Aside for all these other unexpected plans, I was really looking forward to watching the Canada/Russia final in the Spengler Cup. It's on one of the sports stations at 12:30 this afternoon.
Even with the World Junior Championships in Vancouver this week, they're televised on a "higher" cable (higher in channel number, not quality) channel and we don't get that channel. So, since I can't watch the World juniors, I'm taking full advantage of the other Christmas hockey tournament: The Spengler Cup (I believe it's played in Switzerland every year). It's made up of professional European teams and a specially-made Canadian team. Canada was 3-1 in the tournament and scheduled to go up against Magnitogorsk in today's final.
Of course, being in Switzerland, the game was probably played sometime early this morning and this is just a better timed replay of the event.
So, you can imagine the number of people looking forward to watching the game at a better time this afternoon.
Just hope you don't find the score out first.
Like I did.
Stupid channel's website has it flash across their home page. Way to kill the audience for this afternoon's game!!
Guess I will fix that toilet after all!!
[3 posts 'til #500!]
Saturday, December 31, 2005
What's That You Say?
So, I'm moping around waiting for my computer to start working again and my wife walks in, phone in hand and says, "alright, we'll see you this afternoon before we go for dinner!"
Hunh?
Turns out she was talking to my parents (gah!) who are coming out this afternoon to 'hang' while I fix the broken toilet with my Dad. Then we're going out for Chinese food afterward.
Crap!!
Hunh?
Turns out she was talking to my parents (gah!) who are coming out this afternoon to 'hang' while I fix the broken toilet with my Dad. Then we're going out for Chinese food afterward.
Crap!!
Gimme the Power
Man! We had a power bump here earlier this morning and the only affected by it? My computer.
I'm using our old Celeron 300 computer and I type faster than this baby thinks these days. Ugh.
My computer keeps turning itself off. It's in dire need of a new power supply, but that's on the "can't afford it" list right now. I have to let it "rest" for about 2 hours before it's cooperative enough to stay running. The last time it did this was while I was working on one of my final projects --still amazed I actually got it done.
I want my 'puter back :(
[5 posts 'til #500]
I'm using our old Celeron 300 computer and I type faster than this baby thinks these days. Ugh.
My computer keeps turning itself off. It's in dire need of a new power supply, but that's on the "can't afford it" list right now. I have to let it "rest" for about 2 hours before it's cooperative enough to stay running. The last time it did this was while I was working on one of my final projects --still amazed I actually got it done.
I want my 'puter back :(
[5 posts 'til #500]
Friday, December 30, 2005
I Go Shopping
After picking up my school schedule yesterday, we headed over to the very large mall a few blocks south of the campus.
I got a number of gift cards for Christmas and am in need of new jeans (2 pair have ripped in bad places and need replacing) and after years of collecting shirts with my old work logo on the, I now have an extreme shortage of tops I like to wear. With a $30 gift card in hand, I got 2 new pairs of jeans, a long-sleeve crew neck shirt, and lightweight sweater, perfect for our "winter weather."
Today, I headed over to the game shop with a $25 gift card in hand. I picked up 'Act of War: Direct Action' for $9.89. I downloaded the demo for this game and absolutely loved it (a big fan of strategy games)! But when the actual game came out, it was $69.99. $9.89 is, obviously, a bargoon price for this baby. It's still $59.99 at the other game shop I checked out later.
The other quest of late has been for the 'Narnia' figures available from McDonald's. My daughter loves them and we've been hitting every McD's we come across trying to pick up each one. We've accidently picked up 2 doubles (Edmund and Tumnus) and are still missing Peter, Aslan & the Ice Queen. It's been fun looking for them and the look on my daughter's face is worth the sometimes long lines I have to wait through just to spend $2.27 on a figurine.
My girl's got a beautiful smile. I'd go shopping for her anytime.
[6 more posts 'til #500!]
I got a number of gift cards for Christmas and am in need of new jeans (2 pair have ripped in bad places and need replacing) and after years of collecting shirts with my old work logo on the, I now have an extreme shortage of tops I like to wear. With a $30 gift card in hand, I got 2 new pairs of jeans, a long-sleeve crew neck shirt, and lightweight sweater, perfect for our "winter weather."
Today, I headed over to the game shop with a $25 gift card in hand. I picked up 'Act of War: Direct Action' for $9.89. I downloaded the demo for this game and absolutely loved it (a big fan of strategy games)! But when the actual game came out, it was $69.99. $9.89 is, obviously, a bargoon price for this baby. It's still $59.99 at the other game shop I checked out later.
The other quest of late has been for the 'Narnia' figures available from McDonald's. My daughter loves them and we've been hitting every McD's we come across trying to pick up each one. We've accidently picked up 2 doubles (Edmund and Tumnus) and are still missing Peter, Aslan & the Ice Queen. It's been fun looking for them and the look on my daughter's face is worth the sometimes long lines I have to wait through just to spend $2.27 on a figurine.
My girl's got a beautiful smile. I'd go shopping for her anytime.
[6 more posts 'til #500!]
A Good Sign
I'm not supposed to be a firm believer in horoscopes, but do on occasion read them to see what they say. My birthday one usually pegs me pretty closely in their character description and I used to read it regularly when I had that thing with Sex Caffeine. Hey, I was doing so many other things that go against my faith, why not continue then trend?!?
Today's horoscope:
My wife got offered a job today too at the shop she worked over the Christmas rush.
I just realized, since I left my job a year ago October, there hasn't been a missed payday for her. See, that's what I call a good sign.
[7 posts 'til #500!]
Today's horoscope:
"Surprise news related to your job will likely please you. An unexpected offer might come your way. You might be delighted with some kind of new technology. New co-workers might put a fresh spin on things. Whatever it is -- you'll like it!"Well, imagine my surprise when I picked up my 'real' schedule today and I got offered a job on campus! It' only potentially 8 hours a week, but that would pay for gas for my commute and the only days I can't work are Wednesday and Thursday. We'll see if it pans out. I'd originally thought only Wednesday would be a problematic day, but it turns out I'm stuck in childcare mode on Thursdays once class is done and I have to race home. Crap!
My wife got offered a job today too at the shop she worked over the Christmas rush.
I just realized, since I left my job a year ago October, there hasn't been a missed payday for her. See, that's what I call a good sign.
[7 posts 'til #500!]
Gasping for Air
[toldja I'd have more to talk about]
With another semester behind me now, it was time to go to the campus today and pick up next semester's (starts January 3) schedule as well as my grades for last semester, easily my toughest semester yet.
Well, I got a few surprises along the way. First off, they gave me someone else's schedule and grades. We have similar names, so they accidently gave me his stuff instead.
Well, I was quite surprised when I saw the marks: all A's (2 A's, 2A-'s) and one B. "I did better than I ever imagined!" I said. The I looked at the schedule and noticed once again that it was extremely different from the preliminary one we'd gotten about 6 weeks ago. Figures.
Then I noticed I had the really tough marker from last semester. THEN I noticed I had the egotistical freak "actor" from my first semester!
What?? No, tell me it isn't true!! Not him again!
Oh, wait. Who's Donald and why do I have his schedule?
So, then I got my scheduel and grades and was still surprised. I'd been working myself up this week to be prepared to accept a few lower grades and a potential failure this semester. Well it didn't happen. the number of A's dropped as I received one of each: A, A-, B+, B, & B-. My overall GPA has dropped to 3.50 from 3.60 to start the year. Not bad, eh?
Good thing I only gasped for air for a few moments there when I saw Donald's schedule!
[8 posts 'til #500!]
With another semester behind me now, it was time to go to the campus today and pick up next semester's (starts January 3) schedule as well as my grades for last semester, easily my toughest semester yet.
Well, I got a few surprises along the way. First off, they gave me someone else's schedule and grades. We have similar names, so they accidently gave me his stuff instead.
Well, I was quite surprised when I saw the marks: all A's (2 A's, 2A-'s) and one B. "I did better than I ever imagined!" I said. The I looked at the schedule and noticed once again that it was extremely different from the preliminary one we'd gotten about 6 weeks ago. Figures.
Then I noticed I had the really tough marker from last semester. THEN I noticed I had the egotistical freak "actor" from my first semester!
What?? No, tell me it isn't true!! Not him again!
Oh, wait. Who's Donald and why do I have his schedule?
So, then I got my scheduel and grades and was still surprised. I'd been working myself up this week to be prepared to accept a few lower grades and a potential failure this semester. Well it didn't happen. the number of A's dropped as I received one of each: A, A-, B+, B, & B-. My overall GPA has dropped to 3.50 from 3.60 to start the year. Not bad, eh?
Good thing I only gasped for air for a few moments there when I saw Donald's schedule!
[8 posts 'til #500!]
Transparent Parents
Yeah, I've been dissing on my parents a lot lately. Even my wife commented earlier today that I seem quite disillusioned with them these days.
Well, for starters, they're being quite blatant with their favoritism to my sister's family, despite always grumbling to us about her husband. Yeah, fine --he didn't work on Christmas Day with the double-overtime pay for an 10-hour shift (basically getting paid for 30 hours instead). Yeah, it was stupid 'cuz it meant he was leaving home to start work at 10pm. His son is fast asleep by then and will wake up after his dad gets home. Why not work? His decision, so let it be. Last night, instead of coming to our party, they went out to dinner with my sister's family. To the same restaurant. For the third time in 2 weeks.
I did have it out with them on the phone today. First, they said they tried to call us to get together today and couldn't figure out why we weren't home. I've told them at least 4 times over the past week that we were out all day today, but it slipped their minds. As did the fact that I've had the same cell phone number for 3 friggin' years. Hello? You both worked for the telephone company!!!! Second, they let us know that they're babysitting my nephew tomorrow night, so my sister and her husband get a "much needed" break from their son. And when have they offered to do that for us? Oh, right. NEVER. We forced them to do it once, and I guess that was enough for them. Third, they called tell us they won't see us again while they're down ("too busy") but will "try and stop in" on their way home. Well, call ahead and I'll make sure we're out. Peace out, people. Fourth, they have the audacity to say they're starting a scholarship fund for our soon-to-be nephew and/or neice. My aunt has contributed more to our kids' scholarship funds than my own parents. Oh, and then they tell us that they bought my sister a new computer. Oh please, let me get back to my student loans for school, you know where I need all that computer stuff --as opposed to my stay-at-home sister??? Fine. Just go away already.
Leave us with the bathroom you tore apart in 2002 and have been promising to fix "in the spring" ever since.
Leave us with the continued knowledge that we've disappointed you by not joining the groups you're members of.
Leave us with the disappointment that our kids don't deserve the same attention from you as my sister's kids.
Leave us with the memory of how you hated it when your own parents showed any favoritism to another sibling.
Just.
Leave.
I'm so tempted to take a job in Scotland, just out of spite!
[9 posts 'til #500!]
Well, for starters, they're being quite blatant with their favoritism to my sister's family, despite always grumbling to us about her husband. Yeah, fine --he didn't work on Christmas Day with the double-overtime pay for an 10-hour shift (basically getting paid for 30 hours instead). Yeah, it was stupid 'cuz it meant he was leaving home to start work at 10pm. His son is fast asleep by then and will wake up after his dad gets home. Why not work? His decision, so let it be. Last night, instead of coming to our party, they went out to dinner with my sister's family. To the same restaurant. For the third time in 2 weeks.
I did have it out with them on the phone today. First, they said they tried to call us to get together today and couldn't figure out why we weren't home. I've told them at least 4 times over the past week that we were out all day today, but it slipped their minds. As did the fact that I've had the same cell phone number for 3 friggin' years. Hello? You both worked for the telephone company!!!! Second, they let us know that they're babysitting my nephew tomorrow night, so my sister and her husband get a "much needed" break from their son. And when have they offered to do that for us? Oh, right. NEVER. We forced them to do it once, and I guess that was enough for them. Third, they called tell us they won't see us again while they're down ("too busy") but will "try and stop in" on their way home. Well, call ahead and I'll make sure we're out. Peace out, people. Fourth, they have the audacity to say they're starting a scholarship fund for our soon-to-be nephew and/or neice. My aunt has contributed more to our kids' scholarship funds than my own parents. Oh, and then they tell us that they bought my sister a new computer. Oh please, let me get back to my student loans for school, you know where I need all that computer stuff --as opposed to my stay-at-home sister??? Fine. Just go away already.
Leave us with the bathroom you tore apart in 2002 and have been promising to fix "in the spring" ever since.
Leave us with the continued knowledge that we've disappointed you by not joining the groups you're members of.
Leave us with the disappointment that our kids don't deserve the same attention from you as my sister's kids.
Leave us with the memory of how you hated it when your own parents showed any favoritism to another sibling.
Just.
Leave.
I'm so tempted to take a job in Scotland, just out of spite!
[9 posts 'til #500!]
House Party
Hmmm.... Thought I'd be able to handle a post-a-day leading up to New Year's...
I guess Tuesday was an uneventful day, because Tuesday flew by. I have a feeling I was feeling ill and slept most of the day, but that could've been Wednesday morning too. Actually, Tuesday was a "work day" for me and although I'd planned on writing an entry, I just never got around to it. And it was Wednesday morning that I slept through because I was feeling ill.
Fortunately, by Wednesday evening, I was feeling much better which is good because we had a house party to host.
Well, it should've been a party, but barely anyone showed. My wife invited our daughter's friend and her mother to come over that evening and otherwise, only one other family came with the written invites that'd been sent out with all the Christmas cards. That, and my in-laws were there. Not even my parents nor my sister's family bothered to make an appearance. And the few people from my old job that I still like (liked?) failed to show.
Hmph.
Well, I had a good time anyway. There was lots of food and 3 people brought Rice Krispie squares, which so happen to be one of my all-time favorite snacks. In fact, they're such a favorite of mine, when we got married, the chef who made our wedding cake also made me a special Rice Krispie square cake. Sweet. And delicious.
So, our party wrapped up before 9pm which officially makes it one of the lamest parties ever.
Thank God for Rice Krispie squares. And I guess I have a few more names to add to the "screw 'em" list.
[10 posts 'til #500!]
I guess Tuesday was an uneventful day, because Tuesday flew by. I have a feeling I was feeling ill and slept most of the day, but that could've been Wednesday morning too. Actually, Tuesday was a "work day" for me and although I'd planned on writing an entry, I just never got around to it. And it was Wednesday morning that I slept through because I was feeling ill.
Fortunately, by Wednesday evening, I was feeling much better which is good because we had a house party to host.
Well, it should've been a party, but barely anyone showed. My wife invited our daughter's friend and her mother to come over that evening and otherwise, only one other family came with the written invites that'd been sent out with all the Christmas cards. That, and my in-laws were there. Not even my parents nor my sister's family bothered to make an appearance. And the few people from my old job that I still like (liked?) failed to show.
Hmph.
Well, I had a good time anyway. There was lots of food and 3 people brought Rice Krispie squares, which so happen to be one of my all-time favorite snacks. In fact, they're such a favorite of mine, when we got married, the chef who made our wedding cake also made me a special Rice Krispie square cake. Sweet. And delicious.
So, our party wrapped up before 9pm which officially makes it one of the lamest parties ever.
Thank God for Rice Krispie squares. And I guess I have a few more names to add to the "screw 'em" list.
[10 posts 'til #500!]
Monday, December 26, 2005
Window Shopper
[For any American readers, December 26 is 'Boxing Day' in Canada and is another holiday. It's also the biggest shopping day of the year, much like your US Thanksgiving weekend shopping experiences.... Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.]
I knew I had one shopping trip to make today. Yep, I "embraced my inner geek" and head for the comic shop.
Why? I've built up a store credit of $200 and he had absolutely no problem with me using it during his 50% off sale. So, it was more like $400 in credit.
Cash is always nice....
My comic collection is fairly big already (embracing the inner geek again), so adding to it is not always favorable to my wife. The thing is, is I'm finding things to sell on eBay, so it's not all bad.
Actually, I didn't pick up anything to be a 'keeper' comic in my collection. I don't think so anyway. Een the ones by my favorite artist have a good chance of ending up on eBay by Springtime. I already have copies :)
I looked in a few other shops today, but nothing really caught my eye. I could've picked up Ocean's Twelve for $5.99, but didn't like it as much as Ocean's Eleven, so I skipped it.
When I got home, however, I helped my father-in-law buy a computer online. It's a refurbished model, but better than the one I'm on right now --and we got it for $400. Automatically a sweet deal. We could've gotten a better one if he'd let me know earlier about it. Living on the West coast means we can buy Boxing Day sale items at 9pm our time/ midnight Eastern time.
The other major event today was "Christmas dinner" at the in-laws. Admittedly, always better than dinner with my family, this year we had 2 guests join us and they were right at home amongst the family. They're both ladies who go to our church and both ladies live alone. One of them is native and a recovering alcoholic. She occasionally takes care of her 5 year old daughter (an absolute sweetheart of a girl and this lady's ultimate reason to keep clean), but didn't have her this weekend. She was kicked out of her home at the age of 9 (she's now in her mid-40s or older) and has lived all over North America. As happens, sadly, far too often in native communities, drugs and alcohol take over lives and has killed off almost everyone she's related to. So, being in a house tonight with families not knowing what divorce is like, having siblings they talk to on a daily basis, and a family matriarch looking forward to her 100th birthday in a few months is all foreign territory to her. And boy, did she take it all in tonight. It's the great gift my in-laws have. When they welcome you to the family, you basically become part of the family. We heard many stories tonight about how my wife's grandfather refused to think of his children's spouses as anything other than his own sons and daughters. About how he'd cry if any had to move away (but he was the first one there to help pack and support their decision). Stories of the other grandmother and her ability to welcome anyone in the neighborhood into the home and make them welcome. We saw pictures of my father-in-law standing next to John F. Kennedy.
It was an interesting night. If only my parents could still host events like this.
[11 posts 'til #500]
I knew I had one shopping trip to make today. Yep, I "embraced my inner geek" and head for the comic shop.
Why? I've built up a store credit of $200 and he had absolutely no problem with me using it during his 50% off sale. So, it was more like $400 in credit.
Cash is always nice....
My comic collection is fairly big already (embracing the inner geek again), so adding to it is not always favorable to my wife. The thing is, is I'm finding things to sell on eBay, so it's not all bad.
Actually, I didn't pick up anything to be a 'keeper' comic in my collection. I don't think so anyway. Een the ones by my favorite artist have a good chance of ending up on eBay by Springtime. I already have copies :)
I looked in a few other shops today, but nothing really caught my eye. I could've picked up Ocean's Twelve for $5.99, but didn't like it as much as Ocean's Eleven, so I skipped it.
When I got home, however, I helped my father-in-law buy a computer online. It's a refurbished model, but better than the one I'm on right now --and we got it for $400. Automatically a sweet deal. We could've gotten a better one if he'd let me know earlier about it. Living on the West coast means we can buy Boxing Day sale items at 9pm our time/ midnight Eastern time.
The other major event today was "Christmas dinner" at the in-laws. Admittedly, always better than dinner with my family, this year we had 2 guests join us and they were right at home amongst the family. They're both ladies who go to our church and both ladies live alone. One of them is native and a recovering alcoholic. She occasionally takes care of her 5 year old daughter (an absolute sweetheart of a girl and this lady's ultimate reason to keep clean), but didn't have her this weekend. She was kicked out of her home at the age of 9 (she's now in her mid-40s or older) and has lived all over North America. As happens, sadly, far too often in native communities, drugs and alcohol take over lives and has killed off almost everyone she's related to. So, being in a house tonight with families not knowing what divorce is like, having siblings they talk to on a daily basis, and a family matriarch looking forward to her 100th birthday in a few months is all foreign territory to her. And boy, did she take it all in tonight. It's the great gift my in-laws have. When they welcome you to the family, you basically become part of the family. We heard many stories tonight about how my wife's grandfather refused to think of his children's spouses as anything other than his own sons and daughters. About how he'd cry if any had to move away (but he was the first one there to help pack and support their decision). Stories of the other grandmother and her ability to welcome anyone in the neighborhood into the home and make them welcome. We saw pictures of my father-in-law standing next to John F. Kennedy.
It was an interesting night. If only my parents could still host events like this.
[11 posts 'til #500]
This is the Countdown
Crap!
I just realized it's already December 26th and I promised to hit 500 by New Year's. I still have 12 posts to go (hehe), so here's the breakdown:
Dec. 26th - Day's events (11 to go)
Dec. 27th - Day's events (10 to go)
Dec. 28th - Day's events (9 to go)
Dec. 29th - Day's events (8 to go)
Dec. 30th - Day's events (7 to go)
Dec. 31st - Day's events (6 to go)
Dec. 31st - "revelation" of a theme (5 to go)
Actually, that's not bad. I'm sure I could find 5 filler posts to do....
[12 posts 'til #500]
I just realized it's already December 26th and I promised to hit 500 by New Year's. I still have 12 posts to go (hehe), so here's the breakdown:
Dec. 26th - Day's events (11 to go)
Dec. 27th - Day's events (10 to go)
Dec. 28th - Day's events (9 to go)
Dec. 29th - Day's events (8 to go)
Dec. 30th - Day's events (7 to go)
Dec. 31st - Day's events (6 to go)
Dec. 31st - "revelation" of a theme (5 to go)
Actually, that's not bad. I'm sure I could find 5 filler posts to do....
[12 posts 'til #500]
Buried in Christmas
Oh right! The whole Christmas present saga.
Well, definitely worth writing about as it turned out to be a good year.
No, I didn't get a second copy of the DVD I bought for myself:
I picked that up on my own, as I mentioned earlier and haven't watched it yet.
Tomorrow.
I did, however, get a couple of other DVDs that I had my eye on. Those were from my parents.
My wife bought me a couple of books, including one by my favorite author. I just read the sequel to it (just came out in paperback) and am nearly ready to dive back into the first in the series. First, however, I have a few more library books to finish before I head back to school.
My in-laws went the gift card route, which is perfectly fine. I already have plans for what I'll get with them. I got over $100 in gift cards from three different shops.
My one brother-in-law, as is tradition, managed to buy something I know I've said to his face that I don't like. I handed it to my wife and she can do a gift exchange. This is the guy who didn't buy us a wedding gift as he wanted to see what we got first before he went out and bought anything. He bought us a coffee maker. We got 3 as wedding gifts...
My sister got me some hockey things. My nephew gave me the traditional 5x7 pic.
I think that's about it and those are all perfectly fine gifts.
Yay!
Still, some "secret admirer" got me the perfect gift....
[13 posts 'til #500]
Well, definitely worth writing about as it turned out to be a good year.
No, I didn't get a second copy of the DVD I bought for myself:
I picked that up on my own, as I mentioned earlier and haven't watched it yet.
Tomorrow.
I did, however, get a couple of other DVDs that I had my eye on. Those were from my parents.
My wife bought me a couple of books, including one by my favorite author. I just read the sequel to it (just came out in paperback) and am nearly ready to dive back into the first in the series. First, however, I have a few more library books to finish before I head back to school.
My in-laws went the gift card route, which is perfectly fine. I already have plans for what I'll get with them. I got over $100 in gift cards from three different shops.
My one brother-in-law, as is tradition, managed to buy something I know I've said to his face that I don't like. I handed it to my wife and she can do a gift exchange. This is the guy who didn't buy us a wedding gift as he wanted to see what we got first before he went out and bought anything. He bought us a coffee maker. We got 3 as wedding gifts...
My sister got me some hockey things. My nephew gave me the traditional 5x7 pic.
I think that's about it and those are all perfectly fine gifts.
Yay!
Still, some "secret admirer" got me the perfect gift....
[13 posts 'til #500]
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Alrighty, so Christmas is officially over, but I hope everyone had a good Christmas. I got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while, including one friend who is a police officer and moved away. He's actually just back at work after being suspended for a few months. It seems he (allegedly) threatened a couple in the middle of a domestic dispute... For a guy who hadn't had a vacation in over 8 months, I'm not surprised he ended up wanting to take it out on someone.
We did get together with my sister's family and my parents. Although we had to leave fairly early as my "terrorist two" son threw a succession of "hissy fits" and started beating on his cousin. My boy's a year younger than his cousin, but outweighs him by 8 pounds. Not really a fair fight.
I think I mentioned in an earlier post that my sister is expecting her second baby in the springtime. She's a heavy smoker (has been for close to 20 years and she's 35) and smoked throughout her first pregnancy. My nephew had open heart surgery when he was 5 months old because he had an undeveloped valve and an overworked aorta. I've been told that it had nothing to do with her constant smoking, but sometimes you just don't want to believe the "experts."
Anyway, I was quite excited to see her sit down and open presents, get the turkey on the dining room table, play with her son, and talk for over an hour without so much as a hint of a cigarette appearing (if she smoked in her house, we'd never go over there --they smoke outside). Very excited. It didn't last however and fortunately, my son's latest hissy fit was enough to drive us away for the night, so I didn't get into lecture mode about the smoking.
Ugh.
Not that she wants to hear anything from her little brother. Needless to say, intelligence skipped a sibling along the way... (I'm the only member of my family, in 2 generations, to be a non-smoker, so I've totally earned the right to lecture ;)).
[14 posts 'til #500]
We did get together with my sister's family and my parents. Although we had to leave fairly early as my "terrorist two" son threw a succession of "hissy fits" and started beating on his cousin. My boy's a year younger than his cousin, but outweighs him by 8 pounds. Not really a fair fight.
I think I mentioned in an earlier post that my sister is expecting her second baby in the springtime. She's a heavy smoker (has been for close to 20 years and she's 35) and smoked throughout her first pregnancy. My nephew had open heart surgery when he was 5 months old because he had an undeveloped valve and an overworked aorta. I've been told that it had nothing to do with her constant smoking, but sometimes you just don't want to believe the "experts."
Anyway, I was quite excited to see her sit down and open presents, get the turkey on the dining room table, play with her son, and talk for over an hour without so much as a hint of a cigarette appearing (if she smoked in her house, we'd never go over there --they smoke outside). Very excited. It didn't last however and fortunately, my son's latest hissy fit was enough to drive us away for the night, so I didn't get into lecture mode about the smoking.
Ugh.
Not that she wants to hear anything from her little brother. Needless to say, intelligence skipped a sibling along the way... (I'm the only member of my family, in 2 generations, to be a non-smoker, so I've totally earned the right to lecture ;)).
[14 posts 'til #500]
Friday, December 23, 2005
...A Dish Best Served Coldly
'Served.'
I got served today.
There's an update on the whole Drama Queen saga. I mentioned last week that she's gone from the office From Hell.
It turns out she's suing for wrongful dismissal. She, according to her claim, was fired because she's pregnant and not because she's a complete incompetent.
*ahem*
LOL
*ahem*
Sorry 'bout that.
Gee, your honour, I believe I was called to testify because I have first-hand knowledge of "working" with the woman and still believe to this day that my comments June 1, 2004 about her inability to work ring true. I replied truthfully about the comments she couldn't do the job then, and will repeat that now:
Do we understand each other now?
[15 posts 'til #500]
I got served today.
There's an update on the whole Drama Queen saga. I mentioned last week that she's gone from the office From Hell.
It turns out she's suing for wrongful dismissal. She, according to her claim, was fired because she's pregnant and not because she's a complete incompetent.
*ahem*
LOL
*ahem*
Sorry 'bout that.
Gee, your honour, I believe I was called to testify because I have first-hand knowledge of "working" with the woman and still believe to this day that my comments June 1, 2004 about her inability to work ring true. I replied truthfully about the comments she couldn't do the job then, and will repeat that now:
Do we understand each other now?
[15 posts 'til #500]
Sleep on it
As my regular readers (all 2 of you) are aware, decisions are not a difficult thing for me. I can make a decision pretty quickly and, right or wrong, know that it's MY decision and to accep the consequences, whatever they may be.
I mentioned in my last post that I'll sleep on it: The decision about whether or not I should join my parents and my sister's family for Christmas dinner on the 25th.
I think in this case, I'm willing to let a night's sleep come between today's events and a decision just so I know I'm not acting out of anger. Crap, really sound grown up there, don't I?
It's a lofty decision as it could totally alienate my parents from my kids and in some ways I don't want that and in others ways... I do. I mentioned before that my parents seem to favour my sister's son so much more (and with another on the way in that family, it can only get worse).
Not sure where it's coming from at my parents' end of things. My father was an only child and my mother hasn't been close to her sister for a good 40+ years. I know we were at a family thing on my mother's side about 6 or 7 years ago and I met dozens of people I'm supposedly related to and had never seen before. I knew my mother was a redhead when she was younger, but I discovered that redheads are actually prevalent on her side of the family. Good to know, eh?
Sorry, I'm digressing again. The point of this writing is "sleeping" on decisions. It's the second time in about as many months that I've had a major decision and wanted to spend some time dealing with it.
So what was the other one? Well, with my involvement in church and my current schoolwork, I've apparently run into some conflict. I've been drawing naked people in one course and that's apparently 'very unbecoming of a Christian.' Why? Because I'm exploiting the sexuality of these people and then going so far as to present these pictures to others.
Sexuality? Uh, no. It takes me about 6 seconds to start looking at a nude model and decipher where specific muscles are being used in a pose. I'm looking at how the light creates specific shadows across their chest and shoulders. How their neck is angled compared to their head and back. Sex doesn't even enter the picture here.
And i'm not even touching the whole exploitation issue.
My initial reaction upon hearing that I was 'unbecoming' was "fine, I quit." I didn't say that out loud, but kept it in and decided that I'd "sleep on it" and make a decision about my level of activity within the church within a few days of hearing this.
I'd say I spent a good 10 days before I actually said anything about it. And after 10 days the answer was "I quit." 10 days gave me numerous reasons to lean one way or another and the list was definitely longer on the 'quit' side of things.
Too bad I don't have 10 days to think about quitting on my parents.
[16 posts 'til #500]
I mentioned in my last post that I'll sleep on it: The decision about whether or not I should join my parents and my sister's family for Christmas dinner on the 25th.
I think in this case, I'm willing to let a night's sleep come between today's events and a decision just so I know I'm not acting out of anger. Crap, really sound grown up there, don't I?
It's a lofty decision as it could totally alienate my parents from my kids and in some ways I don't want that and in others ways... I do. I mentioned before that my parents seem to favour my sister's son so much more (and with another on the way in that family, it can only get worse).
Not sure where it's coming from at my parents' end of things. My father was an only child and my mother hasn't been close to her sister for a good 40+ years. I know we were at a family thing on my mother's side about 6 or 7 years ago and I met dozens of people I'm supposedly related to and had never seen before. I knew my mother was a redhead when she was younger, but I discovered that redheads are actually prevalent on her side of the family. Good to know, eh?
Sorry, I'm digressing again. The point of this writing is "sleeping" on decisions. It's the second time in about as many months that I've had a major decision and wanted to spend some time dealing with it.
So what was the other one? Well, with my involvement in church and my current schoolwork, I've apparently run into some conflict. I've been drawing naked people in one course and that's apparently 'very unbecoming of a Christian.' Why? Because I'm exploiting the sexuality of these people and then going so far as to present these pictures to others.
Sexuality? Uh, no. It takes me about 6 seconds to start looking at a nude model and decipher where specific muscles are being used in a pose. I'm looking at how the light creates specific shadows across their chest and shoulders. How their neck is angled compared to their head and back. Sex doesn't even enter the picture here.
And i'm not even touching the whole exploitation issue.
My initial reaction upon hearing that I was 'unbecoming' was "fine, I quit." I didn't say that out loud, but kept it in and decided that I'd "sleep on it" and make a decision about my level of activity within the church within a few days of hearing this.
I'd say I spent a good 10 days before I actually said anything about it. And after 10 days the answer was "I quit." 10 days gave me numerous reasons to lean one way or another and the list was definitely longer on the 'quit' side of things.
Too bad I don't have 10 days to think about quitting on my parents.
[16 posts 'til #500]
Home of the Whale
Took the kids to the Aquarium today, for several reasons. First, I really needed to get myself (& them) out of the house before I totally lose it. Second, my parents were paying (good thing as it's $17.50 just for me to get in).
My parents have been down for Christmas for an entire week already and today was the first time I saw them and they saw my kids. I haven't totally figured out the animosity or ambivalence they have towards my family, but they really seem to care less about their firstborn grandchild. Their firstborn grandson, my sister's son, is a whole other story. They dote over him and spoil him like crazy. Not sure if it's some British family tradition mindset they're in or if it's a psychological thing because he had to have open heart surgery when he was 6 months old. Whatever the reason, he's spoiled and well taken care of, while my 2 kids go months at a time without seeing their grandparents.
And today almost killed any chance of them seeing their 'other' grandkids over Christmas this year. We're supposed to go to my sister's place for Christmas dinner, but I'm starting to lean towards just buying a small turkey, cooking it myself and staying home with the family I love instead. Don't get me wrong. I care for my sister & her family and my parents, but my attitude these days is similar to the one I have at school. If it's too much effort to keep in touch, then why bother at all?
Today was almost the last straw as we'd planned on meeting them (my sister, nephew, and my parents) at the aquarium at 10:30 this morning. Depsite our living the furthest away (90-minute to 2-hour drive), we arrived and parked at exactly 10:29am. At 10:45, I called my Mom's cell, but there was no answer. At 11:00, I called it again and again there was no answer. At 11:15, I called my sister's house (where her husband was home all day) and got no answer there either. So, I told the kids we'd take a quick walk (since the rain had finally let up and let us out from under the entry way awning) around the park area and then head for home (via the video store where they could pick out a couple of movies). Just as we started walking away, up walks everyone else.
So, I'm annoyed (duh) and my mother can't believe I'd be this upset about they're being "a little late." No, no. A little late is 5-10 minutes. LATE is 15-20 minutes. 45 minutes? Yeah, you're being stood up. And the first question running through my head is "what happened to my Dad?" This is a guy who used to fret about getting to the movie theatre at least 45 minutes before showtime and was always one of the first to arrive for scheduled meetings. He used to start his 9-5 job at 7am and worked until 5. Now he's letting people in his presence refer to a 45-minute absence as "a little late." So, when I start arguing with them about not having their ringer turned on on the cell phone and not having the decency to call me and let me know where they are, my mother says "Well, why didn't you just go back home?"
Gee, I don't know. Maybe it was the nearly 2-hour drive here. Maybe it's having to explain to my kids why we stood out in the cold rain for 45 minutes just to pack up and go home without going into the aquarium at all. Maybe it's wanting to know just what the Hell happened to my "family" that they couldn't show up on time.
Had my kids not been there, I probably would've left right then. But, I toughed it out for my kids and let them enjoy a day at the aquarium and the park. Besides, my parents were still paying after all.
Honestly, I'm still leaning toward not going to my sister's for Christmas dinner. My sister's mother in-law will be there along with her one son in his early 30s who still lives at home. The 'mother' always talks to everyone with a condescending tone and I get the feeling these days that even that family (including my sister's husband) feel slighted by us. Why, I don't know, but there's a level of beligerence there...
I'll sleep on it.
On a side note, my daughter totally loves going to the aquarium and got invited to play in a game to identify animal tracks in the snow. My little 5 year old answered every single one right, including animals like elk, arctic fox, and wolverine. The lady running the game was astounded and told her she was very smart. To which my daughter (MY daughter) replied, "Yeah. I am smart. I get that all the time." Who's daughter? MY daughter.
[17 posts 'til #500]
My parents have been down for Christmas for an entire week already and today was the first time I saw them and they saw my kids. I haven't totally figured out the animosity or ambivalence they have towards my family, but they really seem to care less about their firstborn grandchild. Their firstborn grandson, my sister's son, is a whole other story. They dote over him and spoil him like crazy. Not sure if it's some British family tradition mindset they're in or if it's a psychological thing because he had to have open heart surgery when he was 6 months old. Whatever the reason, he's spoiled and well taken care of, while my 2 kids go months at a time without seeing their grandparents.
And today almost killed any chance of them seeing their 'other' grandkids over Christmas this year. We're supposed to go to my sister's place for Christmas dinner, but I'm starting to lean towards just buying a small turkey, cooking it myself and staying home with the family I love instead. Don't get me wrong. I care for my sister & her family and my parents, but my attitude these days is similar to the one I have at school. If it's too much effort to keep in touch, then why bother at all?
Today was almost the last straw as we'd planned on meeting them (my sister, nephew, and my parents) at the aquarium at 10:30 this morning. Depsite our living the furthest away (90-minute to 2-hour drive), we arrived and parked at exactly 10:29am. At 10:45, I called my Mom's cell, but there was no answer. At 11:00, I called it again and again there was no answer. At 11:15, I called my sister's house (where her husband was home all day) and got no answer there either. So, I told the kids we'd take a quick walk (since the rain had finally let up and let us out from under the entry way awning) around the park area and then head for home (via the video store where they could pick out a couple of movies). Just as we started walking away, up walks everyone else.
So, I'm annoyed (duh) and my mother can't believe I'd be this upset about they're being "a little late." No, no. A little late is 5-10 minutes. LATE is 15-20 minutes. 45 minutes? Yeah, you're being stood up. And the first question running through my head is "what happened to my Dad?" This is a guy who used to fret about getting to the movie theatre at least 45 minutes before showtime and was always one of the first to arrive for scheduled meetings. He used to start his 9-5 job at 7am and worked until 5. Now he's letting people in his presence refer to a 45-minute absence as "a little late." So, when I start arguing with them about not having their ringer turned on on the cell phone and not having the decency to call me and let me know where they are, my mother says "Well, why didn't you just go back home?"
Gee, I don't know. Maybe it was the nearly 2-hour drive here. Maybe it's having to explain to my kids why we stood out in the cold rain for 45 minutes just to pack up and go home without going into the aquarium at all. Maybe it's wanting to know just what the Hell happened to my "family" that they couldn't show up on time.
Had my kids not been there, I probably would've left right then. But, I toughed it out for my kids and let them enjoy a day at the aquarium and the park. Besides, my parents were still paying after all.
Honestly, I'm still leaning toward not going to my sister's for Christmas dinner. My sister's mother in-law will be there along with her one son in his early 30s who still lives at home. The 'mother' always talks to everyone with a condescending tone and I get the feeling these days that even that family (including my sister's husband) feel slighted by us. Why, I don't know, but there's a level of beligerence there...
I'll sleep on it.
On a side note, my daughter totally loves going to the aquarium and got invited to play in a game to identify animal tracks in the snow. My little 5 year old answered every single one right, including animals like elk, arctic fox, and wolverine. The lady running the game was astounded and told her she was very smart. To which my daughter (MY daughter) replied, "Yeah. I am smart. I get that all the time." Who's daughter? MY daughter.
[17 posts 'til #500]
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Audience
Here's my next rant....
I mentioned in an earlier post about going to my daughter's school Christmas concert.
I also mentioned in an earlier post about how the 'innocence' of a parade has been lost with so many adults seemingly there to ruin it for everyone else.
So, did I miss the announcement that it was acceptable practice to 'shout out' your kids' name during the school play?
I mean, what's the deal? You go to sit and watch your child perform to the best of their ability and some loser behind you suddenly screams out 'Dylannnnn!!!!!'
And, of course these days, that means 4 kids on stage have turned to see if this loser's their Dad.
It happened throughout the entire concert. A group would be leaving the stage and some moron (or multiple morons) would start shouting for their kids. WHY????? Besides, once the kids start looking, then it causes a traffic jam of kids trying to enter and exit the stage.
OK, seriously, this really bugs me. I mean, if your kid needs some sort of affirmation about:
a) how well they did
or
b) that their parent(s) made the time to come see the play
couldn't you just tell them afterward how they did? Isn't that what actual grown-ups do when they see a play and they know someone in the cast? You meet up afterwards (that night, or later) and tell them what you thought of the play, right? Right. I have a friend who stars in plays all the time in the Toronto theatre district. The next time I see him in a Shakespearean play, does anyone think I'd ever stand up and shout "Yo, Sweetcheeks!"? No, I would not.
I'm civilized, dammit.
But, not these people. Nope. They shout at their kids and disrupt everything that's going on.
OK, rants are done for now.
[18 posts 'til #500]
I mentioned in an earlier post about going to my daughter's school Christmas concert.
I also mentioned in an earlier post about how the 'innocence' of a parade has been lost with so many adults seemingly there to ruin it for everyone else.
So, did I miss the announcement that it was acceptable practice to 'shout out' your kids' name during the school play?
I mean, what's the deal? You go to sit and watch your child perform to the best of their ability and some loser behind you suddenly screams out 'Dylannnnn!!!!!'
And, of course these days, that means 4 kids on stage have turned to see if this loser's their Dad.
It happened throughout the entire concert. A group would be leaving the stage and some moron (or multiple morons) would start shouting for their kids. WHY????? Besides, once the kids start looking, then it causes a traffic jam of kids trying to enter and exit the stage.
OK, seriously, this really bugs me. I mean, if your kid needs some sort of affirmation about:
a) how well they did
or
b) that their parent(s) made the time to come see the play
couldn't you just tell them afterward how they did? Isn't that what actual grown-ups do when they see a play and they know someone in the cast? You meet up afterwards (that night, or later) and tell them what you thought of the play, right? Right. I have a friend who stars in plays all the time in the Toronto theatre district. The next time I see him in a Shakespearean play, does anyone think I'd ever stand up and shout "Yo, Sweetcheeks!"? No, I would not.
I'm civilized, dammit.
But, not these people. Nope. They shout at their kids and disrupt everything that's going on.
OK, rants are done for now.
[18 posts 'til #500]
Monday, December 19, 2005
The Big Parade
This is part of a series of rants I'm getting out of my system before New Year's hits.... bear with me.
In late November, we took the kids in to see the Santa Claus parade. I'd say for the most part we had a great (or at least good) time, but as always there's gotta be those who ruin the fun.
Apparently there was something around 400,000 people wandering the streets and all trying to find a good spot to watch the parade... not going to happen.
Even worse, there were people bringing those double-wide strollers that barely fit on regular sidewalks and they're trying to make their way through the crowds. Ugh. Not going to happen either. But that also doesn't mean people should shove their way past and the mother looked up at one guy and said "I'm trying to make my way through too." He just turned to her and said "Fuck you." Now THAT's Christmas spirit for ya. I was quite tempted to punch the guy in the face, but before I had a chance, this lady lost all patience and just rammed her way through the crowd, bashing everyone's ankles (including mine) along the way.
Getting a spot next to the street was extremely difficult, especially when there's adults sitting on the curb. I mean, c'mon, adults sitting on the curb!?!!? Grow up, stand up, and move back and let the kids enjoy the parade from the curb instead. The only good thing this couple did was hand back any candies and coupons handed out during the parade. I'm sure my son left more than one candy cane-sticky handprint on the back of the guy's jacket whenever my boy leaned over to look for another float coming down the street.
Now, I know it's become imbedded in some Asian cultures that pushing and shoving is par for the course, just based on the crowded population alone. In Canada, it's quite the opposite. See, we have --and appreciate-- lots of elbow room, and when we packed in and someone starts shoving, it's frowned upon.
To start.
You do it once, then the average Canadian will shrug it off and try to help accomodate a little more elbow room. You do it twice... Well, see, the other thing Canada is known for is hockey. In hockey, the elbows come up. They come up often and they come up hard. And as the lady, who kept shoving into the square of my back for over an hour, discovered: Canadian elbows can also be sharp and quite pain ful when they do come up.
But this wasn't even the worst of it. The company that sponsored the parade had goodie bags to hand out, but as the crowd got to be too big, they just put cases of the freebies out for people to grab.
And grab they did.
I managed to get a bag full, but that was just before I saw people pushing and shoving to fill backpacks full of it. Then there was one of the sponsor employees cleaning up a tent and was actually shoved over the table by people rushing to grab the freebie. I saw one tent start moving from the pressure of people around it. And what were they after?
Cracker Jacks. Bags of Cracker Jacks.
Disgusting display of 'civilization' when people are shoved aside for bags of Cracker Jacks.
Finally.... I'd love to know where the communication breakdown happened, but... you'd think *someone* in management at the 2 local McDonald's would clue in to have extra staff working when there's 400,000 lining the streets. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. We were going to have something for lunch from McD's, but they only had 2 cashiers working and about 400 people in line. As it was, I stood in line at Tim Horton's for 45 minutes to order us lunch. My wife started to worry that I'd abandoned them.
One more thing. I remember going to parades when I was a kid and sitting on the curb watching the floats go by. When did it become "acceptable" for people to constantly walk along the sides of the parade? There were always people walking and blocking views, or crossing the street in between floats. Sometimes, they didn't cross in time and a float (a float) would have to slow down to avoid running over them.
Merry Christmas, morons.
[19 posts to go to #500]
In late November, we took the kids in to see the Santa Claus parade. I'd say for the most part we had a great (or at least good) time, but as always there's gotta be those who ruin the fun.
Apparently there was something around 400,000 people wandering the streets and all trying to find a good spot to watch the parade... not going to happen.
Even worse, there were people bringing those double-wide strollers that barely fit on regular sidewalks and they're trying to make their way through the crowds. Ugh. Not going to happen either. But that also doesn't mean people should shove their way past and the mother looked up at one guy and said "I'm trying to make my way through too." He just turned to her and said "Fuck you." Now THAT's Christmas spirit for ya. I was quite tempted to punch the guy in the face, but before I had a chance, this lady lost all patience and just rammed her way through the crowd, bashing everyone's ankles (including mine) along the way.
Getting a spot next to the street was extremely difficult, especially when there's adults sitting on the curb. I mean, c'mon, adults sitting on the curb!?!!? Grow up, stand up, and move back and let the kids enjoy the parade from the curb instead. The only good thing this couple did was hand back any candies and coupons handed out during the parade. I'm sure my son left more than one candy cane-sticky handprint on the back of the guy's jacket whenever my boy leaned over to look for another float coming down the street.
Now, I know it's become imbedded in some Asian cultures that pushing and shoving is par for the course, just based on the crowded population alone. In Canada, it's quite the opposite. See, we have --and appreciate-- lots of elbow room, and when we packed in and someone starts shoving, it's frowned upon.
To start.
You do it once, then the average Canadian will shrug it off and try to help accomodate a little more elbow room. You do it twice... Well, see, the other thing Canada is known for is hockey. In hockey, the elbows come up. They come up often and they come up hard. And as the lady, who kept shoving into the square of my back for over an hour, discovered: Canadian elbows can also be sharp and quite pain ful when they do come up.
But this wasn't even the worst of it. The company that sponsored the parade had goodie bags to hand out, but as the crowd got to be too big, they just put cases of the freebies out for people to grab.
And grab they did.
I managed to get a bag full, but that was just before I saw people pushing and shoving to fill backpacks full of it. Then there was one of the sponsor employees cleaning up a tent and was actually shoved over the table by people rushing to grab the freebie. I saw one tent start moving from the pressure of people around it. And what were they after?
Cracker Jacks. Bags of Cracker Jacks.
Disgusting display of 'civilization' when people are shoved aside for bags of Cracker Jacks.
Finally.... I'd love to know where the communication breakdown happened, but... you'd think *someone* in management at the 2 local McDonald's would clue in to have extra staff working when there's 400,000 lining the streets. You'd think that, but you'd be wrong. We were going to have something for lunch from McD's, but they only had 2 cashiers working and about 400 people in line. As it was, I stood in line at Tim Horton's for 45 minutes to order us lunch. My wife started to worry that I'd abandoned them.
One more thing. I remember going to parades when I was a kid and sitting on the curb watching the floats go by. When did it become "acceptable" for people to constantly walk along the sides of the parade? There were always people walking and blocking views, or crossing the street in between floats. Sometimes, they didn't cross in time and a float (a float) would have to slow down to avoid running over them.
Merry Christmas, morons.
[19 posts to go to #500]
Speak Up
This might not be as funny as I thought, but here once again is:
Top Ten Quotables from the past semester:
10. "She said 'I missed you like a retard misses the point.'"
Actually a quote from an episode of 'Drawn Together,' one of the guys was watching it in class and laughed very loudly when it was said. The guy beside him (the one we all find quite annoying) asked him what was so funny and he replied with the above quote. Annoying guy, thought about it and said:
9. "I don't get it."
8. "How's your bottom?"
Ah, quotable instructors. This was in our texture mapping (that's how the colors and images get attached to the 3D models) class. She wanted to make sure we remembered to do more than what you could on a first glance... like the bottom of a...
7. "Let me see your box."
Which went over about as well as asking about the bottom was asking to see the entire box.
6. "Say please before asking to see my box!"
One of the smarter students in class, she insisted that if you were going to ask, you might as well be polite about it.
5. "Check out his wood!"
Texture mapping once agin. The instructor was impressed to see some of us were hand-painting wood textures for buildings and such. Of course, she realized what she said right after she said, but before she could correct herself, one of the guys stepped and replied "Don't mind if I do!"
4. "She had to use your stick, she doesn't have one of her own!"
From life drawing class, Hottie McHottington (the one who got me to the wedding on time on the back of her motorcycle) asked to use my 'smudging stick,' which smooths out shaded areas. I started giggling when she asked to use the stick and one friend replied with the above when I explained why I was laughing...
3. "There's no polite way to ask a naked person if you could see their other side."
At the end of the semester, the dean had a good laugh when he found out that out of 200 drawings in life drawing this semester, over 125 were of the "gluteus maximus." He suggested I move around the room more often, which I had in fact done, but still faced a whole lotta butt. He then said I should ask them to use a different position, to which I replied with the above...
2. "I never would've thought that was a manhole cover."
Texture mapping again. The instructor discovered the perils of typing in 'manhole' in Google's image search... and, of course, having it projected on the screen...
1. "I'll put my glasses on to make sure I'm rubbing the right thing."
I had to leave life drawing class when the instructor said this. He was describing various neck muscles and where they intertwine along the spinal cord when he adjusted his glasses to ensure he was pointing to the right spot.
[20 posts to go....]
Top Ten Quotables from the past semester:
10. "She said 'I missed you like a retard misses the point.'"
Actually a quote from an episode of 'Drawn Together,' one of the guys was watching it in class and laughed very loudly when it was said. The guy beside him (the one we all find quite annoying) asked him what was so funny and he replied with the above quote. Annoying guy, thought about it and said:
9. "I don't get it."
8. "How's your bottom?"
Ah, quotable instructors. This was in our texture mapping (that's how the colors and images get attached to the 3D models) class. She wanted to make sure we remembered to do more than what you could on a first glance... like the bottom of a...
7. "Let me see your box."
Which went over about as well as asking about the bottom was asking to see the entire box.
6. "Say please before asking to see my box!"
One of the smarter students in class, she insisted that if you were going to ask, you might as well be polite about it.
5. "Check out his wood!"
Texture mapping once agin. The instructor was impressed to see some of us were hand-painting wood textures for buildings and such. Of course, she realized what she said right after she said, but before she could correct herself, one of the guys stepped and replied "Don't mind if I do!"
4. "She had to use your stick, she doesn't have one of her own!"
From life drawing class, Hottie McHottington (the one who got me to the wedding on time on the back of her motorcycle) asked to use my 'smudging stick,' which smooths out shaded areas. I started giggling when she asked to use the stick and one friend replied with the above when I explained why I was laughing...
3. "There's no polite way to ask a naked person if you could see their other side."
At the end of the semester, the dean had a good laugh when he found out that out of 200 drawings in life drawing this semester, over 125 were of the "gluteus maximus." He suggested I move around the room more often, which I had in fact done, but still faced a whole lotta butt. He then said I should ask them to use a different position, to which I replied with the above...
2. "I never would've thought that was a manhole cover."
Texture mapping again. The instructor discovered the perils of typing in 'manhole' in Google's image search... and, of course, having it projected on the screen...
1. "I'll put my glasses on to make sure I'm rubbing the right thing."
I had to leave life drawing class when the instructor said this. He was describing various neck muscles and where they intertwine along the spinal cord when he adjusted his glasses to ensure he was pointing to the right spot.
[20 posts to go....]
Saturday, December 17, 2005
Nuttin for Christmas
I'm flogging a dead horse with this, I know.... I've been called a scrooge, a humbug, and plain old mean today because my response to "what do you want for Christmas this year?" has been...
Nothing.
I go into details if they ask why I say nothing, but otherwise I'd just prefer family & friends to put their emphasis on others. In other words, don't go out of your way getting me something.
Because it's always something useless anyway.
My wantlist this Christmas consists of a $15 DVD --and nothing more.
Oh sure! There's plenty of other things I'd love (llllooooovvvvveeeee) to have, but I set my sights on a $15 DVD. Nice, simple, *cheap* $15 DVD. Which I've already bought for myself.
Hehe.
So, why would I buy it for myself? Because there's no way on God's green Earth anyone will buy it for me. And, there's no way on God's green Earth this baby will be around a month from now.
My regular readers (all 2 of you) know I've been harping on this for years, but I've also shown proof of this.
So, I bought the $15 DVD for myself. 100% guarantee I'm getting it for Christmas. In fact, I've even wrapped it and saved it for Christmas Day. It even has a gift tag on it to me from "The Only One Who KNOWS what you want for Christmas."
Hehe. Suckers.
Nothing.
I go into details if they ask why I say nothing, but otherwise I'd just prefer family & friends to put their emphasis on others. In other words, don't go out of your way getting me something.
Because it's always something useless anyway.
My wantlist this Christmas consists of a $15 DVD --and nothing more.
Oh sure! There's plenty of other things I'd love (llllooooovvvvveeeee) to have, but I set my sights on a $15 DVD. Nice, simple, *cheap* $15 DVD. Which I've already bought for myself.
Hehe.
So, why would I buy it for myself? Because there's no way on God's green Earth anyone will buy it for me. And, there's no way on God's green Earth this baby will be around a month from now.
My regular readers (all 2 of you) know I've been harping on this for years, but I've also shown proof of this.
So, I bought the $15 DVD for myself. 100% guarantee I'm getting it for Christmas. In fact, I've even wrapped it and saved it for Christmas Day. It even has a gift tag on it to me from "The Only One Who KNOWS what you want for Christmas."
Hehe. Suckers.
Friday, December 16, 2005
Twenty Three
I noticed that Blogger's added a "post" count to the user-interface menu. Cool. Including this one, I have 23 posts to hit 500.
I figure with 15 days until 2006, I could easily find sh-- uh, stuff to post about each day to hit that marker.
Ooh.... lists are always good....
[22 posts to go til #500]
I figure with 15 days until 2006, I could easily find sh-- uh, stuff to post about each day to hit that marker.
Ooh.... lists are always good....
[22 posts to go til #500]
She's Gone, Gone, Gone
A funny coincidence occured on Tuesday night.
My daughter school play was in full swing when I looked across the audience (more on them in a later post) and saw my old nemesis...
Drama Queen.
Her son goes to the same elementary school, so obviously she was there to see him 'perform.'
I kind of expected to see her at the play, but thought the chances were slim as the school was doing 3 performances. But there she was and she looked straight at me when I saw her. Her eyes went wide in surprise and all I did was chuckle and smile.
20 minutes later, and while the play was still going on, I looked again and she (& her husband) was gone. She never came back. I guess she bolted. Geez, sorry for ruining your evening. *snicker!*
So, what do I hear the next day? She's gone. Finito. Exited the stage... uh, 'From Hell.'
Wel, curiousity (and a few LOLs) got the best of me and I had to make a few phone calls...
It seems 'annual staff reviews' hit and they way they're done is that a list of 15-20 people from various departments go over a checklist of job description items and rate you out of 4. With 1 being the lowest. It seems Drama Queen tried to submit a list made up of quite a few friends she had around the office, but the union rep, the people who fight like crazy when things go wrong for you at work, (oh, also a good friend of mine) said it was too skewed and suggested a new list be put together.
It turns out there were 17 people I used to work closely with on that new list. Her average score was 1.2 or something like that.
No wonder she bolted from the play. Even over a year later I got the sweetest revenge on her.
My daughter school play was in full swing when I looked across the audience (more on them in a later post) and saw my old nemesis...
Drama Queen.
Her son goes to the same elementary school, so obviously she was there to see him 'perform.'
I kind of expected to see her at the play, but thought the chances were slim as the school was doing 3 performances. But there she was and she looked straight at me when I saw her. Her eyes went wide in surprise and all I did was chuckle and smile.
20 minutes later, and while the play was still going on, I looked again and she (& her husband) was gone. She never came back. I guess she bolted. Geez, sorry for ruining your evening. *snicker!*
So, what do I hear the next day? She's gone. Finito. Exited the stage... uh, 'From Hell.'
Wel, curiousity (and a few LOLs) got the best of me and I had to make a few phone calls...
It seems 'annual staff reviews' hit and they way they're done is that a list of 15-20 people from various departments go over a checklist of job description items and rate you out of 4. With 1 being the lowest. It seems Drama Queen tried to submit a list made up of quite a few friends she had around the office, but the union rep, the people who fight like crazy when things go wrong for you at work, (oh, also a good friend of mine) said it was too skewed and suggested a new list be put together.
It turns out there were 17 people I used to work closely with on that new list. Her average score was 1.2 or something like that.
No wonder she bolted from the play. Even over a year later I got the sweetest revenge on her.
Say What You Say
Dreama was pestering me about some very funny quotes from classes this semester. I'm hoping they aren't "aw, you had to be there" funny... Keep in mind, you have to think a li'l dirty for some of the quotes and take them completely out of context. In fact, maybe I'll write a follow-up piece on the actual context of the quotes:
Top Ten Quotables from the past semester:
10. "She said 'I missed you like a retard misses the point.'"
9. "I don't get it."
8. "How's your bottom?"
7. "Let me see your box."
6. "Say please before asking to see my box!"
5. "Check out his wood!"
4. "She had to use your stick, she doesn't have one of her own!"
3. "There's no polite way to ask a naked person if you could see their other side."
2. "I never would've thought that was a manhole cover."
1. "I'll put my glasses on to make sure I'm rubbing the right thing."
Top Ten Quotables from the past semester:
10. "She said 'I missed you like a retard misses the point.'"
9. "I don't get it."
8. "How's your bottom?"
7. "Let me see your box."
6. "Say please before asking to see my box!"
5. "Check out his wood!"
4. "She had to use your stick, she doesn't have one of her own!"
3. "There's no polite way to ask a naked person if you could see their other side."
2. "I never would've thought that was a manhole cover."
1. "I'll put my glasses on to make sure I'm rubbing the right thing."
Freedom
Today is day #1 of Much Needed Time Off from school. It's been a long, tough haul through this semester and I'm looking forward to some hopeful R&R over the next 2 weeks.
Long, tough haul? Some classmates disagreed with me, but I based it on a number of things:
Long, tough haul? Some classmates disagreed with me, but I based it on a number of things:
- Grades, which definitely slipped a bit this semester (goodbye 3.6 GPA!). I'm expecting at least 2 marks out of 5 in the C/C+ range, 1 more in the B's and hopefully 2 in the A's. I got one A for sure,but the other is a question mark.
- Sleepless nights. My first (and best) semester, I made it through without any prolonged periods of no sleep. Sure, there were occasional projects that required numerous nights 'til 2 or 3 in the morning, but that's a little on the normal side for me anyway. My second semester, I had 1 sleepless night to finish up some bonus work for one class where I wanted to bring my mark up to an acceptable level. This past semester, I had 4 sleepless nights, including 60+ -hour stretch of work --and not for a final project! Had I had the health this week to do it, I probably would have had another 50-hour work period. Didn't do it, though, and my work showed it. I submitted one incomplete project.
- Stress. This semester, I got sick before classes ended and missed an entire day because of it. The computer programs proved difficult to learn and even my extensive notes (4-10 pages for an hour's lecturing) still didn't help when it came to the practical work. One assignment (irony: my only 100% all semester) I struggled doing because part of the program wasn't showing up and I didn't know we needed to use it --not listed in my notes anywhere!! Add to this the number of Christmas events for schoolchildren my daughter was involved in (and all scheduled this week, of course) and my wife's "bonus" shifts this week (she worked 48 hours this week and is scheduled for 12 next week), and the scheduling nightmare was running its course.
But I'm home now. I don't have to go back until December 29th to get my schedule. Classes begin again January 2nd.
So, now it's time to play catch-up on the blog!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Stir Crazy
I don't really have time for posting right now. It's a very busy time with a huger workload to get through this week.
Finals are upon me once again. I have 1 done, 1 99% done, 1 60% done, and 1 30% done.... my last day of class is Thursday. Yay!
So, why am I posting when I should be working? (and I do have other posts to share, but I'm storing them for later in the month when I have so much less to do)
Richard Pryor died on Saturday. I always liked Richard Pryor and could even forgive him for Superman III. It wasn't, after all, the worst Superman movie made. So, for the second time this year, one of my favorite comedic icons has passed on.
And what better way to pass on a tribute than by telling a joke as it was told to me many, many years ago:
"There was this teacher who used to let her students go home early on Fridays if they could answer a difficult question. Each question proved to be tougher for Billy than the one before it.
"When the teacher asked how many gallons of water in Lake Superior, every student but Billy knew there were 3 quadrillion gallons. When the teacher asked how many soldiers died in the Civil War, the students --except for Billy-- answered correctly with 620,000.
"But Billy had had enough. He came up with a plan and the next Friday he was ready. The teacher got up and said she was about to ask her special question. She turned to the chalkboard and was about to start writing when Billy pulled 2 ping pong balls he'd painted and rolled them down the aisle to her feet. She stopped and turned. She picked up the ping pong balls and asked 'Alright, who's the comedian with the black balls?'
"Billy, triumphantly jumped out of his chair and shouted 'Richard Pryor!'
"Then he grabbed his books and left early for the first time.
Good night Mr. Pryor, wherever you are.
Finals are upon me once again. I have 1 done, 1 99% done, 1 60% done, and 1 30% done.... my last day of class is Thursday. Yay!
So, why am I posting when I should be working? (and I do have other posts to share, but I'm storing them for later in the month when I have so much less to do)
Richard Pryor died on Saturday. I always liked Richard Pryor and could even forgive him for Superman III. It wasn't, after all, the worst Superman movie made. So, for the second time this year, one of my favorite comedic icons has passed on.
And what better way to pass on a tribute than by telling a joke as it was told to me many, many years ago:
"There was this teacher who used to let her students go home early on Fridays if they could answer a difficult question. Each question proved to be tougher for Billy than the one before it.
"When the teacher asked how many gallons of water in Lake Superior, every student but Billy knew there were 3 quadrillion gallons. When the teacher asked how many soldiers died in the Civil War, the students --except for Billy-- answered correctly with 620,000.
"But Billy had had enough. He came up with a plan and the next Friday he was ready. The teacher got up and said she was about to ask her special question. She turned to the chalkboard and was about to start writing when Billy pulled 2 ping pong balls he'd painted and rolled them down the aisle to her feet. She stopped and turned. She picked up the ping pong balls and asked 'Alright, who's the comedian with the black balls?'
"Billy, triumphantly jumped out of his chair and shouted 'Richard Pryor!'
"Then he grabbed his books and left early for the first time.
Good night Mr. Pryor, wherever you are.
Friday, December 02, 2005
Shotgun Divorce
I mentioned months ago that my wife was up for one of my old jobs at my old office. We originally thought the interview was going to happen at some point in late-August in order to fill the position in time for September. It didn't happen. Then, I figured they'd be busy in September and push it to an October start. That didn't happen either. It actually became a mid-November interview and a couple more days before they finally decided on a candidate.
And it wasn't my wife. Although she was told it was "close," and I'd felt initial relief knowing that the only person on the hiring committee who actually knew me was a friend of mine, the fact that it was "close" still hurt a bit.
There's a rumour going around now that someone in the human resources office made the connection between my wife & I and that's what actually did her in. I think, by now, there's got to be about a dozen people ther who hate me or dislike me, for whaever reason. I don't really care what they think of me, but if they're going to paint my wife with the same brush, they're even more foolish than I could ever perceive.
I told my wife about the rumour I'd heard and she was rightfully insulted. Her qualifications should matter more than who she's married to and she's not sure she wants to work there anymore. Fine by me. But I also know she likes working there and she should be a benefit to them if they'd just use their frickin' brains for a change.
But there's a quick solution to this as well. Divorce.
No, not a real divorce. A divorce in their simple eyes. See, my wife's credentials, degrees, and diplomas are all in her maiden name, all achieved before we married. It's the reason why she puts her maiden name as well as our last name on her resume.
So, she could easily go back to her maiden name just for the sake of clarity with her credentials. A quick walk into the HR office and have her records show she uses her maiden name and I figure within 30 minutes the rumour of our divorce will have spread through every department. Any association with my name will then have the added "divorce" on it and anyone who doesn't know me would never assume there was any relation between the two of us.
Then, maybe, she could get somewhere there.
And it wasn't my wife. Although she was told it was "close," and I'd felt initial relief knowing that the only person on the hiring committee who actually knew me was a friend of mine, the fact that it was "close" still hurt a bit.
There's a rumour going around now that someone in the human resources office made the connection between my wife & I and that's what actually did her in. I think, by now, there's got to be about a dozen people ther who hate me or dislike me, for whaever reason. I don't really care what they think of me, but if they're going to paint my wife with the same brush, they're even more foolish than I could ever perceive.
I told my wife about the rumour I'd heard and she was rightfully insulted. Her qualifications should matter more than who she's married to and she's not sure she wants to work there anymore. Fine by me. But I also know she likes working there and she should be a benefit to them if they'd just use their frickin' brains for a change.
But there's a quick solution to this as well. Divorce.
No, not a real divorce. A divorce in their simple eyes. See, my wife's credentials, degrees, and diplomas are all in her maiden name, all achieved before we married. It's the reason why she puts her maiden name as well as our last name on her resume.
So, she could easily go back to her maiden name just for the sake of clarity with her credentials. A quick walk into the HR office and have her records show she uses her maiden name and I figure within 30 minutes the rumour of our divorce will have spread through every department. Any association with my name will then have the added "divorce" on it and anyone who doesn't know me would never assume there was any relation between the two of us.
Then, maybe, she could get somewhere there.
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