plant, who's name I will no longer utter. Back in December we were experiencing troubles with this plant. I gathered up all the data, and did some fairly intensive analysis of what was going on, what the problem was, what was the cause, and how to fix it. After all of that, I came to a conclusion, and wrote a nice, very objective, non-accusatory letter outlining the cause of the problem, and what the solution should be. I tried to be even-handed, thorough, and completely non-judgemental.
I got my ass handed to me on a platter. The consultant, the one we know and love, called my boss, and bitched me out about this letter. I wasn't blaming anyone, but it took complete offense to it, and basically ripped me a new one. To say he was angry would be putting it mildly. And this was to a letter I had attempted to keep friendly, and professional.
A couple weeks passed and the situation did not improve. I wrote another letter, again trying not to honk anyone off. In short form, I stated that the system was continuing to perform poorly, for the reasons I had already outlined, and we still needed to change operation of the system to improve results. My polite letter was again responded to with vitriole.
Now it is February, and the town's co-owner, in the form of provincial water governing body, has decided to speak up. First he calls me, and asks me what the situation is, and what needs to be done to make things work better. I explain what my position is, and what I think will remedy our problem. He thanks me for the opinion and we hang up.
Not 30 minutes later I get a fax from the consulting engineer. Sequencing of the plant will be changed immediately, to exactly what I had suggested almost two months ago.
This drives me up the wall. The consultant can stick it in my left ear, and scream that we aren't going to change the sequencing. Even though it is obviously contributing to the deterioration of performance in the total water treatment package. My good intentions and due dilligence is stomped on by arrogance and pride. Then one call from someone else, and we reverse directions immediately.
AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
Why the hell don't people just listen to me!?!
Here we are again with this infamous plant, who's name I will no longer utter. Back in December we were experiencing troubles with this plant. I gathered up all the data, and did some fairly intensive analysis of what was going on, what the problem was, what was the cause, and how to fix it. After all of that, I came to a conclusion, and wrote a nice, very objective, non-accusatory letter outlining the cause of the problem, and what the solution should be. I tried to be even-handed, thorough, and completely non-judgemental.
I got my ass handed to me on a platter. The consultant, the one we know and love, called my boss, and bitched me out about this letter. I wasn't blaming anyone, but it took complete offense to it, and basically ripped me a new one. To say he was angry would be putting it mildly. And this was to a letter I had attempted to keep friendly, and professional.
A couple weeks passed and the situation did not improve. I wrote another letter, again trying not to honk anyone off. In short form, I stated that the system was continuing to perform poorly, for the reasons I had already outlined, and we still needed to change operation of the system to improve results. My polite letter was again responded to with vitriole.
Now it is February, and the town's co-owner, in the form of provincial water governing body, has decided to speak up. First he calls me, and asks me what the situation is, and what needs to be done to make things work better. I explain what my position is, and what I think will remedy our problem. He thanks me for the opinion and we hang up.
Not 30 minutes later I get a fax from the consulting engineer. Sequencing of the plant will be changed immediately, to exactly what I had suggested almost two months ago.
This drives me up the wall. The consultant can stick it in my left ear, and scream that we aren't going to change the sequencing. Even though it is obviously contributing to the deterioration of performance in the total water treatment package. My good intentions and due dilligence is stomped on by arrogance and pride. Then one call from someone else, and we reverse directions immediately.
AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
Okay, I have to rant. Again. Stupid people!
What the hell is wrong with some people? Why don't they sit down, and figure out their situation, before getting all excited and starting to phone? I don't understand this.
This guy, on one of our jobs, phoned this morning wanting to know where his equipment was. We knew nothing about it, as we figured that all the material was on site and either, installed, or waiting to be installed. There was no news about additional parts to supply. But this guy is all excited, and why isn't the unit complete, and when are you coming to fix it, and where are the parts. Your basic whine of anyone that wants something, and has no control over its delivery.
So I get on this, and see what's wrong, and how to fix it. I take the excited guy out of the equation and talk to my technician, who's on site trying to finish this job out. I go through with him everything on the unit, and what's wrong, what's missing, and what do we need to do. I get myself an accurate read on the situation and go about remedying it.
A few minutes later we get another call. The excited guy was completely out to lunch, and all parts were on site, and installed. Some of them had not been hooked up, and thus looked defective when they were just inoperative. This nitwit had to go and stir up all this fuss, when all he really needed to do was check to see why things weren't working.
I hate people that do that! Examine your situation critically, and not from the hip, and often the solution is right in front of you. Don't use the phone just because its handy! Use your eyes, and you sense of ration. Doesn't anyone think anymore!?!
What the hell is wrong with some people? Why don't they sit down, and figure out their situation, before getting all excited and starting to phone? I don't understand this.
This guy, on one of our jobs, phoned this morning wanting to know where his equipment was. We knew nothing about it, as we figured that all the material was on site and either, installed, or waiting to be installed. There was no news about additional parts to supply. But this guy is all excited, and why isn't the unit complete, and when are you coming to fix it, and where are the parts. Your basic whine of anyone that wants something, and has no control over its delivery.
So I get on this, and see what's wrong, and how to fix it. I take the excited guy out of the equation and talk to my technician, who's on site trying to finish this job out. I go through with him everything on the unit, and what's wrong, what's missing, and what do we need to do. I get myself an accurate read on the situation and go about remedying it.
A few minutes later we get another call. The excited guy was completely out to lunch, and all parts were on site, and installed. Some of them had not been hooked up, and thus looked defective when they were just inoperative. This nitwit had to go and stir up all this fuss, when all he really needed to do was check to see why things weren't working.
I hate people that do that! Examine your situation critically, and not from the hip, and often the solution is right in front of you. Don't use the phone just because its handy! Use your eyes, and you sense of ration. Doesn't anyone think anymore!?!
Sunday, February 01, 2004
Saturday, January 31, 2004
I gotta get something off my chest.
What's with these idiots who bring $100 bills to a hockey game? Who carries around $100 bills anyway? Okay, I could understand if you were going to Future Shop to buy a big screen TV. Having hundreds would be the most expedient way to pay for the purchase in cash. But to a hockey game!?! What's the typical cost for something you might want? $4 or $5 for a drink, or some food and a drink. Even if you buy a round of beers for you and your 3 friends, that's still not even $20, and you're going to get back $80+ in return.
It pisses me off. What, are you trying to show off? What practical purpose could their be to having a wallet full of $100 bills? Sooner or later you have to spend them, and the likelihood is, whatever you want to buy is not going to consume $100. You're going to drain somebody's cash drawer. Isn't it kinda rude then, to expect that someone can make change for your flashy $100 bill?
I don't understand it. If someone knows the answer, please enlighten me. Otherwise, I'll be over the corner muttering curses.
What's with these idiots who bring $100 bills to a hockey game? Who carries around $100 bills anyway? Okay, I could understand if you were going to Future Shop to buy a big screen TV. Having hundreds would be the most expedient way to pay for the purchase in cash. But to a hockey game!?! What's the typical cost for something you might want? $4 or $5 for a drink, or some food and a drink. Even if you buy a round of beers for you and your 3 friends, that's still not even $20, and you're going to get back $80+ in return.
It pisses me off. What, are you trying to show off? What practical purpose could their be to having a wallet full of $100 bills? Sooner or later you have to spend them, and the likelihood is, whatever you want to buy is not going to consume $100. You're going to drain somebody's cash drawer. Isn't it kinda rude then, to expect that someone can make change for your flashy $100 bill?
I don't understand it. If someone knows the answer, please enlighten me. Otherwise, I'll be over the corner muttering curses.
Friday, January 30, 2004
And it continues . . .
2-1/2 hours more spent with the demon that haunts me. I've been to battle. I've seen war. It never ceases, never ends, never slackens or gives any quarter. Just brutal, unrelenting punishment.
And the result? A solution that makes no one happy, but similarly makes no one angry. I hate conclusions that don't result in some amount of contentment.
2-1/2 hours more spent with the demon that haunts me. I've been to battle. I've seen war. It never ceases, never ends, never slackens or gives any quarter. Just brutal, unrelenting punishment.
And the result? A solution that makes no one happy, but similarly makes no one angry. I hate conclusions that don't result in some amount of contentment.
For all of you who have wondered about Boris, and who he is, I snapped a quick picture of him the last time I was on site.
Boris
Boris
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Thursday, January 29, 2004
Here is an update to yesterday's battery troubles. I know you all love this so . . . WE HAVE PICTURES!!!
Picture #1
Picture #2
There will be further pictures from my life, at a later date.
Toodles!
Picture #1
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Picture #2
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There will be further pictures from my life, at a later date.
Toodles!
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Update to the earlier post about my battery.
Again, the service department is still populated by idiots. I finally got to speak to a representative. He seemed far less than concerned about my problem. As I correctly predicted, their answer was for ME to have it hauled into their shop, so they could look at it at their convenience. As I'm in WATSON and not SASKATOON, this is not really an option.
And why isn't it an option? Well friends, as any right thinking, logical person would have concluded, my battery was completely wrecked, and needed to be replaced. Boosting it and driving to Sherwood in Saskatoon is not an option. I know the suspense is killing you so I'll explain why its not an option.
I blew up my battery! That's right, exploded it. Okay, that might be a little overboard, but I did destroy it. One of our service guys got it into the car wash this afternoon, and took things apart. Once it was apart it was easy to see why it wouldn't start, hold a charge, worked some times and didn't work other times.
The plastic housing that encompasses the chemical cells that make a battery, a battery, was burst. The plastic ripped almost completely around. It actually folds out like a convenient door right now. This is not by design. I guess the liquid inside must have froze, expanded, and stressed the plastic until it broke. I have pictures and any one that wants to see is welcome. I'm going to be creating a place for me to upload pictures, to link to in this blog, but its not set up yet tonight. Just ask if you wanna see the pics.
And so ended my day. New battery, installed for me, which I greatly appreciated, and all is back to right in my world. This does not absolve Sherwood of their lack of interest, and I'm still peeved at them. But, I'm back in the driving game, so that much makes me glad.
Toodles all, and be well.
Again, the service department is still populated by idiots. I finally got to speak to a representative. He seemed far less than concerned about my problem. As I correctly predicted, their answer was for ME to have it hauled into their shop, so they could look at it at their convenience. As I'm in WATSON and not SASKATOON, this is not really an option.
And why isn't it an option? Well friends, as any right thinking, logical person would have concluded, my battery was completely wrecked, and needed to be replaced. Boosting it and driving to Sherwood in Saskatoon is not an option. I know the suspense is killing you so I'll explain why its not an option.
I blew up my battery! That's right, exploded it. Okay, that might be a little overboard, but I did destroy it. One of our service guys got it into the car wash this afternoon, and took things apart. Once it was apart it was easy to see why it wouldn't start, hold a charge, worked some times and didn't work other times.
The plastic housing that encompasses the chemical cells that make a battery, a battery, was burst. The plastic ripped almost completely around. It actually folds out like a convenient door right now. This is not by design. I guess the liquid inside must have froze, expanded, and stressed the plastic until it broke. I have pictures and any one that wants to see is welcome. I'm going to be creating a place for me to upload pictures, to link to in this blog, but its not set up yet tonight. Just ask if you wanna see the pics.
And so ended my day. New battery, installed for me, which I greatly appreciated, and all is back to right in my world. This does not absolve Sherwood of their lack of interest, and I'm still peeved at them. But, I'm back in the driving game, so that much makes me glad.
Toodles all, and be well.
It is time. I can hold back the sense of outrage no longer.
My truck, the new truck, the bend over and take it like a man payment truck, does not work. That part I could be okay with, I think, if it made sense why it didn't work. Instead, it chooses to be mysterious, which is confounding me to great heights.
First of all, who ordered this god damn weather!?! I mean, this is freakin' retarded! I have a fair sense of outrage about that too. What's with this, all of a sudden being -40 crap? I mean, its -40 C air temperature out there! Its bloody retarded! And why, as humans, are we still trying to have a normal existence? Shouldn't we be bundled up in our respective igloos?
Back to the truck, that vile perpetrator. Its a brick. There's no more descriptive noun for what its been turned into. To the point, it doesn't do a damn thing. There are times when it won't supply enough electricity to power the remote door locks. When it sits outside, it is a total brick. But then again, its not. The headlights will flash, but the radio will have lost power and be reset to 12:00. Sometimes it seems fine, cold but fine, but won't start. Check that, it never starts when its outside, but sometimes it does everything else but start.
All that I could manage. What I can no abide is the complete lack of sense to be made from things. Okay, its a brick. Sitting in the parking lot outside, a battery charger could not but a charge to the battery. Move it into the car wash for 10 minutes and it acts like its a summer day. What the hell is going on?
Now, to compound all of that, the sons of bitches at Sherwood service will not call me back. What if I wasn't in Watson, but instead parked at Muskowekwan First Nation, which is in the middle of piss all? What then? Oh, so sorry. Bring it in for service in two weeks and we'll look at it. Look at it! Its broke now! I need it back, NOW! And I can't even get someone on the phone.
If you need me, I'll be over here in the corner, beating my monkey severely.
My truck, the new truck, the bend over and take it like a man payment truck, does not work. That part I could be okay with, I think, if it made sense why it didn't work. Instead, it chooses to be mysterious, which is confounding me to great heights.
First of all, who ordered this god damn weather!?! I mean, this is freakin' retarded! I have a fair sense of outrage about that too. What's with this, all of a sudden being -40 crap? I mean, its -40 C air temperature out there! Its bloody retarded! And why, as humans, are we still trying to have a normal existence? Shouldn't we be bundled up in our respective igloos?
Back to the truck, that vile perpetrator. Its a brick. There's no more descriptive noun for what its been turned into. To the point, it doesn't do a damn thing. There are times when it won't supply enough electricity to power the remote door locks. When it sits outside, it is a total brick. But then again, its not. The headlights will flash, but the radio will have lost power and be reset to 12:00. Sometimes it seems fine, cold but fine, but won't start. Check that, it never starts when its outside, but sometimes it does everything else but start.
All that I could manage. What I can no abide is the complete lack of sense to be made from things. Okay, its a brick. Sitting in the parking lot outside, a battery charger could not but a charge to the battery. Move it into the car wash for 10 minutes and it acts like its a summer day. What the hell is going on?
Now, to compound all of that, the sons of bitches at Sherwood service will not call me back. What if I wasn't in Watson, but instead parked at Muskowekwan First Nation, which is in the middle of piss all? What then? Oh, so sorry. Bring it in for service in two weeks and we'll look at it. Look at it! Its broke now! I need it back, NOW! And I can't even get someone on the phone.
If you need me, I'll be over here in the corner, beating my monkey severely.
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Monday, January 26, 2004
I got my Professional Engineer paraphenalia in the mail, just before I went to Mexico. I brought it to work last week but was continually distracted and never got around to putting all the stuff away. I did that this afternoon. I feel kinda proud of what I've accomplished. Despite all the handicaps, and hardship I went through, I made it to the other side, with this designation now affixed to my name. I feel a sense of accomplishment. However, I am a little dim on how to continue. Once you're reached the summit of the mountain, what do you do next?
Should I seal my next rent cheque? LMAO
Toodles.
Should I seal my next rent cheque? LMAO
Toodles.
Saturday, January 24, 2004
Have you ever wondered how many trees are wasted, in the name of Christmas?
Across the street from my house is one of the Christmas tree dumps. Its in the parking lot for the mall. I had occasion to go to the mall today and this question struck me. There are hundreds of trees piled up over there. And this is only one dump, of several, for a city of only modest size, globally speaking. How many trees do we cut down, sell, and then throw away, having a useful Christmas purpose of maybe a month? Two at the most? Isn't that just a little too wasteful, in a time in history where we are taxing our resources?
Just a thought.
Toodles!
Across the street from my house is one of the Christmas tree dumps. Its in the parking lot for the mall. I had occasion to go to the mall today and this question struck me. There are hundreds of trees piled up over there. And this is only one dump, of several, for a city of only modest size, globally speaking. How many trees do we cut down, sell, and then throw away, having a useful Christmas purpose of maybe a month? Two at the most? Isn't that just a little too wasteful, in a time in history where we are taxing our resources?
Just a thought.
Toodles!
Friday, January 23, 2004
I think people's stupidity can be summed up by one example. And this example involves parking lots.
Why is it that people lose their ability to think rationally in a parking lot? I'm trying to park at the arena tonight, and I'm driving up and down the aisles looking for a spot. When its summer, and you can see the lines painted on the asphalt, no one has any trouble parking neatly in rows and columns. Throw a little snow on the lot, and everyone seems to lose their mind.
For example, lets take the idiot that, despite having more or less dilineated pair of vehicle facing each other, to form a row, takes it upon himself to park across the space that would normally be filled by two cars. As well, he places his beat up, crap ass truck slightly skewed, thus taking up even more room that he does not need.
Then there are the geniuses that can't grasp the concept of an exit lane. The break in the curbing that CLEARLY exists to allow exit from the parking lot. The first three rows of cars all notice and allow for the exit lane. But then there is that winner that figures, there's an empty space here, I'll just park. Or the next couple hundred people that follow Swiftey's maneuver, and turn the whole parking lot into one of those hedge mazes.
Let us not forget the buffoon that swings his car into the parking lot and leaves about 5 feet between him and the car next to him. Its well more than plenty for exiting the vehicle, but is too small to allow for another vehicle to park in between. And somehow these twits know just how much room to make the spot tantalizing, but just small enough to not allow an attempt. So you have that elation at finding a spot, and the subsequent crushing defeat of it being too small. Which is inevitably chased by raging thunder as you curse the simple minded fool.
I swear, my blood pressure would go down 15% if I didn't have to drive anywhere. Other people seem to give me a rash.
Toodles!
Why is it that people lose their ability to think rationally in a parking lot? I'm trying to park at the arena tonight, and I'm driving up and down the aisles looking for a spot. When its summer, and you can see the lines painted on the asphalt, no one has any trouble parking neatly in rows and columns. Throw a little snow on the lot, and everyone seems to lose their mind.
For example, lets take the idiot that, despite having more or less dilineated pair of vehicle facing each other, to form a row, takes it upon himself to park across the space that would normally be filled by two cars. As well, he places his beat up, crap ass truck slightly skewed, thus taking up even more room that he does not need.
Then there are the geniuses that can't grasp the concept of an exit lane. The break in the curbing that CLEARLY exists to allow exit from the parking lot. The first three rows of cars all notice and allow for the exit lane. But then there is that winner that figures, there's an empty space here, I'll just park. Or the next couple hundred people that follow Swiftey's maneuver, and turn the whole parking lot into one of those hedge mazes.
Let us not forget the buffoon that swings his car into the parking lot and leaves about 5 feet between him and the car next to him. Its well more than plenty for exiting the vehicle, but is too small to allow for another vehicle to park in between. And somehow these twits know just how much room to make the spot tantalizing, but just small enough to not allow an attempt. So you have that elation at finding a spot, and the subsequent crushing defeat of it being too small. Which is inevitably chased by raging thunder as you curse the simple minded fool.
I swear, my blood pressure would go down 15% if I didn't have to drive anywhere. Other people seem to give me a rash.
Toodles!
Wednesday, January 21, 2004
I like monkeys.
The pet store was selling them for 5¢ each. I thought that was odd since
they were normally a couple thousand dollars each. I decided not to look a
gift horse in the mouth.
I bought 200.
I like monkeys.
I took my 200 monkeys home.
I have a big car.
I let one of them drive. His name was Sigmund. He was retarded.
In fact, none of them were really bright. They kept punching themselves in
their genitals.
I laughed.
Then they punched my genitals.
I stopped laughing.
I herded them into my apartment.
They didn't adapt very well to their new environment.
They would screech, hurl themselves off of the couch at high speeds and slam
into the wall.
Although humorous at first, the spectacle lost its novelty halfway into its
third hour.
Two hours later I found out why all the monkeys were so inexpensive: they
all died.
No apparent reason.
They all just sort of dropped dead.
Kind of like when you buy a goldfish and it dies five hours later.
Damn cheap monkeys.
I didn't know what to do.
There were 200 dead monkeys lying all over my apartment.
On the bed, in the dresser, hanging from my bookcase.
It looked like I had 200 throw rugs.
I tried to flush one down the toilet.
It didn't work. It got stuck.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey and 199 dead, dry monkeys.
I tried pretending that they were just stuffed animals.
That worked for a while.
That is until they began to decompose.
Then it started to smell real bad.
I had to pee but there was a dead monkey in the toilet and I didn't want to
call the plumber.
I was embarrassed.
I tried to slow down the decomposition by freezing them.
Unfortunately, there was only enough room for two monkeys at a time, so I
had to change them every 30 seconds.
I also had to eat all the food in the freezer so it didn't all go bad.
I tried burning them.
Little did I know my bed was flammable.
I had to extinguish the fire.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey in my toilet, two dead, frozen monkeys in my
freezer, and 197 dead, charred monkeys in a pile on my bed.
The odor wasn't improving.
I became agitated at my inability to dispose of my monkeys or use the
bathroom.
I severely beat one of my monkeys.
I felt better.
I tried throwing them way but the garbage man said that the city wasn't
allowed to dispose of charred primates.
I told him that I had a wet one.
He couldn't take that one either.
I didn't bother asking about the frozen ones.
I finally arrived at a solution.
I gave them out as Christmas gifts.
My friends didn't know quite what to say.
They pretended that they like them but I could tell they were lying.
Ingrates.
So I punched them in the genitals.
I like monkeys.
The pet store was selling them for 5¢ each. I thought that was odd since
they were normally a couple thousand dollars each. I decided not to look a
gift horse in the mouth.
I bought 200.
I like monkeys.
I took my 200 monkeys home.
I have a big car.
I let one of them drive. His name was Sigmund. He was retarded.
In fact, none of them were really bright. They kept punching themselves in
their genitals.
I laughed.
Then they punched my genitals.
I stopped laughing.
I herded them into my apartment.
They didn't adapt very well to their new environment.
They would screech, hurl themselves off of the couch at high speeds and slam
into the wall.
Although humorous at first, the spectacle lost its novelty halfway into its
third hour.
Two hours later I found out why all the monkeys were so inexpensive: they
all died.
No apparent reason.
They all just sort of dropped dead.
Kind of like when you buy a goldfish and it dies five hours later.
Damn cheap monkeys.
I didn't know what to do.
There were 200 dead monkeys lying all over my apartment.
On the bed, in the dresser, hanging from my bookcase.
It looked like I had 200 throw rugs.
I tried to flush one down the toilet.
It didn't work. It got stuck.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey and 199 dead, dry monkeys.
I tried pretending that they were just stuffed animals.
That worked for a while.
That is until they began to decompose.
Then it started to smell real bad.
I had to pee but there was a dead monkey in the toilet and I didn't want to
call the plumber.
I was embarrassed.
I tried to slow down the decomposition by freezing them.
Unfortunately, there was only enough room for two monkeys at a time, so I
had to change them every 30 seconds.
I also had to eat all the food in the freezer so it didn't all go bad.
I tried burning them.
Little did I know my bed was flammable.
I had to extinguish the fire.
Then I had one dead, wet monkey in my toilet, two dead, frozen monkeys in my
freezer, and 197 dead, charred monkeys in a pile on my bed.
The odor wasn't improving.
I became agitated at my inability to dispose of my monkeys or use the
bathroom.
I severely beat one of my monkeys.
I felt better.
I tried throwing them way but the garbage man said that the city wasn't
allowed to dispose of charred primates.
I told him that I had a wet one.
He couldn't take that one either.
I didn't bother asking about the frozen ones.
I finally arrived at a solution.
I gave them out as Christmas gifts.
My friends didn't know quite what to say.
They pretended that they like them but I could tell they were lying.
Ingrates.
So I punched them in the genitals.
I like monkeys.
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
This is an episode of Newlyweds I'd never seen!
We open with a moment so hilarious it should be illegal. Nick and Jessica are making out in the pool. (why do they get a pool and I don't!?!) Nick asks for a 'hummer'. Just hearing him say it made me spit. Its a shame they were talking about the Humvee. I have a feeling Nick wasn't 'necessarily' talking about the vehicle. :-P
The trip to Home Depot was amusing. Jessica doesn't do suburban chic very well. She is not hip to Home Depot.
Moving on its all about Jessica. It is her Mad Hatter 23rd Un-Birthday. WTF!?! Can't they stupid chicks do anything normal? Jessica invites all her friends, and as this is a TV show about normal life, we have to have the obligatory friends from grade school jet in for that all important 23rd birthday. It must be nice to have a budget. Jessica acts like 23 is old. She also manages to point out her lack of mental agility by saying that 25 is 'almost' mid twenties.
Shift to the night of the party. In a poorly chosen decision, Jessica goes in costume in what appears to be, vampish call girl. Its either that, or she's a time travelling Ronelle. Mucho drinking in the limo. a) why are we doing a limo to a birthday party and b) these people drink a lot.
Scenes from the party? BOR-ing. The dance, or some semblance of what passes for dancing. There is, of course, lots of alcohol. Jessica auditions for the part of drunk stripper. She pulls it off in convincing style. As you'd expect, this being a show about celebrities, that there would have to be celebrities at the party. We cap with, Jessica stumbling into the limo, and as they go to sleep in their bed, Nick again asks for that mysterious 'hummer'. ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!
The morning after, Jessica gets Louis Vitton accessories. Yawn. On the upside, Nick's plan to kill the bees is a success.
Summation? Yes, Jessica is a ditz. But we love her for it. What a great show. :-D
We open with a moment so hilarious it should be illegal. Nick and Jessica are making out in the pool. (why do they get a pool and I don't!?!) Nick asks for a 'hummer'. Just hearing him say it made me spit. Its a shame they were talking about the Humvee. I have a feeling Nick wasn't 'necessarily' talking about the vehicle. :-P
The trip to Home Depot was amusing. Jessica doesn't do suburban chic very well. She is not hip to Home Depot.
Moving on its all about Jessica. It is her Mad Hatter 23rd Un-Birthday. WTF!?! Can't they stupid chicks do anything normal? Jessica invites all her friends, and as this is a TV show about normal life, we have to have the obligatory friends from grade school jet in for that all important 23rd birthday. It must be nice to have a budget. Jessica acts like 23 is old. She also manages to point out her lack of mental agility by saying that 25 is 'almost' mid twenties.
Shift to the night of the party. In a poorly chosen decision, Jessica goes in costume in what appears to be, vampish call girl. Its either that, or she's a time travelling Ronelle. Mucho drinking in the limo. a) why are we doing a limo to a birthday party and b) these people drink a lot.
Scenes from the party? BOR-ing. The dance, or some semblance of what passes for dancing. There is, of course, lots of alcohol. Jessica auditions for the part of drunk stripper. She pulls it off in convincing style. As you'd expect, this being a show about celebrities, that there would have to be celebrities at the party. We cap with, Jessica stumbling into the limo, and as they go to sleep in their bed, Nick again asks for that mysterious 'hummer'. ROTFLMFAO!!!!!!
The morning after, Jessica gets Louis Vitton accessories. Yawn. On the upside, Nick's plan to kill the bees is a success.
Summation? Yes, Jessica is a ditz. But we love her for it. What a great show. :-D
Monday, January 19, 2004
Well, its been an . . . interesting morning.
As far as I can tell so far, nothing monumental happened while I was on vacation. However, that assessment of the situation is on hold because . . . there's no one here.
At the current time the front door to the office is locked. The boss is still at the cabin, by the lake, and may come in this afternoon. The office manager/accountant is just, not here. The secretary was here, but she had to leave to go to court. Thus, on my first day back from vacation, there is nobody here to tell me what's been going on. And because no one has told me what's been going on, I can't do anything because, I don't know if its already been done!
Thus, we are faced with a situation where I'm right back to where I was when I left a week and a half ago. I'm sitting at my desk, waiting for something to fly apart. I really hate being in that mode. It always makes me nervous and sick to my stomach. I'd almost like it better if things had flown apart and I could be in 'fix' mode.
Reporting live from a deserted office, I remain . . .
As far as I can tell so far, nothing monumental happened while I was on vacation. However, that assessment of the situation is on hold because . . . there's no one here.
At the current time the front door to the office is locked. The boss is still at the cabin, by the lake, and may come in this afternoon. The office manager/accountant is just, not here. The secretary was here, but she had to leave to go to court. Thus, on my first day back from vacation, there is nobody here to tell me what's been going on. And because no one has told me what's been going on, I can't do anything because, I don't know if its already been done!
Thus, we are faced with a situation where I'm right back to where I was when I left a week and a half ago. I'm sitting at my desk, waiting for something to fly apart. I really hate being in that mode. It always makes me nervous and sick to my stomach. I'd almost like it better if things had flown apart and I could be in 'fix' mode.
Reporting live from a deserted office, I remain . . .
Thursday, January 08, 2004
THIS is, BY FAR, the COOLEST thing EVER!!!
I have my NEW, portable USB hard drive hooked up right now. This little device is like the realization of a quest I've been on for years. I have always wanted a device that I could carry around with me, and plug into any computer, and have my files with me. Instead of using floppies (old school and WAY too small), ZIP disks (better but not enough capacity and too expensive for disks), CD's (too cumbersome to use in a rewriteable manner) I know have this. I have 120 GB of hard drive capacity, to hold any and all files that I deem necessary to have in reach.
I love this thing! I can't say it any clearer. I've got one folder on it so far, but that'll change soon. I have so much capacity. I have a drive in my main computer that has 40 GB allocated to downloads and files I access (not games or applications). That's half full. Put all those files on this portable hard drive, and I still have 100 GB left! I love this thing.
Please excuse me while I go off into the corner and gigle insanely.
Toodles!!!
I have my NEW, portable USB hard drive hooked up right now. This little device is like the realization of a quest I've been on for years. I have always wanted a device that I could carry around with me, and plug into any computer, and have my files with me. Instead of using floppies (old school and WAY too small), ZIP disks (better but not enough capacity and too expensive for disks), CD's (too cumbersome to use in a rewriteable manner) I know have this. I have 120 GB of hard drive capacity, to hold any and all files that I deem necessary to have in reach.
I love this thing! I can't say it any clearer. I've got one folder on it so far, but that'll change soon. I have so much capacity. I have a drive in my main computer that has 40 GB allocated to downloads and files I access (not games or applications). That's half full. Put all those files on this portable hard drive, and I still have 100 GB left! I love this thing.
Please excuse me while I go off into the corner and gigle insanely.
Toodles!!!
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
The internet is truly a wonderful thing!
I am glad that I grew up in the Internet age. So many great, and wonderous things were given to us, when we developed this ubiquitious communication tool. Its so much more than just communication though. There are games, and shopping. Probably the most important, to most people, is how simple, and easy it has become to acquire entertainment. But even more important that being simple and easy, it can be done anonymously.
I think we all know that there are methods that exist, on the internet, to acquire entertainment. Some of these are free, and legitimate, and any of these that exist, are extremely popular. But there is also a nefarious side too.
Now nobody likes to talk about this but, there are reasons beyond economy for pursuing your entertainment in this manner. Often people that have no monetary reason to look for anonymous thrills, do so anyway. Its because its anonymous. You don't have to stand in front of a cash register, look a clerk in the eye, as they ring up your rental (or purchase). You don't have to hide your eyes, and disguise your shame, as you pay hard earned money for things that you shouldn't be buying. But you want them. You need them. You have to have them. Something burns in your soul that you must acquire these goods, whether it be right and pure for you to have them or not. Something spurs you, from deep within, to satisfy this thirst which is never quenched.
But you are ashamed, and you are embarassed, and it makes going to the store hard. Until the internet you had to wrestle with your soul, as you fought urges that didn't want to be contained. Now you don't have to fight. Though its wrong to acquire them, you now can have them, and no record is traced back to you. It is beauty, and simplicity at the same time.
I'm downloading "The Lizzie McGuire Movie"
I am glad that I grew up in the Internet age. So many great, and wonderous things were given to us, when we developed this ubiquitious communication tool. Its so much more than just communication though. There are games, and shopping. Probably the most important, to most people, is how simple, and easy it has become to acquire entertainment. But even more important that being simple and easy, it can be done anonymously.
I think we all know that there are methods that exist, on the internet, to acquire entertainment. Some of these are free, and legitimate, and any of these that exist, are extremely popular. But there is also a nefarious side too.
Now nobody likes to talk about this but, there are reasons beyond economy for pursuing your entertainment in this manner. Often people that have no monetary reason to look for anonymous thrills, do so anyway. Its because its anonymous. You don't have to stand in front of a cash register, look a clerk in the eye, as they ring up your rental (or purchase). You don't have to hide your eyes, and disguise your shame, as you pay hard earned money for things that you shouldn't be buying. But you want them. You need them. You have to have them. Something burns in your soul that you must acquire these goods, whether it be right and pure for you to have them or not. Something spurs you, from deep within, to satisfy this thirst which is never quenched.
But you are ashamed, and you are embarassed, and it makes going to the store hard. Until the internet you had to wrestle with your soul, as you fought urges that didn't want to be contained. Now you don't have to fight. Though its wrong to acquire them, you now can have them, and no record is traced back to you. It is beauty, and simplicity at the same time.
I'm downloading "The Lizzie McGuire Movie"
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
I'm watching Newlyweds again. :-D
This is, BY FAR, the funniest episode of Newlyweds.
Its all encapsulated in one moment, right at the end. If you haven't seen it, it might not make sense. But its totally hilarious.
Nick decorated the house. Jessica doesn't like it because they didn't hire anyone. They argue about it, and Jessica says, she'll just hire Nick. He wants to know how he's going to be paid. Jessica says, in bed.
Nick: I want a raise. With extra benefits.
Jessica: What's that?
Nick: You know what.
Jessica just stares at him.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
This is, BY FAR, the funniest episode of Newlyweds.
Its all encapsulated in one moment, right at the end. If you haven't seen it, it might not make sense. But its totally hilarious.
Nick decorated the house. Jessica doesn't like it because they didn't hire anyone. They argue about it, and Jessica says, she'll just hire Nick. He wants to know how he's going to be paid. Jessica says, in bed.
Nick: I want a raise. With extra benefits.
Jessica: What's that?
Nick: You know what.
Jessica just stares at him.
ROTFLMAO!!!!!!
Monday, January 05, 2004
I am unhappy.
I bought this new truck. The theory behind its purchase was, I wanted worry-free operation, because I travel so much. So, I get into the cold weather of a Saskatchewan winter and what do I get? I get a vehicle that won't start.
My frustration is doubled by the fact that, I added to my expensive purchase a remote start for my vehicle, so I could start it safely, and warmly, from inside a building. What happens when I try to use this feature? It won't start.
Why am I spending all this money if the equipment I bought will not perform as intended? I don't think I ask too much in requesting that my equipment work as intended. I just want it to work the way its supposed to; I am not trying to get more from it than its programmed to give. Just work when you're supposed to work, dammit!
I remain . . .
I bought this new truck. The theory behind its purchase was, I wanted worry-free operation, because I travel so much. So, I get into the cold weather of a Saskatchewan winter and what do I get? I get a vehicle that won't start.
My frustration is doubled by the fact that, I added to my expensive purchase a remote start for my vehicle, so I could start it safely, and warmly, from inside a building. What happens when I try to use this feature? It won't start.
Why am I spending all this money if the equipment I bought will not perform as intended? I don't think I ask too much in requesting that my equipment work as intended. I just want it to work the way its supposed to; I am not trying to get more from it than its programmed to give. Just work when you're supposed to work, dammit!
I remain . . .
Thursday, January 01, 2004
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
What if they held a cabaret and nobody showed up?
I'm here at Sask. Place, doing my appointed duty as beer purveyor. Its not a terribly useful situation at the current time. I have been here for two hours. I think we're averaging about 3 drinks an hour. At the current rate we won't even cover the power consumption for the lights, and most of them are off.
Reporting live from a very deserted Cabaret Central. . .
I'm here at Sask. Place, doing my appointed duty as beer purveyor. Its not a terribly useful situation at the current time. I have been here for two hours. I think we're averaging about 3 drinks an hour. At the current rate we won't even cover the power consumption for the lights, and most of them are off.
Reporting live from a very deserted Cabaret Central. . .
Tuesday, December 30, 2003
I have a question.
Why do people even bother opening between Christmas and New Year's Day? I can see the point of it with stores. After Christmas you have major sales to clear out your inventory, that was acquired for the Christmas season. I'd guess that stores actually do a good business during this week.
But what about normal offices, government institutions, construction, administrative, otherwise paper pushing businesses. What is accomplished by being open? Half the people take some vacation time anyway, and aren't there to answer their phone. The other half that come in, can't accomplish anything anyway, because that first half is needed, for answering questions, fulfilling requests, checking stock levels, etc. With such a massive number of people taking time off, it pretty much grinds the whole business world to a stop. Why not, instead, just mandate that everyone is taking X number of days at Christmas time, and don't even bother with the pretext of being 'open'. You're open, but you're not doing anything. Its just boring.
This is my thought. I could be wrong.
Toodles!
Why do people even bother opening between Christmas and New Year's Day? I can see the point of it with stores. After Christmas you have major sales to clear out your inventory, that was acquired for the Christmas season. I'd guess that stores actually do a good business during this week.
But what about normal offices, government institutions, construction, administrative, otherwise paper pushing businesses. What is accomplished by being open? Half the people take some vacation time anyway, and aren't there to answer their phone. The other half that come in, can't accomplish anything anyway, because that first half is needed, for answering questions, fulfilling requests, checking stock levels, etc. With such a massive number of people taking time off, it pretty much grinds the whole business world to a stop. Why not, instead, just mandate that everyone is taking X number of days at Christmas time, and don't even bother with the pretext of being 'open'. You're open, but you're not doing anything. Its just boring.
This is my thought. I could be wrong.
Toodles!
Monday, December 29, 2003
It never ends.
I wasn't here 10 minutes and I was getting a phone call from the subject of my ever growing neurosis. Its the Christmas holiday season and my enduring gift is to have this place, and these people, haunt me every moment of my day. It is my curse, my damnation. Why can't they just leave me alone for a day?
I wasn't here 10 minutes and I was getting a phone call from the subject of my ever growing neurosis. Its the Christmas holiday season and my enduring gift is to have this place, and these people, haunt me every moment of my day. It is my curse, my damnation. Why can't they just leave me alone for a day?
Saturday, December 27, 2003
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
I know I ranted about this yesterday but, it deserves being said again. People piss me off!
I have a town, with two types of filtration occurring before distribution to the town. Its three days before Christmas, and one of the types of filtration has failed. Readings taken of the water quality prove that the filtered water is actually worse than the raw water (in one respect) There is a definable problem with the process and it needs a remedy.
Its the week of Christmas. The whole world is shutting down for the holiday week. I have a malfunctioning process, and nobody available to go fix it. Furthermore, there is no quick fix solution to the problem. Making the process right again will take several days. Meanwhile there is a town of 2000+ people that need water while they enjoy Christmas.
So I make a decision. I have 15 minutes to choose something, because that's the window between whether I can sent a programmer to the water treatment plant to alter the operation of the plant. I don't have time to ask everyone what to do. I have to choose.
So I choose. I send the programmer, and we bypass the faulty portion of the process. Then I write a piece of correspondence, outlining the problem, the likely cause, and the solution I've enacted, which guarantees the town some treated water until we can come back, after the holiday, to remedy the malfunctioning process.
So what kind of response do I get from the project Engineer? A rude email suggesting I should have run the decision through them, for review and approval. I didn't have that much time. The programmer gave me until the end of the day I decided, so about 15 minutes, to make a choice about what to do. I couldn't give the town untreated water. I considered that unacceptable. So I chose the temporary fix.
Why write me a rude letter? What does that accomplish. If I had any other choice I would have consulted them, and gotten approvals. I didn't have that kind of time. What's accomplished by calling me down. Help me, don't sit on your throne and judge me poorly based on everything I do. Be in the business of solutions, not protecting your own interest. I don't think that's fair. Especially when you know you'll be out of the office yourself, for an extended Christmas break, and will be unreachable. There's a town full of people who's lives are affected by your behaviour. Help them, don't ignore them.
I am mad.
I have a town, with two types of filtration occurring before distribution to the town. Its three days before Christmas, and one of the types of filtration has failed. Readings taken of the water quality prove that the filtered water is actually worse than the raw water (in one respect) There is a definable problem with the process and it needs a remedy.
Its the week of Christmas. The whole world is shutting down for the holiday week. I have a malfunctioning process, and nobody available to go fix it. Furthermore, there is no quick fix solution to the problem. Making the process right again will take several days. Meanwhile there is a town of 2000+ people that need water while they enjoy Christmas.
So I make a decision. I have 15 minutes to choose something, because that's the window between whether I can sent a programmer to the water treatment plant to alter the operation of the plant. I don't have time to ask everyone what to do. I have to choose.
So I choose. I send the programmer, and we bypass the faulty portion of the process. Then I write a piece of correspondence, outlining the problem, the likely cause, and the solution I've enacted, which guarantees the town some treated water until we can come back, after the holiday, to remedy the malfunctioning process.
So what kind of response do I get from the project Engineer? A rude email suggesting I should have run the decision through them, for review and approval. I didn't have that much time. The programmer gave me until the end of the day I decided, so about 15 minutes, to make a choice about what to do. I couldn't give the town untreated water. I considered that unacceptable. So I chose the temporary fix.
Why write me a rude letter? What does that accomplish. If I had any other choice I would have consulted them, and gotten approvals. I didn't have that kind of time. What's accomplished by calling me down. Help me, don't sit on your throne and judge me poorly based on everything I do. Be in the business of solutions, not protecting your own interest. I don't think that's fair. Especially when you know you'll be out of the office yourself, for an extended Christmas break, and will be unreachable. There's a town full of people who's lives are affected by your behaviour. Help them, don't ignore them.
I am mad.
Tuesday, December 23, 2003
One more day of work has almost been completed. There was less of a beating today, which was a positive. Still hunting the same ponderous beast. I'm not sure I'm winning at all, but I felt like I didn't lose as much today. Gotta look for the positives in life.
People frustrate me. At the end of the day what's really bothering me lately is people. There are problems to be dealt with and the most you can get from anyone is, well that's not specific problem. How does that help me? Okay, maybe its not your particular problem but I'm making the effort to reach out, and seek some assistance with my current state of affairs and I get back, the world won't end. I'm not worried about the world ending, I just wanna put a decent resolution on a screwed up situation. I have trouble with asking for help, so its demoralizing to have my request essentially belittled.
An the same topic of people pissing me off, why do I have to do everything? I got a call this afternoon. The person on the other end wanted me to give them a decision on something. It was about scheduling an installation. That's supposed to be his job. Its nothing complex or intricate, or for that matter anything I've ever dealt with before. But for some reason he felt it necessary to not decide anything himself and call me. I'm in the middle of dealing with my haunting nightmare of a project, and he interjects with a phone call about a dinky 5 gpm unit. AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
I think its time for a holiday.
Toodles.
People frustrate me. At the end of the day what's really bothering me lately is people. There are problems to be dealt with and the most you can get from anyone is, well that's not specific problem. How does that help me? Okay, maybe its not your particular problem but I'm making the effort to reach out, and seek some assistance with my current state of affairs and I get back, the world won't end. I'm not worried about the world ending, I just wanna put a decent resolution on a screwed up situation. I have trouble with asking for help, so its demoralizing to have my request essentially belittled.
An the same topic of people pissing me off, why do I have to do everything? I got a call this afternoon. The person on the other end wanted me to give them a decision on something. It was about scheduling an installation. That's supposed to be his job. Its nothing complex or intricate, or for that matter anything I've ever dealt with before. But for some reason he felt it necessary to not decide anything himself and call me. I'm in the middle of dealing with my haunting nightmare of a project, and he interjects with a phone call about a dinky 5 gpm unit. AARRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!
I think its time for a holiday.
Toodles.
Monday, December 22, 2003
Monday morning dawned with my old nemesis, still square within my sights. The large, hulking beast that is my enemy, will not relent. Like some invincible super-villian of cartoon infamy, it teases and tortures me with cruel lack of mercy. I am beaten, bruised, reduced to pulp. A crying heap in the middle vast plain, that is devoid of anything, least of all hope. I stand, near to broken, wishing only for release.
Friday, December 19, 2003
The morning has dawned with more hope than I've known in some time. The trials and tribulations of a day spent battling a beast that would not be slayed have been forgotten. In my deep focus, on the monster that confronted me, I had forgotten a quest that had begun a long time back in the mist. A melancholy that had dropped its curtain over me, in slow folds of heavy thick velvet, has been lifted. The completion of a long, arduous quest has lifted my spirits for the continued battle with the beast. I now face the day, my chin held high.
I got my P.Eng designation!
Toodles!
I got my P.Eng designation!
Toodles!
Thursday, December 18, 2003
The beast is winning.
Each stab at its black heart, does little more than scratch at the coarse, leathery exterior that protects this demon from harm. Attempts to slay this hedious beast are all repelled, and seem only to enrage the cold monster. On swipe from a rusty, pitted sword is met with a roar of fury, that alone is nearly enough to fell any warrior, no matter how hale or hardy. With each attempt to press forward, comes a ferocious blast of sulphur and burning fire. One must shield their face from the intensity.
And the sword falls.
On your knees, you search in the dirt, and scorched grass for the only weapon you can possibly wield. But even wielding it is of little consequence. On your knees, or standing proudly on your feet, no quarter is given. And you slip. And you lose ground. The beast wins. Not by superior skill but simple brutality by size. It swarms you, engulfs you, swallows you whole until you're fighting from within the beast.
And once you are within, there is no escape. You are trapped, sealed in for an eternity, lost to anything and everything you've known and loved. It holds you, captured in a moment from which you can not escape. Cold, brutal reality engulfs you, and takes you down. On your knees you wail.
No one hears.
Each stab at its black heart, does little more than scratch at the coarse, leathery exterior that protects this demon from harm. Attempts to slay this hedious beast are all repelled, and seem only to enrage the cold monster. On swipe from a rusty, pitted sword is met with a roar of fury, that alone is nearly enough to fell any warrior, no matter how hale or hardy. With each attempt to press forward, comes a ferocious blast of sulphur and burning fire. One must shield their face from the intensity.
And the sword falls.
On your knees, you search in the dirt, and scorched grass for the only weapon you can possibly wield. But even wielding it is of little consequence. On your knees, or standing proudly on your feet, no quarter is given. And you slip. And you lose ground. The beast wins. Not by superior skill but simple brutality by size. It swarms you, engulfs you, swallows you whole until you're fighting from within the beast.
And once you are within, there is no escape. You are trapped, sealed in for an eternity, lost to anything and everything you've known and loved. It holds you, captured in a moment from which you can not escape. Cold, brutal reality engulfs you, and takes you down. On your knees you wail.
No one hears.
Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Here it is, a new day, and I have a new complaint.
Why can't clothing manufacturers be more consistent in the production of garments? I needed some new jeans awhile back, and went to the store and bought some. I wanted two pair, so I got two identical ones. I tried one pair on, and they fit nicely, so I took another, identically size, pair.
I wore them back to back this week. Yesterday's pair were very snug. Not uncomfortably, sausage casing snug, but definitely full enough to know I had on tight pants. Today I wear the second, SUPPOSEDLY IDENTICAL, pair. I'm almost swimming in them. If I put enough stuff in my pockets, I could probably make them fall part way down.
So my question becomes, where's the quality control? They are tagged the same, so why aren't they the same? That just bugs me.
However, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Toodles.
Why can't clothing manufacturers be more consistent in the production of garments? I needed some new jeans awhile back, and went to the store and bought some. I wanted two pair, so I got two identical ones. I tried one pair on, and they fit nicely, so I took another, identically size, pair.
I wore them back to back this week. Yesterday's pair were very snug. Not uncomfortably, sausage casing snug, but definitely full enough to know I had on tight pants. Today I wear the second, SUPPOSEDLY IDENTICAL, pair. I'm almost swimming in them. If I put enough stuff in my pockets, I could probably make them fall part way down.
So my question becomes, where's the quality control? They are tagged the same, so why aren't they the same? That just bugs me.
However, this is just my opinion, I could be wrong.
Toodles.
Tuesday, December 16, 2003
It is Tuesday, and as such, its Newlyweds and The Simple Life on CTV.
I missed this the first time. On Newlyweds today is the episode where they go camping. All around, a very funny episode. However, something happened that I missed the first time.
One of the activities the two couples indulge in is, a kind of quiz game, where you read questions out of a book and everyone has to answer. Stuff like, if you could have the body or mind of a 30 year old, when you were 90, which would you pick? But, I digress. Nick takes a long time to think about all of his answers, which pisses Jessica off because their 'true love' type questions. The ask three of these in a row and Nick thinks about each one, and Jessica gets annoyed. Finally the question comes up, do you envy anyone enough that you'd want to switch lives with them? Nick again thinks about his answer. Then, as a joke, he mentions Bruce Willis. Jessica mildly freaks. To mollify her, Nick makes the comment, I get to bang Jessica Simpson, why would i want to be someone else?
Now THAT, is funny! 8-D
Toodles.
I missed this the first time. On Newlyweds today is the episode where they go camping. All around, a very funny episode. However, something happened that I missed the first time.
One of the activities the two couples indulge in is, a kind of quiz game, where you read questions out of a book and everyone has to answer. Stuff like, if you could have the body or mind of a 30 year old, when you were 90, which would you pick? But, I digress. Nick takes a long time to think about all of his answers, which pisses Jessica off because their 'true love' type questions. The ask three of these in a row and Nick thinks about each one, and Jessica gets annoyed. Finally the question comes up, do you envy anyone enough that you'd want to switch lives with them? Nick again thinks about his answer. Then, as a joke, he mentions Bruce Willis. Jessica mildly freaks. To mollify her, Nick makes the comment, I get to bang Jessica Simpson, why would i want to be someone else?
Now THAT, is funny! 8-D
Toodles.
I drove a trailer today. Well, not the actual trailer. I guess the accurate thing to say would be, I towed a trailer. It was an interesting experience. I've never done that before. It wasn't really all that hard, or difficult an endeavour. I worried constantly about dumping the membrane unit I was hauling but in the end, even after manuevering it over rough, rutted ground, I didn't dump it, and we got the unit in the building. I consider it a success.
Meanwhile my old nemesis has jumped up to bite me in the ass again. Thus, despite an early day success, I find myself depressed. When is this going to end?
Toodles
Meanwhile my old nemesis has jumped up to bite me in the ass again. Thus, despite an early day success, I find myself depressed. When is this going to end?
Toodles
Monday, December 15, 2003
I think I have found the perfect example of how Saskatoon is not able to really progress as a city. This example I'm about to give is symptomatic of why Saskatoon is so frustrating to live in.
As you leave Saskatoon, going east, on Highway 5 to Humboldt, there is an intersection of highway and urban road. I forget exactly what street it is the butts into Highway 5, but it leads out of the new subdivision on the east side. I think its called McOrmond Road. I've been driving this stretch of road weekly, for almost two years now. You blaze into Saskatoon and don't hit a light until you get to Central Avenue, coming out of Sutherland.
Now they have a set of lights on the highway. This just bothers me. This is a highway. You are no longer 'in' Saskatoon as you take Highway 5 out from Saskatoon. The city itself is either behind you, or off to your left, as you leave the city. And here is a stupid set of traffic lights out in the middle of nowhere.
I understand why they are there. I realize that an abundance of people probably take this stretch of highway, as a shortcut to and from work, into their homes in Erindale. I am aware that these lights are probably necessary, for the two stretches of rush hour that occur on weekdays.
What gets on my nerves is, for 22 out of 24 hours in the day, the particular stretch of road does not need lights, at all. Traffic into and out of Erindale, on McOrmond Road, is light. They also build a merge road out of Erindale, onto Highway 5, so people leaving Erindale can easily merge into Highway 5 traffic. So what results is, this set of lights is only necessary for left turns across Highway 5, into Erindale, on McOrmand Road.
Let's be honest here. Is there ever so much traffic on Highway 5 into Saskatoon, that we need to stop it, and let left turns happen? Couldn't a long left turn lane be provided, so that you could queue up plenty of cars during rush hour, taking them out of highway traffic, and let them make their left turns as possible? I really fail to see the wisdom of putting lights at this particular location.
That's my opinion, I could be wrong.
As you leave Saskatoon, going east, on Highway 5 to Humboldt, there is an intersection of highway and urban road. I forget exactly what street it is the butts into Highway 5, but it leads out of the new subdivision on the east side. I think its called McOrmond Road. I've been driving this stretch of road weekly, for almost two years now. You blaze into Saskatoon and don't hit a light until you get to Central Avenue, coming out of Sutherland.
Now they have a set of lights on the highway. This just bothers me. This is a highway. You are no longer 'in' Saskatoon as you take Highway 5 out from Saskatoon. The city itself is either behind you, or off to your left, as you leave the city. And here is a stupid set of traffic lights out in the middle of nowhere.
I understand why they are there. I realize that an abundance of people probably take this stretch of highway, as a shortcut to and from work, into their homes in Erindale. I am aware that these lights are probably necessary, for the two stretches of rush hour that occur on weekdays.
What gets on my nerves is, for 22 out of 24 hours in the day, the particular stretch of road does not need lights, at all. Traffic into and out of Erindale, on McOrmond Road, is light. They also build a merge road out of Erindale, onto Highway 5, so people leaving Erindale can easily merge into Highway 5 traffic. So what results is, this set of lights is only necessary for left turns across Highway 5, into Erindale, on McOrmand Road.
Let's be honest here. Is there ever so much traffic on Highway 5 into Saskatoon, that we need to stop it, and let left turns happen? Couldn't a long left turn lane be provided, so that you could queue up plenty of cars during rush hour, taking them out of highway traffic, and let them make their left turns as possible? I really fail to see the wisdom of putting lights at this particular location.
That's my opinion, I could be wrong.
Sunday, December 14, 2003
I have a thought for you today people. Its something that came to me this evening, as I stood at the Snoop Dogg concert watching the crowd.
Why would you bring a cell phone to a rock concert? Okay, maybe you bring it with you, but why would you try talking on it? The sound quality of a cell phone is questionable at the best of times, and you're going to try and put together a coherent conversation in the din of a pounding rap show? This is insane. And yet, I noticed more that one person, pacing back and forth on the concourse, speaking animately into a cell phone. I'm sure all the tension was from having to repeat themselves five times before comprehension was reached.
Tip to idiot cell phone people. Just because you have it on you, does not mean you are obligated to use it ever minute of the day. Put down the phone, and go watch the concert.
Geesh.
Why would you bring a cell phone to a rock concert? Okay, maybe you bring it with you, but why would you try talking on it? The sound quality of a cell phone is questionable at the best of times, and you're going to try and put together a coherent conversation in the din of a pounding rap show? This is insane. And yet, I noticed more that one person, pacing back and forth on the concourse, speaking animately into a cell phone. I'm sure all the tension was from having to repeat themselves five times before comprehension was reached.
Tip to idiot cell phone people. Just because you have it on you, does not mean you are obligated to use it ever minute of the day. Put down the phone, and go watch the concert.
Geesh.
Friday, December 12, 2003
Something unusual happened to me today. Well, not so much to me, but I was witness to it. I saw a car wreck.
I was coming north on Warman Road from downtown. I was passing the Shell station on the corner of Warman and Assiniboine. The light for the intersection turned yellow as I approached. It happened late enough that the best idea was for me to just go through it. I know, not the nicest thing to do, I could have tried to stop, but I wasn't running a red or anything. It was still yellow as I passed the light standards.
There was a truck waiting to turn left. I went through the yellow, and he was still stopped in the turn lane facing me. I went through, and after I'd passed the 7-11, or at least a couple seconds later, I looked in my rearview mirror. The truck was beginning his left hand turn. By now the yellow I'd gone through should have been a solid red. Someone tried to run the light. They didn't make it. The late model, grey four door sedan, hammered into the engine section of this old truck that was making a left hand turn.
I'd never seen anything like that before. I'd been in collisions but this was a full blown car wreck. The car was at full speed limit speed, or better, and the truck was in motion too. The front end of the car got mashed badly, and the truck was spun sideways by the impact. I had to look away and pay attention on driving, but before I stopped watching some smoke or steam was surrounding the scene.
It was kind of surreal to watch this in my rearview mirror. It reminds me of the time I saw a tornado in my rearview mirror as I was coming home on 51st Street. I suppose its a bad thing to witness, but there was a sense of detached curiousity.
I was coming north on Warman Road from downtown. I was passing the Shell station on the corner of Warman and Assiniboine. The light for the intersection turned yellow as I approached. It happened late enough that the best idea was for me to just go through it. I know, not the nicest thing to do, I could have tried to stop, but I wasn't running a red or anything. It was still yellow as I passed the light standards.
There was a truck waiting to turn left. I went through the yellow, and he was still stopped in the turn lane facing me. I went through, and after I'd passed the 7-11, or at least a couple seconds later, I looked in my rearview mirror. The truck was beginning his left hand turn. By now the yellow I'd gone through should have been a solid red. Someone tried to run the light. They didn't make it. The late model, grey four door sedan, hammered into the engine section of this old truck that was making a left hand turn.
I'd never seen anything like that before. I'd been in collisions but this was a full blown car wreck. The car was at full speed limit speed, or better, and the truck was in motion too. The front end of the car got mashed badly, and the truck was spun sideways by the impact. I had to look away and pay attention on driving, but before I stopped watching some smoke or steam was surrounding the scene.
It was kind of surreal to watch this in my rearview mirror. It reminds me of the time I saw a tornado in my rearview mirror as I was coming home on 51st Street. I suppose its a bad thing to witness, but there was a sense of detached curiousity.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
I have another complaint.
What's wrong with people? We complain about gas going up to $0.749 a litre. We act like we're being robbed blind. Then we go to the convenience store and buy a Coke, or similiarly bottle product and pay $1.65 for 591 mL. I did the math folks, that's $2.79 a litre. If we're getting robbed anywhere at the gas station, its at the soft drink counter, not the gas pump.
Which is not to say I'm happy about the current state of gas prices. I'd like them to be lower. I'm just saying there are greater consumer injustices out there in the world.
What's wrong with people? We complain about gas going up to $0.749 a litre. We act like we're being robbed blind. Then we go to the convenience store and buy a Coke, or similiarly bottle product and pay $1.65 for 591 mL. I did the math folks, that's $2.79 a litre. If we're getting robbed anywhere at the gas station, its at the soft drink counter, not the gas pump.
Which is not to say I'm happy about the current state of gas prices. I'd like them to be lower. I'm just saying there are greater consumer injustices out there in the world.
I have a complaint. Its about cell phones. Not so much the phones themselves, but the people that use them. Don't call me, on your cell phone, with a situation that you consider to be of dire emergency. Spur me to a quick resolution, then have me phone you back on your cell phone. IF you're going to do all of this, at least make sure that you have some freakin' coverage wherever you are so I can, in fact, get a hold of you. How freakin' useless is it to make me do a panic fix on something, only to be unavailable to any kind of contact!?!
I HATE THAT!!!
I HATE THAT!!!
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG
HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
We haven't done this in awhile, a joke.
God said, "Go down into that valley!"
And Adam said, "What's a valley?" and God explained it to him.
Then God said, "Cross the river!"
And Adam said "What's a river?" and God explained it to him.
And then God said, "Go over the hill!"
And Adam said, "What's a hill?" and God explained it to him.
Then God told Adam, "On the other side of the hill, you will find a cave!"
And Adam said, "What's a cave?" and God explained that to him.
Then God said, "In the cave you will find a woman!"
And Adam said, "What's a woman?" so God explained that to him.
Then God said, "I want you to reproduce."
And Adam said, "How do I do that?" So God explained it to him.
So off went Adam, down into the valley, across the river, and over the hill, and into the cave, and found the woman, and in about five minutes he was back.
God said angrily, "What is it now?!"
And Adam said, "What's a headache?
God said, "Go down into that valley!"
And Adam said, "What's a valley?" and God explained it to him.
Then God said, "Cross the river!"
And Adam said "What's a river?" and God explained it to him.
And then God said, "Go over the hill!"
And Adam said, "What's a hill?" and God explained it to him.
Then God told Adam, "On the other side of the hill, you will find a cave!"
And Adam said, "What's a cave?" and God explained that to him.
Then God said, "In the cave you will find a woman!"
And Adam said, "What's a woman?" so God explained that to him.
Then God said, "I want you to reproduce."
And Adam said, "How do I do that?" So God explained it to him.
So off went Adam, down into the valley, across the river, and over the hill, and into the cave, and found the woman, and in about five minutes he was back.
God said angrily, "What is it now?!"
And Adam said, "What's a headache?
I had a rough night last night. When I went to bed last night I had a slight headache behind me eyes. I thought maybe it was from the contact lenses so I took them out to go to sleep. (You are supposed to be able to sleep in these ones I have now) I woke up about 2:30 last night with the worst headache of my life. I thought I was having an anyeurism. I couldn't stand it. I had to get up, struggle upstairs to the bathroom and get some ibuprofen. (The medicne cabinet is in the upstairs bathroom for some reason.) Spent a fitful while after that before falling asleep again. That was brutal. Consequently I was still tired when the alarm clock woke me this morning. I fell back asleep for twenty minutes after it roused me, and ended up a few minutes late for work. Had that headache persisted into the morning I think I'd have stayed home today. That was horrible.
I know, not a very spiritually uplifting blog for the morning. I'll see if something more exciting happens over the rest of the day.
Toodles!
I know, not a very spiritually uplifting blog for the morning. I'll see if something more exciting happens over the rest of the day.
Toodles!
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
It is Tuesday and that brings us 'Newlyweds' and 'The Simple Life' on CTV. I won't go into Newlyweds because these are all repeats now. It does surprise me how a gorgeous celebrity could be so insecure but I guess people are people. Which brings us to, The Simple Life. Here is a show I just can't make up my mind about. I know its not very good and yet, I would be lying if I didn't say that I enjoyed this weeks episode.
Tonight Paris and Nicole got jobs, new ones yet again, at the Sonic Burger restaurant in town. Just wondering how a town of 817 could have a fast food restaurant, but I digress. Anyway, the girls were working in the restaurant and not unpredictably, screwed everything up. Actually, it was more Nicole than Paris this time. Paris actually seemed to get the hang of taking and filling orders. Nicole screwed everything up. They were equal partners in the sign fiasco, and storming the grocery store in the Sonic costumes. As Nicole was screwing up onion rings, Paris seemed to have cooking bacon under control. My review of their performance would be, without Nicole, Paris might actually have been able to hold the Sonic job.
Which brings me to what I find to be the fatal flaw in this show. The action is obviously being directed or scripted. I don't deny that the same thing may happen on other reality shows, but its far less apparent. It is quite easy to tell that this pair is screwing up on purpose. Which would be fine, if the premise was based on the idea of the girls trying every job available in a small town. But the pitched idea, to us the public at least, was they were supposed to adapt to The Simple Life. Losing every job you get isn't very good adaptation.
Maybe the problem is mine in that I expect more from the show than laughing at a couple of rich dim bulbs. I think that's what we're supposed to take from this misadventure. I have to say though, it would be more fulfilling to laugh at their misfortunes if you got the impression they were actually trying, and it was the culture shock that made them screw up. Anyone could just lose a job a day, and do it with more personality. The best moments of the show are when the pair honestly don't know something that the rest of us take for granted, like claiming dependents on your tax form.
In summation, I give it a 7. The show still sucks but this one was more fun than the first two.
Toodles!
Tonight Paris and Nicole got jobs, new ones yet again, at the Sonic Burger restaurant in town. Just wondering how a town of 817 could have a fast food restaurant, but I digress. Anyway, the girls were working in the restaurant and not unpredictably, screwed everything up. Actually, it was more Nicole than Paris this time. Paris actually seemed to get the hang of taking and filling orders. Nicole screwed everything up. They were equal partners in the sign fiasco, and storming the grocery store in the Sonic costumes. As Nicole was screwing up onion rings, Paris seemed to have cooking bacon under control. My review of their performance would be, without Nicole, Paris might actually have been able to hold the Sonic job.
Which brings me to what I find to be the fatal flaw in this show. The action is obviously being directed or scripted. I don't deny that the same thing may happen on other reality shows, but its far less apparent. It is quite easy to tell that this pair is screwing up on purpose. Which would be fine, if the premise was based on the idea of the girls trying every job available in a small town. But the pitched idea, to us the public at least, was they were supposed to adapt to The Simple Life. Losing every job you get isn't very good adaptation.
Maybe the problem is mine in that I expect more from the show than laughing at a couple of rich dim bulbs. I think that's what we're supposed to take from this misadventure. I have to say though, it would be more fulfilling to laugh at their misfortunes if you got the impression they were actually trying, and it was the culture shock that made them screw up. Anyone could just lose a job a day, and do it with more personality. The best moments of the show are when the pair honestly don't know something that the rest of us take for granted, like claiming dependents on your tax form.
In summation, I give it a 7. The show still sucks but this one was more fun than the first two.
Toodles!