G&M Word Of The Day:
Palooka
Friday, May 13, 2005
Thursday, May 12, 2005
I have a question.
First we have to ask, can the average farmer in Canada earn a decent standard of living, under the current economic model? If we are to believe the lobbyists, we must accept the premise that farmers don't get what it is worth to produce food. So, if we follow the chain of dominos that fall down, then we arrive at the conclusion that, the cost of food in the grocery store is not dependent upon the chain that brings it to market.
And if we accept all of that, does it ever make you wonder whether the fact that beef is more expensive that chicken isn't purely arbitrary?
First we have to ask, can the average farmer in Canada earn a decent standard of living, under the current economic model? If we are to believe the lobbyists, we must accept the premise that farmers don't get what it is worth to produce food. So, if we follow the chain of dominos that fall down, then we arrive at the conclusion that, the cost of food in the grocery store is not dependent upon the chain that brings it to market.
And if we accept all of that, does it ever make you wonder whether the fact that beef is more expensive that chicken isn't purely arbitrary?
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Tuesday, May 10, 2005
I would just like to go on the record, one more time, about how I hate Word and all things Microsoft.
What is wrong with this dam program!?! Maybe I'm crazy but what I want to do should NOT require all this screwing around.
I have a specification, that I wrote IN WORD. I formatted it nicely, the way I wanted it, so it had the look of a tabulated spec sheet. I had headings, and minor indents, to show features for each part, of a multi-part equipment specification. It looked exactly the way I wanted, and should have been ready for insertion into any document.
Word, in its infinite, god damn, wisdom, decided that this was all wrong. It removed the indents from some entries. It changed my font sizing and bold-facing. It screwed up my margins. And to truly cap off the experience, it dynamically changed my mind for me, when I tried to fix its damn mistakes.
I HATE MICROSOFT WORD!!!!!
What is wrong with this dam program!?! Maybe I'm crazy but what I want to do should NOT require all this screwing around.
I have a specification, that I wrote IN WORD. I formatted it nicely, the way I wanted it, so it had the look of a tabulated spec sheet. I had headings, and minor indents, to show features for each part, of a multi-part equipment specification. It looked exactly the way I wanted, and should have been ready for insertion into any document.
Word, in its infinite, god damn, wisdom, decided that this was all wrong. It removed the indents from some entries. It changed my font sizing and bold-facing. It screwed up my margins. And to truly cap off the experience, it dynamically changed my mind for me, when I tried to fix its damn mistakes.
I HATE MICROSOFT WORD!!!!!
Monday, May 09, 2005
Okay, so what's the deal with one-way streets?
I'm driving around downtown Regina on Friday. Not the busy, commercial streets like Albert, Broad or Victoria. I'm on the little, dinky side streets. They are so inconsequential that I can't even recall their designations. I think they were numbered, like 12th Ave.
And these little, unimportant streets are one-way. WHY!?! What possible purpose could you hope to achieve by making backwater, unimportant downtown streets one way? There's no traffic! I'm driving around and sure, there are some signs, but you could put it on the honor system for all the traffic that there was. Leave them the easy way, two-way, and stop confusing people. One-way streets just get on everyone's nerves.
I'm driving around downtown Regina on Friday. Not the busy, commercial streets like Albert, Broad or Victoria. I'm on the little, dinky side streets. They are so inconsequential that I can't even recall their designations. I think they were numbered, like 12th Ave.
And these little, unimportant streets are one-way. WHY!?! What possible purpose could you hope to achieve by making backwater, unimportant downtown streets one way? There's no traffic! I'm driving around and sure, there are some signs, but you could put it on the honor system for all the traffic that there was. Leave them the easy way, two-way, and stop confusing people. One-way streets just get on everyone's nerves.
Tuesday, May 03, 2005
So I locked myself out of my house this evening . . .
I came home just before 6:00 tonight. That's something that seems to have become kind of standard. The weather is nice, I dart out just before six so I can get a steak from the meat store. That's what happened today. I drove home all excited about the meal I was going to make for myself. Came in as usual, locking the door behind me. Threw my stuff down, turned the oven on for the fries, and went out the back door to start the barbeque. As is my habit, I closed the door behind me.
And that was my critical mistake.
Turns out that when I turned the knob and pushed, to go outside, I engaged the locking mechanism of the door knob. When I turned around to come in, to my surprise, and more to my dismay, the door was locked. And that was pretty much that. I tried the front door but I knew the result that was going to have. I'm obsessive about the front door, so obviously it was going to be locked.
Which brings us to my sock footed walk across town. What choice did I have? Everything I own was locked away on me. Truck had everything locked in, and now so did the house. My only recourse was to walk across town in my socks. Which didn't bother me as much as you might think, because the socks I was wearing are in horrible shape. I have tender feet though, so not all the surfaces I came across were easy on my sensitive soles.
So that is my shame. Feel free to laugh at me, because I truly deserve it. And don't think my heart wasn't in my throat when I bent down to turn of the propane, and my knee nudged the door fully closed again.
I came home just before 6:00 tonight. That's something that seems to have become kind of standard. The weather is nice, I dart out just before six so I can get a steak from the meat store. That's what happened today. I drove home all excited about the meal I was going to make for myself. Came in as usual, locking the door behind me. Threw my stuff down, turned the oven on for the fries, and went out the back door to start the barbeque. As is my habit, I closed the door behind me.
And that was my critical mistake.
Turns out that when I turned the knob and pushed, to go outside, I engaged the locking mechanism of the door knob. When I turned around to come in, to my surprise, and more to my dismay, the door was locked. And that was pretty much that. I tried the front door but I knew the result that was going to have. I'm obsessive about the front door, so obviously it was going to be locked.
Which brings us to my sock footed walk across town. What choice did I have? Everything I own was locked away on me. Truck had everything locked in, and now so did the house. My only recourse was to walk across town in my socks. Which didn't bother me as much as you might think, because the socks I was wearing are in horrible shape. I have tender feet though, so not all the surfaces I came across were easy on my sensitive soles.
So that is my shame. Feel free to laugh at me, because I truly deserve it. And don't think my heart wasn't in my throat when I bent down to turn of the propane, and my knee nudged the door fully closed again.
Monday, May 02, 2005
This is my big complaint about the cooking and eating for yourself cycle.
When its just one person doing the eating, it never takes anywhere close to as long to eat it, as you have to waste making it. And that's even when you do something simple, like eat the leftovers from some other meal, conveniently saved in the freezer.
There is this horrible, sick muted feeling, as the food disappears in about 3 to 5 minutes. And then its gone and you realize that's about as good as its going to get, for sensory pleasures, for that night. All that is left is to deposit the used dishes in the sink, and sigh mournfully as you return, again, to your lonely perch a top whatever piece of furniture you prefer, in your empty, lifeless living room.
When its just one person doing the eating, it never takes anywhere close to as long to eat it, as you have to waste making it. And that's even when you do something simple, like eat the leftovers from some other meal, conveniently saved in the freezer.
There is this horrible, sick muted feeling, as the food disappears in about 3 to 5 minutes. And then its gone and you realize that's about as good as its going to get, for sensory pleasures, for that night. All that is left is to deposit the used dishes in the sink, and sigh mournfully as you return, again, to your lonely perch a top whatever piece of furniture you prefer, in your empty, lifeless living room.