tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86094981258967300212024-03-05T17:06:31.948-08:00B.C. BeginningsA Continuing Tale of My Journey
Out West to find myself...Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.comBlogger550125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-70944660758326445062018-06-03T20:02:00.000-07:002018-06-03T21:40:03.803-07:00Healthy Paths, Halfway Points and Hiatus<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T<i>he word of the week is hiatus.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 28 - Farewell, FBook!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was time, and past time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After thinking about it for a while, today I finally pulled the plug on
Facebook, deciding to step away for a few months and possibly the rest of 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I realized this week that it's just too MUCH of a drain on my focus, and
there's VITAL parts of my offline life I need to give more time to... and it's
no fun talking to someone who's stressed out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which is me, and has been for quite some time now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll be 'away' for a few months at least, checking in now and then for
FBook Messages, and most likely not 'fully' coming back until the end of the
year, depending on what I accomplish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Don't get me wrong: I've fine-tuned my FBook account so that it mostly serves
MY needs and interests, and I've been thrilled to have found so MANY amazing
people I can call friends over the years through this magical social interface.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So it's not all bad.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet FBook has its downsides, which I'm sure most of you know, chief of which
is that it consumes too much time and energy of a day. I can get my news
elsewhere, along with much other amusement, and my interests can stand to take
a backseat from their daily tapping on my shoulder...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's just too </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">distracting</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I need to focus on writing, on getting a better job, and on my personal
life that's not tied to memes, SJW outrage, or correcting random idiots on
science points - fun as much of that can be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, while I know I'll be back... I can't say when, and that's a good thing,
I think.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 29 - Staying Healthy</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For the most part, I'm back to normal, physically, these days:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<!--[if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "symbol"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">·<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I can walk 10K steps a day with nary a twinge, though the
tendon under the ball of my left foot still feels tight most days, so I'm being
careful not to strain or push things while I try to 'loosen' it with regular <i>gentle
</i>exercise<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My 'muscle burning' has vanished with daily doses of
magnesium( yay! )<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm able to move/lift things with my wrists/legs with
regular effort and no pain, though after a long day sometimes there's a <i>little
</i>ache: not bad at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My anxiety has receded to low, occasional levels of
doubt, a 9/10 rating!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My chest pain, as such, is confined to moving cartilage,
nothing more<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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</span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My eyestrain, especially my right eye, is improving,
albeit slowly for my liking... but my eyesight has sharpened thanks to the
Lutein supplements I've been taking for the last few months, and it's been <i>amazing
</i>to see the difference: the detail in my far-sight is markedly improved!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Still, there's a few things I'm working on. For the last few months, I
haven't been able to have a full pint of beer now and then, as I've had a low-level headache for most
of that time: it's part eyestrain, part weather-related, part stress... all
adding up to taking Tylenol too often, which I no longer combine </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">with </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">alcohol
due to the possibility of liver damage. No sense in tempting fate, however much
I'd like a drink of late.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the main, the eyestrain is the thing bothering me the most, and I hope
that regular eyedrops( <i>2-4x's / day</i> )will relieve the strain: if there's not
enough lubrication, then like any machine, the muscles are working harder to
move it around in the socket. Time will tell with that, and I'll keep an eye on
things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, I went there... and considering how wildly off my health has been for
the last few years, I'm glad to be HERE right now, feeling the way I am today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 30 - GlowForge Update</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've had to delay getting my laser engraver.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's actually ready for me to pick up from the USA... or for me to have
them send it to me, for an additional $325 USD( <i>plus duties and taxes</i>
)which is beyond my budget right now. As is the trip itself, as I'll have to pay for the ferry cost both ways with a vehicle, as well as the duties and taxes at the border on the rather expensive unit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As well, the air filter accessory, which allows one to run the unit indoors
without external venting,<i> isn't</i> ready yet, so I'd have to make two trips to
pick <b>both </b>items up from the States which is again too costly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I'm waiting on that being ready before I make the journey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0Vg0EH1amYl9uHinLUqC2CEL-IHgCL-TIH6qYRkARLi66Gypjepd9DWP2XNBTUnkZGsMtxkWuyiuDSzRcHD128SeoVUZn8Gp_mBg0SJuDxE0G4ExQl3_jkxcPIgyLUPszBe0k73vCQ/s1600/Glowforge+Quality+Improvement+2016-2017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="847" data-original-width="1071" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9X0Vg0EH1amYl9uHinLUqC2CEL-IHgCL-TIH6qYRkARLi66Gypjepd9DWP2XNBTUnkZGsMtxkWuyiuDSzRcHD128SeoVUZn8Gp_mBg0SJuDxE0G4ExQl3_jkxcPIgyLUPszBe0k73vCQ/s320/Glowforge+Quality+Improvement+2016-2017.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">One good thing about the delays is that the GlowForge continues to be
refined; as you can see from the image above, the quality of the output keeps
rising by leaps and bounds. I'm keeping tabs via the Forums on their website,
where thousands of people post weekly, including many beta users as well as those
who have received their production units already... and all are quite happy
with the results.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Still, it would have been far better timing if the Glowforge had been ready
six months ago at the end of 2017 as projected, as I would have had a
functioning home business and been making a few hundred dollars more per month
by now - as I'd projected and planned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But there's nothing I could do about delays except wait.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll get my business up and running at some point in 2018, but it's not
going to be a major going concern in terms of income for this year: by the time
I get the website running, talk to local businesses / interest groups, get the
testing phase out of the way and settle into providing value for money, 2018
will almost be over.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By 2019, I might <i>finally</i> be on
the cutting edge of things. In the meantime, I have thinking to do:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBtH8bayF8RdLzQlnR-svtVgRuYdMiPIQGH0Q5_cBOycZWAk07untcrCiPQ4urWtlHSiVtnJOvQLWnOMBSWkztRNiafRa0r2lgNdr7yWU5P-FsQ-m5kGobjl72bsTgx42Lhy2yHMaLiE/s1600/Set+of+Finite+Actions+Will+Make+Me+Millionaire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="476" data-original-width="715" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWBtH8bayF8RdLzQlnR-svtVgRuYdMiPIQGH0Q5_cBOycZWAk07untcrCiPQ4urWtlHSiVtnJOvQLWnOMBSWkztRNiafRa0r2lgNdr7yWU5P-FsQ-m5kGobjl72bsTgx42Lhy2yHMaLiE/s320/Set+of+Finite+Actions+Will+Make+Me+Millionaire.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 31 - Performance</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's the end of May, and I've been at my current job for 4 years and 2 weeks now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pretty good, as things go: I'm not leaving government anytime soon, but
it's getting frustrating not to even be hitting the eligibility lists for
positions I'm applying for... and it doesn't look good when people at stuck at
entry-level spots for more than 4 or 5 years. I'm using very little of my
abilities in my current post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But, this job has been the best I've had in many ways: a great office
environment 15 minutes walk from home that's located in the downtown core close
to all sorts of shopping, restaurants and other amenities. I'm unionized,
meaning I can't be let go at the drop of a hat( <i>and I don't intend to ever
be such a problem that I'm considered a liability </i>)with associated
benefits, including decent dental and related health coverage(<i> no physiotherapy
though, grr...</i> )compared to past jobs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZJHuN2s9kz-YW881ve99Ztt5fEseUXUlh_Igb1Sh6yIajzwvQqIboEu7DR-4ILb_fQR196fs1XptRPxTwjXkT5ps70rhKW0ZfdRyBkJAYpCXLo1zsFZQAj0WtEHmNeKiWrDNLmnrQqg/s1600/Easy+Job+Compass.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="412" data-original-width="708" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZJHuN2s9kz-YW881ve99Ztt5fEseUXUlh_Igb1Sh6yIajzwvQqIboEu7DR-4ILb_fQR196fs1XptRPxTwjXkT5ps70rhKW0ZfdRyBkJAYpCXLo1zsFZQAj0WtEHmNeKiWrDNLmnrQqg/s320/Easy+Job+Compass.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Plus the work at present is a mental snooze, for good or bad, so there's
that. AS I've said before, it's the perfect job for a writer... and would have
been exactly that for me for the last year, if I hadn't had other major
stressors on my mind like my finances and my health.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Timing is everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEvk9iDzEPaBzB4RYvIu6z8l6yjbUuj55Hf3hzwpRCU56uQbob2PpqA2EzYgRujlpQykPe0j07Y8vzTjvOknSHxBUuWxvITLuaPlxUW6WFxc2fSiqYVyMhH-sZevEuWHx_SNfzQE2bcI/s1600/Good+Job+Thumbs+Up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUEvk9iDzEPaBzB4RYvIu6z8l6yjbUuj55Hf3hzwpRCU56uQbob2PpqA2EzYgRujlpQykPe0j07Y8vzTjvOknSHxBUuWxvITLuaPlxUW6WFxc2fSiqYVyMhH-sZevEuWHx_SNfzQE2bcI/s320/Good+Job+Thumbs+Up.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a side note, I had my yearly performance review at work yesterday.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">More of a signoff, really: there's not much that I do that needs reviewing,
frankly, as if I didn't to it properly, it'd show immediately... and there's
little room for improvement in the processes that I have any control over.
Which is fine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What came out of the friendly chat was my desire to upgrade my skills, with
an eye to moving on elsewhere: no problem! As I suspected, the ministry's focus
is on employee retention within government - they'd rather lose someone to
another office to help them grow than have the private sector grab us again;
totally understandable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which means that my work focus, apart from job searching / applications,
will be to look into improving my skill sets any way I can with training
available online while at work, as well as considering going back to school( <i>paid
for by work for applicable skill sets</i> )to get myself some solid skills,
likely in IT and leadership areas. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">June 1 - Thoughts On Life 'Success'</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Oscar has the right of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I've just been existing for the last ten years, even after I left MMart, and even after I'd written my novel's first draft. My life has been essentially in service of servicing my debts, and that's going to stop soon, one way or another.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Because my life doesn't exist to fund other people's dreams, especially bank CEOs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I've also clung to my own definition of success, tied too closely to material things: a positive bank balance, the dream of home ownership, a newer car that I can watch get rusty as I don't use it much... all that and an aging DVD collection too.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Success, as so many - too many - people define it, is a game of <b>comparatives</b>: that guy has More / Better Stuff than I do, therefore he's a success! No matter that he's just as deeply in debt, despite having a higher income... all we see are the trappings of success, and not its core.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've got too many trappings and no place of my own to keep them, save in storage.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's time to stop talking about my success in the future tense, and start living it instead.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">June 2 - Sit Back and Relax…</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My weekends have been less harried of late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not for a lack of things to do per se... but rather due to my re-evaluation
of the importance of some activities compared to others, such as my
worry-vs-action ratio, which has been quite disproportionate for a few years
now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I spent a good deal of the day testing my shift in rationale by playing <b>FTL</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As some of you may recall, I stopped playing <b>FTL </b>last year because
it was frustrating: a game where you can die easily and often, even on the Easy
setting, was too much for me to take.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, I simply sat back, and watched ship after ship explode in messy
pixels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was cathartic, in some ways: I learned from my mistakes, made better
decisions, and for the most part enjoyed what I learned about the game, while
letting go of the reality of each crew's survival: I won by <i>learning</i>,
not finishing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Food for thought.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was also my mother's birthday today; she's in her 70's, and given her
history of health issues, it's a wonderful gift that she's here with us to
celebrate and is in fairly good health at that!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My parents dropped by to see my sister and I at our place in mid-afternoon,
and we chatted about topics of some import for a while before segueing over
into some reminiscences as is our wont. The three of them left to see the
petting zoo at Beacon Hill Park after 4pm, and when my lady arrived soon
afterwards we joined them there, as the weather had gone from grey to brightly
sunlight and almost warm. There were almost a dozen peacocks strutting around
the area, along with some shaved alpacas<i>(
dorky-looking!</i> )plus ducks in a new small-size duck pond and the usual gaggle
of zany goats with a crowd of people petting them madly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We came back to our place again for dinner, ordering in from <b>ACCIO </b>here
in Victoria, with some scrumptious soups, Thai salads and a chicken sandwich
for me. It was a lovely, relaxed dinner, and my sister spent the rest of the
evening watching movies with my parents while my lady and I did much the same.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">June 3 - Hiatus</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've decided to suspend my blog for the rest of 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, it's both simple and complicated, so...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">THE SHORT VERSION</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why the shutdown?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">With my also leaving FBook, what I've done is to essentially remove myself
from social involvement, save by direct means such as phone or email(<i> or
Skype?</i> )for the rest of 2018. If I'm going to truly use my time to its
fullest, I can't spend 2-4 hours each Sunday rehashing how I'm going to go
about it; I've already done that for the last decade, and it's all still there
if you want, dear reader... an essay a week for ten and a half years is more
than enough to be well-practiced at my writing and planning. I'm due a break
from worrying over the same bones so long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A lack of daily social involvement isn't a </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">bad</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> thing: I'm still
going to be here, doing my day job, and using all my otherwise-free time to now
focus on my writing. With a possible side of small business, if I ever get my
Glowforge picked up... but that's a different headache I'm going to deal with
this summer, I hope.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To summarize: I've essentially got the next seven months to myself, with
interludes for family and my lady love, apart from my current day job... and
looking for a better position at such will also consume some of my now more-sharply-focused
energies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That should be all the distraction-free space I need for 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">THE LONGER VERSION:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now for those among you who are <i>really </i>curious, I'll lay things out
pretty simply, and try to be concise:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm at a crossroads again, and there's no other way to put it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">One path leads me to more mental torture, to a loss of physical health( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">again
</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)and all the negatives that come with those two not-fun things. I can
continue to struggle with my financial burdens( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">which have not lessened
despite all my efforts for the last five years</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> )as I watch myself age
towards a 'retirement' where I have little to look forward to save semi-poverty,
and will likely have severe health problems when I get there. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">'ll keep
plucking( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">not plugging </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">)away at being a writer, finding and losing focus
week to week as I deal with the Money Stress, Work Stress, Health Stress, </span>Inadequate<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> Success Stress, and all the other sundry things that keep me from
being happy often.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The other path? That's what I'm doing for the rest of 2018, and beyond.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Cutting away the distractions, focusing on my writing, and taking steps to
ensure my financial recovery are where I'm at: I'm done pretending that Things
Will Work Out If I Just Keep Working Harder - that way lies the first path
above, and it's not a good one.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hell, the second path isn't ideal either, but I'm <b><i><u>done</u></i></b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Done, as in: I refuse to slide further. I'm digging in, pushing back,
breaking what needs breaking, and letting it all fall away, until I'm left with
what I need and naught else.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How do I know this is the right thing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's happened before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not this EXACT situation, of course... but I know the feeling that these
sorts of decisions engender when their time inevitably arrives:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's an... <i>absence</i> of permutations: a quiet stillness inside me, if
you will.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy18M8_Ew54L5BqjclZnIjzBMzoYzF98Ji8ORRnja-M-EFMgB-0HdWFRVCva8hfT5eIJVi-EVETbP6-gFdN1kra-avYjLghUaKlaQuPmmcTIuIFm0APGo7cQeRvuuack8l9mISoLDW6g/s1600/Voice+Doesnt+Use+Words+-+Rumi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="665" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTy18M8_Ew54L5BqjclZnIjzBMzoYzF98Ji8ORRnja-M-EFMgB-0HdWFRVCva8hfT5eIJVi-EVETbP6-gFdN1kra-avYjLghUaKlaQuPmmcTIuIFm0APGo7cQeRvuuack8l9mISoLDW6g/s320/Voice+Doesnt+Use+Words+-+Rumi.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It means that the buzz of the myriad possibilities has stopped, that all
the permutations have run down to one, and that is the choice that must be
made... and it IS a choice, still: take it, or don't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've also given thought to what this hiatus, and all it entails, means for
my dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Am I giving up on them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m2di6Sj0cTG5sl0PtiDoZTWvqkrZ_xxKjAQuBvnTYOrrjZt1T-kFioaLYwZxTDpsLBBUGWhvpanBUJ8uGU4nr_IwE6jnBTmlmQZqbxCadjtqiU6NYio7G_B_hkefqo9lfOSVx9jZsHw/s1600/Reinvent+dreams.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="447" data-original-width="1156" height="123" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4m2di6Sj0cTG5sl0PtiDoZTWvqkrZ_xxKjAQuBvnTYOrrjZt1T-kFioaLYwZxTDpsLBBUGWhvpanBUJ8uGU4nr_IwE6jnBTmlmQZqbxCadjtqiU6NYio7G_B_hkefqo9lfOSVx9jZsHw/s320/Reinvent+dreams.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">To answer that, I have to point to my tendency to 'be realistic' when it
comes to Hopes and Dreams... and also to recognize that what I Want isn't
necessarily practical... or what I Need.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example, I've shelved the idea of owning a home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yep. Just not going to happen at this point in my life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sure, it's POSSIBLE in the mid-future that I might be earning enough to put
a down payment on a house, but it won't be in Victoria, and it won't be much
bigger than my current apartment anyway, so what's the point? I'd love to
finance a tiny house, but their time hasn't come here yet: the legalities
aren't in place, and neither are the models that my lady and I are willing to
live in, in terms of space vs. functionality - it's either a collapsible
two-storey or nothing( <i>no loft!!!!!</i> )like the one below:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4SBP8nietKRCwT2znMeNhOskXw9qq6AZAT6_eQQwSvqfxc5KMdLtfoK2QQFTzkcq0dre71dND5-wg59pImiE1jv6n8w2MnZ-kCy6Q0XL7qn1N-98IA_1cqWQOhLehR-wCXH7hi1KSgA/s1600/Green+Terra+Homes+-+The+Regulus+PERFECT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1217" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim4SBP8nietKRCwT2znMeNhOskXw9qq6AZAT6_eQQwSvqfxc5KMdLtfoK2QQFTzkcq0dre71dND5-wg59pImiE1jv6n8w2MnZ-kCy6Q0XL7qn1N-98IA_1cqWQOhLehR-wCXH7hi1KSgA/s320/Green+Terra+Homes+-+The+Regulus+PERFECT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I also don't have the money to do anything: no vacations, no badly-needed
computer upgrades, no savings for a rainy day... all the usual bits and pieces
of normalcy that most people take for granted, I've been picking at piecemeal
for far too long, and the stress of that has been telling on me, as I've said
in this very blog.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aD840jihFY-sxSAXGF62-TX59MzFHFEVe5y8Ak3deLy1tZdjUE6yX9cL2O4xv0CMxXaoykLd9e-Xo7yuQi3C9rEFQSvUrDQj8Z9CEhPQaHE7fHbstoSMZMXcvYGsrFhkFqYZ-YxXEV8/s1600/Focus+-+Meaning+Of.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="576" data-original-width="720" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8aD840jihFY-sxSAXGF62-TX59MzFHFEVe5y8Ak3deLy1tZdjUE6yX9cL2O4xv0CMxXaoykLd9e-Xo7yuQi3C9rEFQSvUrDQj8Z9CEhPQaHE7fHbstoSMZMXcvYGsrFhkFqYZ-YxXEV8/s320/Focus+-+Meaning+Of.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's time for simplification to effect big changes, and I need the space to
make that kind of focus happen. My writing's got to come first, as it's been tenuous for
years now: the Flow state has been a slippery, elusive thing hemmed in by a
lack of energy from multiple distractions and poor health, and I just can't
continue on that path.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm done: time to make a bridge to cross the chasm of the future on my own
two feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If you want to say hello once in a while in the coming months, feel free to
drop me an email, and if for whatever reason you don't have that or my phone#
any more, send me a missive via FBook Messenger, which I'll check in on weekly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Check this space again in the new year, and we'll catch up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks for stopping by; I'll likely see you all again online sooner than
you think if the stars align for me just right. Cheers!</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-80368683064599919632018-05-27T20:14:00.002-07:002018-05-27T21:07:42.479-07:00Contests, Crazy Climate People, Contemplations and Consider Phlebas<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T<i>he word of the week is
dephlogisticate.</i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 21 - Climate Crazies</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Social media can cause brain
rot, did you know?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Let me rephrase that
slightly: social media allows people with brain rot to infect others, and I've
seen too many examples of it in the last few years myself.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm not talking about the
typically stupid comments, or the misspelled / poorly thought-out ones... or
even the too-easily-passed-on viral memes that generally get everything wrong
when it comes to facts and truth. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No, what I'm talking about
is this:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqtpRu8czeyXCD17GVqo_D_tlQJFOJln1PM72L89ZDm4aQTyG5QcY6QO1K2FLMqNK3YcO_jk7STrAT6O5pGK6JHkaV7fL3xp20eJ077V8sUt7xuj1L0szEltqS5ONnsLddxX-Ydt1qfQ/s1600/Nicky+V+-+Conservative+Cyberstalking+Ahole+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="631" data-original-width="633" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtqtpRu8czeyXCD17GVqo_D_tlQJFOJln1PM72L89ZDm4aQTyG5QcY6QO1K2FLMqNK3YcO_jk7STrAT6O5pGK6JHkaV7fL3xp20eJ077V8sUt7xuj1L0szEltqS5ONnsLddxX-Ydt1qfQ/s320/Nicky+V+-+Conservative+Cyberstalking+Ahole+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was a response posted
to a friend's comment regarding climate change, a comment that included proven
scientific facts, links to said facts, and was made in a reasonable,
non-confrontational manner. My friend, like me, locks down his FBook account's
privacy for when we run into folks like Nicky...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;" tiney="true">As you can see, some people
don't like having their opinions questioned - why let <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/7-answers-to-climate-contrarian-nonsense/">facts</a> get in the way of a smug sense of self-righteousness that dovetails nicely into your belief system?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which really, is all it is:
opinions, mashed up with biases and in Nicky's instance, a bad case of My
Personal Experience Trumps Every Climate Expert's Evidence. Nicky states his
work at a telecom company for decades as well as a media company, plus some
'climate-related' college courses and as a researcher for 'over-educated Ph.D
'idiots' ( <i>note he doesn't say in <b>what </b>field </i>)somehow qualifies
him as a 'climate expert' - and things devolve from there.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What I find scary is how
Nicky then <i>immediately </i>proceeds to show his true colours as a rabid
Conservative anti-communist, right-wing monster who's comfortable threatening
total strangers over the internet:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w_A9NyPb8CX2_m2nc2Ip6rcoxHUQnPLac4SErmb7AqUOqe5xHBJ0zqvzk55z_hEaYVVD3HYiGdZnr0expcjLNFKREhOHbW4XXWW7y2HJ_TWPqqA-Tloq_RiBFRt-taOCQq2yXSil1no/s1600/Nicky+V+-+Conservative+Cyberstalking+Ahole.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="633" data-original-width="667" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5w_A9NyPb8CX2_m2nc2Ip6rcoxHUQnPLac4SErmb7AqUOqe5xHBJ0zqvzk55z_hEaYVVD3HYiGdZnr0expcjLNFKREhOHbW4XXWW7y2HJ_TWPqqA-Tloq_RiBFRt-taOCQq2yXSil1no/s320/Nicky+V+-+Conservative+Cyberstalking+Ahole.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">These kinds of people are
resistant to facts, reason and decency... which they will immediately refute
and twist into a narrative that supports their biased worldview, looking for
support from other echo-chambers on the internet that have blossomed in the
last decade with the advent of easy-access sites like FBook.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They're loud, organized and
fearless of authority due to <b>online anonymity</b>, because their belief that
THEIR worldview is 'right' in the face of every measurable fact that people
point out... all because they're afraid. They're cowards, and it's telling that
Nicky's frustration with my friend's ability to mask his <b>own </b>identity
caused such a vehement response.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet the rest of us have to
stand up against such people, to let them know in no uncertain terms that their
twisted worldview, of 'alternative facts' and all the rest of the associated
fear-based garbage, isn't going to be the norm.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because a world like that
isn't worth living in.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 22 - <i>Lost In Space</i></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tonight I finished watching
the new <i>LiS </i>Netflix series... meh.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No spoilers below, just my
opinion... and feel free to question it!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It just didn't grab me, and
for most of the episodes, I fast-forwarded through most of the character
interactions( <i>much like I did with <b>The Mist</b> series a few years ago</i>
)as I found them uninteresting and flat: same old contrived drama.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It also annoyed me that the
series 'beats' felt off: I kept catching myself saying "But why didn't
they just...?" and "Okay, that's enough time staring, the ship is
falling apart...!" and so forth. I'm no director, but things could have
been tighter, as well as better-written, especially if these are Earth's
"best and brightest" being sent out into the universe to colonize.
Even the main backstory was convoluted and somewhat confusing: rather than
coming as a revelation, it came as more of a "Oh, so that's what
happened... cool, I guess" which isn't impactful at all.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I did like some things in
the series though.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;" tiney="true">The special effects were
top-rate and relevant to driving the story, rather than the other way 'round.
The sets and physical props were incredible: full points for these for believability
and detail, especially the land vehicles( <i>though what's with the doors? </i>)and
the Robot suit:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2NrQ7XN7njmbBYtk0nCEkOPia-fa9KwECTLBipwqSMBpfKxI9KVVIWa85y6tCBy6gAyHq79XnJmZENRMj-Zm0KXZwbM3PNvWZ6htnyZFVd2QYBQRpMZdgm_o0soe9LxrIddkdW8slM0/s1600/Lost+in+Space+2018+banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="660" data-original-width="1170" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2NrQ7XN7njmbBYtk0nCEkOPia-fa9KwECTLBipwqSMBpfKxI9KVVIWa85y6tCBy6gAyHq79XnJmZENRMj-Zm0KXZwbM3PNvWZ6htnyZFVd2QYBQRpMZdgm_o0soe9LxrIddkdW8slM0/s320/Lost+in+Space+2018+banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Speaking of robots: the
relationship between Wil Robinson and the Robot was what made the show work.
They had a dynamic that was fun to watch, believable and emotional, which is
hard to do with a faceless creature with no voice. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That's about all I liked;
the hokey human drama I could take or leave, as it was just People Being People
In Space, which did nothing for the story but it wasn't nearly as unbearable as
it was in <i>The Mist</i>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Overall, I'd watch it again
just for the visuals, maybe with a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000"><i>Mystery Science Theatre 3000</i></a> or 'Bad
Lip Reading' audio track instead, for added fun.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 23 - Phoenix 2013</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Five years ago, I left home
and came back a different person.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While my present
circumstances haven't changed all that much since, my self certainly has: I've
left burdens behind, got a job, and found love.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That's pretty good, in my
view of things.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In May of 2013, I'd been at
a new job for a few months after being unemployed for over a year, and I was
feeling upbeat: I'd just finished writing the second draft of my novel six months
prior, and was fleshing out the next two books quite nicely. My sister and I had
been in our current place a year, and while my finances weren't good, I wasn't
at the penny-pinching point yet, so... optimism still held.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs1ujvoY02pvLEY8rvROq1IeJ02lhDjsrDdQuzTjaJ9xMsiaoCHKkrYaUr5eY4nIGmG1iPX08y8Yj4VsAlk90JEi_hAh62i_8RbWmPyChez1Xi93OR5ooJPx54T3ijnY8uq73ckVqAPc/s1600/Phoenix+AZ+retrospective+banner+pic+-+2+years+later.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="658" data-original-width="1600" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcs1ujvoY02pvLEY8rvROq1IeJ02lhDjsrDdQuzTjaJ9xMsiaoCHKkrYaUr5eY4nIGmG1iPX08y8Yj4VsAlk90JEi_hAh62i_8RbWmPyChez1Xi93OR5ooJPx54T3ijnY8uq73ckVqAPc/s320/Phoenix+AZ+retrospective+banner+pic+-+2+years+later.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaning I could scrape
together the funds to get myself to Phoenix AZ to make the 20th Anniversary
gathering for <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/5985727/the-strange-secret-evolution-of-babylon-5"><i>Babylon 5</i></a>... and even though I had nothing but change to my name
when I made it back, with heatstroke, a few days later, it had still been worth
the trip! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The major takeaway from my
AZ trip is noted <a href="https://soronos.blogspot.ca/2013/05/phoenix-comicon.html">here</a>, in the blog entry for that week, and I mention a bit
more at the end of this week's blog too - see below.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking back, I wish I could
view things from a better place in terms of finances, writing career and
employment... but I'm still alive and still improving myself, so there's not
much more I can ask for that I don't have to work towards myself.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No such thing as a free
lunch in this world, but man, some coupons would be nice...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 24 - Glurb...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oof, where did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> come from?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A little after lunch today,
my spirits took a nosedive out of nowhere.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Of a sudden, it hit me that
I was trapped, like Andy in his cell from <i>The Shawshank Redemption</i>. The
metaphor smacked me upside the face with its imagery: my dreams were the poster
on his cell wall, behind which I was scratching with my Persistent Hammer at
the hard Concrete Of Reality, chipping away a tunnel I could escape in, once I
reached... </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The sewer?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The metaphor kinda failed at
that point, but the feeling stuck with me: I'm trapped in a place where no
matter what I do, there's no way out, and the universe keeps me there so it can
laugh at all my efforts to break out.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Or something.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sure, it's only a
metaphor... but man, that feeling wouldn't let go of me. Good thing all I had
to do today was see to the mail and stuff envelopes...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Like every other day this
year.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By bedtime, the emotional jacuzzi
timer had run out, and I was feeling more balanced. A thought remained though,
as I drifted off to sleep:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How long will I keep using
the hammer, or should I find some dynamite? </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 25 - A long time ago...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm struggling this week,
but it's okay:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've been here before.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The difference this time is
not only do I recognize how I'm feeling and why, but that I know it will
pass... because to dwell is to diminish, not grow.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Life is struggle: it's
messy, mind-breaking and monotonous sometimes... but you have to keep going,
never give up, because life doesn't care if you do.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most people won't either;
they're too busy getting their own mess(es) in order.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm <b>lucky </b>to have the
friends and family I do: so many of them support me in my writing, are writers
themselves, or otherwise are people that I look up to and use the best parts of
as examples to better myself when I'm feeling... fractured.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;" tiney="true">Situationally, sure, things
could be better for me, but considering what's happened to me in the last five
years, they could have turned out far, far worse: I'm still relatively healthy,
I've found love, I'm in charge of my own life, and fairly well convinced that
I'm a writer whose skills can be honed to where I can make a living doing it.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All else is distraction.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I could toss in the towel
financially tomorrow, but I don't have to, not yet: I'm still holding on. I
could give up trying to get a better position in the government... but not yet:
I've only had a few dozen rejections in two years, and I'm going to intensify
my applications even further. Though I suspect that beyond that, I'll have to
consider mid-life retraining as a necessary step to a better position, either
that or leaving for the private sector with a flipped bird for the wasted time.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll leave mentioning my
stalled GlowForge business for another time, along with hopes of getting a home
of my own in this ever-more-pricey small-sized city.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway, I'm done for now,
and I'll leave you with this reminder to keep one's chin up:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gw2vSyKYe0Q" width="560"></iframe><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 26 - We Might've Won...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today started out <b>messy</b>!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My sister ended up needing
to get somewhere <b>quickly</b>, but as we no longer have use of a car( <i>and can't
even budget a cab right now </i>)this was a problem! Thankfully, my wonderful
girlfriend was able to drive her on short notice, after all sorts of convoluted
navigational updates by text from me at home to my sister, whose Google Maps
decided to take the day off - whew!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After that, my lady and I
headed over the new non-blue bridge to Esquimalt, where we put in our ballots
for prizes at a local car-lot event: it was worth entering, as the main prize
was a new car! I'd already entered online earlier in the week but not been
drawn for 1 of the 5 total 'maybe-it-starts' keys; the odds of that draw were a
low 1-in-100, and as only about 50 people showed up at the event for the last
key-draw, the odds were even better!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="476" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FVictoriaPropertyGroup%2Fvideos%2F2098724123733788%2F&show_text=0&width=267" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="267"></iframe></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We went to lunch at
<b>Spinnakers </b>while we were waiting... and ended up having to walk back for the
draw at 1pm as our food was inexplicably delayed( <i>we told them to hold our
table </i>). We made it back in time for the draw with two minutes to spare,
and we were both excited at the possibility of winning some of the decent
selection of prizes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But, the draw was made...
and neither of us got a key. Or any of the other prizes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So, we didn't win anything,
but it was a fun to try on a nice day, and the odds were certainly in our
favour!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once we were back at
Spinnakers, we settled into our still-reserved table and ordered two beers...
and were told that it'd be a wait until our food was ready, as they were making
it <i>again </i>to ensure it was fresh - impressive! Our server was extremely
attentive too, even bringing out a sample of the daily soup for each of us when
we'd first say down: big points!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While we were waiting, and
with beers in hand, my lady and I fell into a discussion of what I've been
feeling this week, as I noted earlier above. I managed to express myself
clearly without too much wingeing, and we delved deep into the meaning of my
mental melancholy for a good hour... by the end of which I felt better, and she
felt that we'd had a deeper discussion than she'd expected: win-win!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once I was back home, I read
for a bit, then had to spend the rest of the evening laying in bed with a cool
cloth on my head, as a migraine had jumped me out of nowhere - probably related
to eyestrain again, as it was on the right side of my head. Fortunately, by
spending hours just resting, it had <i>mostly </i>faded by bedtime.</span></div>
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<b><u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Special Note:</span></u></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Five years ago tonight, I
was sitting in a hotel lobby in Arizona, typing like mad on a tablet keyboard
with tears in my eyes.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'd just come out of the <b>Babylon
5 20th Anniversary Reunion, </b>and I was a hot <i>mess</i>.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After finding a table to sit
at next to some gamers, I poured out my heart in what I later realized was my
first experience of creative, and cathartic, writing Flow in many years. I
blasted out the words nonstop, and thirty minutes later I had over 2200 of them
on the screen as I wiped my eyes and ignored the stares I was getting - people
probably thought I'd just broken up with someone, and I had:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My old self, the one
carrying so many burdens. I won't post that piece here, as it's pinned in my private FBook group, but I will show this snippet, which applies today as much as it did back when I wrote it:</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was love that brought me here, chose my path for me, bound me in my duty to my family and forged the links with the so many friends that I feel so fortunate to have in my life. Duty kept me on my path, stubbornness kept my mind focused instead of fractured, and fate - fickle as always - tossed me hints all along my journey of years that each setback was but a moment in the constant tick of time. Moments to learn from, to draw strength and courage from and to move on towards that then-unknowable grey future that contained humbling hints of light. Love was there too, waiting, never leaving. </span></blockquote>
</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span>
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That was life-changing for
me, and the picture below shows it, as I look younger than I had for many
years, with the pinched lines around my nose and eyes GONE in an instant:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Tj05K_7tTl0RKPGW4BS0zlf4JWXxWqcikICYYcej2jVujBJ-IOEjYyrGG5CqrxvdUmyP47Vvr0So_DH5L3dqfU3Xe3GyamfSFZzn5MYgx6rhjrqaNCrHg6zsuVLmQ0GpLtWqPHINluE/s1600/No+more+lines+after+AZ+May+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="542" data-original-width="578" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6Tj05K_7tTl0RKPGW4BS0zlf4JWXxWqcikICYYcej2jVujBJ-IOEjYyrGG5CqrxvdUmyP47Vvr0So_DH5L3dqfU3Xe3GyamfSFZzn5MYgx6rhjrqaNCrHg6zsuVLmQ0GpLtWqPHINluE/s320/No+more+lines+after+AZ+May+2013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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It's still been a rough ride health-wise since then, but seeing what's possible when your life gets itself together makes riding those rough patches a little easier.<br />
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 27 - It's a... <i>market</i>?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today was block party day in
my area!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From 8am to 8pm, a
four-block section of Cook St was closed to traffic down in Cook Street Village
and lined with stalls for all sorts of vendors and exhibitors:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMxr582B1s6yuOGRNxIYJmtZJ_CkGmKO5Pw8nFglfhYCSgewW6zi1_yckAXby_qsP13C71dOfUBFpP3esUfHLgxC9jM97vdg6VGQUm1jx1roUff-hWoLB5bjxGCJ4kqp8-fygNbgyMkY/s1600/IMG_20180527_103709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="1600" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXMxr582B1s6yuOGRNxIYJmtZJ_CkGmKO5Pw8nFglfhYCSgewW6zi1_yckAXby_qsP13C71dOfUBFpP3esUfHLgxC9jM97vdg6VGQUm1jx1roUff-hWoLB5bjxGCJ4kqp8-fygNbgyMkY/s320/IMG_20180527_103709.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My lady and I headed down
for breakfast at Bubby's Kitchen around 9:30am, and our fave server there
slipped us two free cookies as we left, she was so glad to see us again after
our long absence!</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We walked the length of the
block party, and were sadly underwhelmed: the live music was still getting set
up well after 10am, there were no performers in the crowd, and to all
appearances it was just a different form of Sunday market. We hope that next
year things will be better in their second iteration, as we didn't bother to
stay long despite the growing crowd, as there was little of interest to us.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Heading downtown, we settled
into Union Pacific Coffee on their back patio to play some boardgames in the
perfect temperatures( <i>and cloudless blue skies! </i>). A few minutes after
we'd settled in, a table of young women sat down next to us... and had soon disabused
both my lady and I of the idea that one needs insight <i>and</i> intelligence
to get through life, through the conversations we overheard and soon tried
mightily to ignore...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was nothing but inane
commentary: chewing over why they'd bothered to stay friends with certain
people, the complexities of paying mortgages and moving money around with only
their husband working, splitting the costs of weddings with their parents,
having too many bridesmaids and their unwelcome boyfriends attending... on and
on, and not a shred of substance. It was like listening to a third-rate soap
opera, with the accompanying bad dialogue<i>( one girl used 'cray-cray' = crazy
repeatedly that grated on my ear</i> ) and I honestly don't know how people can
live lives so mindlessly devoid of self-reflection or independent direction
from societal expectations: job, marriage, mortgage, social obligations, and
nothing else.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Honestly, while observation
and overheard conversations are usually the bread and butter of writers, I had
to wonder if in this case I'd stepped into a pocket universe where pedantic
laws had run wild... *sigh* No good material whatsoever.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My lady and I stayed for
over an hour, but headed out when it became obvious that the other table just
wasn't going anywhere( <i>on many levels</i> )to wander a bit in Chinatown's
shops, which refreshed both of us somewhat.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After that, we went our
separate ways, and I headed home to alternate my afternoon between blogging
bits and allowing my eyes some rest with some light reading of <i>Consider Phlebas
</i>by Ian M. Banks, the next novel in my ever-growing stack of Culture books.I ended up writing a longer than usual blog entry tonight at over 3000 words, which shows I've got a lot on my mind and it's got nowhere to go save out through my fingers on the keyboard...</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Good thing I've got the skills to get them down the way they need to be, now. </span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, it's been a struggle
this week to not feel sorry for myself: while I know I have to acknowledge
those emotions, I know it's a waste of time to STAY in that place, instead of
using them as motivation to improve my life. </span></i><span lang="EN" style="mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></div>
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<![endif]-->Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-45355997181057822122018-05-20T20:30:00.003-07:002018-05-20T20:34:38.527-07:00Reflection, Rejection and Really Awful Reboots<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>The word of the week is repudiation.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 14 - Thrice Happy</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today was an incredible anniversary: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Three years ago, I had my first date with the most amazing, awesome and
astounding woman I've ever imagined I might fall in love with.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Three of the <b>best </b>years in my life, no comparison, and also the <i>happiest</i>
- by a mile!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We went to dinner at <a href="http://www.pizzeriaprimastrada.com/">Pizzeria Prima Strada</a>, just down the road, and
managed( <i>thanks to my sister! </i>)to get a quiet table in the back. My lady
and I enjoyed our dinner uninterrupted, and as you can see, my pizza was WOW:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pizza, Peter and Pretty Lady, and... not pizza?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Afterwards, we went down to Moka House to relax a bit more on the patio,
and play the new boardgame my lady had thoughtfully got me as a gift for our
anniversary. It's called </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Battlesheep</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, it's fun and fast and definitely
doesn't resemble a pizza at all in the image above; a perfect gift we both will
enjoy.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The evening ended too soon, as we both had to work in the morning, and I
will say it again: I consider myself a lucky, <i>lucky </i>man to have my lady
love in my life!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 15 - We've been here <i>how</i> long?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hard to believe, but it's been six years since I last moved.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That's somewhat of a record; though I don't have exact records to consult,
mind you, I think the longest I've ever lived in one place was seven years, and
that was my last place in ON before I moved out to BC.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think we've done extremely well here in Victoria. Even though just today
I received a notice that our rent will increase again this September, it's
still many hundreds less than a comparably-sized place fetches on the current
market. This is what our place looked like six years ago when my sister and I
moved in<i>( and hasn't changed much, save half the books are now safely being
held at my parent's place</i> ):<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMQbk7oD4vArxRcHydIO0ZbdW5evGlh23rJDh1qc5oUzAzcVEq_ebIWy1ZNWezMsgCJAjtCOtXYOh0MHP-APcLu27_8iD82V4XFgB0POk-9iW7Lg4f0lofiF60LFRnjIYRfE345gwiDw/s1600/New+Apartment+Pics+-+2012+to+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="679" data-original-width="1577" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbMQbk7oD4vArxRcHydIO0ZbdW5evGlh23rJDh1qc5oUzAzcVEq_ebIWy1ZNWezMsgCJAjtCOtXYOh0MHP-APcLu27_8iD82V4XFgB0POk-9iW7Lg4f0lofiF60LFRnjIYRfE345gwiDw/s320/New+Apartment+Pics+-+2012+to+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two bedrooms, 1000 sq.ft and a dishwasher: perfect!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's an excellent location, and even though I grit my teeth at the dozens( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">weekends:
<b>hundreds </b></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)of motor cycles that rumble by the windows from spring to
fall, it's still a 9/10 for me, and would be a 10/10 if it was even a block
back from the main road, instead of being just twenty feet from the 4-lane main
road.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think we'll be here a while longer, at least until I manage to get a jump
in job status and the rental market sorts itself out to saner prices in a
couple of years...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBvJmRBYdTBRiOy99m5KaaOTF7Lzz24cUpv4ATlAiWXEHvY69LgJl222uOBXFQMMGKBfN5rUUpJlZgyzlnduRfOfgo8V7giSxeOwbbVXtrdWzI7Tzau80RGDVTxcqZNAgHXKMPt4sQQM/s1600/Huawei+P20+and+P20+Pro+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="690" data-original-width="1086" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEBvJmRBYdTBRiOy99m5KaaOTF7Lzz24cUpv4ATlAiWXEHvY69LgJl222uOBXFQMMGKBfN5rUUpJlZgyzlnduRfOfgo8V7giSxeOwbbVXtrdWzI7Tzau80RGDVTxcqZNAgHXKMPt4sQQM/s320/Huawei+P20+and+P20+Pro+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Damn, those are pretty... and the Pro has -3- camera lenses!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On a side note, I turned down the offer of a new phone from Telus today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I got a call last week from a sales rep, eager to sell me a new phone
upgrade "at no cost!" which rang alarm bells... and so I did a little
research over the weekend on the excellent phone we were discussing, the Huawei
P20( <i>not the P20 Pro, which at $250 up front, wasn't a "no cost"
phone </i>). Unsurprisingly, when I called regular-Telus to ask, I was told
that my monthly plan would DOUBLE in price in order to 'qualify' for the
"no cost" phone payment option... meaning that it would cost me an <i>additional
</i><b>$1560 </b>over two years!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yeah, <b>no thanks</b>, sly sales rep: I'll keep my $60/10gb monthly plan
for a while longer, while I search for a phone to buy outright - probably used.
I'd love to have a new Huawei P20 Pro or the just-released <a href="https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/05/16/oneplus-6-canadian-specs-pricing-availability/">OnePlus 6</a>, but given
that they're both in the $700+ CAN range and my budget's around 1/5 of that...
<i>not </i>going to happen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The search continues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 16 - Rejected</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today was the day: the Live Slush Reading of my first novel!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not just mine, but 14 others, including one from my critique group <i>and </i>another
from the writing group. Suffice to say, I was excited to get up today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The first batch was read at 7am PST, and none of the three of us were in
it... bummer. It was interesting and informative to watch though, and I took
copious notes about little things I hadn't seen in the last few years of
writing research, specific to submissions made to publishers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The second batch went live at 10am PST, and I popped it on at work...
despite being told just this morning that "it wasn't fair" to other
people in the office that I was allowed to watch YouTube videos while doing my
job, and they couldn't( <i>even on my personal cell phone </i>). It couldn't
last forever, I guess. Anyway...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The video passed the hour-long mark and <b>finally</b>, my book was up!
I've tagged the video below to start at my reading( <i>you can watch the <b>full
</b>first video <a href="https://youtu.be/wxbc6QoJ9zY">here</a> and the second <a href="https://youtu.be/ZDv_7Pmo3Ag">here</a> </i>):</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZDv_7Pmo3Ag?start=3678" width="560"></iframe></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Right - did you watch it?</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">the results I was hoping for, and to be honest I was rather despondent for
a few hours afterwards today... all that hard work blown in a mere 13 minutes,
and the irony of <b>that particular </b>number isn't lost on me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, my incredible girlfriend met me for dinner right after work, and I
was able to talk through things with her. She did mention that she thought it
bad luck that my entry was at the very end of the second session, when the
editors were both tired and grumpy( <i>they even say so themselves in the video
</i>)and that affected their ability to 'get' my book's introduction. *sigh*<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There's still quite a few positives to take away from today's session, not
the least of which is that it's <b>not '</b>official' yet: the publisher <i>may
</i>still be reading through all of the submissions, as their followup email
wasn't specific about how they'd treat any of the 'we will pass on it' </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">submissions:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gkc7xHyx4N_sagq4BEzjI9WzwTLa4rd2dYgvKNtKSPGJVZw-R54JOU4jvciTB1Z-vP5PnKnNPGA8CuxW-dzCrFM7Eywi6thG3_N7smCUib9fNpJ79kscr1yMYoGM2a2gJxyV2Rvcr6w/s1600/Gray+-+followup+Slush+Session+email.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="729" data-original-width="1600" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gkc7xHyx4N_sagq4BEzjI9WzwTLa4rd2dYgvKNtKSPGJVZw-R54JOU4jvciTB1Z-vP5PnKnNPGA8CuxW-dzCrFM7Eywi6thG3_N7smCUib9fNpJ79kscr1yMYoGM2a2gJxyV2Rvcr6w/s320/Gray+-+followup+Slush+Session+email.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the meantime, it's back to work: making the current draft better with <i>more
</i>editing and by incorporating things learned from today's downer. At least I
didn't have to wait 9-12 months for a form rejection letter with no feedback!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 17 - In The Market!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This post is specifically designed to make myself feel better:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Scifi is <i>hot</i> these days!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From movies to TV to NetFlix to books and comics and all things media, the
scifi market keeps heating up, which gives me hope that my own work will find a
home. Given that I consume a fair bit of the scifi that's out there, I can say
honestly that it surprises me that a good deal of it gets published in various
forms, given the questionable quality of the product...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">David Gerrold</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, writer of Star Trek fame with more than fifty years experience in the
book and TV fields, has some <a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/10214491817821569">excellent insight</a> on the current hot state of
scifi:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So ... in answer to a question that wasn't asked recently, but still needs
to be answered.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yes, Netflix and Amazon are both aggressively seeking science fiction
properties to develop. Other networks are also looking for properties.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is good news for SF authors with successful books and series. It's
good news for the genre. It's good news for the industry too, because a lot of
good people will get to go to work. And yes, some people are going to make some
money — that's always good too.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To sell a series, first you need a buyer who's interested. As per above, we
now know that Netflix and Amazon are interested markets. Possibly a few others.
So let's move on to step two.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You need an agent to put the property in front of a buyer. If the
studio/network likes the property enough, they'll offer an option. Low-ball is
$5K. But if the property is a cult classic or a best-seller, the numbers go up.
Generally a good price for an option is $25K or higher.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But the option only gives them the right to hold onto the property until
they buy it. If they buy it — well, that will likely be six figures, sometimes
seven.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, if you're just a person who sits alone in a room and writes books and
stories, if you have little or no experience in the industry, you have no real
power. The best you'll get is a nice check and a credit as "Executive
Producer." You might get a few meetings. You might get to visit the set.
You might even get invited to the premiere screenings. But once you sell the
property, it's not yours anymore, it's theirs.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So to impress a studio/network, you're going to have to spend some serious
effort putting all the pieces together.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here's the bad news. No matter how good you think your project is — you're
still competing with hundreds of other wannabes and aspirants and a lot of
producers and show-runners with impeccable credits. You have to have something
that no one else has, something so unusual or so compelling or simply so well
established in another medium that the network/studio will see the immediate
value in owning it.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Science fiction and fantasy projects are expensive, but when they click,
they click big. Game Of Thrones, Harry Potter, Marvel, Star Wars, Star Trek —
they turn into franchises.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One last thought. Generally, it's a bad idea to chase the market. If a
vampire movie hits big, everybody is going to want to do a vampire movie. By
the time your agent gets to the studio or network, they'll probably already
have options on three other properties. Unless you have a best-seller, they'll
pass.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The trick is to be in the right place at the right time with the right
property. That's not as hard as it sounds. It only requires a lamp and a genie.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So really, it's
about not wasting time: I have to make my first novel the best it can be sans
expensive-can't-afford'it editing, and send it out to agents, who will take
things from there. That's their job, which gives me more time to write. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because I have
1.5 more books to finish, and scifi won't stay hot <i>forever</i>.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 18 - Eyes and <i>Deadpool 2</i>!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Man, what a PACKED day off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Up early for my last swim at the Empress( <i>back to the old pool next week</i>
)then breakfast, then a 9am appointment with my family doctor( <i>for my
eyestrain </i>)and <i>then</i> visiting / driving my parents around on errands
- whew!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Incredibly, I got a call before noon from an opthamologist( <i>the reason
for my morning appointment was a referral</i> ): could I come in today at 3pm?
I called them back and said HECK yes, because I didn't want to wait 4-6 months!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the appointment, it took 1.5 hours until I actually saw the specialist,
as I spent most of that time waiting after some initial standard eye tests,
though thankfully no pupil dilations were necessary( <i>more on that later </i>).
The doctor put some coloured drops in my eyes and after a short examination, declared
that I had extremely dry eyes: my 'eye lake' as he called it, was nearly non-existent.
Yikes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Otherwise, my eyes were fine, and so I was sent away with some eyedrop
samplers to use 3-4 times a day... and hope that they do the trick!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then it was home, where I ended up having a <b>great </b>Skype call with a
friend back in ON that I hadn't 'spoken' to in a many years, though we interact
on FBook: fun! Another 1.5 hours had passed before I knew it, and then it was
movie time!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcZUwnWfc6O67UT4ro3jpYC9-Vx-TQY01Ji3yS70Py2eHkVDEeiNO-09viGbTHvTrcjMw4rjKr3Xzeg-weDqvDEEsQZ7zsG3uDrnQvsR5pnu4pnuB7WqlF2kZI3RMcdf-Kwz3GbWl2ew/s1600/Deadpool+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUcZUwnWfc6O67UT4ro3jpYC9-Vx-TQY01Ji3yS70Py2eHkVDEeiNO-09viGbTHvTrcjMw4rjKr3Xzeg-weDqvDEEsQZ7zsG3uDrnQvsR5pnu4pnuB7WqlF2kZI3RMcdf-Kwz3GbWl2ew/s320/Deadpool+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">SPOILERS-ish BELOW!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll try to be brief: I loved <i>Deadpool2</i>, even though it had plot
issues - which it actually called out itself several times during the film,
totally in keeping with breaking the fourth wall.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The movie was hilarious, incredibly self-away, stylishly filmed with
supportive CGI and solid casting. Ryan Reynolds was spot-on as the titular Merc
With The Mouth for his second round on the screen, and Josh Brolin as Cable was
an inspired casting: all through the film he seemed like he was on the edge of
laughing, but it only showed as a tiny facial quirk now and then, as he and
Reynolds had incredibly good chemistry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sure, the plot didn't make sense in many different ways( <i>logic? who
needs it? </i>)but the overall story went from A to B in a breathless rush of
fun and frolic that dragged the audience along screaming and laughing the
entire way. Fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">All in all, I found it an exhausting movie, a word I rarely use when
describing entertainment that I'm not physically involved in. The sheer number
of pop culture references, jokes, visual gags and non-stop action meant that
it's highly rewatchable just to CATCH everything by the third or fourth
viewing... but that <i>also </i>means there's no 'pause for breath' as you
watch: it's a freakin' whirlwind!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Best of all, my lady, along with our friend Michael, had three of the best
reclining seats in the house and my eyes(<i> thanks to sunglasses </i>)gave
nary a tweak the whole time. Mind you, I got home well after midnight, so I was
damn tired... but my face ached a bit from smiling so much, not just because:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">They played an ENYA song at a critical spot!!! So: <i>Deadpool2</i> FTW!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 19 - Thunder<i>WHAT</i>?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As many of you know, I'm a huge old-school Saturday Morning cartoon fan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There's a few dozen shows that I recall with great fondness, and easily
twice that which I recall having watched and enjoyed for what they were, so I
lament nowadays that Saturday mornings are no different for kids TV-wise than
any other day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Every few years, one or two of my favourite old shows will get bandied
about for a reboot, mostly with mixed results: nostalgia can be a pain to
overcome, when fans want the <b>impossible </b>duality of Same As The Old Show <b><i>and
</i></b>Something New And Exiting... such as the <i>Thundercats</i>
2011 reboot, which straddled that line rather well, but still didn't catch on
with fans: a shame.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today, a <a href="http://comicbook.com/tv-shows/2018/05/18/thundercats-roar-announced-cartoon-network/">new version</a> of <i>Thundercats</i>
was revealed:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/afaithTQSaI" width="560"></iframe></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fan reaction was... less than pleased. On the official announcement trailer
above, there's 1.2K thumbs-up... and over 20K negatives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Ouch. Like I said: nostalgia's a pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll still give the show a try when it comes out( <i>unlike the godawful
ReBoot reboot from a few months ago</i> )just to see if it's a fun watch for a
few laughs. After all, there were shrieks from fans when Battlestar Galactica
was rebooted in the early 2000's with a <i>woman </i>as Starbuck... so yeah,
fans can be testy idiots.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As always, one has to recharge of a day, and today was perfect for my go-to
Tea On A Patio In Sunshine:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi947J9Sl3VxTPiNvkBYryGpGjAc2HoLCa4RDvmTUQT9AoN_c_h1DGF-tYUa8L08YnbYwIDGZ32Gm7i6-hSGpHEUWI9yaM7hjdpRpN2hUMQDORxgNtkIjAFU9DwieiFCH6Lpcjp7o4DTIc/s1600/20180519_153426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi947J9Sl3VxTPiNvkBYryGpGjAc2HoLCa4RDvmTUQT9AoN_c_h1DGF-tYUa8L08YnbYwIDGZ32Gm7i6-hSGpHEUWI9yaM7hjdpRpN2hUMQDORxgNtkIjAFU9DwieiFCH6Lpcjp7o4DTIc/s320/20180519_153426.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As you can see from the image above, I don't ask for much: tea, a snack, a
good book and a quiet-ish place to read it does me fine, as evidenced by many
such same pictures I've posted over the years on this very blog. Having my Zik
headphones helps immensely though, as they block out most of the louder nearby
conversations, and the incessant blatting roar of motorcycles on Cook St.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The sounds of summer suck sometimes, but that's why there's <i>books</i>! And headphones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 20 - Small Successes</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Life's messy, but that's okay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Take today, for example: I woke up with a few ideas in mind of things to
accomplish, got some of them done along with relaxing while reading,
blog-writing, popping out for a few hours for poetry, and having dinner
afterwards with my lady.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Pretty good, in my books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYNstbBjytmHjEmR4uEtOwR156LUe3R64t466XPZZroWzrjQ0InxFizFNC2h4j2eye5ftKk2_86kXf9HCXYbSetzAZmp5RNKqii2ZOOaWhOFMkkOmpa-A_NlcZmS2XkEqw0UiTDmMP98/s1600/Life+Is+Messy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="720" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSYNstbBjytmHjEmR4uEtOwR156LUe3R64t466XPZZroWzrjQ0InxFizFNC2h4j2eye5ftKk2_86kXf9HCXYbSetzAZmp5RNKqii2ZOOaWhOFMkkOmpa-A_NlcZmS2XkEqw0UiTDmMP98/s320/Life+Is+Messy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Constantly striving for things that always seem out of reach is tiring, and
I think this year I'm at the point where I'll keep walking... but I'm done
running. Which is a good analogy, as I'm just back to being able to walk
regularly and I don't want to try running even ten feet until I'm damn sure I'm
not going to hurt myself.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Some of it's achieving an equilibrium: doing what I can about the things I
can manage right now( <i>new job? Editing my novels? Remaining healthy? </i>)and
letting other things( <i>tiny house? Home business? Debt reduction?</i>
)backburner until I can get to them later this year - or next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Keeping my life 'smaller' means I can manage it better, along with my own
admittedly too-large expectations, while remaining my better self: less worry,
meaning better health, meaning more accomplished in a day with less energy
expended.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think that's a pretty good plan for the rest of 2018.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">And somewhere in there, I'll manage to get my life organized again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The coming late spring-early summer's looking good: rising early and a
semi-early bedtime seems to be working for me. Once I get this eyestrain under
control, I should be able to catch up on my reading, at least, and while I
don't see myself playing any video games anytime soon, I do want to watch a few
shows of a week just for variety. Headaches and eye pain make those things
harder to do, so for now it's a slow course towards seeing better without any
strain whatsoever... and I'm getting there.</span></i><span lang="EN-US"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-38806157160488511562018-05-13T20:21:00.004-07:002018-05-22T18:04:12.790-07:00Infinity War, Insights and Indignities<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T<i>he word of the week is instance.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 7 - The Eyes Have It!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My eyesight has been getting <b>better </b>this spring...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not because of new glasses( <i>still the same after 3 years </i>)but
because I've been taking 'vision supplements' as I've mentioned a few months
ago - you can read more about them <a href="https://www.allaboutvision.com/nutrition/lutein.htm">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After doing a month of research on the best type of supplement to take,
then looking for the right dosage/price ratio I could find, I settled on these:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRArI51qTsDQnLvhVYHaw30vBkigH6sT26mQKgjy7zRr3uGlcsudVYDSDRTsADM6gtNNoYZRXR1uoCB3wxHzXLUTN0E0IrMR8nWEfHK_DeKnw2V5SCZK2jB779XCYYqT22Qhf9kwPjUp8/s1600/Lutein+-+Webber+Naturals+20mg+with+Zeaxanthin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="559" data-original-width="1166" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRArI51qTsDQnLvhVYHaw30vBkigH6sT26mQKgjy7zRr3uGlcsudVYDSDRTsADM6gtNNoYZRXR1uoCB3wxHzXLUTN0E0IrMR8nWEfHK_DeKnw2V5SCZK2jB779XCYYqT22Qhf9kwPjUp8/s320/Lutein+-+Webber+Naturals+20mg+with+Zeaxanthin.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I take one 20mg tablet at night, which to me makes sense as your body is
recharging/repairing itself after the day's activity. For myself, I decided to gauge
the effects on my eyesight with a few simple tests... I stare out the window at
the building across the street to the north to see how much detail I can pick
out on the surface:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweAzAFyjBcLpezIj261G0gl5ECIzhx740hAy6t3K1bzACcKbnavnnQvHQswFUUMGRoNPnPeCp_pNKjfVDZ4QTi5xf9p9CfSYGs0j5TfzKBfDYW0L51rVoRDSogOcRAynQ97S5VowtkY8/s1600/20180513_195307.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiweAzAFyjBcLpezIj261G0gl5ECIzhx740hAy6t3K1bzACcKbnavnnQvHQswFUUMGRoNPnPeCp_pNKjfVDZ4QTi5xf9p9CfSYGs0j5TfzKBfDYW0L51rVoRDSogOcRAynQ97S5VowtkY8/s320/20180513_195307.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can't really see the texture in this - but I CAN!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've noticed that I can now see the surface texture of the building,
whereas before it was a 'wavy colour' that had no fine detail - quite a
difference! Similar results occur when I look into the distance to the west: I
can now see individual bricks at nearly 200m, and all the tiny details of the
trees / bushes / flowers jump out at me, instead of being 'blurs of colour'
with no distinct parts.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's pretty frickin' <b>amazing</b>, if you ask me, after only 2 months !<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 8 - Arrested Dev!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This has to be the best thing I've seen yet this year:<o:p></o:p> </span><br />
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<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/o6XERmXsP-U" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You heard it right: that's <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/ron-howards-arrested-development-parody-of-star-wars-pu-1825726720">Ron Howard narrating</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Even better, <a href="https://www.express.co.uk/showbiz/tv-radio/957356/Arrested-Development-season-5-Netflix-release-date-time-cast-trailer-plot">we're getting a fifth season of <i>Arrested Development</i>!</a>!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">That is all for now!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 9 - Silly <i>Star Wars</i> and Me</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In 1978, a classic was born: <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardware_Wars">Hardware Wars</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was an ultra-low-budget parody film teaser-trailer released 18 months
after Star Wars hit theatres, and it's a blast - this is the 20th Anniversary
Special Edition, cleaned up and HD:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rEVH-u0Yebc" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's also amusing to me personally, because as a kid, I did just what <i>HW</i>
does: use everyday household items as spaceships. It was cheap, easy and let my
imagination soar without limits... though I admit I still had a good number of
actual toy spaceships as a kid as backup.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I especially liked using office supplies for spaceships, such as pens, and
to my delight this week I found someone out there who also did that... and
turned his memories into stunning </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">spaceship-pen art - enjoy:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVXpFVDgqpVAgyhOOFWSE5IT-2tBgLI88u9itXBWUw3ICNJ2urgyUYsXU6JueIkS9fwqw8PuLCZw12ypz7rKHRB8NNantjjjkJzNWvCgXOQtX016PnrnTJBXJ8Dnf1HnqVxBNXFhxt78/s1600/Ballpoint+Pens+as+Spaceships+-+National+Lampoon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="478" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHVXpFVDgqpVAgyhOOFWSE5IT-2tBgLI88u9itXBWUw3ICNJ2urgyUYsXU6JueIkS9fwqw8PuLCZw12ypz7rKHRB8NNantjjjkJzNWvCgXOQtX016PnrnTJBXJ8Dnf1HnqVxBNXFhxt78/s320/Ballpoint+Pens+as+Spaceships+-+National+Lampoon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 10 - Shiftings...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, it happened: I was moved at work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We're experiencing growing pains: too many new hires, not enough space, and
on top of that there's some departmental shuffling... which for me, meant I
lost my just-the-right-size out-of-the-way workspace with the perfect lighting
levels:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWxeRxPF5jSg52Wy7Tlgdl_O6Bb4_zCYm6ThcWBH80RjGz_huh-UX3wlx7D4VVKXhKNHWBt-C1qfLTkOd2QstlmB8kzB0GtOpTd-CkGziXLUB-JJDV-11NndzSjREdueA28lMkdxNy2c/s1600/Old+Desk+May+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWxeRxPF5jSg52Wy7Tlgdl_O6Bb4_zCYm6ThcWBH80RjGz_huh-UX3wlx7D4VVKXhKNHWBt-C1qfLTkOd2QstlmB8kzB0GtOpTd-CkGziXLUB-JJDV-11NndzSjREdueA28lMkdxNy2c/s320/Old+Desk+May+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cozy spot, with a poster wall and plenty of desk space...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">To go to something with <i>half </i>the space, but the same workload... right next
to the copier, in the busiest part of the office. This is <b>all </b>the space I have
to work in now:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnbAv0OfwB1Q2PwTa7tDfnhQzmx9RynCoMnjqbsljWkh1tnVgBX73DmN9KWERjXkdACTi-3m4bXmuR5ONnYgAvy-XxbpjVbG-Td1pxdtwB5kC7gHiuZrwOzIzZKX3OKTGyCiPBQazHjY/s1600/New+Desk+-+May+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnbAv0OfwB1Q2PwTa7tDfnhQzmx9RynCoMnjqbsljWkh1tnVgBX73DmN9KWERjXkdACTi-3m4bXmuR5ONnYgAvy-XxbpjVbG-Td1pxdtwB5kC7gHiuZrwOzIzZKX3OKTGyCiPBQazHjY/s320/New+Desk+-+May+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I couldn't even stand back far enough to get the smaller desk in, due to the copier. Whee.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Sigh</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It took me three hours today, three times as long as my last move, to
squeeze everything into the new desk area <i>and </i>make it work for my daily
routine. I ended up having to 'outsource' one part of my job to another corner
of the office, again next to a copier, where I'll be able to do some work out
of everyone's way first thing in the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll also have to get used to people walking directly behind me and beside me,
but since we're moving to a new building sometime in 2019, change is still in
the air.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's just <i>more </i>incentive for me to Get A Better Position and Move
On...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 11 - Headaches Evolved?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This week's been a fun one for yo-yo air pressure changes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1ZWvh38cehHCIMK9OMIUvPugcl2687o4Rhn9ksiBMkdEwZgz3lJXja861qpAvjCd_5xjPCDbKwWV13Fh_zYAGxDqZ_nr0V685ZS4oqqrMhWNhzb2v51SpYaTVgJeCPSpIElExvV6w2E/s1600/Screenshot_2018-05-09-10-12-32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja1ZWvh38cehHCIMK9OMIUvPugcl2687o4Rhn9ksiBMkdEwZgz3lJXja861qpAvjCd_5xjPCDbKwWV13Fh_zYAGxDqZ_nr0V685ZS4oqqrMhWNhzb2v51SpYaTVgJeCPSpIElExvV6w2E/s320/Screenshot_2018-05-09-10-12-32.png" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up and down and up and down and up...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet this week's been better than last weekend: I've made it through each
day( <i>with caution </i>)without a repeat of the debilitating migraine I had
then... and my right eye's been co-operating insomuch as I've been babying it
by avoiding bright light sources of ANY kind, especially in the evening. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Still, I wish science would hurry up and figure out how to help people who
suffer from migraines; even knocking back headaches without the use of Tylenol,
Advil or Aspirin would be great, as each drug has its own drawbacks, like liver
damage - another reason why I cut back on their use a few years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Progress is being made though: recently, scientists <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/migraines-linked-to-an-adaptation-to-colder-climates/">linked migraines to people whose ancestors hail from colder climates</a>, as it's apparently an
evolutionary adaptation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here's hoping that Big Cure For Bad Headaches comes down the pipe soon!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 12 - <i>Infinity War!</i></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After two weeks, I finally saw the latest Avengers movie... wow!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">SPOILERS BELOW ( <i>though I imagine all of you have already seen it </i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE2jAxIHLaxUyZuBRvtODR5H0hiln8ZcOh6O4BRxQ2iroAj8MxDVKxV-AD4VV8gXEQrZuwjdOuUVBOJoZuA2nlxdzXcB-SzdKe4HWQu7QVByvWT4HSbi0n8LBn7qjv_2_ETPmQMIqHv0/s1600/Avengers+Infinity+War+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="1280" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtE2jAxIHLaxUyZuBRvtODR5H0hiln8ZcOh6O4BRxQ2iroAj8MxDVKxV-AD4VV8gXEQrZuwjdOuUVBOJoZuA2nlxdzXcB-SzdKe4HWQu7QVByvWT4HSbi0n8LBn7qjv_2_ETPmQMIqHv0/s400/Avengers+Infinity+War+Banner.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to wait this long until my right eye could take it, and I was right:
I was able to sit through the entire movie without pain, though I put on my
sunglasses around a dozen times when things got too bright... but it worked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What did I think of the movie?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My initial measure of how much I like a movie' is that I don't find myself
looking at the time more than once during the film, and for <i>IW, </i>I didn't even do that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a filmgoer, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, finding it a fun ride from
start to finish. While I'm not a Marvel fanboy, I'm familiar enough with the
characters and plot from previous films(<i> as well as some comics </i>)to know
what's going on and why. It was action-packed, story-driven and went places
that surprised me at times, leaving me with questions as to what's going to
happen in the next film: big questions, which is always a good thing to leave
your audience wanting more, and <a href="https://screenrant.com/avengers-infinity-war-movie-reviews/">reviewers think that it's a good</a>, if not great,
entry in the Marvel franchise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a writer, I was left with... other questions. Such as:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- why did Thanos feel he has to KILL half the people in the universe to
Achieve Balance? Couldn't he just snap his Infinity Gauntlet fingers and
double( <i>quadruple? </i>)the resources, to make there enough for everyone and
then some?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- why didn't anyone try to CHOP OFF THANOS' arm <i>above </i>the Gauntlet?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">- don't the Wakandans have anything like tanks? Artillery? Bomber aircraft?
It seems incredibly lax that their capital city is defended by a shield and a
tiny force of people armed with spears...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can read more about the plot holes <a href="https://medium.com/@VincentBehne/plot-holes-and-unanswered-questions-in-avengers-infinity-war-b7f65c294e7d">here</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a close thing with my eyes after two hours, though: the drive home
in the bright sunshine was difficult even with doubled sunglasses. I spent the
rest of my afternoon reading though my critiques for the coming week in a
gentle light, and by the evening I had the blinds drawn to cut down on the
eye-tension I was feeling - no pain, though a headache was trying to appear
from all the squinting and eye-closing I'd done today.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwYhH8oyBrMhRX1hG9WscvLHNLsK7HpNefmNVmCTI4uemwCGotPaMQyXEoIap7C7EFw4wyGePUnEbdyzbwkxerm9dfvrBk3pvolWHB3HOpnVskTjc9Qukcp5vG2wNxjRsCD7ZtOTFFiI/s1600/Drop+cell+in+water+oops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="466" data-original-width="785" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbwYhH8oyBrMhRX1hG9WscvLHNLsK7HpNefmNVmCTI4uemwCGotPaMQyXEoIap7C7EFw4wyGePUnEbdyzbwkxerm9dfvrBk3pvolWHB3HOpnVskTjc9Qukcp5vG2wNxjRsCD7ZtOTFFiI/s320/Drop+cell+in+water+oops.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately, while taking a bath to relax and ease my incipient headache,
I managed to knock my cell phone into the water - ARGH! I didn't panic, as it's
a Samsung S5 which has a water-resistant seal, but the music it'd been playing
faded out after the dunking, which was concerning! I had it dried off, battery
pulled and shoved into a ready bag of rice within a minute, to leave until the
morning...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sigh. I tried to relax again by listening to an audiobook in bed, and that
seemed to work, as I drifted off right on schedule to a very good sleep,
according to my tracker. Nice!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">EDIT</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: THE PHONE <u>LIVES</u>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Looks like I get a pass this time for needing a new phone, as the
waterproofing worked: the phone appeared dry inside AND out when I wiped it off
immediately with a towel before rice-bagging it, so I guess the speaker just
didn't like being immersed - the music faded out and stopped, which I took to
mean the phone had died. Seeing as I'd toweled it, pulled the battery and
bagged it within 60 seconds( </span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I always have a bag of rice handy! <i>)I had to wait
until the morning to know. No harm, no foul... whew!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 13 - Relax...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Today's topic changed from what it was this morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Why? Because I had a good day, and it's stuck with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What was I going to talk about before? I'll leave that until next week,
because this weekend was all about relaxing... and I managed to accomplish that
task <i>most </i>satisfactorily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5y1hVgTbVkateNjk4MnZZzlxxwHq9ZsBSOVAAP0RHPZcYyo8jOlImPeaYWPE1FfjbUSHPIOwhUuf1JfizURNItDfqwlb2isCglMMCnH8D2lYsL-TfOZ5LtoxjkEyojonHYpRnNGLTp8/s1600/Goofy+Hammock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="640" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5y1hVgTbVkateNjk4MnZZzlxxwHq9ZsBSOVAAP0RHPZcYyo8jOlImPeaYWPE1FfjbUSHPIOwhUuf1JfizURNItDfqwlb2isCglMMCnH8D2lYsL-TfOZ5LtoxjkEyojonHYpRnNGLTp8/s320/Goofy+Hammock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need a hammock... and a place to put it!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />I think part of it has to do with my lowering the bar for 'Get All This
Done' lists, especially for the weekend: I've been forced to relax for the last
two weeks because of my eyestrain, which in turn has informed how I look at
what's important to get done of a day, and what's not.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For example, I made sure to take the time( <i>and not strain my eyes! </i>)to
read <i>The Reality Dysfunction</i>; I finished it yesterday, and loved the
book! Even though I got used to the new concepts it introduced in terms of
space opera, it kept me glued to the pages from first to </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">last, and taught me a
few things about how to tell a big story without losing focus.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I haven't read a book from start to finish like that for years, and it was
marvelous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As of today, I feel <i>relaxed</i>... morseso than even at the end of my
vacation last month, which is saying something. I'm still trying to put things
in my life into place, juggling this and that while adjusting my perspective
along with my expectations... but I'm <i>doing </i>it with little stress, which
is saying something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Maybe it's the better weather, the longer sunshine hours, or the fact that
I'm less involved in social media this year: maybe it's all of these and more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think I'll keep things simpler for the next while, and go from there.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's a short week coming up... with a BIG event I'll tell you all about
next blog entry!!! Ciao for now!</span></i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-50252441134012567062018-05-06T19:54:00.003-07:002018-05-07T20:35:48.883-07:00Strange Revelations, Spacey Suits, Small Sailors and Upscale Swimming<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T<i>he word of the week is haggard.</i></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 30 - On Not Being Happy</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whoa there, keep reading: this<u> isn't</u> a depressing entry... though it talks <b>about </b>depression, but not in a way you'd think.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While I've been depressed in the past, not to mention anxious to the point
of panic attacks( <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">last year</i> )it's not
something that's stuck with me regularly, so I've been of the mind that I'm not
'officially' a depressed person, or even the odd rare duck who's
Functionally-Happy-But-Still-Clinically-Depressed - the <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-guest-room/201411/smiling-depression">Smiling Depressed</a>, if you will. Mental illness is a taboo topic even today, seen by too many people as a sign of weakness, even by those who suffer from it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This week though, I read a <a href="http://wilwheaton.net/2018/05/my-name-is-wil-wheaton-i-live-with-chronic-depression-and-i-am-not-ashamed/">post by Wil Wheaton</a> on the topic that opened my
eyes to the <b>wide </b>spectrum of depression, and it hit home that some of the
telltales that he mentions are ones I've directly experienced over the years -
have a read <a href="http://wilwheaton.net/2018/05/my-name-is-wil-wheaton-i-live-with-chronic-depression-and-i-am-not-ashamed/">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, I've had a good deal to be depressed about in my life( <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and to some degree, still do </i>), some of
which I've talked about in this very blog... but I've never been diagnosed as
depressed, or taken medication for it, though I was on St. John's Wort on and
off for a few years until I realized it was no longer doing anything positive
for me, so I stopped a year ago, with no ill effects to my emotional stability.
Good choice.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Things have been going okay in terms of my 'Happy Levels' of a day, so
that's good... but back to Wil's article - the points below touched a nerve for
me, as they're things I've done all my life without ever consciously thinking
about why, because I thought that <b>everyone </b>did these things:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7kRyuK2GWT_vAe_DRRzZcgecy8Beuu57G3kle5_Gzdarj7AlivAx4VZ_Hp3DJne93d-Qax9_z2Kz62Yi1SBixtCqHiuBsXdRHAHuYD8qKwD3INeRiBvvARF_flGxI6N9VPGiTVoHko0/s1600/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="1266" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz7kRyuK2GWT_vAe_DRRzZcgecy8Beuu57G3kle5_Gzdarj7AlivAx4VZ_Hp3DJne93d-Qax9_z2Kz62Yi1SBixtCqHiuBsXdRHAHuYD8qKwD3INeRiBvvARF_flGxI6N9VPGiTVoHko0/s640/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I've done those things, <i>regularly</i>: I've created little obsessive idiosyncratic
routines around my daily activities to 'ensure' things go well, though they've(
<i>mostly</i> )faded away over the last ten years or so. Which still left me
with worry: I've obsessed about the 'What Ifs?' in my life to the point of
distraction, worrying about things over which I had no control but yet I still
tried to find solutions.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SCA1h2Fe_uegsxnZxgDbMuj7XVDO1NEQdmlEiYQcsWLhs8nn12pC8fjS6IBjClW81P69kZAKwyKv2U8shsDKHKwZo_Gp87WteroxT8mLwMWiMnNRFk2nMkQTobfXhyhWEWCGvpPBfD4/s1600/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="1271" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4SCA1h2Fe_uegsxnZxgDbMuj7XVDO1NEQdmlEiYQcsWLhs8nn12pC8fjS6IBjClW81P69kZAKwyKv2U8shsDKHKwZo_Gp87WteroxT8mLwMWiMnNRFk2nMkQTobfXhyhWEWCGvpPBfD4/s640/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, here I am, writing about these things, floored to know that Wil Wheaton
could speak of them just as intimately, and honestly... and could have the
courage to move forward to talk about how depression isn't as simple as just
'feeling sad':</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BLuGI3CbRSOIgXlEn_VarTsSctWuSwuYLph18_HQjvVV8ARinf8_lszz43wzd4znHfGgqCEywEvevmNAG_sbfFHSjHJ5dkV5omKT1bk-t1YydrCl-pMU4EJEzk43rnxStqm9fFLiqTM/s1600/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="410" data-original-width="1271" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0BLuGI3CbRSOIgXlEn_VarTsSctWuSwuYLph18_HQjvVV8ARinf8_lszz43wzd4znHfGgqCEywEvevmNAG_sbfFHSjHJ5dkV5omKT1bk-t1YydrCl-pMU4EJEzk43rnxStqm9fFLiqTM/s640/Wil+Wheaton+-+Depression+Symptoms+3.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://wilwheaton.net/2018/05/my-name-is-wil-wheaton-i-live-with-chronic-depression-and-i-am-not-ashamed/">His blog post is worth reading at least twice</a>, and I'm so glad that I came across
it at this point in my life, as it tells me that my recurring depressing
thoughts aren't a messy jumble of wish-wash, but more likely have a seat in
deeper currents running through me from my various trials over the years. I'd
thought I had dealt with most of my issues, but thanks to Wil's post this week
I've recognized that there's still things in my psyche dragging at me that I
haven't recognized previously.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now that I know, I can <b>do </b>something about them. Thank-you, Wil... the world needs more people like you.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://wilwheaton.net/2018/05/my-name-is-wil-wheaton-i-live-with-chronic-depression-and-i-am-not-ashamed/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br /></span></a></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 1 - Swimming In Style</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm moving up in my morning-swim world!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For this and next week, the pool at the Parkside Hotel is undergoing
maintenance, so it's closed for use... but I still swam this morning before
work as usual. How, you might ask?</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Because the Parkside graciously allowed its members to swim at The Empress!
Meaning I got to splash around in this glorious marble-walled five-star
beauty... and I get to do it again next week too, at no charge:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuF91It-GgQhZSEGT9qEMTc4HFAW21aLq-_5pDqH2gcTwlOnehefpC1sBBVfgjGpKjC1rZgrx0Ub_0x-8pv4umpxZuDrjcyxZIWroeQTUkBDxH3qAdh9QSPhX25RDEfkTPNccfqesKko/s1600/Empress+Victoria+-+Pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="399" data-original-width="948" height="134" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbuF91It-GgQhZSEGT9qEMTc4HFAW21aLq-_5pDqH2gcTwlOnehefpC1sBBVfgjGpKjC1rZgrx0Ub_0x-8pv4umpxZuDrjcyxZIWroeQTUkBDxH3qAdh9QSPhX25RDEfkTPNccfqesKko/s320/Empress+Victoria+-+Pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marble walls and big windows, but it's still kinda dark inside...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's quite a chic operation, with the impeccably-equipped health club
upstairs and the pool changerooms downstairs just shouting "You need to
pay us a ton of cash each month to belong here" though hotel guests( <i>with
their pricey rooms </i>)get complimentary access during their stay - just <b>look
</b>at the changeroom pictures:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipK4vHXRY0yeiJ-FDFAiWzDkUZ6VSTXvZQqnk1xruzYzmQ0NxOmoI7lkdVfaUkiXDYXHCHpqcA1MSB2oipA-IWjRY_2rrNAJJtgRHFkIL2XH6DNTeMO4y3H0zojxMkylT2jVeMGcI6k-g/s1600/Empress-changerooms-trio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="543" data-original-width="1600" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipK4vHXRY0yeiJ-FDFAiWzDkUZ6VSTXvZQqnk1xruzYzmQ0NxOmoI7lkdVfaUkiXDYXHCHpqcA1MSB2oipA-IWjRY_2rrNAJJtgRHFkIL2XH6DNTeMO4y3H0zojxMkylT2jVeMGcI6k-g/s320/Empress-changerooms-trio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy digs, no? They have cupboards with slippers and bathrobes!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yep: dark panelled wood and fluffy white towels cost a <b>bunch</b>,
donchaknow... but I'm in no way complaining, as it's amazing that I'm able to
enjoy such a place for NO additional cost for a few weeks... and it's even LESS
crowded than the Parkside, as the pool opens at 5am instead of the Parkside's
7am! </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">No Extra Charge is a pretty sweet deal, for a 5-star, private, heated
indoor pool!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 2 - Sailing The Seas By Satellite?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Holy moly, somebody took a childhood toy-dream of mine and <i>realized </i>it!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tdajp/?hc_ref=ARRYyVQ1fqh_8O1G5xVTa4W6cO2A31i9R6WoEZFQFyIS-jQbM8AZUGeEctbZZyq_wR8&fref=nf">Two young lads from Scotland</a>, with the assistance of their parents,
launched a toy Playmobile Pirate Ship named <i>Adventure </i>into the ocean,
with the hope that it might make a fairly long journey. Equipped with a
satellite tracker and some small modifications to make it seaworthy, it was
sent out last fall... and <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-44000843">what a journey it's had since</a>! </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG9dzZqpERSA6PgDExUG7_Gr9h9VxXZ8NJSPr34wE43Orsa9GBLZmSkRBFZc4rzVSRaffGe3sAaufflNNHf4qfJ2a8UleK3CISruYoG6ETKkdi3wCRQgEmvpOYxdW2PmGj7EA8ryvJls/s1600/Playmobil+Pirate+Ship+World+Tour.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="993" data-original-width="684" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSG9dzZqpERSA6PgDExUG7_Gr9h9VxXZ8NJSPr34wE43Orsa9GBLZmSkRBFZc4rzVSRaffGe3sAaufflNNHf4qfJ2a8UleK3CISruYoG6ETKkdi3wCRQgEmvpOYxdW2PmGj7EA8ryvJls/s320/Playmobil+Pirate+Ship+World+Tour.JPG" width="220" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After being picked up by kind strangers, thanks to the note included on the
ship, <i>Adventure </i>was repaired and set out to continue its ocean trek from
Africa. It's covered over 3100km across the Atlantic and is approaching
Barbados, but the battery is down to 5% and there's a good chance it won't make
it to the islands, though some local sailors are organizing to search for and
find the boat if they can:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm5MPxF1TzZIsdUp5AQmXVBns-kdoP2GJHQN8jx7jmhovZX3sF6Zjlduq1TFT1lYFJYgLJENsphfop-F9Ld7Y1z0CudLrlQPjRAymQVq3J3i3kJty8Nr_wgewI5-oCAE3irmI5il0mUM/s1600/Playmobil+Pirate+Ship+World+Tour+-+Helpers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="959" data-original-width="595" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXm5MPxF1TzZIsdUp5AQmXVBns-kdoP2GJHQN8jx7jmhovZX3sF6Zjlduq1TFT1lYFJYgLJENsphfop-F9Ld7Y1z0CudLrlQPjRAymQVq3J3i3kJty8Nr_wgewI5-oCAE3irmI5il0mUM/s320/Playmobil+Pirate+Ship+World+Tour+-+Helpers.JPG" width="198" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Thanks to GPS, you can track the journey of the <i>Adventure </i>in real-time <a href="https://track-adventure.squarespace.com/">here</a>, and
the lads have a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/tdajp/?hc_ref=ARRYyVQ1fqh_8O1G5xVTa4W6cO2A31i9R6WoEZFQFyIS-jQbM8AZUGeEctbZZyq_wR8&fref=nf">public Facebook page</a>, where they update people on how
they're doing with a list of 500 'adventures and challenges' they're working on
- incredible!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 3 - Get Myself A Gita?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I really, <i>really </i>want a Gita...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Given that I walk( <i>and not bike or bus or drive</i> )most of the time
around town, it only makes sense that I be able to carry more than just what my
backpack would allow, especially if I'm grocery shopping. I've strained my
muscles before trying to carry too much back from the store, and since I'm
someone who refuses to pay out for a taxi every time I go shopping, I keep
hunting for a better way.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think the <a href="https://www.piaggiofastforward.com/gita">Gita</a> is that way.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hSd_bEaxKQHSO80ABJQLl1SkI7BhLJUo0M4NbclLBu8_e4ul6m9UscjmrvBdYWVMj8f9g7MWemwGhL8oRc2Yisl-AIsidNQk8dNykB35Ws-MYYONNqmUs9tdBLv7MG8-bc9RBwdZKeE/s1600/Gita+Giveaway+May+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="1024" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0hSd_bEaxKQHSO80ABJQLl1SkI7BhLJUo0M4NbclLBu8_e4ul6m9UscjmrvBdYWVMj8f9g7MWemwGhL8oRc2Yisl-AIsidNQk8dNykB35Ws-MYYONNqmUs9tdBLv7MG8-bc9RBwdZKeE/s320/Gita+Giveaway+May+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Darn it, they were giving away $20 Amazon cards, NOT a Gita!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Piaggio Fast Forward,</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> one of the leading
transportation companies on the planet and inventors of the famed <b>Vespa
scooter</b>, has been working on new concepts for urban mobility for many years
now... and the Gita is at the forefront of those.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://t.co/2ZiGJgI92t">Here</a>, the COO of Piaggio from a presentation this week introduces the
company, talks briefly about their history and their vision of the future, then
gets into the details of how the Gita is being positioned to change the idea of
urban mobility.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">On a not-so-neat note, my( <i>right-</i>)eyestrain has been hanging around
again this week, even with the precautions I've taken at work to avoid a
too-bright workspace.. darn it. I've been taking a couple of Advil each day,
trying NOT to serially pop them as I used to do in the past( <i>mainly with
Tylenol </i>)as I believe that contributed to my sensitivity to
pressure-induced headaches and a subsequent proliferation of such before I
moved to Victoria.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHxI1u4wrf7ERDJK2EpPDvmOGbaeo_o7nX8_x21uUdZDZKJXvuZbcseLSzN5yjBxJSY9b2AYP-PoK7eie4n3tDFYCWkm51m8XM9tDDuqdgtVGNo38D6Gak9w_GZVhbScR6hnc7S7HJvs/s1600/Avoiding+Eyestrain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="572" data-original-width="798" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgHxI1u4wrf7ERDJK2EpPDvmOGbaeo_o7nX8_x21uUdZDZKJXvuZbcseLSzN5yjBxJSY9b2AYP-PoK7eie4n3tDFYCWkm51m8XM9tDDuqdgtVGNo38D6Gak9w_GZVhbScR6hnc7S7HJvs/s320/Avoiding+Eyestrain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In case you didn't know...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll see how this week goes; I've been resting my right eye each evening
with cool wet cloths atop it for added relief, and I hope a doctor's
appointment in the coming weeks will result in my referral to an <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ophthalmologist</b>, as my local optometrist
was of little help when I saw him two months ago.</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We'll see.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 4 - 3D fun?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While waiting to accumulate the funds to pay to import my <b>GlowForge </b>in
a month or two, I've been researching all the fun ways to make things with a
laser cutter / engraver... heck, I've been doing that for several years now,
truth be told.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At the same time, my interest in 3D printing has been growing because...
well, because you can do some pretty cool things with it, like print out
replacement parts for old toys / gadgets... or even print NEW toys and gadgets!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of the cooler pages I've come across in a bit is Spaceman Spiff(<i>
from Calvin and Hobbes!</i> )a guy who does exactly that: printing out
miniatures and painting them. But not just <b>any </b>miniatures, no... he
likes spaceships as well as GiJoe:</span><br />
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Cca9LFzGDxaPhFoVnrzZOT2wPFcRlpYrLdxO-HRWhKdgmwZb0QnTRmLOtvtSm8IB5Wr3IPyYd2AbZk4yDybpZ2WI8ShiMaHo3FC5bHMGfyZZ5IMjVdgZhItEj9KWiZEXgHfHcRhAs8c/s1600/Spaceman+Spiff+sample+3D+miniatures.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="824" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Cca9LFzGDxaPhFoVnrzZOT2wPFcRlpYrLdxO-HRWhKdgmwZb0QnTRmLOtvtSm8IB5Wr3IPyYd2AbZk4yDybpZ2WI8ShiMaHo3FC5bHMGfyZZ5IMjVdgZhItEj9KWiZEXgHfHcRhAs8c/s320/Spaceman+Spiff+sample+3D+miniatures.JPG" width="261" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's an interesting idea: I've always thought miniatures were rather
pricey, and the time to paint them( <i>and the expense of paints, plus the
skill </i>)made me not bother. But if you can <b>3D print them in a base colour,
along with assorted parts in other colours, well... that seems </b>like less
work, and you can <i>customize </i>them, like Spiff has.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Food for future thought: <b>printing </b>my own collectables on the cheap!</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Also, for Star Wars Day today( <i>May The Fourth Be With You! </i>)I present: <i>Hardware Wars</i>, Special Edition from 1997, an update of the 1978 parody classic!</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rEVH-u0Yebc" width="560"></iframe> </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 5 - Legendary LEGO!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Urk... </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I spent the first half of my day reading and relaxing at home, enjoying the
downtime to keep working through the massive 1000+ page tome of Peter F.
Hamiltion's scifi epic( <i>first in a huge series, too! </i>) of <i>The Reality
Dysfunction</i>, and despite my eyestrain( <i>I've been reading in gentle
light, with many breaks </i>)I've managed to get through 3/4 of it this week,
on and off, as I could.</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjw-wQEpIbTyq3uM-WjeW5zrPJJudqQjc7EtsmBUL1zloY7cweV6DjHvVC0RcKOsdzUPJ5-e8G8DOL2FVc18eRpZma0G1sBtglfyGlog9XqeLmmwSi1QM6POmN6zuk9IcEggvK6sxqOM/s1600/Peter+F+Hamilton+-+3+books+of+series.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="998" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifjw-wQEpIbTyq3uM-WjeW5zrPJJudqQjc7EtsmBUL1zloY7cweV6DjHvVC0RcKOsdzUPJ5-e8G8DOL2FVc18eRpZma0G1sBtglfyGlog9XqeLmmwSi1QM6POmN6zuk9IcEggvK6sxqOM/s320/Peter+F+Hamilton+-+3+books+of+series.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thanks to my lady last week, I have ALL of these and more to read!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, a sudden <i>sharp </i>drop in air pressure this afternoon, coupled with my
eyestrain, conspired to give me a <b>splitting </b>migraine, even after I'd popped an
Advil as soon as I felt it coming on. I spent the rest of the evening laid out
on the couch with a cold cloth over my eyes, drifting in and out of slumber
while listening to soft music as I willed the pain to subside. I eventually
succumbed to sleep around 8pm, which I didn't intend as it messes with my sleep
cycle... and I woke up at 11pm, puttered around in the dark with a pounding
head, and managed to fall asleep again around 2am for another four hours sleep - <i>bleh</i>.</span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI8Dq__iPAnHerb9d8Dq_r_7x-quUArXZN96uKfyNe1BFj0IiLcPGEk37zxR_tsckoqXnPZLRb9TvnHe7UACBQVyW5D__JE7ral7yy8DlMzyfAboyttkfPePf97-hVWS9ZQuKb9Afb2g/s1600/Migrain+-+xray+CGI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiI8Dq__iPAnHerb9d8Dq_r_7x-quUArXZN96uKfyNe1BFj0IiLcPGEk37zxR_tsckoqXnPZLRb9TvnHe7UACBQVyW5D__JE7ral7yy8DlMzyfAboyttkfPePf97-hVWS9ZQuKb9Afb2g/s320/Migrain+-+xray+CGI.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The right side of my head isn't happy...</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">However, I did manage to stumble across something <a href="https://www.facebook.com/brickengineer/photos/rpp.664255857112941/830741463797712/?type=3&theater">incredibly cool earlier today</a>:</span><br />
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07f-xLkFuEeFgiDCg7aAqrXB-PVCiVboZA48cDVUzajw-RLo4n8mesVTzzcURJeWnF_sZ4gjn4rjCPiZLAlWevl4YeO0y0qsF341LrQU4TOMp0yFXt0kOO_6nMe_LQ-g0i1vY2iXLnXk/s1600/Lego+-+Megiddo+City+with+suit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1363" data-original-width="1600" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi07f-xLkFuEeFgiDCg7aAqrXB-PVCiVboZA48cDVUzajw-RLo4n8mesVTzzcURJeWnF_sZ4gjn4rjCPiZLAlWevl4YeO0y0qsF341LrQU4TOMp0yFXt0kOO_6nMe_LQ-g0i1vY2iXLnXk/s320/Lego+-+Megiddo+City+with+suit.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome to Meggido, with a WEARABLE Lego mech suit!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Seriously, I have no words... I never imagined, even as a kid, that someone
would be able to afford to privately own nearly a <i>quarter-million </i>Lego
bricks, let alone have the time to assemble them into a staggeringly unique
creation like this.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">You can see a video interview by The Brothers Brick here, it's
mind-boggling:<span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"> </span></span><br />
</div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mbO9aIJ2ThE" width="560"></iframe> </span></span></div>
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<br />
<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">May 6 - Sunshine Strolling</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My lady's parents were visiting this weekend, so she and I had brunch with
them at Vista 18, a splendid choice as the perfect weather made for spectacular
views as we ate - and boy the place was hopping today, busier than we've ever
seen it.</span></div>
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<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We finished close to noon, heading off to <b>Finnerty Gardens </b>near UVic
for a walk in the golden sunshine and warm breezes. I managed to accompany them
with the help of a hat to shade my eyes, as well as TWO pairs of layered
sunglasses, with kept my eyes from squeezing shut in the beautiful sunshine -
it's a damned shame that I've got a migraine on such a gorgeous weekend, I tell
you...</span><br />
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As it was, I took a plethora of photos as the gardens were in full blooming
glory for spring, and since I've been cutting back drastically on sugar I was
actually able to smell more than a few of the flowers:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjfPFmFh0Z4COfnShkCi_uzV6As2aQ6GXP7Ws7_uXSogP7OrM2kiTkx0zT3_2nnREJRYrYa_rgoSL35F_vdN715e7LkQJkJl7Px5D7keVI9H5H_JwuTIRpIt4MvpLxKqNN6GMQbwgzss/s1600/Finnerty+Gardens+Collage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="929" data-original-width="1146" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIjfPFmFh0Z4COfnShkCi_uzV6As2aQ6GXP7Ws7_uXSogP7OrM2kiTkx0zT3_2nnREJRYrYa_rgoSL35F_vdN715e7LkQJkJl7Px5D7keVI9H5H_JwuTIRpIt4MvpLxKqNN6GMQbwgzss/s320/Finnerty+Gardens+Collage.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It really was stunning... I could spend hours here with a book and a beverage!</td></tr>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Coming home, I took a Tylenol Maximum Relief( <i>with 500mg caffeine, which I <b>never </b>have any more! </i>)instead
of the semi-effective Advil I've been taking this week; interestingly I've read
that Tylenol <i>raises </i>the threshold of pain tolerance rather than <i>suppressing
</i>extant pain. </span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It worked: my migraine pain retreated to a dull ache,
permitting me to get on with some light reading and resting for the rest of the
afternoon in a semi-shady living room. I could still feel my right eye wanting
to 'tweak' if I looked at things wrong, so I was quite careful about wearing
the right glasses, and ended up wearing an eyepatch for 30 minutes on and off
for the rest of the evening to give the eye a break.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br />
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, cybernetic implants, you can't get here fast enough...</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>While I didn't get much accomplished this week thanks to my eyestrain, I DID manage to achieve a sense of relaxation due to the enforced 'downtime' coupled with the great weather. I'm going into the coming week determined to get SOME things done though, while working around the constraints imposed by my wonky eye, which is feeling less trigger-happy now at the end of the weekend than it was last Sunday, which I hope means it's on the mend thanks to my efforts to baby it...</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-32026955846105988002018-04-29T20:21:00.003-07:002018-05-07T20:38:49.821-07:00Luck, Lego and Logitech on Vacation<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">T<i>he word of the week is propensity.</i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 23 - Vacation, Bad Luck?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the early afternoon, I went for a walk down to <b>Beacon Hill Park</b>,
sunglasses and hat firmly attached. I felt overdressed, as I was wearing jeans
and a jacket, which I'd soon removed( <i>the jacket, not the jeans</i> )and
even then in the sunshine, I was perspiring a little.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I started out at <b>The Empress Hotel </b>at the Inner Harbour, because their flower
displays are always magnificent in the spring, and didn't disappoint this year:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUYnGvIn-W5jYwBXCIPvGGfP-EIxnGUPQKWHzD6ZouR5yQDQKcr7oSCAFV41mHpBAWr4-zuPdVghab0ZWtOXYWezjx_J6nFCZM_DgWO-W7N95NMgiFOnfXtq9OJFsjk0MsnRedjnoYUI/s1600/Beacon+Hill+Park+Walk+April+23+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="1407" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVUYnGvIn-W5jYwBXCIPvGGfP-EIxnGUPQKWHzD6ZouR5yQDQKcr7oSCAFV41mHpBAWr4-zuPdVghab0ZWtOXYWezjx_J6nFCZM_DgWO-W7N95NMgiFOnfXtq9OJFsjk0MsnRedjnoYUI/s320/Beacon+Hill+Park+Walk+April+23+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Moving on up the hill, I wandered into the park, heading down the cool green laneways to the tiny <b>Goodacre Lake,</b> where the ducks and the turtles like to hang out:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEGUStT2H_cet4Zm5-s4Etx8S9nGUQlCDoFGSjyZkregXN4yfn55V29-FKKorM6-qoXzsiCnIA_HVuwgYRN7gqU7KZBEwIkFchMh_unzoFP3cQ5SzZcaAfOzU9g7fsn-mfSIUgWPvC5A/s1600/DSCF7061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIEGUStT2H_cet4Zm5-s4Etx8S9nGUQlCDoFGSjyZkregXN4yfn55V29-FKKorM6-qoXzsiCnIA_HVuwgYRN7gqU7KZBEwIkFchMh_unzoFP3cQ5SzZcaAfOzU9g7fsn-mfSIUgWPvC5A/s320/DSCF7061.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No ducks this time...</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">From there, I took in the sights of flowering plants everywhere, surrounded
by green grass and flowing water. It was a peaceful, perfect way to
'officially' start my vacation week, and I lingered in the park, drinking it
all in, for over an hour.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unfortunately, despite my caution, in the evening while watching a movie( <i>with
the brightness set to low </i>)my right eye <b>spasmed </b>at one point with too much
light, and I had to call it a night - <i>damn</i>! Seems my eye's still
not <i>quite </i>healed from the strain in December 2017, so I'll have to be careful
this week not to push it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So much for basking in the sunshine all week while catching up on my reading and
editing...</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 24 - Some GOOD luck!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I spent most of today inside with the curtains drawn, in semi-darkness.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which sucked, because it was <i>GORGEOUS </i>outside, in the low twenties!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I still had the windows open with the breezes pouring in, as the
temperatures got up to the low twenties... and it <i>SMELLED </i>like spring: fresh
air!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In between eye-resting periods, I caught up on some reading and watching a
few shows on Netflix( <i>like S3 of Wakfu, so great!</i> )which didn't strain
my right eye <i>too </i>much. It's damned STRANGE, because the supplements I've
been taking for over a month now have indeed improved my vistion: I can see
fine details of things far off across the street that I couldn't before, like
leaves on bushes, brickwork and the like, even though my glasses are still the
same as 3 years ago. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet my right eye's only good from 7am-7pm, at most, if I don't <b>push </b>things.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Perhaps as a sop to my frustration, I happened upon a local ad today that
immediately caught my eye( <i>hah!</i> ): it was for a set of the incomparable
<a href="http://reviews.logitech.com/7061/224/logitech-z-5500-digital-5-1-speaker-system-reviews/reviews.htm">Logitech Z-5500 speakers</a>( <i>only, no control pod </i>), the same ones I sold
for $300 back in late 2012 when I needed some money... and before I realized
that they'd be hard to reacquire for the same price, given their quality plus
high cost of shipping. </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQp6OSK-nF6-LZ-615WLC62vipNovPe77zPIjtaJ2TUk69MLOIOgQK8AKAfql5zUHtS7TvWq1dd1TE80k2I1QgEJ7julH5oxJWLTtVHMJLafOC3cV6O2uVuRiDcfmh19z2t1kd9ASN5I/s1600/Logitech+Z-5500+for+sale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhQp6OSK-nF6-LZ-615WLC62vipNovPe77zPIjtaJ2TUk69MLOIOgQK8AKAfql5zUHtS7TvWq1dd1TE80k2I1QgEJ7julH5oxJWLTtVHMJLafOC3cV6O2uVuRiDcfmh19z2t1kd9ASN5I/s320/Logitech+Z-5500+for+sale.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Got mine in 2007, some of the best 5.1 speakers made for the price...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But why was I so excited by this local ad? <u>The guy wanted $20 for them,
<i>total</i>.</u></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Unbelievable, especially as he said they were in <b>perfect </b>condition! Even
<u>without</u> the control pod, they usually go for $30 <b>each </b>or $150/set, <i>plus
pricey </i>shipping due to their weight/bulk, so I jumped at the chance and
zipped over, as I happened to have my parent's van handy today. They were
indeed in perfect shape, so we sealed the deal with a handshake and he loaded
them into my car from a trolley, and I drove off, the doubled sunglasses I was wearing making the trip bearable.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyG9_Mcxo0Ze_H9gMoifzmppQfu0GFTW0K3z3Rzxh276EPqTn36t1kukvyk0sgHx1QCNBbTNkEl-NFDs7uS1baLlWzq_DwqpdRNp3hxK8cMr0Cjk-9R2CYX1gb3LeThpwHOD1S7p-tN2M/s1600/Damn-Good-Deal-Brad-Pitt-ANIME.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="354" data-original-width="850" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyG9_Mcxo0Ze_H9gMoifzmppQfu0GFTW0K3z3Rzxh276EPqTn36t1kukvyk0sgHx1QCNBbTNkEl-NFDs7uS1baLlWzq_DwqpdRNp3hxK8cMr0Cjk-9R2CYX1gb3LeThpwHOD1S7p-tN2M/s320/Damn-Good-Deal-Brad-Pitt-ANIME.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Amazing!!!! Now I can hunt down a pod over the next few years, while I wait
to move into a place where I can turn them up past Vol. level 3...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="http://reviews.logitech.com/7061/224/logitech-z-5500-digital-5-1-speaker-system-reviews/reviews.htm"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"><br /></span></a></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 25 - Humanity as Magic?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Years ago, I used to play with magic...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><b>Magic the Gathering</b>, that is, as did many people back when it came out. I
stopped around 2003, though my friends continued, and I even tried my hand at
it again in 2014, though that new group of friends didn't pan out; so it goes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So I shelved things, and thought that was it for Magic in my life...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">At least until I read this article, which as an interesting take on how
Magic: The Gathering is actually a brilliant way to gain insight into humanity
as a whole:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_thKxi7W8c6PM14VqrdhtgpcmRCGvHIvAUwaj8Ap3i-Zw44m1M0kHSECfpMYuCUMt0nVooDNa9s7gLh6nvpHY72WEiraMCqEI7yHpyJjY4RK7xqmwBTZXV0OnL3mSwkIBDjnEPXSyds/s1600/Magic+The+Gathering+as+Humanity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1219" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6_thKxi7W8c6PM14VqrdhtgpcmRCGvHIvAUwaj8Ap3i-Zw44m1M0kHSECfpMYuCUMt0nVooDNa9s7gLh6nvpHY72WEiraMCqEI7yHpyJjY4RK7xqmwBTZXV0OnL3mSwkIBDjnEPXSyds/s320/Magic+The+Gathering+as+Humanity.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://medium.com/s/story/the-mtg-color-wheel-c9700a7cf36d"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">To be honest, while
the concept is fascinating, the <a href="https://medium.com/s/story/the-mtg-color-wheel-c9700a7cf36d">article is QUITE long</a>, and I felt the author
dove into it almost TOO deeply... but the concept still merits thought.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Enjoy it, if that's
your thing!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 26 - Beard Weird?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm thinking of trimming down my beard for the summer...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i>Maybe</i>. I haven't decided yet.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll still keep it as a goatee, as I'm wary of going beardless, ever since
my cellulitis close-shave from late summer 2016 - that's going to be with me a
while, seeing as I'm so damn careful with my health.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Still, what's wrong with a nice, full beard, you ask? Well...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eiJWCJc4Oec" width="560"></iframe> </span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 27 - Avengers... not.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I won't be seeing <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> for a while - probably a few weeks.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don't want to risk the eyestrain.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which is a damn pity, as I'll have to be careful about <b>spoilers </b>during that
time and the internet will probably be full of them: some people are just jerks
that way, and a few are even simply just careless about what they post on
social media.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FVWlBZZKtelzvlwKnWZPp_UeYXx1V4IV-mcbphnktaYOyNrWF4z7cIGYBHtoab6KSWhqYbGcswIMs8-JIgB95st0sSCGqv8gxYb2BUwX_qeBnAy8rN6L2Vxz5wyBmPhTeFloxc1pJXY/s1600/Infinity+Wars+-+SPOILER+AHOLES.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="406" data-original-width="1076" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5FVWlBZZKtelzvlwKnWZPp_UeYXx1V4IV-mcbphnktaYOyNrWF4z7cIGYBHtoab6KSWhqYbGcswIMs8-JIgB95st0sSCGqv8gxYb2BUwX_qeBnAy8rN6L2Vxz5wyBmPhTeFloxc1pJXY/s320/Infinity+Wars+-+SPOILER+AHOLES.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She seems so HAPPY about being a Spoiler Jerk...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Yet it's the jerks that really yank my chain: the above spoiler was planted
in a FBook article posted by<b> The Weather Channel</b> that had NOTHING to do with
movies whatsoever - the person did it simply to spoil the movie for others.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I don't know what motivates them, but that sort of sick enjoyment of
ruining things for others is a psychological trait I'm glad most people don't
have, including myself, and I imagine it has something in common with bullying,
in enjoying the discomfort of others in order to elevate one's own self-worth.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Anyway... on to neater things - how about this Lego Star Wars moving
diorama:</span></div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WvIC6gjKIMw" width="560"></iframe><br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While it's a one-off, I love the small scale combined with the motion,
which perfectly captures the feeling of the Death Star attack from the first
film, much like this animation:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIo0MhDVVlnC0gmmir1iTmhm7VT4G6A0LQfdFEBOGpSkoNhZ3ZUyKf7tpzPuoPxWPNUWaNizm3IfWSkbhNw0VD8ZHGQ15U8NbkTn_hI57dZsN2qijT397WQdokzBkv3g2Gk-ZS9ZkD-E/s1600/Animated-DeathStar-Run-GIF.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpIo0MhDVVlnC0gmmir1iTmhm7VT4G6A0LQfdFEBOGpSkoNhZ3ZUyKf7tpzPuoPxWPNUWaNizm3IfWSkbhNw0VD8ZHGQ15U8NbkTn_hI57dZsN2qijT397WQdokzBkv3g2Gk-ZS9ZkD-E/s320/Animated-DeathStar-Run-GIF.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 28 - CIBD!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My girlfriend suggested we make the rounds today for <b>Canadian Independent
Bookstore Day</b>, so we headed off in the late morning to do just that!</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRIZOW5Pz0BfBaAUu-kPocmeLGd98fxMWgApmmQxnKOJe_JrsHVtcU585rLB0Zl5GL6rKFWnN3lFFkUNiClG4iCesueFLGkvPq8SvC5IqRFbfbNqU6tfEAtwMFSlOUhZHjjkhj8xZotA/s1600/Russel+Books+-+CIBD+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="1273" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzRIZOW5Pz0BfBaAUu-kPocmeLGd98fxMWgApmmQxnKOJe_JrsHVtcU585rLB0Zl5GL6rKFWnN3lFFkUNiClG4iCesueFLGkvPq8SvC5IqRFbfbNqU6tfEAtwMFSlOUhZHjjkhj8xZotA/s320/Russel+Books+-+CIBD+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Our first stop was at <b>Russell Books,</b> which was just getting set up to have
4 different local authors sit in their Bibliotherapy Booth, which was cool. I
didn't find a book there, but then we traipsed on over to <b>Munro's</b>, which was
having a 20% off sale today... and my lady had some major gift cards to toss
around on top of that for the store! She kindly let me purchase some items, and
here was our haul, which still left about $15 on the cards for her next sojourn
there:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASyXxz2OvMNUaHvLu7gEmPeWVJsq162PZRdBKxqazFSEy5wysuTwUTgEIho-U7Serf2-pRHz_MOlbATANrYjBYF0ULsmVi_uMMnjXA5ln8hk39mLGdH5jLy8231p_S7rXp0M3WQJqW_w/s1600/20180428_123246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjASyXxz2OvMNUaHvLu7gEmPeWVJsq162PZRdBKxqazFSEy5wysuTwUTgEIho-U7Serf2-pRHz_MOlbATANrYjBYF0ULsmVi_uMMnjXA5ln8hk39mLGdH5jLy8231p_S7rXp0M3WQJqW_w/s320/20180428_123246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Most of these are mine! Not pictured: my lady's prize of the day, a Grumpy Cat book!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> We took a break for lunch at Garrick's Head Pub, tucked away in our favourite back
corner with big windows, before heading over to <b>Bastion Books </b>just across the
square. I lucked into a HUGE copy of Ian F. Hamilton's <i>The Reality
Dysfunction</i> from 1996 for a mere $10, which at 1091 pages is a helluva deal
for a stellar space opera story(<i> first of a <u>trilogy</u>! </i>). </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a <i>great </i>day, and I was home at 4pm to do a podcast for my <i>Dark
Crystal</i> pals, which only took an hour. I spent the rest of the evening just
taking it easy, resting my eye in semi-darkness listening to music, some
audiobooks and making it an early night. My eyestrain had induced a pounding
headache and I didn't want to take any more medication, as that just seems to
make my headaches more frequent...</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But: BOOKS = happy me and my lady!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 29 - A Walk In The Park</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a quiet morning for me: my right eye is still strained, though
somewhat less so than a week ago, so I read some of the new books from
yesterday in soft light for much of the morning and was gratified that it
didn't seem to bother my eye at all - <i>success</i>!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Later in the afternoon, my lady and I took a walk at <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Fairplay Park</b>, a place neither of us had been before. It's a small
park, but with an abundance of blooming trees and shrubs, and has had much of
its meadowlands restored to a natural state, so it's quite lovely:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TVD54BYWaGyUrmUdVoTpFCZM4udtz5TGaFcbCSYE0GhIjniKXoCOOHrjgScQTBDTJq1z0YW-vzBnBjvnYqycOiyuJmY5rjzJM1mvu4U_H70dOnW51Q7ANTFuWhxwGySaTCnYPl373vs/s1600/Playfair+Park+-+April+29+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="989" data-original-width="1004" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8TVD54BYWaGyUrmUdVoTpFCZM4udtz5TGaFcbCSYE0GhIjniKXoCOOHrjgScQTBDTJq1z0YW-vzBnBjvnYqycOiyuJmY5rjzJM1mvu4U_H70dOnW51Q7ANTFuWhxwGySaTCnYPl373vs/s320/Playfair+Park+-+April+29+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Also, after I got home, I found I'd missed out on something <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Babylon 5</b> this weekend - dang! Due to
my lack of funds this month, I decided not to go to the Victoria's <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Ultimate Hobby and Toy Fair 2018</b> this
year, as I'd just be frustrated if I found some cool stuff there that I
couldn't buy( <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and I went last year, so</i>...
). As it happens, someone ELSE locally found a sealed-in-the-box model kit of
the Babylon 5 station, which are rather rare, going for $100 USD online...</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0F2_Fxv-qd-B7-g2X0lPhSDPvP4xLoAMvxYtuYsZeAzeIBt4avlv4lxwn5pGGaj0GfGFX542C0_iJ1mXSUVfRnNGOadAElyW1wTHuTeiNjJRSIu_IgAx4h5dKFZOVNbOMm-rIxw3BbU/s1600/Babylon+5+station+model+kit+LUCKY+GUY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="1285" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR0F2_Fxv-qd-B7-g2X0lPhSDPvP4xLoAMvxYtuYsZeAzeIBt4avlv4lxwn5pGGaj0GfGFX542C0_iJ1mXSUVfRnNGOadAElyW1wTHuTeiNjJRSIu_IgAx4h5dKFZOVNbOMm-rIxw3BbU/s320/Babylon+5+station+model+kit+LUCKY+GUY.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> Ah well; I'm not a modeller, so it would have just sat on my shelf for
years until I got around to mangling the build, so at least it went to someone
who'll do it justice. And I can always try to go again next year...</span></div>
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<i>Phew! Well, that was the end of my vacation today: ten days of not-work which, all in all, has left me with a sense of accomplishment and relaxation, despite my inadvertent eyestrain. I've a short 4-day work week as well with a payday Friday on my day off, so it's just a quiet cruise while taking care of my eye to help it recover, and go from there!</i>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-8042983132439008922018-04-22T21:13:00.001-07:002018-04-22T21:13:18.190-07:00R.A.I.N., Reading and Romans<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The word of the week is languish.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 16 - How's it going?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Things are proceeding apace hereabouts... albeit slowly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Nothing new on the job front</span></u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">: I apply, I wait, I get rejected and told that I didn't
make any Eligibility-Callback lists... then I apply for new positions, and so
on. Next week I'll be crafting resumes for three positions, sending them first
off to a co-worker who has great experience in navigating the persnickety
filter-heavy world of government job applications... so I hope that will help
better my chances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Glowforge-wise</span></u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">: I've decided to wait until June, when the air filter( <i>necessary for indoor non-vented use </i>)will
be ready to ship... and by then I'll have the money set aside for either (a)
shipping it to me or (b) picking both the filter and main unit up from the USA.
Of the two, the second option is better, as it's cheaper by $300 USD all-told
than paying the shipping to Canada, even factoring in the cost of a ferry
trip... and taxes / duties are due on either option, of course.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Writing-wise</span></u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">: I'm waiting for May to arrive, because sometime in that merry month Baen
books will have their Live Slush Reading, which will include my novel's
manuscript! Who knows what the result will be, but I'm excited for it! In the
interim, I'm continuing to plug away at editing the draft, polishing it
further...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Health-wise</span></u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">: I'm walking to work regularly, doing 10,000 steps a day with no issue;
swimming twice a week has really limbered up my left foot and I'm feeling the
benefits in the rest of my body as well. I'm planning on keeping up the swim
schedule for the summer, at least until I can gently get back onto my exercise
bike in a month or so and see how that goes. Seeing as the bike has sat unused
in my apartment for almost 18 months now, I'd rather use it than keep paying
$4/swim over the rest of the year, which adds up of a month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Finance-wise</span></u><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">: don't ask, as usual. Each month is its own challenge...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 17 - Cherophobia</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What are you scared of?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For me, it's only a few things: failure, death, and not reaching my
potential. Maybe a dash of being wrong and losing my mental faculties in there
too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">But am I also scared of being... <i>happy</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It's a valid question, asking if I have <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/cherophobia-is-the-fear-of-being-happy-and-it-s-more-common-than-you-might-think">cherophobia</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO-q7WeU2rtRIT1T0D0JSnA5vdqaIq-QAFOwSYM_P24lFRjcF0HeQHS4ZeL0_vDx4JmNzmP65T58d3HQIoDi1bS1UWkfpQcARXsquPP5hgwWL2H_XeHv_0kpEGygcOf15AoXVrYuLpBY/s1600/Cherophobia+-+fear+of+being+happy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="621" data-original-width="1093" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfO-q7WeU2rtRIT1T0D0JSnA5vdqaIq-QAFOwSYM_P24lFRjcF0HeQHS4ZeL0_vDx4JmNzmP65T58d3HQIoDi1bS1UWkfpQcARXsquPP5hgwWL2H_XeHv_0kpEGygcOf15AoXVrYuLpBY/s320/Cherophobia+-+fear+of+being+happy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Of all the things listed above, the only one that I know I do
semi-regularly is "thinking something bad will happen" if I'm happy,
akin to the old adage "don't jinx it!" when people say things like
"Everything's going great!" and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Cherophobia isn't depression, and I see that, but I also see that not being
able to take joy in the moment, in success, is a bad habit that's easy for me
to fall into sometimes. Like any bad habit, being aware of it means you can
watch for it and step around that trap when it rears its frowny face.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Smile: it's that easy, if you know what to look for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 18 - Letting it R.A.I.N.</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">This seemed appropriate as above, given the weather this week: rather blah.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">When you're feeling overwhelmed by life at times, as we all experience,
there's some useful( <i>and simple! </i>)tools you can use to get a handle on
things. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">One such is <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-wise-brain/201405/let-it-rain">R.A.I.N.</a><span id="goog_1155826749"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a><span id="goog_1155826750"></span> which stands for <b>Recognize, Accept, Investigate and
Not-Accep</b>t, as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I <i>like </i>quick checklists, as they're easy to remember in most every
stressful situation, and act as a 'safety' to let you step back to view a
situation rationally instead of allowing things to steamroller you into actions
you might regret.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Think before you act, and let it rain...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 19 - Stoics</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I've been doubting myself yet again this week, and I <i>shouldn't</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As always, I keep running the budget numbers, looking ahead to see where I
can make this or that purchase work, while avoiding running out of things like
supplements, T/P, household supplies and food. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Is this adulthood? Is this success?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What am I <i>missing out on</i>, that so many other people are doing?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I'll get into that next week, as it's a whole 'nother post and I want to
stop the line of inquiry at just taking stock of your life... of paying
attention to how you're living it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Few people in history were better at such than <b>Marcus Aurelius</b>, Emperor of Rome from between 161 and 180 AD. His collected
writings can be found in <i>Meditations</i>, and are a fantastic read, one
which I'll be digging into again for the first time in decades this coming
week...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For now, I'll leave you with 14 of his solid stoic quotes, taken from a
<a href="https://ideapod.com/learn-22-stoic-truths-marcus-aurelius-youll-much-stronger/">larger article</a> and themselves pulled from <i>Meditations</i>, which I highly
recommend...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 20 - Vacation!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I officially started ten days of vacation today, the first of 2018 for me!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">All the same, I was still up at 6:30am to go swimming, then have breakfast,
which was a treat for me: the end of this month is going to be very tight, so
much so that I'll be spending my vacation at home, with no forays out save for
a cheap tea on a patio once or twice, weather-permitting - no room in the
budget for cookies, at that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Lunch was spent at my parent's place, visiting and assisting them with
their tec</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">h: I moved their wifi to get a better signal in the far end of their
condo, tidied up their computers and made my few hours there generally
well-spent.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I'd been developing a headache starting just after breakfast( <i>weather...</i> )I carefully took just a
half-Asprin, as I had to meet a friend at 3pm for a day-off drink at Fire and
Water... and neither Tylenol nor Ibuprofen mix well with alcohol. My friend and
I have a highly-g33ky chat for a few hours, with a bonus two beers for me on
<b>his </b>tab( <i>thanks, man!</i> )as he felt bad for having cancelled our previous
two day-off chats. Free beers and great con</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">versation = a great start to my
vacation!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">All the same, I spent the evening at home with earplugs and the blinds
drawn to wait things out. I ended up watching half of the original <i>TRON</i> on Netflix, which to my surprise
turned out to be the full-HD restored version with uber-crisp graphics -
another bonus, and a lovely way to wind down my day sans headache.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 21 - Locker Library?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I think I'll take a trip to the library this week, to get a few books.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As much as it pains me to admit, I haven't been there in years, not since
moving back to Victoria in 2012. I enjoyed getting books from the Langford
branch, as it kept me entertained with the latest scifi books... but I slacked
off once I was back in the city proper: too busy trying to find work, and so
forth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Mind you, I <b>LOVE </b>libraries, and shudder to think what life would be like
without them... or if any of my schools had banned books when I was growing up,
like what seems to happen regularly elsewhere in the world, including the USA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Some people though, are heroes - they fight back against banning books:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQg533qYbKScNeiW8PVfoRqM6gwNXlW5Wo82Z6u2gqzQVsk6IKRCyV3gNvZNXoOTeXkB86CSofSMTbI15B804NE30RquJX3CTPpo3qZErUXE3cs-BXgyl7bDbLg086wg-PhUiEqTnxlY/s1600/Illegal+Library+in+a+Locker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="722" data-original-width="501" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLQg533qYbKScNeiW8PVfoRqM6gwNXlW5Wo82Z6u2gqzQVsk6IKRCyV3gNvZNXoOTeXkB86CSofSMTbI15B804NE30RquJX3CTPpo3qZErUXE3cs-BXgyl7bDbLg086wg-PhUiEqTnxlY/s320/Illegal+Library+in+a+Locker.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 22 - Poetic Sounds</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My girlfriend is a good cure for much of what might ail me, of a day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I was feeling rather... <i>blah </i>this morning, thinking about my
upcoming vacation-week nee imposed-staycation-due-to-budget, and even though
the entire week's weather's supposed to be <b>amazingly </b>sunny <i>and </i>I
have tons to occupy my time: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Blah</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">. Negative thoughts lack-of-midlife-success mind-muddle all morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">That lasted until brunch with my lady: she's <b><i>that </i></b>good for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">We spent the afternoon at her poetry group in the sunny Atrium on Yates,
chatting with other poets, followed by some poetry exercises... and my
creations were well-received by the other much-better poets!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My best poem was this one, inspired by the <b>Dixit </b>card pictured:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRv7g9gIRri9ATpLETNGqvDPaVCnBf1VceeOSEX4eMHWQV0zLNICh0Wcpo4g1rrCMWWl6s86Yxmw5RuC1wySTPrGa0vegld7xq5J11EbXZJedjcjxMLobt7bTf4baz70ahiI7R5a_-YI/s1600/Snowy+Picnic+Poem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="851" data-original-width="511" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPRv7g9gIRri9ATpLETNGqvDPaVCnBf1VceeOSEX4eMHWQV0zLNICh0Wcpo4g1rrCMWWl6s86Yxmw5RuC1wySTPrGa0vegld7xq5J11EbXZJedjcjxMLobt7bTf4baz70ahiI7R5a_-YI/s320/Snowy+Picnic+Poem.jpg" width="192" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">A leisurely dinner, followed by a few hours of blogging and the rest of <i>TRON</i> wrapped up a day that might have
started out <b>blah</b>, but ended in an <i>ahhhh</i>... and sans any remains
of a headache, too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>The blog's a little later tonight, as I didn't really start until after dinner; yesterday was a bit of a wash, I'm afraid, as I was feeling kinda blah as noted above. I'm much better balanced tonight, again with big thanks to my lady, as she showed me a great cure for the creative soul is... to <b>create</b>. Who woulda thunkit?</i></span><div style="text-align: justify;">
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-52842276620253719302018-04-15T20:08:00.003-07:002018-04-15T20:08:27.421-07:00Procrastination, Pressure and Perfect Playsets<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The word of the week is puissant.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 9 - Maybe Later...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I love it when research backs me up...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Especially when it comes to bad habits, such as: procrastination!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For many years, I've been beating myself about the head when it comes to
Getting Things Done. Oddly enough, it seems that most times, I CAN get things
done, but in some instances it's just such a struggle that I've wondered out
loud: <b><i>why?<o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Science to the rescue!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For a procrastinator of my kind, perfection (or something negligibly close
to it) thereby becomes the only result that allows one to be comfortable with
himself. A procrastinator becomes disproportionately motivated by the pain of
failure. So when you consider taking anything on, the promise of praise or
benefit from doing something right are overshadowed by the (disproportionately
greater) threat of getting something wrong. Growing up under such high
expectations, people learn to associate imperfection or criticism with outright
failure, and failure with personal inadequacy.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">A person who does not have this neurosis might wish they didn’t make a
mistake, whereas the neurotic procrastinator perceives the error as being a
reflection of their character. In other words, most people suffer mainly the
practical consequences of mistakes (such as finishing with a lower grade, or
having to redo something) with only minor self-esteem implications, while
neurotic procrastinators perceive every mistake they make as being a flaw in
them.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">So what they are motivated to do is to avoid finishing anything, because to
complete and submit work is subject yourself (not just your work) to scrutiny.
To move forward with any task is to subject yourself to risks that appear to
the subconscious to be positively deadly because part of you is convinced that
it is you that is at stake, not just your time, resources, patience, options or
other secondary considerations. To the fear centre of your brain, by acting
without guarantees of success (and there are none) you really are facing
annihilation.</span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">A backlog of avoided tasks accumulates, and each one represents another
series of threats to your self-worth should you tackle them. So the fear
mounts, knowing that there is a minefield of threats between you and the
fulfillment of your responsibilities. You feel like you must do something and
can’t do that thing simultaneously, which can only lead to a burning resentment
of the people or forces that put you in that impossible place — your employer,
your society, or yourself. A victim mentality emerges.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">This <b>exactly </b>explains what I've been beating myself up for all these
years: it's not laziness, or even procrastination... but <a href="https://thoughtcatalog.com/david-cain/2013/02/procrastination-is-not-laziness/">fear of failure</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Yup. As noted above, it's also been accompanied by resentment and a 'Why
me?' nagging thought-train that's been hard to kick some years, even though I
know better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I'll be ruminating on this further, but for now I have a blog to write...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 10 - <i>Quantum Night</i></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Finally... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Last week, I picked up a copy of Robert J. Sawyer's latest book, <i>Quantum
Night</i>, in hardcover at Russell Books for $9.00 - a bargain, considering the
eBook version has been $15 forever, and there's no sign yet of a paperback
version( <i>which would be more than $9 anyway! </i>). I've been itching to
read it for some time now, and in case you're not familiar with the premise,
here's a peek:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ8_xYvv2ZDsv1_Rco6wHlTn9VDPTzn_j1mdx7nkbCGLz5zCqmV3HPLKzO2Vm3Gk8S-mWASpygZIyVX4RH2fSDdz-fgiuFHD02MLvQ_ZpJ6ans2B0KedyZaof2jO4yR_hadY4aShpavg/s1600/Quantum+Night+-+praise.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="894" data-original-width="721" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOZ8_xYvv2ZDsv1_Rco6wHlTn9VDPTzn_j1mdx7nkbCGLz5zCqmV3HPLKzO2Vm3Gk8S-mWASpygZIyVX4RH2fSDdz-fgiuFHD02MLvQ_ZpJ6ans2B0KedyZaof2jO4yR_hadY4aShpavg/s320/Quantum+Night+-+praise.JPG" width="258" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I find the concept of the book fascinating, as it neatly compacts so much
of today's psychology into three personality categories: '</span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">base-level philosophical
zombies</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">' as the majority of humanity, followed by a smaller number of </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">psychopaths</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">(
</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">unable to feel emotion </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">)and an even smaller number of '</span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">quicks</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">'
who are people with full emotional conscience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Which, as you can imagine, is a recipe for disaster, as noted above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Overall, I found the book a fascinating read, though it may not be for
everyone. It's steeped in Canadiana, as are all RJS's works, and that's always
a fun thing to read in popular culture. One of the signs of a good story to me
is that parts of it stick with you long after the tale is done, and such is the
case with <i>Quantum Night</i>: it makes you
wonder if its premise MIGHT just be true after all...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 11 - I Remember...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Back in 2006, I went through some pretty serious pain: gallstones.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I'd just returned from a trip to Toronto, and on the way I'd had a
delicious Pepper Chicken sandwich from Wendy's, which I'd had fairly regularly
before. This time, though, it set off an abdominal pain that within a few hours
had me hospitalized, groaning with the pain while my parents sat next to me,
helpless to do much. I recall being pissed off in between waves of pain because
nobody knew WHY I was in pain: I'd just been stuck on a bed to be monitored in
case it "got any worse" which, given the levels of pain I was in,
would have rendered me unconscious. It was like someone was pushing a broom
handle under my ribs, and I couldn't do a thing about it... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Thankfully, by midnight the stone had passed( <i>though I had no idea at the time that's what it was</i> )and I was able
to go home, completely wrung out. To this day, I still have the occasional
dream where someone's pushing a finger under my ribs, reliving that same awful sensation,
and I'll be damned if I can make it stop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Which means when I read about <a href="https://nypost.com/2018/03/29/womans-abdominal-pain-turned-out-to-be-2350-gallstones/">this story</a>, I got a few ghostly twinges of
sympathy:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo09W3wG89oSTwIeXej69hoKndsNdHQmJjmS_i3c2_fzd5A6j7pnR1VSTVAmrcQ2aDI5Sk7E_gf4LSwKaDWnGo5vy3-xT-7W3R544ndQZ-J9RHhjx_xBQbyACV95qRPZjQ8VdgYkjYC8k/s1600/2350+Gallstones+removed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="935" data-original-width="593" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo09W3wG89oSTwIeXej69hoKndsNdHQmJjmS_i3c2_fzd5A6j7pnR1VSTVAmrcQ2aDI5Sk7E_gf4LSwKaDWnGo5vy3-xT-7W3R544ndQZ-J9RHhjx_xBQbyACV95qRPZjQ8VdgYkjYC8k/s320/2350+Gallstones+removed.jpg" width="202" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">NO THANK-YOU!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Stories like this one tend to put things in perspective, and I can't
imagine the pain she must have been in, or the 85-year-old woman who in August
1987 had 23,530 gallstones removed at Worthing Hospital in England’s West
Sussex after she complained of severe abdominal pain.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">While I still get pain on occasion, it's from the surgery to remove my
gallbladder in 2008, which has now <a href="http://gallbladderattack.com/side-effects-of-gallbladder-removal/">connected my liver directly to my small intestine</a>. That connection is a little short, and if I sit oddly or stretch in
certain ways, it tweaks it... which is unpleasant, but not painful - most days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Certainly not as painful as what I went through twelve years ago. With some
help from regular bile salts with each meal, I've been doing just fine, which
is a relief, as I've got plenty of other things to keep track of when it comes
to my health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 12 - More Mojo B5!</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">One of the great things about FBook is connections.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I mentioned last week, being able to connect with creative folk whose
work that I admire is fantastic. There's glimpses into their processes and
thoughts that are invaluable, and just getting to see them as a person helps
dispell the 'imposter syndrome' that I myself face daily, in that my own work
can't possibly be as good as the work of giants such as them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Also, sometimes they just put out cool stuff for folks to admire, for FREE,
and it's even better when it's NEW Babylon 5 work like this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Full 1080p - one of my fave shots from the show!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Because he could, Mojo was able to find an original model from the show in his archives, re-rig it and tweak it with the latest image-goodies, then render it with the latest software to produce the stunning image above. All because he loved working on the show and wanted to do something to update one of his favourite images... which also happened to be one of mine too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 13 - A Week Off, <i>Soon</i>!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My first vacation of 2018 is coming up, in a week's time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My plan?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Edit my novel daily.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Plus, go for walks, catch up on reading, and generally relax. Since my
entertainment budget of late is non-existent<i>( along with every other
non-necessity budget</i> )there's really no other options. Besides, my
girlfriend doesn't have the week off, and I won't take a trip without her, as
it'd just be me moping around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The last real vacation I had was in 2013 when I visited Niagara for a week,
which was wonderful, as was the briefer trip my lady and I took there for 2
days in the summer of 2016.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP5ETgZJ7u9NfzufYNq2QwC7fGScotGt8AfKPFE8nFRDJNV9N43Mzl5LNPB-Ymw62TIB4yqhnTUxxaCPySQrywtdmqCXCO4eq11QLvA4Sc9OjNxgkuwsyI_uXi2OUM71iWedAgI7km00/s1600/Staycations+-+2015+blog+quote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="744" data-original-width="872" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP5ETgZJ7u9NfzufYNq2QwC7fGScotGt8AfKPFE8nFRDJNV9N43Mzl5LNPB-Ymw62TIB4yqhnTUxxaCPySQrywtdmqCXCO4eq11QLvA4Sc9OjNxgkuwsyI_uXi2OUM71iWedAgI7km00/s320/Staycations+-+2015+blog+quote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My trip to the USA last summer I unfortunately can't count a full vacation,
as I was in pain for much of it, thanks to my 'sore core' muscles. It was a
GREAT trip, don't get me wrong: I just couldn't fully relax, as every minute I
spent sitting was painful... but I didn't let that stop me from enjoying it as
much as possible to distract myself from my discomfort. Solar eclipse for the
win!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Back to this year, though: it's going</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> to be all about the rest and
relaxation!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 14 - Whatta Playset!</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Some kids have the best dads; I know, since I was one of them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">And while my dad wasn't one to make things, other kids are fortunate to
have fathers who are skilled with their hands, who can <a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Star-Trek-Enterprise-Bridge-Playset/">make things like <i>this</i></a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFfoCaFT_gLbqWi2VIAY-_pdbfZlZ6y8DA7zPoy_jMfOZnHRfZNG-DS0d8qQ5qA89sSepJ1foCx8G9115oPSo7cEMA4YgwjaWkAbl513C91nqAmbS2ZS_LIdEMiV0s1dNRKDYB2ztYeg/s1600/Star+Trek+THOS+-+Bridge+playset+made+of+wood+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1253" data-original-width="938" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwFfoCaFT_gLbqWi2VIAY-_pdbfZlZ6y8DA7zPoy_jMfOZnHRfZNG-DS0d8qQ5qA89sSepJ1foCx8G9115oPSo7cEMA4YgwjaWkAbl513C91nqAmbS2ZS_LIdEMiV0s1dNRKDYB2ztYeg/s320/Star+Trek+THOS+-+Bridge+playset+made+of+wood+2018.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's made of WOOD! </td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Star Trek: The Original Series</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> playset I would have </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">loved </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">to
have had as a kid, having grown up watching the reruns on TV. I did manage to
get this bridge set, from </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">ST: The Motion Picture.</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">.. but <a href="http://www.thelogbook.com/toy/tmp-set/INDEX.HTM">it left much to be desired</a>:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQRS3unZKn64ZfV4J9xeF2xBH4h-TOfOMdgEz_ckTVLKcKTlkIZJQ7-F_Dbyb7Su9qyStHXmEctwdBBxnYnr1TWAAHiPd91iwgzN5g6ManPF92YYH7nuVXb6t9eftCAV2tREJezcmXw/s1600/ST+-+TMP+bridge+set.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="688" data-original-width="658" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZXQRS3unZKn64ZfV4J9xeF2xBH4h-TOfOMdgEz_ckTVLKcKTlkIZJQ7-F_Dbyb7Su9qyStHXmEctwdBBxnYnr1TWAAHiPd91iwgzN5g6ManPF92YYH7nuVXb6t9eftCAV2tREJezcmXw/s320/ST+-+TMP+bridge+set.JPG" width="306" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheap thin plastic that broke easily: not a great kids toy...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Still, it was certainly better than <b>this </b>monstrosity for the larger 1970's
figures:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJc4S1YWhZ_iIcwkCKEV5OFQgfnwBliKkDjA463CXSfzjgZWdjb95mAluQL1ragIQjKOedWPnfASeyZ-t-XuDG8t8A7jRFX6iCIijrADR_oIwOioHPeR4tpvRp4-Sm4l3eqWbs-17P1w/s1600/ST+TOS+Awful+bridge+playset.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="718" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigJc4S1YWhZ_iIcwkCKEV5OFQgfnwBliKkDjA463CXSfzjgZWdjb95mAluQL1ragIQjKOedWPnfASeyZ-t-XuDG8t8A7jRFX6iCIijrADR_oIwOioHPeR4tpvRp4-Sm4l3eqWbs-17P1w/s320/ST+TOS+Awful+bridge+playset.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually had a Kirk figure when I was young, from a flea market: ugh.</td></tr>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 15 - Weather</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Ouch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It's strange how quickly the weather can affect me; while it hasn't
happened as often of late, when the air pressure changes, it can really hit me
hard - like today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">After a pleasant few hours out and about with my lady( <i>we brunched, then toured the very green rural backroads, and finished
with a walk along the shoreline at Dallas Road</i> )my head started to ache...
and my phone showed the air pressure dropping:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ATGuM_7FD69vuPaLnQzbKNp2ltXH4q_YeSOfB4uLPL1LSicumO6TMQUDuTrQ2a56nBaQCy6FGahdX5ujZ0ugXTAKHcikJLLYfsHC5tAYU7bHfQrcM17ieaRB34M4gwBnNlqBfhml9NE/s1600/Screenshot_2018-04-15-19-03-26.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1ATGuM_7FD69vuPaLnQzbKNp2ltXH4q_YeSOfB4uLPL1LSicumO6TMQUDuTrQ2a56nBaQCy6FGahdX5ujZ0ugXTAKHcikJLLYfsHC5tAYU7bHfQrcM17ieaRB34M4gwBnNlqBfhml9NE/s320/Screenshot_2018-04-15-19-03-26.png" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">You can see the <b>sharp </b>drop around noon... after the roadtrip variances.</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As much as my S5 phone annoys me( <i>the
screen often refuses to turn back on</i> )the one thing it does <b>well</b> is record the air pressure, much
like its S3 predecessor did. So at least I get warning of when the weather's
pulling a fast one on me, but today the headache started quite quickly, and by
the evening was nasty enough that I had to write the rest of my blog wearing
sunglasses - doh! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">In ruminating today on my various aches, pains and lack of achievements, I
again turned to the words of the late Stephen Hawking, who himself took pains
to tell others to "<i>Never Give Up, because where there's life, there's
hope."</i></span></div>
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<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iPNXUHwKFJo" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>That's about all I've got in me; I had to take a few breaks while writing the blog, which took me around four hours overall, twice my usual time with said breaks accounted for. Still, I've got some quiet resting to do before bed, when hopefully the second set of headache tablets will kick in...</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-43233957962880201312018-04-08T18:36:00.003-07:002018-04-08T18:36:41.076-07:00Musings, Mojo and Major Movie Time!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The word of the week is tenacity.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 2 - Goldilocks and Ideal Self</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This was a short week, with a holiday today and Friday off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Good; I can <b>use </b>the rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Working all of last week on my novel submission to Baen(<i> go me! </i>)was
a strain on my eyes, and while I took precautions like leavening my writing
time with 20-20-20 breaks, my weaker right eye is still paining me today. But
not terribly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What's paining me more is... <i>happiness</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm a motivated person, as many of you know, though I feel what I've
accomplished in life to date to be small and unremarkable, at least in terms of
the impact on others, as well as my own life; one glance at my finances makes a
good example of the latter. Still, we're not just balance sheets: life's a lot
more than that. Challenging yourself and staying motivated is key to getting a
grip on life, which when you follow the <b><a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-to-stay-motivated-in-life-and-work-using-the-goldil-1783132075">Goldilocks Rule</a></b>, starts to make
sense:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3iwMWDAZPJvuRwJmnH9EwrfHJjzJ1xKouEWSKdcDgm_FZDD39rrJKvdy43TVIkt3OMRV99jOhO_f5-0TDiQl9ZOQ4w_F4HQDp7ygl_LQ2tkh5Sjb9nov0NJADdUBnoqo3wPvo808noc/s1600/Goldilocks+Rule+for+Motivation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="877" height="184" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ3iwMWDAZPJvuRwJmnH9EwrfHJjzJ1xKouEWSKdcDgm_FZDD39rrJKvdy43TVIkt3OMRV99jOhO_f5-0TDiQl9ZOQ4w_F4HQDp7ygl_LQ2tkh5Sjb9nov0NJADdUBnoqo3wPvo808noc/s320/Goldilocks+Rule+for+Motivation.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Right now I'm not challenged at my day job<i>( and I've received word it's
going to be changing later this year, so that's worrisome... </i>)but I've been
using that 'lack of challenge' to my advantage by learning via <b>YouTube </b>at
work while my hands are busy but my brain... <i>isn't</i>. I've gone from a mix
more of entertaining myself( <i>a process of relaxation</i> )to a majority of
educating myself about writing, as well as the science involved in my novels,
which has kept my motivation up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's also been a case of worrying less, which is a challenge unto itself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet I know it's a process, <a href="https://lifehacker.com/stop-trying-to-be-happy-and-start-working-towards-your-1572537899">a series of small hills</a>, rather than a trudge up
an unending( <i>and unyielding</i> )mountain:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg6iVz4hx6NpyBXvYQbVQ6Jlqx2DV3lIa_i-iXiPaA1kaG977gTRHzVZYnknN13x93vt3tarD22xw-ejCCFazqJ98qogfEdFiP0zJE2WBd9yIlgvddOuA0o5IgpHdFvfGnAR-9iEEWSk/s1600/The+Ideal+Self.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="967" data-original-width="904" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqg6iVz4hx6NpyBXvYQbVQ6Jlqx2DV3lIa_i-iXiPaA1kaG977gTRHzVZYnknN13x93vt3tarD22xw-ejCCFazqJ98qogfEdFiP0zJE2WBd9yIlgvddOuA0o5IgpHdFvfGnAR-9iEEWSk/s320/The+Ideal+Self.JPG" width="299" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For now, I'm simplifying, just being, and seeing how the rest of 2018 shows
up as I crest each new hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 3 - In the Swim</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My water routine seems to be working out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Twice a week, I'm up early before work on Tuesdays and Fridays, to get to
the swimming pool by the 7am open-time and in the water ASAP in case other
people trickle in; I like having the place to myself, as it seems like it's my
own private pool... if only for a brief time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIqDnpoUJlsYIAjBnfFuxtJf1va1pzEwPCx0tjOEYZLuNov_FI-uYL0MuNvMtEHySu2t0A5jPyK3kSzEppMr2DD_0D2XWSZ_UTSy0L3BNW7VGzd-tOtKOC0DfehW78scj7koAH-QuUAQ/s1600/the-parkside-hotel-spa-hottub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="550" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYIqDnpoUJlsYIAjBnfFuxtJf1va1pzEwPCx0tjOEYZLuNov_FI-uYL0MuNvMtEHySu2t0A5jPyK3kSzEppMr2DD_0D2XWSZ_UTSy0L3BNW7VGzd-tOtKOC0DfehW78scj7koAH-QuUAQ/s320/the-parkside-hotel-spa-hottub.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I just LOVE hottubs!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This week and last, I've been soaking my legs in the hottub for 5-7 minutes
beforehand, to loosen up the muscles before I stretch, and it's been helping.
I've managed to swim for about 20 minutes without pause, with good flexion and
a nice, tired feeling at the end that tells me I've burned some solid calories
while moving around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Being sensitized to my own body as much as I am( <i>thanks, 2017 anxiety...</i>
)means I can tell exactly when my muscles are tweaking / close to strain, and I
back off the effort level for a minute, then go again. My goal is to make it a
full 30 minutes of exercise at decent effort levels, though that's tricky since
I have to factor in a shower, changing and getting to work... as well as
fitting breakfast in there somewhere. Fortunately, the place with the best deal
on breakfast also lets me phone in an order, so it's ready by the time I walk
there from the pool; yes!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Once the current cardpass runs out in a few months, I'm considering getting
a basic gym membership, as the pass went up to $80.00 / 20 visits, which at two
visits / week is only 2.5 month’s worth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Then again, I have a fitness bike just taking up space in my apartment...
one that I'm loathe to get back on, should I suffer a repeat of the tendon
injuries from 2016. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Maybe I'll just take things slow for now, and see how I feel by May.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 4 - That One Thing... </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Another note on happiness: it's all about quality.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A <a href="https://ideapod.com/75-year-harvard-study-revealed-one-important-factor-human-happiness/">study by Harvard</a> that's been going for 75 years( <i>wow!</i> )showed that
when it comes to people being happy, the thing that matters most is <b>love</b>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXr1nefpqtSje1_4l9G6KlO8_m8jDizbc4FvRYdEMxhnQW5-DjeNByHOXXx0KLfuzB1CRj8aiuOzHYslmoQKxx3U-KomE5blnDzWEYcgdjpQ8jGVjkijSkFe9TPv6EqTR3zHj_e7F5Mg/s1600/Quality+of+Love+is+Key+to+Happiness.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="799" data-original-width="1104" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXr1nefpqtSje1_4l9G6KlO8_m8jDizbc4FvRYdEMxhnQW5-DjeNByHOXXx0KLfuzB1CRj8aiuOzHYslmoQKxx3U-KomE5blnDzWEYcgdjpQ8jGVjkijSkFe9TPv6EqTR3zHj_e7F5Mg/s320/Quality+of+Love+is+Key+to+Happiness.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, I've read years ago that the threshold of financial happiness is
around $75,000... <a href="https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/01/83000-new-75000-happiness-benchmark-annual-income/">but it's now around $83,000</a> AND that has <b>nothing </b>to do with being happy in <i>life</i>, just
non-stressed about being able to pay your bills, buy some geegaws, and save for
retirement. All of which I'd like to be able to do without getting tired from
the continuous juggling.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet, I'm lucky in love, according to the Harvard study, as I have many
quality relationships in my life when it comes to friends and family, as well
as my remarkable girlfriend. There's a Ted Talk that goes into a little more
detail about the Harvard study here, and it's worth the 12 minutes of your day
to watch:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8KkKuTCFvzI" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 5 - Isaac Arthur</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As mentioned above, I'm learning at work about science, specific to the
concepts that I am using to write my novel trilogy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">YouTube is a big place to poke around in, but I'm incredibly grateful that
I stumbled across <b>Science and Futurism with Isaac Arthur</b> earlier this year.
He's a math guy, so the numbers make for a solid foundation to build each of
his videos upon... and given that he's been releasing one per week for a couple
of years now, there's over a hundred available, varying in time from 20 to 60
minutes. Gold!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Here's an example of an early video of his, which is still crammed <b>full </b>of great
information:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M8ryqjyLBL8" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I highly recommend his channel, as the 'later' videos( <i>circa 2016 </i>)are
fabulous, many with animations and data charts worth pausing on to soak in the
full concepts and ideas. I'll be re-watching some of his videos in the next few
weeks, this time taking some notes as time permits each day as the ideas
coalesce...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Bonus</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">: in the evening, I went out to my writing group's Meet N'Greet!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's been months since I last attended a Meetup, and even that was our
State of The Union meeting, so it doesn't count; the last one was in November,
five months ago. So tonight was well overdue for me making an appearance, and
I'm glad I did: the group took my initial comments about genre and ran with
them! We had a lively discussion for an hour and a half, then things wound down
nicely a little after 8pm; plenty of time for me to head home to get a few
things done.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I was also pleased that I'd managed to sit upright in my chair for all that
time with nary an abdominal twinge; my exercise and movement efforts are paying
off!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 6 - <i>Ready Player One</i></span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Two years after reading the book, I got to see the movie today!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5gk_MCWK4hkTnKD-_ieLA_KUI_-vrtjUbbo53KZgolc80V8AQsY3pvz5DRHsnJu-heWV3QTY5tzRxUjZYQz4aBAp3vI5jXjFGLkJ9wz3ysnDrICvt6yqEhyILnbZjzdMH1FFDtDtg5I/s1600/ready-player-one-new-poster-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ5gk_MCWK4hkTnKD-_ieLA_KUI_-vrtjUbbo53KZgolc80V8AQsY3pvz5DRHsnJu-heWV3QTY5tzRxUjZYQz4aBAp3vI5jXjFGLkJ9wz3ysnDrICvt6yqEhyILnbZjzdMH1FFDtDtg5I/s400/ready-player-one-new-poster-1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For those of you who don't know, here's a spoiler-free summary of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">RPO</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the year 2045, the real world is a harsh place. The only time Wade Watts
(Tye Sheridan) truly feels alive is when he escapes to the OASIS, an immersive
virtual universe where most of humanity spends their days. In the OASIS, you
can go anywhere, do anything, be anyone-the only limits are your own
imagination. The OASIS was created by the brilliant and eccentric James
Halliday (Mark Rylance), who left his immense fortune and total control of the
Oasis to the winner of a three-part contest he designed to find a worthy heir.
When Wade conquers the first challenge of the reality-bending treasure hunt, he
and his friends-aka the High Five-are hurled into a fantastical universe of
discovery and danger to save the OASIS.</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I went into the movie today with the understanding that there were some
significant changes made from the book to the film, but I understood that some
parts of the book( <i>author Ernest Cline's first novel! </i>)weren't
well-suited to filming - <a href="https://screenrant.com/ready-player-one-movie-book-changes/">this article goes into the details</a> of why that was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Did I <i>enjoy </i>the film? <b>HECK yeah!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Was it good? Overall, with only one viewing, I'd give it a solid 8/10 for a
fun ride through 80's nostalgia, a 9/10 for visual effects, a 7/10 for story... and a 5/10 for plot execution.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'll explain that last score: it was... <b>clumsy</b>, which surprised me for a Spielberg
film. There were many missed opportunities for character nuance, tidier plotlines
and so forth, as the film simply barreled along to the end. It meant there were
few slow spots, which was good, but I found myself wishing that things had been
done somewhat tidier, which is the writer in me nitpicking( <i>with good reason</i>
)on things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, some people out there think the film is <a href="https://www.tor.com/2018/03/19/ernest-clines-ready-player-one-is-smarter-and-more-insightful-than-youve-been-told/">great</a>, while <a href="https://www.heypoorplayer.com/2017/07/28/second-opinion-ready-player-one-worst-thing-nerd-culture-ever-produced/">others hate it</a>...
and I have to say, if I wasn't an 80's kid, I'd probably see it as just an OK
action-VR-video-game film. But since I am who I am, I'll be seeing it at least
one more time, in IMAX, to soak up the visuals, and definitely purchasing the
film on Blue-Ray to pause saidsame visuals to savour all the easter eggs that I
missed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Which, in a movie whose central plot is about finding an easter egg,
<a href="http://ca.ign.com/articles/2018/03/31/ready-player-one-every-easter-egg-and-reference-we-could-find-in-the-movie">there's a TON of them!</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 7 - Complications...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's never easy, or at least it <i>seems </i>that way some days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Earlier this week, I received a reply to an email I'd sent to <b>Glowforge</b>,
to make sure my unit was still being held in queue for delivery, once I figured
out the details which included picking up from a USA address to save $425 USD
in shipping to Canada. I mentioned as much in my email, and this was the
response:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfzVtkZuAJhK9wb81iOr6mzXIlwHG6mTnCkMpuDAGUgtngh04vfzv_brbDNVN0gqUBXNSvtrWSbJD6FBu06Pvf0C2AP-9igx754Z6gWJYi4CT5O6xM1R0vj-_C9xOwIx3kBsniTIQqhc/s1600/Glowforge+-+Warranty+email+for+pickup+orders.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="723" data-original-width="1600" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidfzVtkZuAJhK9wb81iOr6mzXIlwHG6mTnCkMpuDAGUgtngh04vfzv_brbDNVN0gqUBXNSvtrWSbJD6FBu06Pvf0C2AP-9igx754Z6gWJYi4CT5O6xM1R0vj-_C9xOwIx3kBsniTIQqhc/s320/Glowforge+-+Warranty+email+for+pickup+orders.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">From the last sentence of his reply, what I take it to mean is that while I
*can* have it shipped to the USA, I have to ensure I inspect it FULLY when
picking it up in order for the warranty to be in effect. Meaning I have to call
up the receiving company and ensure that I'll be allowed to do the testing,
which will take about 30 minutes and some portion of their space - plus a power
outlet.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's not a <i>huge </i>problem... but it's one more consideration, on top
of the estimated $400 I'll be paying in taxes / duties, according to my
research this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Meaning my estimated payback, just for the cost of the Glowforge, will be
about two years, based on a flat monthly income. Less, of course, if the
business takes off later this year with some good local word-of-mouth and
online website.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">First though, I have to <i>get </i>it here intact.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 8 - Comics!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As I wasn't feeling particularly well yesterday, I took it easy today. My
girlfriend wasn't on top of the world either, so perhaps there's something
going around, a spring bug? I'm hoping she feels better soon.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It could have been an incipient headache, or something I ate( <i>dairy?</i>
)this week, but I was feeling a bit wiped, so just relaxing was key. Even a
quick trip to the grocery store for some almond milk was an exercise in energy
conservation and patience, as it was rather crowded. All I wanted was to get
out of there ASAP... but I just kept calm and let the noises pass me by as I
focused on just Getting It Done. Which worked!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also read a few of the comics I'd picked up over the last few months,
some of them crossovers( <i>Ghostbusters / TMNT</i> )and others unique( <i>The
Tick, BSG vs BSG </i>). I've rarely purchased a comic, or even a graphic novel,
in the last twenty years, as I tend to simply read the word-balloons and take
passing note of the artwork only as it serves to illustrate the story... which
since comics are a highly visual medium, is a disservice to the artists. Still,
that's how I'd read them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, being aware of that, I'm taking more time to enjoy them, page by page.
Today I ready <a href="http://www.syfy.com/syfywire/its-battle-stations-with-dynamites-new-battlestar-galactica-vs-battlestar-galactica-1">BSG vs BSG</a> #3( <i>series written by the great <a href="https://www.peterdavid.net/">Peter David</a>, too! </i>)the cover of which I was surprised to find out was
done by none other than <a href="https://darthmojo.wordpress.com/about/">Adam Mojo Lebowitz</a> of <i>Babylon 5</i> fame! As a bonus, I'm connected with
him on FBook, and we traded a few comments back and forth on the art as well as
related subjects; how cool is that? Check out the cover in all its glory, courtesy of Mojo himself:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejGDEKqqnQCPnqFxKj-7BZnaCkte-fxlF6LTqOfSiZZ-rXzH9J5eWw0jI-gictGEcwslmzCh1z1gbDxyONneueo1L9uFMFY2mDz_FNk2Yp-2LogvCu6InvBEr2zsRrgl5IkXMxlEhUSY/s1600/BSG+vs+BSG+cover+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="768" data-original-width="1440" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgejGDEKqqnQCPnqFxKj-7BZnaCkte-fxlF6LTqOfSiZZ-rXzH9J5eWw0jI-gictGEcwslmzCh1z1gbDxyONneueo1L9uFMFY2mDz_FNk2Yp-2LogvCu6InvBEr2zsRrgl5IkXMxlEhUSY/s400/BSG+vs+BSG+cover+3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That's the fun part about social media: you can connect directly with
people whose work you admire, and while bearing in mind not to pester them, you
</span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">can </i><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">engage with them regarding their work when they have time. One more
reason for me to stick around FBook, despite the negativity it's been garnering
of late.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm probably going to be there for the long haul, but with some changes: more on that soon.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, it's a full five-day week ahead, but I've got little scheduled other
than what I choose to catch up on this week. I think, given my low-level
eyestrain, that I'm going to keep it to reading, some light Netflix-watching,
and staying in to save funds( it's also going to rain all week, not great
go-for-a-walk weather ). Low-key is the watchword(s) for this week, while I
kick whatever minor bug's bothering me.</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-3290911227809703322018-04-01T20:30:00.002-07:002018-04-02T08:07:19.305-07:00Frugality, Fooling Fun and Finish Lines<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The word of the week is paucity.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 26 - What else?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I often, as part of my daily organizing, ask myself "What else?"<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's a mental habit, to see if I've forgotten to do anything, or to ensure
I know what I'll be doing later on so I don't waste time if it's a busy day or
week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Apparently, that's a <i>bad </i>thing...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9aFb9RYEuYO2AroezjqerIEMRHOQLQvjyD-z_CvUraBgkaB2jzfdnbfF9ijXO83VLb9676onKXBKapCYzYNQRYzqsMg2iOOaM76C4q8HJ_QnrSh7WjgPXHRoeapHKLHx4gScXbIDfoU/s1600/What+Else+-+mentality.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="872" data-original-width="972" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS9aFb9RYEuYO2AroezjqerIEMRHOQLQvjyD-z_CvUraBgkaB2jzfdnbfF9ijXO83VLb9676onKXBKapCYzYNQRYzqsMg2iOOaM76C4q8HJ_QnrSh7WjgPXHRoeapHKLHx4gScXbIDfoU/s320/What+Else+-+mentality.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My takeaway from the <a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-to-counteract-the-what-else-mindset-1823772012">article </a>is that, indeed, I need to stop to celebrate
my accomplishments... because if I don't, then there's no point in making them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Food for thought: what else can I do to get to that point?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Oh, <i>dang</i>...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 27 - The Temple Of Knowledge</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">What would it be like to live in a library?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As a kid, I loved the library: a trip downtown was always an opportunity to
grab a half-dozen books to devour that week, along with a few new ones from my
school library( <i>which had beanbags, but they were almost always taken at
recess </i>)which was surprisingly well-stocked thanks to Mr. Edwards(<i> with
an awesome beard! </i>)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I also wondered now and then what it would be like to grow up surrounded by
books, to have all that knowledge and magic at your fingertips. Thanks to the
wonders of animation, and the recollections of a wonderful childhood, we now
have an answer to that question:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QNeFhMnP7dA" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 28 - Uncanny Andy?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">CGI, for all its overuse in cinema, keeps getting better.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Real-time CGI, for example, has improved to the point where it's hard to
tell if you're looking at a live person, or a motion-capture model. It's still
not-quite-there, but certainly good enough to pass inspection by a casual
viewer:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We first saw this incredible footage on Twitter thanks to eSports commenter
Alex Mendez. It features Serkis reciting MacBeth’s “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and
tomorrow” speech with a wide range of facial expressions. The footage—which,
again, was created in real time—is nothing short of amazing, both because of
how close it captures the nuance of Serkis’ performance, and also because it
avoids the dreaded “dead eye” trap of motion capture. This behind-the-scenes
video explains how and why this is such a literal game-changer.</span></blockquote>
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<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s what you call the “canny alley.”</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">According to Unreal Engine, this “breakthrough digital human performance”
was made possible by combining their real-time rendering with “3Lateral’s Meta
Human Framework volumetric capture, reconstruction and compression technology.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">“The volumetric data was generated by capturing a series of high-quality,
HFR images of Andy Serkis from multiple angles under controlled lighting.
3Lateral’s process involved various capture scenarios, some focused on
geometry, some on appearance and others on motion. All of these inputs were
applied to generate a digital representation of Andy Serkis, and to extract
universal facial semantics that represent muscular contractions that make the
performance so lifelike.”</span></blockquote>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As moviegoers well know, seeing Andy Serkis’ actual face is not necessary
for some of his best performances, which is why we’re even more excited by what
this means for creating realistic looking video game characters of different
species, like 3Lateral’s Osiris Black, who here does Andy's speech again, only with more creepy:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 29 - Frugal Forums</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tip: you can always be better at finances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For those folks with less to throw around, like myself, it pays to hunt
down good advice for stretching your dollars. I'm always looking for articles
that give tips and tricks for where to shop, what to buy and what to try when
it comes to making ends meet a little easier at the end of the month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Turns out this kind of thing is really catching on of late, especially on
<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/povertyfinance/">Reddit, where a new forum has appeared</a> with the unfortunate title of <b>'Poverty
Finance'</b> :<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since it's just started <i>this </i>week, the forum's going to be a while sorting
itself out, but I've already found a few good bits of advice I hadn't heard
before. It's heartening( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">yet disturbing </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)to know that there's more
people out there like myself trying to make ends meet; I get depressed when
constantly seeing articles like "How to invest your Million Dollars for
Retirement Wisely" or "Should your Second Home be a Condo or Rental
Income Property" and the like, leaving me feeling like an indebted piece
of crap for not being wealthy and wise at my age.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Whatever. It is what it is, and I'll learn what I need to, to just get on
with things.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 30 - Eerie, IN</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Geez, has it been 26 years...?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2zNQm340RECqJdBeBkDzUpnntLLFZmL9jMFEewhFXvxMcxV_IqIepV_H4pW0YZJ2bqLrVwD0Px3S-S_U8Mhvjt_NpqcHR5T-WfFmSqC6tfB_a6GvqpvPFMSOjR-r_giM5tCnEV8JC2Y/s1600/Eerie-Indiana-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="970" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhM2zNQm340RECqJdBeBkDzUpnntLLFZmL9jMFEewhFXvxMcxV_IqIepV_H4pW0YZJ2bqLrVwD0Px3S-S_U8Mhvjt_NpqcHR5T-WfFmSqC6tfB_a6GvqpvPFMSOjR-r_giM5tCnEV8JC2Y/s320/Eerie-Indiana-banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Back in the early 90's( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sept 1991, to be exact </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)a strange... no, </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">eerie
</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">little show hit the airwaves: Eerie, Indiana. I tuned in simply because it
was a name similar to a town in the USA the other side of nearby Lake Erie,
also named Erie, and the premise sounded cool:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnobY_n_H0P0RYf1tlUxtIVhEJ8BfJq1KG0XAS4EXpXoGDXlzHgvnYLNZrMezh_ptZ7V5wUJkrP6wub9R_7JgZkxmLw1GjtuuMn7ASLbDKju9QRYusZA7X-wH4gY15j384Z2Jjz0lOhc/s1600/Eerie-Indiana-synopsis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="972" height="57" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnobY_n_H0P0RYf1tlUxtIVhEJ8BfJq1KG0XAS4EXpXoGDXlzHgvnYLNZrMezh_ptZ7V5wUJkrP6wub9R_7JgZkxmLw1GjtuuMn7ASLbDKju9QRYusZA7X-wH4gY15j384Z2Jjz0lOhc/s320/Eerie-Indiana-synopsis.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last month, <b>Nerdist </b>ran an article that looked at the <a href="https://nerdist.com/eerie-indiana-7-essential-episodes/">7 best episodes ofthe show</a>( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">which out of 13 + a Special, is a short list </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)that's worth
checking out. To my delight, they also mentioned that the whole series is
available on Amazon Prime in the USA, to which I have a subscription still, so
guess what I'll be watching this coming week?</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 31 - Baen Books Contest </span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, I did it...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I submitted my novel to a publisher today, though it was by an unexpected method.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last week, I learned that US-based <b><a href="http://www.baen.com/">Baen Books,</a></b> who publish more than a few
of the authors I admire( <i>like David Weber, Kevin J. Anderson and David Drake
</i>)is running a '<a href="https://stevelaube.com/the-slush-pile-enter-at-your-own-risk/">Slush Reading</a>' contest in a month's time, where submitted
manuscripts( <i>sans author's names </i>)are critiqued 'live' by a Baen editor,
to live or die as written. <b>Deadline</b>? April 1st, no joke!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz7HEO5Acce-XXdEORy-hkyMkgOa3i3KbuFoapbkH5tGbgEG7k48poTmw0xAwpJ_AIa-i5tJVQi8kEi3fY275wZ9u4Cfg8EgY_eQ960Onrg4PXWXXTe2a3J6bht4oe37T71DV-vCyc9A/s1600/Baen+Books+-+live+slush.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="919" data-original-width="599" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhz7HEO5Acce-XXdEORy-hkyMkgOa3i3KbuFoapbkH5tGbgEG7k48poTmw0xAwpJ_AIa-i5tJVQi8kEi3fY275wZ9u4Cfg8EgY_eQ960Onrg4PXWXXTe2a3J6bht4oe37T71DV-vCyc9A/s320/Baen+Books+-+live+slush.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's a rough way to find out if you're up to par as an author, but since
the normal 'processing time' for a slush-submitted manuscript is 9-12 months,
getting one's work looked at in a month, live or not, is worth the risk of
getting it shredded.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So for the last ten days, I've been doing nothing BUT edit my novel,
morning and night, to the point where my eyes started hurting tonight despite
my precautions - but I was right on schedule! I finished up my last edits
around dinner, re-worked my 800-word synopsis and tweaked my cover letter with
the help of my amazing girlfriend, then submitted everything a little after
10pm tonight - HURRAH! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'm pleased with the way the edits turned out, especially the synopsis and
cover letter, as those will serve well for future submissions. I'm taking the
coming week off editing to give my eyes a chance to recover; while they're not
feeling nearly as painful as they were three months ago, they are certainly
ouch-level 4/10, which is well above 'uncomfortable' in my books - and I listen
to those kind of complaints.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As for Baen, they'll be holding the 'Live Slush Session' in May 2018, and
I'll update things here once that happens. Wish me and the other authors luck!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">April 1st - Not Fooling Around</span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Not much save relaxing going on today, after editing all week long.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My lady and I spent the day out, which to both our surprise was pretty darn
bustling-busy everywhere this Easter Sunday. It was exactly the relaxing I
needed, with some solid conversational range, as well as some beverages:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBS30REeT_x3y-4WKy4yVfhyphenhyphenja7lZLiJEskNTu8PpAU0fT83_MxddRdX6vuR3f2BkvxXt1aec6GyeZdqBiy3mxeBolC4iZVDnp4EnhFlUXJaJ4-lnqqTu93UHt-lMvo9a__lPhqYe54cY/s1600/Lovely+Day+for+A+Guinness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1261" data-original-width="1600" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBS30REeT_x3y-4WKy4yVfhyphenhyphenja7lZLiJEskNTu8PpAU0fT83_MxddRdX6vuR3f2BkvxXt1aec6GyeZdqBiy3mxeBolC4iZVDnp4EnhFlUXJaJ4-lnqqTu93UHt-lMvo9a__lPhqYe54cY/s320/Lovely+Day+for+A+Guinness.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cheers to us, and to submitting my novel!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's also April Fool's Day today, and it seems that plenty of companies
have started embracing the spirit of the joke in the last couple of years, creating some </span><a href="https://nerdist.com/aprils-fools-day-stories-products-2018/" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">really funny fake products.</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Such
as:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sZhH9-bUMC4" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">My enjoyment of the beers this afternoon was to be shorter than I'd imagined: t</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>he weather's changed just today, and by the evening my head had started to hurt, which it hasn't done for a while... so I guess I'll have to be more careful about watching pressure changes when it comes to alcohol. So it goes... but at least the week ahead is a short one: only three working days, as tomorrow's a holiday for me AND I have Friday off. W00t!</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-12714240654100589132018-03-25T17:36:00.002-07:002018-03-25T17:42:21.498-07:00Lightsabers, Living and March For Our Lives<div style="text-align: start;">
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The word of the week is dearth.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 19 - Snapback</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes - more often of late - I wonder what I'm <i>accomplishing</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There's a mental image I use for this sort of thinking: a rubber band.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Much like life, you can stretch a rubber band to encompass all sorts of
things, but not too many at a time: if you try that, some of those things are
going to slip away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today, I felt like my rubber band was stretched too far, almost brittle. I
wrote about it when I got home, which is an exercise I'm making myself do
whenever these sorts of moods hit me: it's a form of externalization, and it
does help. You can read what I wrote </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://1drv.ms/t/s!An7lkY3Q6fASgcp3roG1fMqL6udIdg">here</a></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, as I didn't feel it was
worthwhile turning into a full post-section all by itself, but still worth
mentioning as it's an honest reflection of what I'm feeling at this point in my
life regarding my self-worth as tied to my work/career and my 'accomplishments'
as such.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Treading water will keep you breathing, but you're going to get tired, and
the shore doesn't get any closer while you're just surviving. Still, better to
swim than float, because at least that way you get to choose a direction
instead of being swepy along willy-nilly by the currents...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 20 - Cosplay</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">While I didn't get out to the local con this year in Victoria, <a href="https://otakunoculture.com/2018/03/20/capital-city-comic-con-recap-whats-next-in-victoria-bc/">word has it that it was a spectacular success</a>( <i>and a crowded one too, glad I didn't
go... </i>)so we should see it again in 2019, as I've read the organizers have
already booked space here. There was a nice<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In the meantime, here's a brief glimpse of the happy-crazy crowds:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Capital City - <iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="645" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcapcitycomic%2Fposts%2F598506860496324&width=500" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As well, <b>Emerald City Comicon</b> in Seattle is on my radar for a visit, maybe
as early as next year - we'll see. In the meantime, there's <a href="https://cosplay.kotaku.com/the-best-cosplay-from-emerald-city-comic-on-1823816612">plenty of imageryfrom 2018's convention</a>, which has some excellent cosplay, one of my fave things
about cons!</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 21 - Stephen and Stephen</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The world lost <b>Stephen Hawking </b>last week, as I noted in my previous blog
post: a giant of science, he will be long-remembered by the world for his
contributions, as well as his indomitable spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I'd also like to remember a smaller Steven, a friend I'd never met, who
passed away March 7th 2017... and who deserves not to be forgotten. From my March 2017 posting:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">He had cystic fibrosis, succumbing after a courageous battle to this vile
disease only a few months after he was diagnosed around Christmas time. He was
hopeful to last that a lung transplant would bring things around again, and to
see him just vanish was utterly shocking.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I first met Steven online, playing Neverwinter Nights, around 11 years ago.
I got to know him through his characters, one of whom, a warrior named Jade,
spending quite a bit of time with my own character creation, Nichneven. Through
our regular character interactions over the years, I came to count him as a
friend.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I am saddened that I did not get to know Steven as well as I could have,
though I was fortunate enough to become a FBook friend years ago. He always
posted images of beautiful landscapes, had a fondness for funny memes, Star
Wars and Star Trek, and from our too-few interactions had a lovely,
contemplative soul. He also had an oddly endearing love of squirrels, as well
as Disney's Tinkerbell.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmSA7DobK9XaCYITU34IVL4TafDZ2he5WNG8_vRTNhrIzdd-LKNCheB3bw4vg7Ke6LDyO8aTEDlH7PK5I8WGIy8rLaYSadd_0Tjo9bR2gLa_CgFe1zwIUyPnoGSStT_lJSSulFxZJ4Bw/s1600/Steven+W+Diehl+Jr+-+Remembrance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1418" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXmSA7DobK9XaCYITU34IVL4TafDZ2he5WNG8_vRTNhrIzdd-LKNCheB3bw4vg7Ke6LDyO8aTEDlH7PK5I8WGIy8rLaYSadd_0Tjo9bR2gLa_CgFe1zwIUyPnoGSStT_lJSSulFxZJ4Bw/s320/Steven+W+Diehl+Jr+-+Remembrance.jpg" width="283" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I hope that wherever they are now, both Steven and Stephen get a chance to hang out; I think they'd like each other.</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 22 - Jabba's Sail Barge</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Hasbro's trying something different: <i>crowdfunding</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In an effort to appeal directly to Star Wars collectors, the newly-formed
Haslabs has come up with a 'kickstarter' of sorts, to fund the creation of the
largest Star Wars toy... er, 'collectible' ever created: the sail barge from
The Return Of The Jedi! Check out this amazing set of images and video:</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPTNRSsv-lyTZG5h2Mmi43CQB7ZpMRhXpQI-9rs67sNKvdcxn8k5_Pd2zfPqVQUrANTyJqpLB_rAI9O2bY39ASq2e6wDtl7Y764Ap5b5uWJaqL80_IxFIM4C1H_NlPn0GX1jPM9cxsds/s1600/Jabbas+Sail+Barge+-+FULLY+PAINTED+image.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="689" data-original-width="1600" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfPTNRSsv-lyTZG5h2Mmi43CQB7ZpMRhXpQI-9rs67sNKvdcxn8k5_Pd2zfPqVQUrANTyJqpLB_rAI9O2bY39ASq2e6wDtl7Y764Ap5b5uWJaqL80_IxFIM4C1H_NlPn0GX1jPM9cxsds/s320/Jabbas+Sail+Barge+-+FULLY+PAINTED+image.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click for details - it's stunning!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="682" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fimperialshipyards.net%2Fposts%2F1656403887729837&width=500" style="border-style: none; border-width: initial; font-family: georgia, serif; overflow: hidden;" width="500"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="//players.brightcove.net/219646971/default_default/index.html?videoId=5755244598001" style="font-family: georgia, serif;"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">They're about 70 percent funded, with 3635 out of the 5000 backers needed
to turn the sail barge into a reality as of today:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z-ptMjPSsmnQxUZ6qSskOSTmgFg7I7czXQvffRFwUn7wfARI5_dsEOE6yYmOn1ehJyPH3WZoQZ7_rPe59lEHq3B4AMhnqON39VuR_WTsiTd3BGBj4XufDfPO0dExuWNY9xEOQ6HjkJ4/s1600/Haslabs+Sail+Barge+-+Current+Backers+March+25+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="673" data-original-width="620" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_Z-ptMjPSsmnQxUZ6qSskOSTmgFg7I7czXQvffRFwUn7wfARI5_dsEOE6yYmOn1ehJyPH3WZoQZ7_rPe59lEHq3B4AMhnqON39VuR_WTsiTd3BGBj4XufDfPO0dExuWNY9xEOQ6HjkJ4/s320/Haslabs+Sail+Barge+-+Current+Backers+March+25+2018.JPG" width="294" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> While I'd love to have one for, um,
display purposes, the <b>$500 USD price tag</b> is *way* out of my league, sadly. It's
going to end up being one of those 'holy grail' collector pieces that everyone
wants, but only a few manage to find as the years pass and one or two show up
on eBay for exorbitant prices, just like all the Star Wars Lego toys. Some of
those are going for ten times their original prices, depending on rarity and
the market, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/investing/shares/lego-a-better-investment-than-shares-and-gold/">which actually makes them a pretty good investment...</a></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">But <i>only </i>if you keep them unopened in the box, darn it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 23 - Biases</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">How biased are your sources of information?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It's shocking how many people take what their favourite media sources say
for granted, to the point where they don't question the bias of stories they
consume. This is often attributable to <b><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confirmation_bias">confirmation bias</a></b>, where people tend to
look for information that confirms their preexisting beliefs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just this week I ran across the handy chart below from <a href="http://www.allgeneralizationsarefalse.com/">this site</a>, which is being regularly
updated by its creator. It visually shows how biased various news sources are,
which is quite handy to determine where on the Left/Right and Accurate/False
scales each rests:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCc76OYjCUfSEfJe71Or2IIHJ_WEQSAK_UceerwU_sR50Kvh1GTw-GLyUc60f6vPzAqS5T-bU_L3WEHy85H8dtscxVFG9eoY3qKkEG9d6T6mECnQJG5XXFBOmPz-CELEJBdJzdLVby-A/s1600/Media-Bias-Chart_Version-3.1_Watermark-min.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="1600" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCc76OYjCUfSEfJe71Or2IIHJ_WEQSAK_UceerwU_sR50Kvh1GTw-GLyUc60f6vPzAqS5T-bU_L3WEHy85H8dtscxVFG9eoY3qKkEG9d6T6mECnQJG5XXFBOmPz-CELEJBdJzdLVby-A/s320/Media-Bias-Chart_Version-3.1_Watermark-min.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click image for the VERY LARGE version to save for your reference!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>Bonus</b>: if you're using <u>Chrome</u>, you can use a <a href="https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/official-media-bias-fact/hdcpibgmmcnpjmmenengjgkkfohahegk/related?hl=en-US">handy-dandy plugin</a> that will
perform much the same function, via <a href="http://mediabiasfactcheck.com/">MediaBiasFactCheck.com</a> to check out the
biases of a source. That particular website is gold for pointing out to someone
how solid( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">or not </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)their sources are, which may shake up their
preconceptions and( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">hopefully </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)make them THINK about what they're
saying.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">As you always <i>should</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 24 - March For Our Lives</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">It was a huge day today in the USA for gun control activists!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The <b>March For Our Lives</b> turnout in Washington DC alone was estimated
to be a million people, showing stunning support for the reform of gun laws in
America:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BvzJP_j3VqoiMi0jqqALPd0B-8ALRlLktkMcaSkUw8a7NnKr311yCoacDsrUAz1CDgN1ihZPJeMqxdhYZKHZGxfoAdt5SeEJLFMclyZ7uco3dCKB4a_MXu8wSbF4z_wq5Mlp3vkAHUU/s1600/Answer+to+All+Thoughts+and+Prayers+-+Gun+Control.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BvzJP_j3VqoiMi0jqqALPd0B-8ALRlLktkMcaSkUw8a7NnKr311yCoacDsrUAz1CDgN1ihZPJeMqxdhYZKHZGxfoAdt5SeEJLFMclyZ7uco3dCKB4a_MXu8wSbF4z_wq5Mlp3vkAHUU/s320/Answer+to+All+Thoughts+and+Prayers+-+Gun+Control.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Millions of people turned out elsewhere across the country:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40n8Ep6FIODwND0Ubi8YAQFZrZQiIgaDrq7Ish064jC6oXB8ooxDjrhlvjQxjYVDnzC1hxv8yJumZpXhEfd-24wU2a69zpJjwnrTJLQVVSRDwLkc_TZdaChRGQp1TwmQgHl70vGefANo/s1600/March+4+Our+Lives+-+Map+Pins.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="833" data-original-width="960" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi40n8Ep6FIODwND0Ubi8YAQFZrZQiIgaDrq7Ish064jC6oXB8ooxDjrhlvjQxjYVDnzC1hxv8yJumZpXhEfd-24wU2a69zpJjwnrTJLQVVSRDwLkc_TZdaChRGQp1TwmQgHl70vGefANo/s320/March+4+Our+Lives+-+Map+Pins.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The video coverage was equally massive, and the speeches were tragic,
heartfelt and moving:</span></div>
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<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="true" allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="426" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fcnn%2Fvideos%2F10158166188941509%2F&show_text=1&width=560" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Support for gun reform has continued to build after the <b>Parkland high
school shootings</b>, with many celebrities chiming in to lend their weight to the
cause:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhHPzNarut4esLg1EcEasul9zIvSiAcJyJ8OdrylvmRdLS4o5hJhK2fHASje3Kv01qr5wSkHiv3-3ufsPIYeSJN9WIUSFgRaRTjyLuSl0UBwC19dP6jSsv5EWl_U5QlJgXUaO-sq9XKM/s1600/ROn+Pearlman+-+supports+Parkland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuhHPzNarut4esLg1EcEasul9zIvSiAcJyJ8OdrylvmRdLS4o5hJhK2fHASje3Kv01qr5wSkHiv3-3ufsPIYeSJN9WIUSFgRaRTjyLuSl0UBwC19dP6jSsv5EWl_U5QlJgXUaO-sq9XKM/s320/ROn+Pearlman+-+supports+Parkland.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hellboy's on their side!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet there continues to be strong opposition from gun-rights advocates,
including the NRA, who have their own supporters, many of whom are nothing more
than scum, who TRASH-TALK the Parkland survivors, or alter IMAGES of the teens
to push lies to discredit their courageous stand. This is an image one such
scumbag posted online, that I've blurred out because it makes me sick to see
such viciousness directed at teenagers by cowardly grown men who love their
guns more than the lives of the innocent:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIc2BxkksybIUin0zt1sgfOPrGqQUY6YCn5_9nYN1mgFoB64WyEO70uyVSKcFDZPRuPKxp2x87ssgm8ukooCZ06Livh8QzhPy5aKbOWjmf89erxKYYkol-iSQYKMA5Xcjtoqz3GmlRmU/s1600/Emma+Rodrigues+-+Altered+photo+CHILDISH+MONSTER.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="652" data-original-width="515" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIc2BxkksybIUin0zt1sgfOPrGqQUY6YCn5_9nYN1mgFoB64WyEO70uyVSKcFDZPRuPKxp2x87ssgm8ukooCZ06Livh8QzhPy5aKbOWjmf89erxKYYkol-iSQYKMA5Xcjtoqz3GmlRmU/s320/Emma+Rodrigues+-+Altered+photo+CHILDISH+MONSTER.jpg" width="252" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I don't have the words for how disgusting this kind of image is...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm actively involved online in highlighting the efforts of those who are
pushing for gun reform in the USA, because I believe they need every bit of
support they can get. They're fighting against an organized, well-funded
opposition <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/24/nra-host-taunts-parkland-teens-no-one-would-know-your-names-if-classmates-were-still-alive/?utm_term=.7049213e5fe2">who continue to do all they can to discredit, distract and defuse the efforts of the Parkland teens</a> along with their supporters. I would love to see
a safer, saner America in the near future, one I can visit with far less
trepidation regarding random gun violence, like the victims of the LA shooting
in late 2017: right now, anyone is vulnerable, and I don't feel like ending up
a statistic.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I <i>especially </i>don't want anyone I love dying the same way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Just like those who are marching this weekend for gun control in the USA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;">March 25 - Luke's Lightsaber!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Well, this was a surprise!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Last week, my friend Kevin did me the kindness of visiting the Science
World exhibit in Vancouver, where he took many photos of Luke Skywalker's
original lightsaber which was on display:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmkpV4DBiTBNEZutumZr-pYaj2zgKprQ1RKbJM0hG_zLCtwOPGXmoqdpz__lhkQPZTzKnjLf7K66x7ny0D6XbU22i58TsGg0BuWPyhOS1RbWB9XKXtmkAgvmUYopGJyQHMe93ArbDZKY/s1600/Luke+Skywalkers+Lightsaber+-+Gary+Kurtz+collection+-+Profiles+In+History+Auction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="992" data-original-width="1600" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmkpV4DBiTBNEZutumZr-pYaj2zgKprQ1RKbJM0hG_zLCtwOPGXmoqdpz__lhkQPZTzKnjLf7K66x7ny0D6XbU22i58TsGg0BuWPyhOS1RbWB9XKXtmkAgvmUYopGJyQHMe93ArbDZKY/s320/Luke+Skywalkers+Lightsaber+-+Gary+Kurtz+collection+-+Profiles+In+History+Auction.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to read the full-size image, the text is quite interesting!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Purchased by Ripley's in July 2017 for the <b>princely sum of $450K USD</b>, it
has been traveling around for the last few months to drum up interest in
Ripley's, which is fine by me, though there was no way I could get to Vancouver
to see it.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Yet amazingly, the lightsaber traveled over to Langford THIS WEEKEND ONLY
to go on display at the Save-On Foods, of all places:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGW1UQr7AhJB9VXLPPcVGxQOVfBkupK65xBHyeQqEx8QH6C2pnN_Ueml1YfRaeKwaYTjwNPFsCD9y-oPDq7Rj0SLjBhwO8Mf3fXqYToOp9yAaeYmllBCzG3idBMWBzOVzX4PSn1GNsCY/s1600/Lukes+Lightsaber+Save-on+Foods+Langford+March+2018.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="378" data-original-width="584" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZGW1UQr7AhJB9VXLPPcVGxQOVfBkupK65xBHyeQqEx8QH6C2pnN_Ueml1YfRaeKwaYTjwNPFsCD9y-oPDq7Rj0SLjBhwO8Mf3fXqYToOp9yAaeYmllBCzG3idBMWBzOVzX4PSn1GNsCY/s320/Lukes+Lightsaber+Save-on+Foods+Langford+March+2018.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I found out about it on FBook, of all places, as one of the local Victoria
photographers, <b>Doug Clement Photography,</b> had snapped a few photos of the
display( <i>while he was in Vancouver, ironically </i>)and mentioned in the captions it was
coming HERE - huzzah! So today in the early-morning-ish, my lady and I headed
to Langford, and were pleasantly surprised that here was NO lineup as of 9am!
We walked right up to the display and had all the time I liked to
take some of these amazing photos:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS2DF4QY-9NpzEuwhxKWUgxDlY9pONpd6D9FPJAHbke0LdC9A4JOeZsG1wsDGswQGMCMQ1Yf9ZojoTNLGGCqE9wGhtsB3L1xt0axKSzNVDXhX2Us4mNpQMNVBYirMSYATdHWb3TqikQM/s1600/Lukes+Lightsaber+-+Save+On+Foods+Collage+March+25+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="999" data-original-width="1019" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFS2DF4QY-9NpzEuwhxKWUgxDlY9pONpd6D9FPJAHbke0LdC9A4JOeZsG1wsDGswQGMCMQ1Yf9ZojoTNLGGCqE9wGhtsB3L1xt0axKSzNVDXhX2Us4mNpQMNVBYirMSYATdHWb3TqikQM/s320/Lukes+Lightsaber+-+Save+On+Foods+Collage+March+25+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to enlarge, there's some great snaps in there!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was pretty chuffed; as I told my lady, this was as close as I will likely
ever get to <i>Star Wars</i>, in the way of what I saw on the screen being
THERE right in front of me. It's like I reached into the fantasy world of the
movie and plucked out this one iconic item, to place it under the lights to
shine with the bright silver sheen of solid reality.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">A pretty damned <i>good </i>day, I'd say!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>I had a pretty decent weekend all in all, with my lady and I spending good chunks of Friday, Saturday AND Sunday together: always good for my state of mind, and hopefully hers as well! Going into this coming week, I've again got little on my plate save my usual projects, so it's again a slow burn towards some kind of success this spring!<br /><br />And as a bonus, I've completed my blog WAY early, to spend the evening as needed: writing, relaxing, reading a few comics( crossovers are great - more on that next week )and give over the main living area to my sister to use so SHE can relax - it's all about balance...</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-49811861573551503682018-03-18T20:54:00.002-07:002018-03-18T20:54:05.728-07:00Persistence, Physicist Passings and St. Patty's Day<div style="text-align: start;">
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The word of the week is gormless.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 12 - Rinse and Re-Pete</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Another "No thanks, we declined to choose you" email came today at work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It was an especially damning one, as a trainer for my current office that I
felt I was well-suited for and for which I'd carefully crafted my application
letter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Nope. Didn't even make it into an interview, thanks-so-much-for-applying... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii41F7Ucbnfj0jHVtkm_3LawMYhBFqMBPXZBtlus2RwDejb6I-FNnRWK9B7H7OCe_6mHY5Lk25b2Gpm7wTuwqt3b6S-PCudUkcojdNG6AS5sJ_dQbpZXAVXLrgqwgf6uxvzHLjpg7-3TU/s1600/Not-you-promotion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="399" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii41F7Ucbnfj0jHVtkm_3LawMYhBFqMBPXZBtlus2RwDejb6I-FNnRWK9B7H7OCe_6mHY5Lk25b2Gpm7wTuwqt3b6S-PCudUkcojdNG6AS5sJ_dQbpZXAVXLrgqwgf6uxvzHLjpg7-3TU/s320/Not-you-promotion.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Despite the bone-deep weariness of yet another 'Nah...' in a year without a
single interview, I've been here before, and I'm refusing to dwell on my 'failures'. Rather, I'm sticking out my chin and getting feedback on every Not
You, Sorry response. Nobody's going to get me out of my current job except me,
though I'm fighting the feeling that nobody cares about my current position
either, at that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">That's a hard one some days: am I <i>really </i>capable of getting a new
position, or just fooling myself, given my lack of specific skills and
experience?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxXv44AzbIpdrQQCCgXsr_DJTh8KJOCxq3mIx0kjkDbd84LPGj_w9Vv7ENbbTUZpaeNcEB11cTaN0Mv5EQ33wo7svhDFUnlGOt39T_mG2qn7TbLhMBM9uI8xdjfSRI7d8No8acuaqknM/s1600/Keep+calm+and+apply+for+jobs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="970" height="117" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWxXv44AzbIpdrQQCCgXsr_DJTh8KJOCxq3mIx0kjkDbd84LPGj_w9Vv7ENbbTUZpaeNcEB11cTaN0Mv5EQ33wo7svhDFUnlGOt39T_mG2qn7TbLhMBM9uI8xdjfSRI7d8No8acuaqknM/s320/Keep+calm+and+apply+for+jobs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I do all of these...</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It seems every day I am also reminded that things could be worse. I see
people on the street here who are obviously having a rougher time of life than
me, and still going on. I saw a severely disabled man in an impeccable suit putting
one bad foot in front of the other, moving his canes with a curious grace to
move through the sidewalk crowds, and I wondered how he dealt with his daily
challenges... and if I would have it within me to show the face I saw today to
the world.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I wondered if he's ever felt like he was just marking time, like I do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 13 - Watch this!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Ah, calculator watches... how I miss you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Since I could first wear watches, I'd always wanted the high-tech ones,
with all sorts of graphs and meters on their LCD faces. Once I'd got a bit
older and realized that most of those watches were sports-centric timers, my
interest turned to watches that were mini-computers, storing and manipulating
data - cool!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Of all the watchmakers in the 1980's and early 90's, Casio was far and away
the best at <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/29/8860737/casio-watches-smartwatch-features-photos-exhibition">creating innovative watches</a>. Incorporating calculators and data
storage, they predated the rise of PDA's and much later smartphones, which is
why I loved Casio so much. Here's a small sample of some of their watches from
that era:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpC6MIDuHDUZ5im4VAUGMWauOsQjTVRDX8SCE6PXYc0LxleBNzwIZ8UAjm0ytuyEdI8EM1ignxHC_qOYV6sK1tEr4mCS-fgjNSoGQqVRAAWg5xmcY0C6TMQNo4yYlgHr1qfkZ6BJ_yD0/s1600/Casio+Calculator+Watches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwpC6MIDuHDUZ5im4VAUGMWauOsQjTVRDX8SCE6PXYc0LxleBNzwIZ8UAjm0ytuyEdI8EM1ignxHC_qOYV6sK1tEr4mCS-fgjNSoGQqVRAAWg5xmcY0C6TMQNo4yYlgHr1qfkZ6BJ_yD0/s320/Casio+Calculator+Watches.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Top left was mine!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I had a few calculator watches, but my favourite by far( <i>which I still
have </i>)is my <b>Casio DBC-150 Databank,</b> which has a TON of useful features that
I used daily: a timer to multiple alarms to a segmented scheduler to
storing phone numbers and a dozen others at least - here's a brief video going
over some of those:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/sT9hTq909pI" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The functions of the Casio DBC150 meant I could keep most of what I needed
of a day on my wrist while in school or working; the schedule and phone numbers
were especially handy as I could store a combination of 150 of the two, hence
the model name. There were more expensive versions that held far more numbers,
or had touch-sensitive screens, but the DBC150 did all I needed until the era
of full-colour PDA's... and even then, I still wore my trusty Casio well into the
early 2000's.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">That's a <i>long </i>time for a 'simple' calculator watch to last!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 14 - Losing Hawking and Pi</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Today's 'g33k holiday' of Pi Day took on a somber note with the loss of
preeminent physicist Stephen Hawking, who passed at the age of 76.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Along with many others, I have long held him in the highest esteem for
several reasons: his incomparable brilliance of intellect, his indominable
will, and his sense of humour all spoke to me about the best of the human
condition, of what we CAN be if we choose to be that way.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">You likely already know about his intellect, on a par with the greatest of
human minds such as <b>Einstein </b>and <b>Newton</b>, <b>Hawking's </b>brilliance showed at an
early age, and only grew with time. It was undimmed by the progression of the
disease that wasted his body away, <b>ALS</b>, which by all odds should have killed
him in his mid-twenties. His determination to survive, along with excellent
medical care and a good bit of luck in how the disease progressed meant he
spent fifty years longer than anyone expected on this earth... for which
humanity benefited. If you're not sure exactly what Hawking contributed, have a
gander at this:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet it is the retaining of his remarkable sense of humor despite being
trapped in a body no longer under his control that remains so astonishing, and
inspiring, to me. His wit and enjoyment of life blazed like a star even from
his wasted frame, and that is something I hold tightly to <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/stephen-hawking-advise-depression/">when my own dark days threaten to overwhelm me</a>: to find the humour in life, no matter what, and to
laugh when you want to cry. Also to Never Give Up:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It is with sincere thanks that we bid farewell to Dr. Stephen Hawking, who
more than earned his place at this table of history:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 15 - Are You <i>Ready</i>?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Years ago, I used to fall asleep reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Yet I haven't been able to for at least a decade or more, as the light I needed
to see kept me awake; for a while now I've kept things low-key, using red
lights and screen-colour filters on my devices to keep my biorhythms happy as
bedtime neared.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Still, the need to fall asleep to a story has never left me, which is why
last year I started to listen to audiobooks on <b>Audible </b>before bed. This has the
advantage of letting me set a timer, and also gives my eyes a rest, as they've
still been twinging of late after a long day - I've made an appointment with
the eye doctor again this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For the last month, I've been listening to <i>Ready Player One, </i>narrated
by <b>Wil Wheaton</b>, who does a great job. As a bonus, there's something about the
tone and cadence of his voice that lulls me to sleep most nights, which helps.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5clj1tvP6xAc9U8fu2Ow3tv0uxeair39MFCnyA81NzTjFg3NyjFAg3Wg9PkjWgdNhN1_C2pWPRbznITDPd0aq7OHr-cU_94vR5jcKynp0dFmEgFE_jj0ABVHXNlIg9tUTt9FOuzpWr8/s1600/readyplayerone-tributeposter-highres-bladerunner-1520373882.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1419" data-original-width="980" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB5clj1tvP6xAc9U8fu2Ow3tv0uxeair39MFCnyA81NzTjFg3NyjFAg3Wg9PkjWgdNhN1_C2pWPRbznITDPd0aq7OHr-cU_94vR5jcKynp0dFmEgFE_jj0ABVHXNlIg9tUTt9FOuzpWr8/s320/readyplayerone-tributeposter-highres-bladerunner-1520373882.jpg" width="221" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my fave 'variant' RPO poster by far!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The movie adaptation of <i>Ready Player One </i>comes out in two weeks
time, and I'm chomping at the bit to see it, as Steven Spielburg is directing:
from all accounts, he's pulled out all the stops visually and the story closely
adheres to the book. Unfortunately, given the 'nostalgic' nature of the story,
there were a TON of licences that had to be secured from hundreds of
intellectual properties, and a few were missed, of which Star Wars is the
biggest omission. Apparently Disney just wasn't willing to play ball, which is
their loss, especially given the furor with which the latest Star Wars films
have caused from their 'new direction' taken.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><b>SPOILERS BELOW:</b> if you've already read <i>RPO</i>, then the video below
won't spoil anything and it's SO DAMN GOOD, a homage to the 8-bit 80's set to
music from the band <b><a href="https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/gunship-ready-player-one-16-bit-animation/">Gunship</a></b>, who'd I'd never heard of until now but will be
checking out ASAP:</span><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 16 - Vomiting Cash?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Money's still tight for me in 2018, but I'm managing to stay afloat, with some help.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I've already noted above, getting a better-paying position of just a few
hundred dollars more a month would make ALL the difference to my finances, but that's
been a year of banging my head on a plexiglass ceiling. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I suppose I could always go looking for <a href="http://theconversation.com/ambergris-how-to-tell-if-youve-struck-gold-with-whale-vomit-or-stumbled-upon-sewage-57834">Ambergris</a>( <i>whale vomit </i>)on
the beaches nearby, as I live only a short walk from the seashore, but that's a
needle-in-the-haystack chance. I suppose if I spent the time I would be writing
on the beach instead every morning and evening, I guess I'd improve my chances,
but I'd be removing any chance of my actually finishing my novel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Then again, at around $50,000 USD / kg, it would pay a lot more - hmmm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This train of thought also led me to an older recurring thought I've had:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><a href="https://money.visualcapitalist.com/worlds-money-markets-one-visualization-2017/">How much <b>money </b>IS there in the world</a>, more or less? Answer: lots...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 17 - Not-ComiCon</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">There's a comic convention in town, but I'm not going.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><b>Capital City Comicon</b> is taking place this weekend here in Victoria, but I'm
not planning to attend, for a few reasons, first and foremost being cost: I
need to save money, and even if I just attended for the $35 Saturday pass,
what's the point of walking around in the crowds and window shopping without
being to get any of the cool stuff? I was in much the same situation when I
went to Arizona in 2013 on a shoestring budget so tight that I got back home
with $2.00 to my name, with a week to go until my payday. I did budget $40 USD
to buy something and I found some stellar Star Wars posters by <b>Ant Lucua</b>(
<i>signed!</i> )so I didn't come home empty-handed... but I walked by so much cool
stuff that I'd have loved to have, but couldn't bear to stop to examine further
because it hurt to pass it by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Secondly is health: I'm still not in any shape to spend a few hours on my
feet, especially in a crowd: while my anxiety seems to have gone dormant, I'm
in no hurry to test that, given the stress I'm still operating under right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Also at CCCC is, of course, cosplay. Which, to be honest, I can do a better
job of seeing online thanks to the magic of social media than wandering around
in person. I'd love to attend in-costume, but given that the only costume I
have<i>( my <b>Aliens </b>USCM from 2
years ago</i> )still isn't what I consider finished( <i>and the rifle's
malfunctioning, too </i>)there's no point, as I'd just overheat - I don't want
that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Instead, I'll just dream about the costumes I might create at some
balance-point in the future, like this one:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLlErdLgKE9gZhqCvKoiCm5Bst2JsYC4FNpfpCZLUQrPkBpvuLu3MOK5NKGZH-EU2K4dkcoF07JklPTpJSGTm7kb2zNuHyGykH5k_PwEpCLgK_Pk_yQokhiv4T7HPC5OFoZOXnUCJUik/s1600/Nerd+Alert+Cosplay+-+Soundwave+Thumbs+Up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="887" data-original-width="818" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLLlErdLgKE9gZhqCvKoiCm5Bst2JsYC4FNpfpCZLUQrPkBpvuLu3MOK5NKGZH-EU2K4dkcoF07JklPTpJSGTm7kb2zNuHyGykH5k_PwEpCLgK_Pk_yQokhiv4T7HPC5OFoZOXnUCJUik/s320/Nerd+Alert+Cosplay+-+Soundwave+Thumbs+Up.JPG" width="295" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My dream cosplay - SOUNDWAVE!!!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Inspired by the above cosplay, I mes</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">sed around online and stumbled across the perfect voice changer to make Soundwave's voice! Called <b>RobotVox</b>, this simple </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>free</i><b> </b></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Android app is the closest I've ever heard software come to synthesizing the unique wavetones of everyone's favourite Decepticon - cool!!!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.4px;">Now all I need to do is get every other aspect of my life together so I can get to work on creating a costume to go with the voice - no sweat, right?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the late morning today, my lady and I met our friend Roz at the</span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Victoria
Butterfly Gardens</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, where we spent a nice few hours wandering around the lush
greenery inside, marveling at the hundreds of insects roaming free. There were
also turtles, parrots, beetles and even flamingos! Check out some of the
amazing pictures:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglouN3eQKq8jjyldpKOTeZ_3lW2NICz9LMGL0__WfK8ckADC1UJQQbIduNizI60gCuoNdlhiOmyHdrZzWI3wrtXQOFdaykd811fdo7ygrH5lquhTxJJQIZ8whb9dFQ-B0nhn2MVr2anE0/s1600/DSCN3086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglouN3eQKq8jjyldpKOTeZ_3lW2NICz9LMGL0__WfK8ckADC1UJQQbIduNizI60gCuoNdlhiOmyHdrZzWI3wrtXQOFdaykd811fdo7ygrH5lquhTxJJQIZ8whb9dFQ-B0nhn2MVr2anE0/s320/DSCN3086.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See my FBook profile for the full album!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">We then lunched at the excellent and eclectic <b>Zanzibar Cafe </b>nearby,
which we'll be visiting again soon, to be sure, as they have a stunning rear
outdoor patio - the place is a hidden gem!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">In the late afternoon I spent a few hours at <b>Sookjai</b>, writing my blog,
before heading out to the 5th-annual St. Patrick's Day Extravaganza at my
co-worker Jen's place with my lovely lady Michelle. We arrived when it was
quiet, spent a few hours chatting people up, including a rousing conversation
about world economies, AI, UBI and similar high-level topics, then left as
things got louder, as is our usual SOP.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgES4G0QRRHqHpLrcAeBFKzw4joqSXLR5LzD9RJrNjIiZkNvKminqUyFFnX9B8zSx9aPxGiB4yIhmgSM4byIWhcJIw68qRR_nvtON9i-nRZIsWKscST_NVu8i-VAXqbyE3S1z0E7PghIM/s1600/St+Patricks+Day+-+Lepricon+Decepticon+Transformer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgES4G0QRRHqHpLrcAeBFKzw4joqSXLR5LzD9RJrNjIiZkNvKminqUyFFnX9B8zSx9aPxGiB4yIhmgSM4byIWhcJIw68qRR_nvtON9i-nRZIsWKscST_NVu8i-VAXqbyE3S1z0E7PghIM/s320/St+Patricks+Day+-+Lepricon+Decepticon+Transformer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 18 - Uplift</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Today was a 'Perk Peter Up' day, which I appreciated!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My lady and I started off with a late breakfast at the Hawk and Hen, which
we've come to love as it's never crowded and the food is excellent. We then
scooted north to wander around the Glendale Gardens, again with our friend Roz.
I was particularly taken with the Japanese gardens and their bonsai trees, for
the way tha nature is encouraged to grow within the greater plans of the
gardens, but not trimmed to within an inch of its life like a traditional
English garden would be:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hwYUT6F0WfH8xPLtQV4v9VGfGu2fy_tG3ns3FQmGQrmvl6u1Dq4noVAkG8J3gRMbkdQomThA8vi6RWbRpm0llx2j5NrVoYq1Rw-7xFyrnI4lNbPQP3tUeSfWHB-5hr2XPWUG_uKdG6g/s1600/IMG_20180318_125039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1211" data-original-width="1600" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-hwYUT6F0WfH8xPLtQV4v9VGfGu2fy_tG3ns3FQmGQrmvl6u1Dq4noVAkG8J3gRMbkdQomThA8vi6RWbRpm0llx2j5NrVoYq1Rw-7xFyrnI4lNbPQP3tUeSfWHB-5hr2XPWUG_uKdG6g/s320/IMG_20180318_125039.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Relaxing and zenlike...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As we'd had a late breakfast, we skipped lunch to head into town to meet
with other members of Victoria Verse to talk poetry for a few hours inside the
mostly-tranquil Atrium. I got to read my old winter poem The Snow Queen, which
was well-received, and the others there shared some of their excellent work
that I provided a few pithy comments on here and there; good times. My lady and
I left a few hours later to kick back on the patio at Moxie's down the road,
where to my delight I discovered they had <b>Granville Island Maple Cream Ale </b>on
the menu, which I haven't been able to find in years locally! We chatted about
all sorts of subjects under the sun, literally, just enjoying the semi-balmy
weather as we had the patio to ourselves, and not wanting the day to end as the
sun dipped lower...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLH1z8BwTf8eT0-f-ccbLRUYtP-fnou7_QZBw3oO6QOmv7OWJFrR-3BPCQNGzmI5tpzK7DUvdg4wA00nuM03clMZuQpxBDsl5rvwPJzU3b-I41zwhAwKqfWvK79NK30dgSrqXf6d4MEg/s1600/Granville+Island+Maple+Shack+Cream+Ale.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="863" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLH1z8BwTf8eT0-f-ccbLRUYtP-fnou7_QZBw3oO6QOmv7OWJFrR-3BPCQNGzmI5tpzK7DUvdg4wA00nuM03clMZuQpxBDsl5rvwPJzU3b-I41zwhAwKqfWvK79NK30dgSrqXf6d4MEg/s320/Granville+Island+Maple+Shack+Cream+Ale.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was SO happy to discover this again - <i>delicious</i>!</td></tr>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Mission successful: Peter was most <b>definitely </b>smiling by sunset!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>It's a short 4-day workweek for me, and I'll be plugging away at editing my novel among other things, including( <b>I hope! </b>)having my GlowForge shipped to me. Tally-ho!</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-65149731030934744292018-03-11T21:13:00.001-07:002018-03-11T21:13:30.253-07:00Wandering into Wealth, Water and Weekend Adventure<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The word of the week is gallant.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 4 - Missing Out</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">How different things could be...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Here's an example of what I <i>might </i>be doing right now, if my finances were
all in order and the rest of my life was exactly the same: I'd have 'disposable
income' that I can spend on things like vacations, a house of my own...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Or collectibles, like this magnificent beast:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeACPdD8Dqs7Vt-KX7_i1ltJrx7s0XyvQh2TuO0N7MR_wV3UljzgvwzoQZ42hXEkCyaBrjv9JKlk9m65P6gQqiAozqxa03y9emL5kgz4fC2zwptxAjjWufe58wWvCwB9STNiE_laxLgU/s1600/Hasbro+-+Haslabs+Jabbas+Sail+Barge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="962" data-original-width="1096" height="280" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzeACPdD8Dqs7Vt-KX7_i1ltJrx7s0XyvQh2TuO0N7MR_wV3UljzgvwzoQZ42hXEkCyaBrjv9JKlk9m65P6gQqiAozqxa03y9emL5kgz4fC2zwptxAjjWufe58wWvCwB9STNiE_laxLgU/s320/Hasbro+-+Haslabs+Jabbas+Sail+Barge.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Length: 49.35" Width: 14.64" Height (to top of sails): 17.01" Weight: 13.89 lbs</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, at a <i>whopping </i>$499.99 USD, it's a LOT to swallow, but as THIS article
shows, for the most part <a href="http://www.banthaskull.com/story/news_icymi_haslabs_vintage_collection_sail_barge_is_live" target="_blank">collectibles are proving to be sound investments for the future.</a> Obviously, any that Fictional Financially-Soluble Me might get
would be removed from box at least once and put on display... if not
surreptitiously played with once or twice - for testing purposes, of course.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">However, in the case of the above-mentioned Sail Barge, it looks like
things have stalled at the halfway mark, with <a href="https://www.hasbrolab.com/" target="_blank">only 2468 of the 5000 backers necessary</a> to bring the barge from prototype into full production.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Which is a shame, as it's the one toy that I'd always wished Hasbro( <i>or Kenner, at the time</i> )had released. It
would have cost $200 in 1982 dollars, which compared to the $47.99 cost of the
most expensive Star Wars toy at the time, the AT-AT( <i>which I always wanted
but never received</i> )there's no way that the Sail Barge could have been
released in the 1980's for anything approaching affordable prices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It would be gratifying to see the Sail Barge make it into production this
year, but even if it does, there's no way I'll be able to afford one... either
now, or when they inevitably hit eBay for resale. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Besides, I'd need a <b>house </b>with a third room just to <i>display </i>it in!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 5 - The Lucky Rich?</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Well, then: I don't feel so bad... about being 'smart' that is: apparently,
it's jsut not enough to garner success all that often.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">A <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/does-success-come-mostly-from-talent-hard-work-mdash-or-luck/" target="_blank">new scientific study</a> shows that the difference between failure and
success for the most part comes down to luck, in taking opportunities as they
present themselves... which is kind of depressing, as it jives with <a href="https://www.inc.com/chris-matyszczyk/so-youre-smart-but-youre-not-rich-this-eye-opening-new-scientific-study-tells-you-why.html" target="_blank">another article</a> I read recently which comes to much the same conclusion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKTnHWeZMO81BtbcO5wLe_BVUnWRHOyvFMsBcIVDbhpRklYl-wxImA7hUxKluKZI3wD0eT2hbbrP_RLcRZGlAEpNnlVeUNVhu8esxOxEhLWUw3a9R-pFRaypx1qKif5lhUsRg9PfswuI/s1600/Quote+-+Success+is+where+opportunity+and+preparation+meet+-+Bobby+Unser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="561" data-original-width="1001" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLKTnHWeZMO81BtbcO5wLe_BVUnWRHOyvFMsBcIVDbhpRklYl-wxImA7hUxKluKZI3wD0eT2hbbrP_RLcRZGlAEpNnlVeUNVhu8esxOxEhLWUw3a9R-pFRaypx1qKif5lhUsRg9PfswuI/s320/Quote+-+Success+is+where+opportunity+and+preparation+meet+-+Bobby+Unser.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What my takeaway from both articles is that the successful person has to be
ready to recognize </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>opportunities </i></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">as they present themselves AND
act upon them saliently: hindsight does you no good whatsoever when it comes to
success.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPkcpA-geHsLNVGDDKiVy_zk22EDGGlVYFZrSchAokBLm2jS_vrCMpUAskUVnfhyxyouA9p5IPkcQVpbgIRsKwNaw3wIoCXzoM1jPIY9-w1L2HU5dH4AQaEe8qi_wtVrZVa9trhUBl2g/s1600/Luck+and+Success+-+SA+article.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="538" data-original-width="892" height="193" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUPkcpA-geHsLNVGDDKiVy_zk22EDGGlVYFZrSchAokBLm2jS_vrCMpUAskUVnfhyxyouA9p5IPkcQVpbgIRsKwNaw3wIoCXzoM1jPIY9-w1L2HU5dH4AQaEe8qi_wtVrZVa9trhUBl2g/s320/Luck+and+Success+-+SA+article.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">So for me, 2018 is about the preparation: getting my hard work done, while
keeping a weather eye out for any opportunities that present themselves. In the
main, I think that will apply to a better GVT position, but who knows?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I might get <i>lucky</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 6 - Dreaming...</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My dreams are boring.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I've mentioned before, my imagination seems to run a kind of 'recharge
cycle' at night, where instead of visiting fantastic worlds and spaceships, I
wander around a mishmash of images of houses, shopping malls and the like.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It's weird, but that's my brain: doing the unexpected, all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">However, if it means that my daytime conscious-thought imagination is free
to wander the wide spectrum of the universe, I'll take the trade-off. Dreaming
of far-off worlds and futures is what I hope to make my bread-and-butter,
sooner rather than later, and it means that my dreams are boring, then so be
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZUj_JcTfZ-dgBD_uh7Y-BZMhPQGImCZ27sjI0dE-TlbwyQbwu0AjqIGvqQ-XhsDqlXAvUKi4GF6USaKeolelu_q02ZcjgygPE02Lf3qjBx2Rhtez7eOXt7opLXpTPhRmGPu-RFPeW5Y/s1600/Financial-Stability-and-Achievements.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="711" data-original-width="1000" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxZUj_JcTfZ-dgBD_uh7Y-BZMhPQGImCZ27sjI0dE-TlbwyQbwu0AjqIGvqQ-XhsDqlXAvUKi4GF6USaKeolelu_q02ZcjgygPE02Lf3qjBx2Rhtez7eOXt7opLXpTPhRmGPu-RFPeW5Y/s320/Financial-Stability-and-Achievements.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Part of my future also doubles financial stability, and today I came across
this <a href="https://thecreativeindependent.com/guides/an-artists-guide-to-financial-planning/" target="_blank">excellent guide on how artists</a>( <i>especially writers! </i>)can set
themselves up to be self-supporting. In combination with this excellent article
about writers <a href="https://alanrinzler.com/2014/06/how-authors-support-their-writing-dreams/" target="_blank">finding financial success while balancing day jobs</a>, I'm
continuing to add to my working knowledge of how to make a living through the
written word instead of working for somebody else...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><i>That's </i>the future I want to make real, instead of just dreaming about it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 7 - Blackadder</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">This week, I decided to laugh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For various reasons, I was feeling down, so I searched through YouTube for
something to watch at work while doing my usual paper-pushing... and I found
the perfect solution: <i>Blackadder</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I'd watched some of the original broadcasts on PBS and a few reruns here
and there since( <i>my parents were big
British Humour fans</i> )but I'd never sat down to watch the entire series
through... which wasn't a huge task, seeing as there were only 6 episodes in
each of the four seasons. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">So that's what I did this week: I laughed my way through work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Blackadder's</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> a show that touts the triumph
of wit above all else, even if it's only to lament the lousy luck that the
titular antagonist finds himself at the mercy of time and again. Yet the
highlight of <i>Blackadder</i> for me has
always been the insults, w</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">hich are some of the best and most memorable of any
comedic creation - enjoy!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/D5IenhbpCko" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 8 - New Neverwinter!!!</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As mentioned briefly in a <a href="https://soronos.blogspot.ca/2017/12/supermoons-software-surprises-and-being.html" target="_blank">blog post last November</a>, a new NWN update is
coming!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What I <i>didn't </i>know until today is just how GOOD it's going to look:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aTaG5OaXltQ?start=1243" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I mentioned back in November, I don't expect to have much time to go
poking around again in NWN for a good part of 2018, but it's something I would
like to do again before the end of the year. The enhanced graphics will go a
long way to making the game feel less dated, and the online community will
likely grow strong again with a single, integrated platform designed to foster
connections between players and servers. That there's going to be some fun
places to explore again, once various servers get their systems updated to work
with the <a href="https://www.beamdog.com/products/neverwinter-nights-digital-deluxe" target="_blank">new Enhanced Edition</a>, and I'm excited to go exploring again out there.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Neverwinter Nights is, after all, <a href="https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/kzpb8y/why-neverwinter-nights-remains-the-most-faithful-dandd-adaptation-ever-made" target="_blank">the best online adaptation of Dungeons And Dragons ever made!</a> The question is though...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYRnhKi8tGuMaoz3-QAvupfB5GFIqcxGIPAi6dVXw2m9r3ve5q7TbhmHBQe3GkTyH-EhtZSFWXunJcfXL4-5ktfddZ9kjLlfCmFG1V-C8Qm_mbfzQREO0b_JiBYYmR7Cq1lgMRJbT7UQ/s1600/Nichneven+and+Cyndyr+Xmas+2011+TheRavensNest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1395" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAYRnhKi8tGuMaoz3-QAvupfB5GFIqcxGIPAi6dVXw2m9r3ve5q7TbhmHBQe3GkTyH-EhtZSFWXunJcfXL4-5ktfddZ9kjLlfCmFG1V-C8Qm_mbfzQREO0b_JiBYYmR7Cq1lgMRJbT7UQ/s320/Nichneven+and+Cyndyr+Xmas+2011+TheRavensNest.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From 2011... and I stopped playing her in October of 2010. Retired, really.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Will Nich ever go home again?</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 9 - Dehydration Tension?</span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">More water seems to have eased my troubles this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">In looking at why I was getting such burning pains in my left leg, I
wondered if I was still not getting enough water. I usually drink about a liter
and a half of water from dawn to dark in the course of a day, but on Monday I
checked on how much I might actually need, given my own individual variables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I went to <a href="https://www.h4hinitiative.com/tools/hydration-calculator">H4Initiative.com</a> and plugged everything in, with t</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">his result:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEQIjkomRnqEhipCGk8p3u5eRdLwHspxVKwqLdkyzqPhTn0S7KJQOYRAW2d2gNEMpffFqSS-AYg2KWD7RfEJTaewwsZRFq1RTe4gCzEJZKU7nFLIMpyCpiIbQb_UXZ7KmrMKQ4pK9hcc/s1600/Water+Intake+-+Too+Low.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="801" data-original-width="934" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqEQIjkomRnqEhipCGk8p3u5eRdLwHspxVKwqLdkyzqPhTn0S7KJQOYRAW2d2gNEMpffFqSS-AYg2KWD7RfEJTaewwsZRFq1RTe4gCzEJZKU7nFLIMpyCpiIbQb_UXZ7KmrMKQ4pK9hcc/s320/Water+Intake+-+Too+Low.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As it turns out, I needed to almost <i>double </i>the amount of water I'm taking
in, so I added another 750ml bottle to my day bag to take along. I resolved to
finish the first bottle by lunch, and the second by dinner, following up with a
couple glasses of water after dinner for good measure... but not much after
8pm, so I won't have to get up more than once during the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Five days later, it seems to have worked: the burning pain in my left leg
muscles haven't returned, and I feel a little more... balanced, if that's the
word? Going to an emergency massage session Monday night likely helped as well,
but I'm going to keep up my water-doubling for the future to see if that helps
ease my muscle tension even further. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It's odd how I thought I was drinking enough water each day, but as it
turns out, I wasn't paying close enough attention and wasn't. Add it to my List
Of Daily Things To Do and move on...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 10 - Adventure Time!</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Today was a welcome break from the regular march of time...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My lovely girlfriend surprised me by taking us on a day trip up-Island,
driving out of Victoria in the late morning under incredibly sunny skies:
perfect day trip weather!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">We headed up the Malahat Highway, wending our way higher and higher up the
sides of the steep hills among the towering stands of Douglas fir and stopping
twice at look at points to get some incredible pictures:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We stopped at </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Merridale Cidery & Distillery</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in Cobble Hill for
lunch, less than an hour's drive later. We arrived just in the nick of time, as
the place went from mostly empty to completely full within 10 minutes of our
choosing a table by the front door. We enjoyed a 'sampler pack' of half a dozen
ciders before our food arrived, finding that only one was really not to either
of our tastes. We lingered somewhat over our meal, as it was fairly easy to
talk inside compared to the quite-loud enclosed deck. We then took a quick look
around the grounds, and it looks like a place we could spend more time
exploring in the future:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">A short distance up the road later, we found ourselves at Shawnigan Lake,
and took up a stout table at </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Shawnigan Coffee </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">to enjoy some post-lunch
beverages and chocolate truffles! I also picked up two wonderfully-large banana
walnut muffins to take home, each of which was bigger than my fist:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The trip back was a lovely wind-down( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">literally, in the last parts </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">)to
the day, and I'm </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">deeply </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">grateful to my lady for suggesting we adventured
today, as it's one of the most relaxing things I've done in at least a year...</span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 11 - Kindness</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As I was leaving brunch today with my lady, the subject of kindness came
up, one that I've been thinking about this week, as it happens.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><i>Why be kind?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">This is an interesting and salient topic to me, in that I view myself as a
giving person, rather than one who is more self-interested. Over the years,
I've come to see human social interaction as one of the cornerstones of our
rise from barbarism, despite our violent tendencies. It's our ability to give
of ourselves and to put others first that allows us to work together to achieve
greatness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While it's long been know that being kind is also <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/workplace-award/why-its-good-for-your-soul-to-be-kind/article37342022/">good for you</a>, science has
only recently been able to <a href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/kindness-emotions-psychology/">quantify some of the reasons why</a>... and they're good
ones, unsurprisingly. I believe that in life, it's the little things that
count: they add up, in ways that you might be totally unaware of yet profoundly
affect the lives of others:</span></div>
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<span lang="EN" style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Now, go on out there and be kind to one another! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>The sunshine, time change and warmer weather will go a long way towards getting my energy back in the next few weeks, I think. I can already feel a change in the air! Also, writing tonight's blog took a little longer, as I did it all from scratch with no copy/pasting... which seems to have done the trick, as it looks precisely the way it should with NO after-edits needed due to rogue code. Sweet!</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-24489069400118843272018-03-04T20:14:00.001-08:002018-03-04T20:42:56.239-08:00Black Panther, B5's 25th and Burning Legs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i>The word of the week is replete.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Feb 26 – Happy Belated 25th, B5!</b></span><br /><br />Twenty-five years ago, the best scifi ever to make it to the small screen premiered( <i>on Feb. 22 1993, to be exact...</i> )and there's lots of love to be had for it from many, even today:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5NIupHRYQRE" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />As anyone who reads this blog regularly knows, <b>B5 </b>is near and dear to my hear, more than just about any scifi or fantasy series(<i> or any story, really </i>)so I'll not wax overly poetic about it again. It's informed my thoughts, my take on scifi / fantasy, and especially my writing, pointing to what's possible that I'd not realized could be achieved... and that's remarkable to me. I could go on, but...<br /><br />I'll simply say this: I don't look at life the same way now, after watching Babylon 5.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Feb 27 - Black Panther</b></span><br /><br />In a word: <b>awesome</b>!<br /><br />After seeing the film on Saturday, and now that I've had a few days to think about it, here's my thoughts - <i><b>SPOILERS BELOW!</b></i><br /><span id="goog_347421196"></span><span id="goog_347421197"></span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I slapped together this combo image myself - not bad for found art!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I really liked this movie: it was fun, respectful, well-written, had solid characters with a nuanced villain who wasn't just another <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/on-killmonger-black-panther-s-american-villain?mbid=social_facebook" target="_blank">Big Bad with a chip on his shoulder</a>. The excellent cast included a majority of women in prominent roles, <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/black-women-are-black-panthers-mightiest-heroes-1823205912" target="_blank">as mentioned in this article</a> - the <b>Dora Milaje</b>(<i> the royal Special Forces </i>)were some of the best-realized female warriors seen on the screen in decades, even accounting for the Amazons in the recent Wonder Woman. Incredible!<br /><br />The CGI was excellent, and didn't get in the way of the story for the most part. I loved the depiction of <b>Wakanda</b>, the hidden African nation, rendered as a spectacular blend of future tech and tribal heritage. The common usage of the incredible technology posessed by the Wakandans was liberating to see, in that they treated their tech as useful tools to make their lives easier, and didn't glorify it as some films might have tried to do: they led regular lives, helped by their tech.<br /><br />If I had anything to nitpick, it's that there was almost too much hand-to-hand combat: the movie at time seemed like calm islands among a sea of smackdowns, even if they were amazingly choreographed. The scene between T'Challa and Killmonger in their respective Black Panther suits was also a bit of a letdown, in that it was a CGI-centric fest with little 'facetime' in between punches.<br /><br />I'll stop there: there's FAR too much to list that I <a href="https://www.theroot.com/on-the-duality-and-double-consciousness-of-black-panthe-1823260321" target="_blank">enjoyed about this movie</a>, so if you haven't seen it yet, go.... now!<br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />Feb 28 – Hello, Android?</b></span><br /><br /><a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4039276/smart-devices-facebook-listening/" target="_blank">Is your phone listening to you?</a><br /><br />Ever since smartphones became ubiquitous in our lives, I've been concerned about the privacy issues around the information they gather - both officially and unofficially. With Android phones, you're always given a list of 'permissions' when you're installing apps, so that you know if they have access to things like your location, the camera or the microphone.<br /><br />The last one is the most important, as it seems that there's quite a few people out there like me who suspect that their devices are listening to them - have a look at this:<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/U0SOxb_Lfps" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />Now, I realize that right now there is only anecdotal evidence from people, but it's creepy nonetheless; I've had ads for things pop up on my phone's FBook app that I DID NOT search for whatsoever using Google or other methods, but ONLY spoke aloud.<br /><br /><i>Really </i>creepy.<br /><br />What hasn't time this spring, I'm going to set up an experiment where I only TALK about a specific-yet-obscure subject around my phone and explicitly refrain from searching for the same subject using ANY of my devices.<br /><br />The results should be... <i>interesting</i>, I believe.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mar 1 – March Arrives, No Lion?</b></span><br /><br />It's a new month, and a hint of spring?<br /><br />While it's been cold here for the last few weeks(<i> hovering around the freezing mark</i> )there's been only 48 hours with any real snow in 2018, ten days ago:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />It started to snow in the early afternoon, and by the evening, the roads were covered, enough so that the bus I took home to avoid slogging along icy unshoveled sidewalks was a small one, as the big buses were sidelined due to the rapid white buildup. Yet by the same time three days later, ALL of it had melted:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzRyKUxrI28xyQZbgVA6_v06HBweP4Ho3XbbWeZs2yGy-UOfsUNVRgr9oBS4vqJPvLk-yI2uqd9x6lzovJ0pdhV9-2XtvZAjkQ7OCEBDX7FLM72FtdF08wmkxc9GoUOrYyORpRJOL82k/s1600/Snow+GONE+-+Feb+24+2018+20180221_183718.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPzRyKUxrI28xyQZbgVA6_v06HBweP4Ho3XbbWeZs2yGy-UOfsUNVRgr9oBS4vqJPvLk-yI2uqd9x6lzovJ0pdhV9-2XtvZAjkQ7OCEBDX7FLM72FtdF08wmkxc9GoUOrYyORpRJOL82k/s320/Snow+GONE+-+Feb+24+2018+20180221_183718.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />I can't say I'll miss the snow; apart from lending an ethereal calmness to the scenery, I consider it a pain( <i>sometimes literally</i> )and while it scares me that climate change might mean winter snows become a rarity, I did move to Victoria in part because it gets the least snowfall in Canada...<br /><br />To date, that's twice, for a total of four days of snow. Not bad at all!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mar 2 – No Swimming This Week</b></span><br /><br />I've a bit of an ouchie, that I can't <i>quite </i>figure out.<br /><br />On Monday, I carefully lifted a somewhat heavy box and still managed to slightly injure my left leg, aggravating what I believe is an old injury to my thigh that stubbornly refuses to heal fully despite several years of careful observation. As such, I didn't go to the pool this week, as it was painful to walk on Tues / Wed.<br /><br />Oddly, on the same leg, there's been a recurring pain on the inside( <i>medial </i>)section that runs from above to below my knee, almost like it's catching on something... and ouch, does it <i>hurt</i>! But only for a few seconds at a time, sharp pain to dull ache and then gone again... and only when I've been resting, like it's spasming. That's been going on for a few weeks now - maybe they're related?<br /><br />After doing some research on my own( <i>the earliest appointment I can get with my GP is a <b>month </b>from now.</i>.. )it looks quite similar to a Medial Plica Irritation, which is a minor injury:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRi4boS_VfkNX75JHHl0Q1G9-5ZKvVa9WFRzWVaDzQPA15AA0c9Iv_YUd3fC7OPB4G7vLhSkTSE2VrZRZqX5n340yfaotn731GTop9bfdn8WGk73Qp7g09S56FaCycjY35BVgD8Pei3k/s1600/Medial+Plica+Irritation.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="845" data-original-width="993" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguRi4boS_VfkNX75JHHl0Q1G9-5ZKvVa9WFRzWVaDzQPA15AA0c9Iv_YUd3fC7OPB4G7vLhSkTSE2VrZRZqX5n340yfaotn731GTop9bfdn8WGk73Qp7g09S56FaCycjY35BVgD8Pei3k/s320/Medial+Plica+Irritation.JPG" width="320" /></a><br /><br />Now, to be clear: I don't go looking for this sort of crap, as I know aches and pains are part of getting older... but I DO pay attention when it's like getting stabbed with burning needles in my leg for 5-10 seconds semi-regularly when I'm not doing anything to cause such. Grrrrrr!!!!<br /><br /><br />I'll be going swimming this coming Tuesday, and I'm going to ease into things when it comes to my legs: gentle movements to test the waters, so to speak, until I can see my doctor. I'll forego going to a Walk-in Clinic, as they've not been so great at diagnosing things other than 'You have a cold' so far, so unless things take an odd turn, I'm just going to go with baby steps. I should also note that I always keeping a close eye on my diet / nutrition, and nothing's changed, so I'm baffled as to why these odd 'medial knee pains' have shown up...<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mar 3 – Passed By... Again</b></span><br /><br />Nuts.<br /><br />I received an email Monday thanking me for applying for a higher-up position within my office.. but that they've decided to go with 'a more qualified candidate' or something. I can't quite silence the suspicion that they had someone already in mind, and that the posting was just a formality... or that's been my luck to date.<br /><br />This month marks a year since I've been applying steadily for better positions as my GVT Job Search Agent emails them to me, and I've applied for over a dozen now that I had solid qualifications for... with no luck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNHZ-PMFFHiMZYvBtFTRug6aBZ5srTBOHabNWGQM2xPLx9KzVydbm7GvCw6lS4yKQ1uMOYTHyYwQsNX_znZym6YoEQrfl_23xkYam5NeXLYUBt4vqVU4NyergP5hqu-gTS85yKs9d2oA/s1600/Nope+-+Rejected+for+Job.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPNHZ-PMFFHiMZYvBtFTRug6aBZ5srTBOHabNWGQM2xPLx9KzVydbm7GvCw6lS4yKQ1uMOYTHyYwQsNX_znZym6YoEQrfl_23xkYam5NeXLYUBt4vqVU4NyergP5hqu-gTS85yKs9d2oA/s320/Nope+-+Rejected+for+Job.jpg" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's disheartening, but I've resolved to just keep doing the best I can for each application and hoping that I'll get a "Yes, we want YOU!" email soon enough... though it's been a year now since I've put my nose to the Apply-For-Positions grindstone with no results, and last time I looked for work, it took 13.5 months.<br /><br />So far, nada, but I'll keep learning from each experience and applying said lessons to the next one... though it's disheartening to see myself in exactly the same spot I was when I started 3.8 years ago, while almost everyone I started with has moved up and in some cases, significantly so. <br /><br />Looking at most of the last 4 years though, I've had a range of health and financial problems, so perhaps starting a new position with heavy challenges was in the cards. All the same, I'm coming out of things now in 2018 with a more solid outlook, so I've got to keep my chin up despite the nagging voices telling me that <i>I'm stuck, or that people see me as washed-up, or I'm not qualified for any jobs with real responsibility, or I need to go back to school for retraining for a few years, or fill-in-the-blank-you're-not-good-enough...</i><br /><br />Yeah. Those voices will drag you down if you let them; I'm not... but it's <i><b>hard</b></i>.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Mar 4 – For a Laugh... </b></span><br /><br />I make an effort each day to chuckle a few times.<br /><br />For example, this picture makes me <i>laugh every single time </i>I see it:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQajGfA7IrSIldaFofMYdvIu1Z6LZ0B7U9d1sWL0EOcXiS6e9D-EIT0eijLHgAFyTRs4VH9vKEHm9bGI_xQRsBlp_i-bO1C_i28ZWJ-KfHiNrH4Hi5PcyMg8lgH1X-n8YB45cX4z7HxxE/s1600/Cactus+Cat.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="541" data-original-width="541" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQajGfA7IrSIldaFofMYdvIu1Z6LZ0B7U9d1sWL0EOcXiS6e9D-EIT0eijLHgAFyTRs4VH9vKEHm9bGI_xQRsBlp_i-bO1C_i28ZWJ-KfHiNrH4Hi5PcyMg8lgH1X-n8YB45cX4z7HxxE/s320/Cactus+Cat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The FACE! He reminds me of Tetley, who had attitude to spare...</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Animals are wonderful clowns, in their own way, as the wild success of sites like <b>LOLcats</b> and <b>IcanHaszCheezeburger </b>have both shown. Some examples( <i>please forgive me for posting a cat video this once, and for the awful music in most of it</i> ):<br /><br /><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mcmCdUse5Tg" width="560"></iframe><br /><br />I was reminded of that today while I was having an afternoon beer( <i>my first in two months </i>)with my lovely girlfriend, when we got to talking about cats in the course of the conversation. My family has had dozens of wonderful felines as pets over the years, and with them came many hilarious stories. I related more than a few and in doing so, managed to laugh myself silly to the point of tears, which I think surprised my girlfriend and myself both. I treasure the memories of my long-departed pets, especially the funny ones, for which I'm thankful there are many, and I help those memories stay strong by revisiting them regularly... with a smile.<br /><br /><br /><i>That's all I've got for this week, and it took me an extra 45 minutes to do the blog, as it keeps having strange-coloured text issues thanks to errors in the HTML - so I recopied it all by hand AGAIN this week. Heading into a <b>new </b>week, I'm determined not to let whatever this newest leg-pain annoyance is get in the way of DOING things... I've quite a backlog for 2018 already!</i><br /><br /></span>Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-34339340497785645512018-02-25T19:42:00.005-08:002018-02-25T19:44:05.438-08:00Distant Duos, Discernment and Disappointing Myself<div style="text-align: start;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is ratiocinate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 19 – Spaceship Park!</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well this is a blast from the past:
an old stomping ground of mine!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Actually, it's a twin-once-removed
from an old playground I used to frequent as a kid, which until now I thought
was unique. Behold - the <i>Enterprise Two</i>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsBw7am9R-oByoOYDB4Xcn8uTK4LY3_eHeyju9Wi2xv9RQJPMqsNhqRJd6gn0Ob1wDupO7i1ejKMgKMKUszV59WHS35mIEyUqHBgzY8nV-Io2Twg1FGbDm8hXAePscN19vO0XRPs-LJE/s1600/Spaceship+Park+AUS+Twin+-+Frew+St+Milton+QLD+4064+Australia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQsBw7am9R-oByoOYDB4Xcn8uTK4LY3_eHeyju9Wi2xv9RQJPMqsNhqRJd6gn0Ob1wDupO7i1ejKMgKMKUszV59WHS35mIEyUqHBgzY8nV-Io2Twg1FGbDm8hXAePscN19vO0XRPs-LJE/s320/Spaceship+Park+AUS+Twin+-+Frew+St+Milton+QLD+4064+Australia.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seems they've let a few things slide...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The above is a playground in current
use in Australia</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, on Frew Street in Milton, Queensland. It's of a different
design than the original playground set that was at the 'Spaceship Park' when I
was young, smaller too, but it's of the same basic design - so cool!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Below is the current image of the
Enterprise-inspired play equipment that was installed in 1972. It was removed,
sold, cleaned up and installed at <b>Safari Niagara </b>in 2002 and is as you
see it now, very similar to the unit above. It has two slides descending, one
from each nacelle, and a stair leading up to the enclosed 'bridge' which has
two reclining steel 'gravity chairs' inside. There's a 'transporter cage' below
the bridge, and the engineering hull is hollow while open at both ends to let
kids climb through it. Tons of space fun!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv55dbA-TTtsGVH6bl4jsNxo_QJpfnRT4gWKOB6pOWjNnXbeJ3u7XJ4T6c6urT_bm_GBbBXEHYlMSNiGMK0uyi6olxqBDEiWRNCalq2peONDwMLdKlH9lvUeO7noQA8DNf4vH6U_u9GY/s1600/Spaceship+Park+-+St+Catharines+ON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="520" data-original-width="693" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIv55dbA-TTtsGVH6bl4jsNxo_QJpfnRT4gWKOB6pOWjNnXbeJ3u7XJ4T6c6urT_bm_GBbBXEHYlMSNiGMK0uyi6olxqBDEiWRNCalq2peONDwMLdKlH9lvUeO7noQA8DNf4vH6U_u9GY/s320/Spaceship+Park+-+St+Catharines+ON.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The ol' girl's looking spiffy!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">There's even an </span><a href="http://www.stcatharinesstandard.ca/2012/09/29/search-engine-starship-playground" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">article</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> about the
installation and history of the 'Playground Enterprise' of 'Spaceship Park' as
the kids referred to it! It's also worth noting that the bridge often stank of
spilled beer, urine and cigarette butts, as it was in a public park and teens
loved to sneak in there after dusk.... which made it not a lot of fun to play
in as a kid, I can tell you.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Here's a snap of the original from the 70's:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGe4HsVfMWvHsbPuo8FX9YfpF9E3r_0u79SqysuH9LS-SHDGoTM5rapccMWEWWbDUECkR55rs71YvZ_o5KS80VqzJKCphK7CNSeufukbtrrm_ag09rX7nK-VEy_VuJpDdcthxxQ4I8LvU/s1600/Spaceship+Park+2-+St+Catharines+ON.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="442" data-original-width="604" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGe4HsVfMWvHsbPuo8FX9YfpF9E3r_0u79SqysuH9LS-SHDGoTM5rapccMWEWWbDUECkR55rs71YvZ_o5KS80VqzJKCphK7CNSeufukbtrrm_ag09rX7nK-VEy_VuJpDdcthxxQ4I8LvU/s320/Spaceship+Park+2-+St+Catharines+ON.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like to think that's my sister and I playing!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's too bad that 'theme playgrounds'
like this were only around for a few years, before cities went full-on over to
'safety first' designs that were quite functional, but lacked any of the style
we see in both of the above designs.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maybe in a few years we'll see a
hybrid of the two show up somewhere?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If so, I'll dub it the
'<i>Enterprise-E</i>' and let you know here first!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 19 - Spotting Fake News</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As it turns out, I'm pretty good at this sort of
thing - mainly through practice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For those of you out there who tune out
completely: good for you! I've yet to be able to turn to that 'social media
survival method' but it may come down to it soon, if I can't manage to stop
caring as much about the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">For those of you somewhat bewildered and/or
overwhelmed by the preponderance of fake news out there, take heart. There's
several ways you can go about sorting the shite from the shiny, such as using
this short list: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><u>Six Steps to Evaluate
Contrarian Claims</u><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<ol>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Identify the claim: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">First, identify as simply as possible what the actual
claim is.</span></li>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Construct the supporting
argument: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">An argument requires
premises (those things we take to be true for the purposes of the argument) and
a conclusion (effectively the claim being made). The premises together give us
reason to accept the conclusion.</span></li>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Determine the intended
strength of the claim: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Determining the exact kind
of argument requires a quick detour into the difference between deductive and
inductive reasoning. A claim is definitive when it says something is definitely
the case, rather than being probable or possible.</span></li>
<li>Definitive claims must be
supported by deductive reasoning. Essentially, this means that if the premises
are true, the conclusion is inevitably true.</li>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Check the logical structure:
</span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">We can see that in the argument from step two —
that the climate change is changing because of natural processes — the truth of
the conclusion is not guaranteed by the truth of the premises.</span></li>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Check for ambiguity: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">The argument mentions Xin its premises and conclusion.
But X can change in many ways, and the phrase itself can have a variety of
meanings. The problem with this argument is that the phrase is used to describe
two different kinds of X.</span></li>
<li><b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Check premises for truth or
plausibility: </span></b><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Even if there were no
ambiguity about the term 'X' the argument would still fail when the premises
were tested. In step four, the third premise, “If something was the cause of an
event in the past, it must be the cause of the event now”, is clearly false.</span></li>
</ol>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lastly, you can always use a 'cheat
sheet' like this lovely <a href="http://www.guacamoley.com/the-scoop/2018/02/13/Z23X1Fl/library-creates-genius-bookmark-to" target="_blank">bookmark</a>, to help:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 21 – The Secret To Life?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh, I could write for days about this
subject...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But I won't subject you to that sort
of rambling. Instead, I'll simply present you with this: the Japanese concept
of <b>Ikigai</b> ...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">I like that the </span></span><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/08/is-this-japanese-concept-the-secret-to-a-long-life/" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">concept of Ikigai</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">
isn't a '</span>rarefied<span style="font-size: 12pt;">' one, but rather grounded in the ordinary thoughts and goals
that we all carry day to day. This means that it's achievable by anyone who can
put some thought into what they want out of life, using a simple framework that
doesn't disconnect you from reality.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Given how INTO reality many of us are
these days with social media, I'm all for that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 22 – Me: Effing up...<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">Apparently, I can be an asshole, without realizing it, as I learned this week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I made a comment on a friend's post that they didn't take well, as I could have worded things better... that's what you get if you let your stress take over your tongue, or in this case, typing fingers - it's a first for me.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjJT1bhyphenhyphenrCfCAQXmg4lcuYPfmkDfeyngefKX5qxuGn67yFa_ca_Zek4KGWbJm1NwQoY5mejm_7SLm6QsEBJn67hiXQUD1KVxDxj7h09zRtiMmWiYmsc9xngcqe00X5pPt9PcLU4yTjcA/s1600/Charlie+Brown+Disappointed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="702" data-original-width="980" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCjJT1bhyphenhyphenrCfCAQXmg4lcuYPfmkDfeyngefKX5qxuGn67yFa_ca_Zek4KGWbJm1NwQoY5mejm_7SLm6QsEBJn67hiXQUD1KVxDxj7h09zRtiMmWiYmsc9xngcqe00X5pPt9PcLU4yTjcA/s320/Charlie+Brown+Disappointed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Charlie Brown gets it...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm disappointed in myself, as this
is something I thought I wasn't capable of doing: I think about what I do,
constantly, so that my emotions don't get ahold of me, especially through the
keyboard where it's all too easy to snap off a response in seconds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being an adult is a work in progress:
for ME that means holding oneself to higher standards, ALL the time, and any
slip means I'm not doing a good enough job of looking in the mirror each day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I rarely <b>admit </b>errors in judgement( <i>a
failing of mine </i>)because I see myself as striving to correct them BEFORE
they happen through forethought and practice, but if I don't make them, then I
can't learn from the experience. In hindsight, I see that I could have done
BETTER when it came to many of my choices, which while not counting as
mistakes, mean I didn't learn as often or as quickly as I should have living
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Handling stress always comes at a
cost, and I believed I knew most of the ways that it affected me. In this case,
I wasn't seeing how subtle the slip could be: one picture pushed a button and I
rushed to 'correct' what I perceived as someone else's mistake... instead of
seeing it as an opportunity to discuss WHY my friend posted it, and what it
meant to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Fortunately, my friend and I worked things out after a fair bit of back-and-forth communication, which </span>wouldn't<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> have been possible if they hadn't been both gracious and open-minded about talking things over. I was able to make the Why of my comments clear, as to where they were coming from within me, and we've patched things up, though I still feel like crap.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For now I'm <a href="https://lifehacker.com/how-to-disconnect-from-social-media-but-stay-connected-1822927183" target="_blank">stepping back from social media</a> somewhat to re-examine what I'm really accomplishing there, and in
balance as to what it's doing to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 23 – Really, ReBoot..?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Oh, man... this is <u><b>so</b></u> disappointing, and par for the course this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b>ReBoot </b>is returning to the airwaves
after nearly twenty years, and I have no desire to see it, because.... well,
have a look for yourselves:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l8B5dqjsZUs" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What were the creators THINKING, to
make a bad 90's Power Rangers clone - .. </span><i style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">that's</i><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> the best they could do
with 17 years work? It'll vanish as quickly as it appeared, and unmourned by
any, including most every fan of the original ReBoot, as </span><a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-first-reboot-the-guardian-code-trailer-has-too-man-1823223874" style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">many are already saying</a><span style="font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Compare the 'rebooted' show to the
old ReBoot and you'll see why I'm passing... there's not a whiff of
originality, character, effort or passion in the new, while the old has them in
<i>spades</i>:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ES2_vtJgxT4" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tragic, and Game Over... what a
waste!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 24 – Wheel Of Time: Found~>~!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Many years ago, I found a website,
and lost it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While it's not uncommon for that sort
of thing to happen, even with the extensive bookmarks I've retained through
various backups, it happened to be a site I VERY much wanted to peruse, as it
involved the <b>Wheel Of Time</b> series by Robert Jordan.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Specifically, the site in question
had a 'tracker visual,' which allowed a reader to track all the main
characters, plots and sometimes places through EACH novel of the series by
chapter. Meaning you could follow the development of any main character or plot
throughout the entire series, which is an incredible thing!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And until this week, I thought I'd
lost it forever.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Incredibly, I happened to mention my
frustration in a WoT FBook group, and a member there responded with a site
name: </span><a href="http://encyclopaedia-wot.org/" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encyclopaedia-WOT.org</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">! Excited, I pulled up the site immediately and
indeed, it WAS the site I'd been looking for!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now all I have to do is find the time
to re-read the entire series... but when I DO get around to it again, I might
just track through chapter by chapter instead!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 25 – Working to Type</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My girlfriend and I went for a
too-short drive this morning after breakfast to enjoy a bit of the sunshine
while it lasted, going along a few back roads here and there in the northern
parts before we had to part ways again before lunch. She's got to finish her
move from her old digs to her new( <i>MUCH closer to me AND her work both,
which is amazing! </i>)while I had to dig into writing... and having to miss a friend's birthday party to do so. Suckage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I spent a good part of the rest of
the day working on two writing projects: fleshing out the rest of the short
story I'll be submitting for a contest in 3 days, and talking myself up in the
other project for a temporary( <i>and better!</i> )position at work as a
trainer. I'm excited about both projects, but lamenting the time it's taken to
work on both in the last week: there's never enough energy to concentrate more
than an hour or two after work, so that's been challenging.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week's been challenging to me,
as I've had to come to grips with my opinion being at odds with other people,
such that I've had to wonder if MY opinion is the correct one... or if it is,
then how to remain respectful of other's opinions while still remaining
friends? <a href="http://www.lifecoachexpert.co.uk/acceptingotherpeopledifferences.html" target="_blank">How can I 'stick by my guns' without feeling crappy about it</a>, when
other people tell me that I'm wrong, or otherwise disagree with my stance on a
topic? There's surprisingly little information out there about exactly HOW to
navigate this kind of relationship minefield, which doesn't help. Knowing the
line where you cross over from having an opinion you can back up( <i>good </i>)to
being an opinionated jerk( <i>bad </i>)is rather difficult, especially as I'm
coming from years of just wanting people to get along... leading too often to
being a milkquetoast-spined lump of Agree-With-Anyone - which I'm <b>not</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's something I'm consciously not
going to be devoting much energy to in the near future, as I've got too much
ELSE on my plate to take on THIS overlarge mouthful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I do, I'll let you know what I
find.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>I'm actively working NOT to dwell on my self-disappointment this week, to turn it into a learning experience, as all mistakes should be. I make as many as some, but I hope that I make fewer than most as the years pass, as I learn and don't repeat my errors... and sometimes even see similar ones coming so I can avoid them too. Moping about mistakes is a waste of energy, and while my Shiny Image Of Smartness has taken a ding, the rest is still shiny, and I can probably buff things out with more hard work. Onwards. </i></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-80865260423164560622018-02-18T19:35:00.001-08:002018-02-20T20:36:53.339-08:00Love, Late Learners and Losing People<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>The word of the week is intangible.</i></span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 12 – Fuzzy Feet Feelings</span></b>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I first started this blog, I promised myself
three things I would do: I wouldn't repeat myself intentionally, I wouldn't use
it as a forum for complaints, and I wouldn't talk about socks... because making
much of the mundane means that you've run out of things to talk about in a
meaningful or interesting way.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, I'm reserving the last stipulation for
today, as this is too amazing NOT to share.<a href="https://johnscrazysocks.com/" target="_blank"> John's Crazy Socks</a> is the kind of
brilliant company we should all aspire to be a part of, and not just because
our feet would be warm and cozy:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" src="//players.brightcove.net/293884104/SJa0Thl7_default/index.html?videoId=5409694767001"></iframe></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span> </span><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 13 – <i>Aliens</i>, The Ride?</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;"> </span></b>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As many of you know, I'm a fan of the
<b>Aliens </b>series of films, though the third installment isn't exactly on my
rewatch list. The universe the films inhabit is extremely well-thought-out, and
I thought today I'd share some of the incredible things that have been created
inside its imaginary boundaries.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">First up is a WILD ride through <i>Aliens:
The Ride</i>... as a roller coaster:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ca3eYxZedD4" width="560"></iframe> </span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This second clip shows how the
fantastic roller-coaster sim above was made, which I think also illustrates the
dedication and talent of <i>Aliens</i> fans:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_6l0tt0zPX4" width="560"></iframe> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Then we have <i>The Making of Aliens</i>,
which has incredible details about the film's production that show the gobs of
hard work and forethought put into its creation:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/J43vXq-Cvfo" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Finally, we have the full cinematic
walkthrough of <i>Aliens: Colonial Marines,</i> the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>game, which plays out much like its a cool new film in the franchise:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pgRvdZ_9Qyw" width="560"></iframe><br /> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 14 – Love</span></b>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I feel <i>damn </i>lucky in love, I tell you.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here I am, an older guy with little
relationship history to speak of, and yet I've managed to find the singular
woman on earth who fell for me, just as I am. Truthfully though, <i>she </i>found
<i>me</i>, and she's a thousand kinds of wonderful...</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It's like hitting a hole-in-one from
the far side of the solar system, and a million other metaphors describing what
having the nigh-impossible happen feels like. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Here's what she made me this Valentine's Day, hanging in front of my Golden Wall of Happy at work - a fabric heart with an original poem she composed:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dUkvBsp3BFnrUsob8Ka5SkOcLqDqam0AvohWRw1wyVs1dBxzHxQrCRc_NJOqioO7mVZgmea8WJ4GMuDfIEO6_hLOGSbgxl0PChYRUiqY_b5Tw4nm5zYtJiT-QPHmS5Y5LKf_-bXuxag/s1600/Michelle-heart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="900" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6dUkvBsp3BFnrUsob8Ka5SkOcLqDqam0AvohWRw1wyVs1dBxzHxQrCRc_NJOqioO7mVZgmea8WJ4GMuDfIEO6_hLOGSbgxl0PChYRUiqY_b5Tw4nm5zYtJiT-QPHmS5Y5LKf_-bXuxag/s320/Michelle-heart.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I think of those as Golden Tickets on the wall...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">What <i>amazes </i>me about how we met is
that we were both pursuing our interest in writing, and that brought us into
the same place at the same time: the local writing group that I'd just started
attending the previous year and which I now co-run. Just like that, our mutual
love of the written word led to love in the real, and I couldn't be <i>happier
</i>about that fortunate coincidence!</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which also brings up pet names in
relationships: <b>why</b>?</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I found <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/why-do-we-use-pet-names-in-relationships/" target="_blank">this an interesting read</a>
about the subject, and while I don't use pet names myself( <i>apart from
sweetheat, my love and other endearments )</i>it's a great insight into how
relationships work at that level.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 15 – Passion Pursuit</span></b>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Doubt is a writer's constant
companion, day in and day out.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Aside from Imposter Syndrome, one of
the things you worry about as a writer is "Am I improving, or am I just
fooling myself that I can make it?" which often enters a
doubt-feedback-loop when you're slogging away alone without anyone noticing: no
publications, just rejection and a slow crawl towards your goals.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This week I came across another
writer's <a href="https://www.jackmcdevitt.com/single-post/2018/02/16/Blog-4" target="_blank">experience on being a writer late to the game</a>, and about having a
belief in oneself that's unshakable in the face of doubt: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zsdSRcoehyYy5RaH6eMQe0tjMhouBOI5d5btbd_Cgxddv8ToNuRSwSpRC6hIPQJPrbz0zOPZuML63Ae2vvvj8YrmXTILthIwn2DdQ1vISxNrV0VRU_qTCZQ1tiOJDPbnbMfTPGxKr-M/s1600/Jack+McDevitt+-+Pursue+Your+Passion+Writing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="979" data-original-width="999" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0zsdSRcoehyYy5RaH6eMQe0tjMhouBOI5d5btbd_Cgxddv8ToNuRSwSpRC6hIPQJPrbz0zOPZuML63Ae2vvvj8YrmXTILthIwn2DdQ1vISxNrV0VRU_qTCZQ1tiOJDPbnbMfTPGxKr-M/s320/Jack+McDevitt+-+Pursue+Your+Passion+Writing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The key takeaway:</span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The bottom line to this is
significant for all of us: We’re smarter than we think. Don’t give up on an
ambition, or a passion, because you think you can’t pull it off. You do not
want to get down to the final years of your life and wonder what you might have
achieved if you’d tried.</span></blockquote>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm persistent, and I forget that as
long as I'm still moving forward, my goals are still in reach: I just have to
persist, and not give up. The small encouragements I receive from friends, family
and especially other writers, published or no, keeps me going.</span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Write on!</span></i>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 16 – Gun Horror</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">NOTE: Skip this entry if you don't want
your week spoiled.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Valentine's Day this year was a
horror show for the students at Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida: a
student shot 17 of his classmates dead and wounded many others in the 18th mass
shooting in the USA in 2018 - one every two days.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Apart from the tragic aspect of the
shooting, one thing has stood apart: anger, leading to action. The students of
Stoneman High aren't stepping back from the cameras, but rather looking INTO
them and screaming for answers, as well as action, from the US Government to
address the ever-present fear of guns in America.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've spoken about this before,
regularly, and been disturbed by the reactions; one in particular from a friend
of mine stood out, where I was told to 'man up' after expressing my fear of
travelling to the USA due to the incidence of gun crimes.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Man up... really? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Is that what the
students of Stoneman should do to deal with what happened? "So sorry all
those kids were killed and wounded, but you really need to Man Up: it's just
the price America pays for Freedom, you know!"</span>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> Fuck that assinine statement, </span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">to which I say:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizy0WM9ggAV_70fZpdn_pYDWkqkvNyUfJqd0oHgTYxICWkGC4IjGBHJBAEE159-HH8A4KlTdZXy96YGRysnnDbCb7dC0fM9BfUe3crzlWbZUa8U-TrD9UH8QwX1D1N4G-3bSnw01gPeL8/s1600/Gun+Control+Collage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="968" data-original-width="998" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizy0WM9ggAV_70fZpdn_pYDWkqkvNyUfJqd0oHgTYxICWkGC4IjGBHJBAEE159-HH8A4KlTdZXy96YGRysnnDbCb7dC0fM9BfUe3crzlWbZUa8U-TrD9UH8QwX1D1N4G-3bSnw01gPeL8/s320/Gun+Control+Collage.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These are just a <i>fraction </i>of the images appearing this week in the USA re: Gun Control</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I've examined this subject for
years, while I could go on at length, I believe a big part of the solution is
<a href="https://secondnexus.com/news/politics/white-males-guns-empowerment-economic-uncertainty/?utm_content=inf_4_1164_2&tse_id=INF_5b88d23012a411e8b994b71562261940" target="_blank">dealing with repressed white male rage</a>,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>as well as the easy availability of guns in
the USA, as this image shows comparatively:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvunxBFdRnQBhY8qyxt_5-4nXo0zp2bstFTI2UvJqa6ahCrQcYemDaCIzJk0ADPTyFBlDY0Fqpg4UKtuW_g5zNvhnwd8T_R1x93l_EY9TDokChjCI8I4XbohFroh77Z2VmbBrlvkU-BdU/s1600/If+Guns+were+as+regulated+as+Cars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="761" data-original-width="564" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvunxBFdRnQBhY8qyxt_5-4nXo0zp2bstFTI2UvJqa6ahCrQcYemDaCIzJk0ADPTyFBlDY0Fqpg4UKtuW_g5zNvhnwd8T_R1x93l_EY9TDokChjCI8I4XbohFroh77Z2VmbBrlvkU-BdU/s320/If+Guns+were+as+regulated+as+Cars.jpg" width="237" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I'm worn out from caring this week,
about a neighbouring country where a good number of my friends live, and that
I'd like to travel more of, at some point.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But not when there's a likelihood that I won't come back alive.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 17 – Big Debt = Tiny Home <u>Action</u>!</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I talk about tiny homes a fair bit,
but it's just talk, while other folks are making their dreams a reality. Such
is the case of a young couple right here in Victoria, who decided to change
their lifestyle completely in order to get out from under a crippling $90,000
debt load... which I can relate to:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GQ6cKZ3Zf9A" width="560"></iframe> </span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While the couple <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5400535/Family-90-000-crippling-debt-moved-tiny-house.html" target="_blank">acknowledges that they had a fortunate set of circumstances</a> that allowed them to get into tiny
home ownership, the fact remains that they DID it, in the main through good
financial choices, patience and <i>plenty </i>of hard work.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Inspiring <i>and </i>local: love it!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18.0pt;">Feb 18 – Blocked? Me? Why?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"></span>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Well, this is a first for me:
yesterday I was Blocked by a friend for expressing my opinion, ironically after
blogging last week about friendship.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Which I stated rationally, calmly and
logically... apparently it was easier to get RID of me altogether, then for
this person to ask themselves why posting their cute gun meme was an issue:</span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL4Jzj4QBtaQFMC0jhgjyGJOvU0ZHQReuzpLkE7w_V2AD3NINNcS6QVM-Ir0_1RCGmQo6uylv9OWcgq9AfsTpH1it5gqsk_iThHtEW8ViJ0oeFRFPb07thSU3gbRs1HH93DdkNoFMODE/s1600/Blocked+Me+-+Gun+Meme2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="270" data-original-width="800" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsL4Jzj4QBtaQFMC0jhgjyGJOvU0ZHQReuzpLkE7w_V2AD3NINNcS6QVM-Ir0_1RCGmQo6uylv9OWcgq9AfsTpH1it5gqsk_iThHtEW8ViJ0oeFRFPb07thSU3gbRs1HH93DdkNoFMODE/s320/Blocked+Me+-+Gun+Meme2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So MANY memes out there are DESIGNED to dismiss opposition with cute non-analogous comparatives...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I didn't post it as invitation to debate
it, by the way: I'm worn out from this week's events, and by people refusing to
see their own mental roadblocks. I've got an open mind, tempered by the
knowledge I've gathered from MANY years of knowing the subject matter inside
and out. In this case, it's the issue of Gun Control in the USA, which I <i>more
</i>than understand pushes some people's buttons...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Yet even studying the issue for as
long as I have, I've not come up with any concrete solutions: more national
regulations, insurance and other ideas are all out there... and I am certain
that there MUST be changes, BIG changes in the US, if they're going to come to
grips with these horror shows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xWXsrQrqdpr02V3abGYIX3RY0tw_vDkter6tQ697gjLD6nSwyIV1tzqQrQ8EYzaJxam2C14nijBYW5hIQQNNUVppSwKXFURdGSm66Cu5Xz4JeI2SA-zlYKIh8Dl15lodV3AWocS-lfQ/s1600/Unfriending+-+Fbook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="800" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1xWXsrQrqdpr02V3abGYIX3RY0tw_vDkter6tQ697gjLD6nSwyIV1tzqQrQ8EYzaJxam2C14nijBYW5hIQQNNUVppSwKXFURdGSm66Cu5Xz4JeI2SA-zlYKIh8Dl15lodV3AWocS-lfQ/s320/Unfriending+-+Fbook.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">If you're going to Block me on FBook,
then at least have the <b>decency </b>to tell me <i>why</i>, first... because
if it's just due to my having an opinion you don't like and expressing it like
an adult, then it matters to discuss the reasons why, if only so I don't repeat my mistake AND learn from it. Developing one's critical thinking skills
along with empathy, learn to see different perspectives, keep an open mind, and
above all, don't let your emotions take control over your reason<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">: all of these things are important to me in both the public and private space. This is a learning experience for me, one that's not happened before, and I understand that it's not about me being right as much as it is me expressing my frustration on the first target I see, be it friend or stranger... and that's something I know I still have to work on.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I appreciate all of you, friends and
family both, and you must know that I don't take ANY of you for granted,
despite some differences.</span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As should we all.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><i>This week and weekend have been damn busy: I've been doing a line-by-line critique of a friend's 80K-word YA novel, as well as working on a story for a contest submission, both due ASAP. The weekend was especially challenging, as car problems ate up previous time On Saturday( parent's van sunroof stuck OPEN while RAINING! )and I broke my girlfriend's car door thanks to a HUGE blast of 90kph wind out of nowhere that snapped the limiter rod - DAMN! All these things and more have been wearing, but I've dealth with them, and am now on to a new week... and new challenges.</i></span>
Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-60618147530988788972018-02-11T20:53:00.001-08:002018-02-12T11:41:41.412-08:00Rocket Roadsters, Relationships and Readiness Reports<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is </span>incorrigible<span style="font-size: 12pt;">.</span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 5 - Project Linda</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Ah, technology: good for a bit, then the bad
starts to bite.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Phones in particular seem to be of the 'Wow'
followed months later by 'What the?' category, which explains why most people
upgrade every 1-2 years when they're on contract. I aim for 3-4, but then I'm a
sucker for punishment: It doesn't stop me from wishing for the latest
smartphones...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I love comparing the specs on the latest phones
every 6 months, feeding the 'I might get THIS one!' fantasy I have, though I've
stepped back a bit in the last two years given how FREAKIN' expensive the
things are now. The latest Samsung S9 tops $1,000 CDN, which is more than I can
dream of justifying, even on contract( <b><i>WHICH I WILL NEVER GO BACK ON
AGAIN! </i></b>)to help with the wallet-pain.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">However, there are some things that are just too
cool NOT to want, like:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoSWkRAOrx-vLxEeHjUFbwwPdReZbqlyjjEBUW-zA5gCDQYTsE-YrJ9Ce_eNUfEiOXrTqFz5Bt7u5bZgVyl208RFzDMHgPhexkur1zOhfxHRwW6sBukQ0i5ZFD2Z1-ilmstlqN6hSSnY/s1600/Project-Linda-longsided.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="1600" height="90" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoSWkRAOrx-vLxEeHjUFbwwPdReZbqlyjjEBUW-zA5gCDQYTsE-YrJ9Ce_eNUfEiOXrTqFz5Bt7u5bZgVyl208RFzDMHgPhexkur1zOhfxHRwW6sBukQ0i5ZFD2Z1-ilmstlqN6hSSnY/s320/Project-Linda-longsided.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attach phone to dock and presto: instant midrange laptop!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm putting this on my 'Something to
aim for in 2019' list, for when I've dug myself enough out of debt that I can
consider a new cell phone with some style and utility. By then, both my </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Samsung
S5</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">with its growing list of quirks </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)and my </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Samsung <a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/pcs/NP540U3C-A01UB-specs" target="_blank">NP540U3C </a></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/pcs/NP540U3C-A01UB-specs" target="_blank">laptop</a>(
</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">an i5: coincidence? </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)will be VERY long in the tooth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;">I'll be dreaming of <a href="https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/review/laptops/razer-project-linda-review-hands-on-3670347/" target="_blank">Project Linda</a> for the rest of 2018, methinks...</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 6 – Falcon Heavy Launch!</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today was an AMAZING day for space
exploration!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Elon Musk's SpaceX debuted the next
generation of reusable rocket, the Falcon 9 Heavy Launch vehicle, which put in
a <i>SPECTACULAR </i>performance! Utilizing three reusable boosters, the Falcon
soared into space in a textbook pilot launch, which I had the luck to watch
LIVE from work on my phone - <i>how cool is that?</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The boosters all returned to earth,
and while the sea-landing failed, the two land-bound boosters made perfect
simultaneous touchdowns, right out of a scifi movie:</span><br />
<br />
<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/l5I8jaMsHYk" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet the BEST part wasn't the
boosters, but what the rocket payload itself: Elon Musk's cherry-red Tesla
Roadster, being used as ballast in a great PR move rather than boring old
concrete or steel shot - hello, future space travelers, be sure to check out
what's on the dash and in the glove compartment:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UVR8U3av1ls" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 7 – Friendship</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What does friendship mean, really?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's a HUGE subject, and I don't
intend to get into a long diatribe here, but rather state what simple applies
to me and my experience... and why I bring it up today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">As others have told me, and I've
noticed myself, I tend to make friends fairly easily, for which I'm grateful.
In thinking about the Why and How, I believe it's a combination of being
genuine, listening to what others say before speaking to find common interests,
and trying to give more than I receive. There are other nuances involved as
well, many of which play into proximity: where are my friends?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the last ten years, the majority
of my friends have been online: either old friends from back east, or online
friends I've made over the years. I've been slow to cultivate new local friends
here in the first five years in BC, I think in the main because I wasn't
exactly happy, I lived outside of town, and I was just too damn busy with work
which wore me down mentally, emotionally and physically.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201312/the-true-meaning-friendship" target="_blank"><br /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201312/the-true-meaning-friendship" target="_blank">This brief article</a> takes a solid look
at how people become friends, what a true friend is, and why they become
friends in the first place. Interestingly, the subject came up in relation to
Star Trek, examining the <a href="http://www.startrek.com/article/the-importance-of-friendship-in-star-trek" target="_blank">unbreakable bonds between Kirk, Spock and McCoy</a> that
provided such a solid foundation for the original series... and left such
enduring characters for us to both enjoy and relate to even today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEyA1ZB4c35musAUGuhZDyyLY6iPrlkhqYAteDsg_zC36aFjGHiikOJin6hGbzo_r1zuG64OJSOoLYWu1KdwV5yFnBSrfOUYICEyQOf0kM6WGPJ9UL-7WFX_Pwr166cx32vbTgRWVteI/s1600/Cookie-Monster-On-What%25E2%2580%2599s-A-Friend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="770" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHEyA1ZB4c35musAUGuhZDyyLY6iPrlkhqYAteDsg_zC36aFjGHiikOJin6hGbzo_r1zuG64OJSOoLYWu1KdwV5yFnBSrfOUYICEyQOf0kM6WGPJ9UL-7WFX_Pwr166cx32vbTgRWVteI/s320/Cookie-Monster-On-What%25E2%2580%2599s-A-Friend.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For me, my current situation sees me
with some solid local friends I see semi-regularly, a larger number of online
friends that I 'keep up with' on social media, and a whole bunch of friends
that I count as such, but don't really keep up with: unlike me, none of my
friends have regular blogs, and as such I can only go with what I see on social
media. Oddly, nobody really tries to 'keep up' any more via email, mail, or( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">shockingly
</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)phone calls: we're all busy, and I think we're all keeping a weather eye
out for Big / Bad News - that's the extent of things if we're not actually
sitting down for a beer in person.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet the friendships endure, for the
most part, changing intensities over time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 8 – Penguins!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week at work: laughter!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was feeling stressed this week
about various things, so I took the opportunity at work to watch as many
episodes of <i>The Penguins Of Madagascar series </i>on YouTube as I could: there's dozens of
them at watchable quality, and I quite enjoyed each one:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zQX6TqUkpAc" width="560"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thinking about the show and why I
find it so appealing, it's fairly simple: the writing's solid without feeling
like it's pandering to kids( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">weird, I
know!</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> )and the characters are memorable, especially the core 'team' of the
four penguins as well as the primary antagonists, the lemurs:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Watching as many episodes as I did
this week back to back, I can't say that I grew bored with the dynamic, even
though it's an episodic show without a long-term arc: there's a TON of
possibilities in situating a martial team of penguins in a New York zoo, with
much the same setup as the <b>Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles</b> by having a major city as a backdrop for their
'undercover' adventures. None of the writing felt trite or the situations
overused, as the storylines played well to the characters... and it helped that
each episode was only 11 minutes long: perfect!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 9 – In A Fitter State</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm doing well, two months into 2018
- to wit:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>By today, I'd managed to shake off
the cold that had me... er, cold, all this week and my energy levels are back
to almost-normal</li>
<li>My massage therapist commented on how
I was far more flexible overall, especially my abdomen and left foot, whose
main tendon used to be like a steel cable under my skin: I'm MUCH improved, and
feeling far less 'fragile' of a day.</li>
<li>Eyesight-wise, I'm only getting the
occasional twinge when I do something I shouldn't, like glancing at my phone
without my closeup glasses... otherwise, my eyestrain seems to have gone away,
and I hope the eye supplements I'm taking twice daily now will 'see' more
improvements happening over the next few months, with a lessening of my light
sensitivity.</li>
<li>On a high note, I've walked almost
13,000 steps twice this week without mishap, which is almost twice my average
daily distance and nary a twinge in my legs: GREAT progress!</li>
<li>I've had a low-level headache for the
last three weeks, but I've atributed it to the yo-yo weather changes( <i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">+/-
2.5 pts of pressure every other day </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)along with the sinus pressure from my
cold... but it's been managable, not debilitating.</span></li>
<li>The extra exercise and twice-weekly
swimming seem to be making a difference with my heartrate( <i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">along with
watching what I'm eating: little-to-no bacon or sugar</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> )as it's been low and
steady when it should be, without going too high even when I'm busy: again,
good signs, and also notable for indicating low daily anxiety.</span></li>
</ul>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While my stress is still hanging
around, it's not at the near-crippling levels of recent years, so I'm managing
it fairly well though there's been some bad days of late. Friends and family,
and especially my girlfriend, have kept me balanced, and I'm finding I'm not
getting fixated on what's wrong, but rather moving on to what I can do to make
things right.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">That's as progressive a shift as I
can think of right now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 10 – Future Me?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">How long will my words be around?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've pondered this question over the
decades: what, if anything, of what I write will still be around in twenty
years? Or fifty? Or five hundred?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">If Google or its descendant-companies
are still around, will my Blog still be as well? What will people make of it,
should they stumble across it in the etherweb?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Would they be able to recreate me
from my blog, just like Bart Simpson? Like so:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/McbdzzqVtDA" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I find it an interesting mental
exercise, one with some basis in possibility: we're already coding AI's today
to behave like humans, and how better to do so than by providing them with
samples of a person's writing? I have over a million words in this blog to
date, and I'd wager that someone would be able to make a decent interactive
copy of me with enough effort and ingenuity... which is intriguing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A form of immortality, if you will:
any author hopes to live on in their works.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 11 – <i>Altered Carbon</i></span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Over the last two weeks, I've been
drawn into the new NetFlix series </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Altered Carbon</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, set in a scifi
cyberpunk-esque future where humans can live forever thanks to alien
technology... if you can afford it, that is. While everyone has what's called a
'stack' you only get the body you're born with; should anything happen, you
only get to come back if you can buy a replacement 'sleeve'( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">body </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)to
house your stack... and that's where things get tricky if your credit's bad. You can read an excellent bit about the series 10-year journey to the screen <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/altered-carbon-inside-dramas-15-year-road-netflix-1080944" target="_blank">here</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dhFM8akm9a4" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The production values are top-notch:
seamless CGI that doesn't get in the way of the story but instead, serves it,
as things should be. The acting is excellent, with good character progression,
an intriguing plot, and a well-developed world with a solid backstory that's
plausible and has room for exploration. I found myself watching two episodes at
a time this week, as I couldn't stay away, and I've just the final ep left to
treat myself with this coming week, should I be so deserving.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I think what I like most about <i>Altered
Carbon </i>is the world-building: there's a solidity to what humanity has grown
into over the last few centuries, a natural feeling that 'sure, if we
discovered how to make people live forever, this is what would happen' which is
the hallmark of good scifi: making excellent guesses about the future, and then
commenting on what a mess humans will make of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Like I said: it's addicting... both
the show, and scifi both.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>My girlfriend made a comment to me this weekend about my blogs almost always ending on a positive note... and I responded that it's intentional: nobody wants to read a complaint journal, a weekly long-term doldrums essay-length dump of headspace. I try to tell things like they are for me, week to week: the good, the bad and the irksome all rolled together. It's part journal-diary, part here's-how-I-see things, and part this-is-what-went-down, hopefully packaged and tweaked with my own voice in words, for folks to find as they see fit. Enjoy!</i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-23474975330415682372018-02-04T19:32:00.001-08:002018-02-04T19:32:03.887-08:00Shadows, Stress and Some of the Same<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is morose.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 29 - <i>Bright</i></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Netflix has been pretty good lately when it comes
to original content, coming up with quite a few new original shows in 2017, including an
interesting twist on the "buddy cop drama" theme: setting it in a
world of magic, with elves, orcs and more...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Also starring Wil Smith, because... why <i>not</i>?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/giozR7nb51c" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Bright </span></i><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">was an interesting
film: well-produced, decently written and with solid characters set in a world
where orcs and elves have 'returned' to co-habitate alongside humans. Obviously
there's all sorts of tensions involved, and you can read a summary of the show
<a href="https://www.avclub.com/bright-is-stunning-in-its-audacity-and-its-stupidity-1821529051" target="_blank">here</a>; I can't be bothered.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a fun watch, which surprised me, but I
can't say I'd like to go back to that world again; the backstory seemed weak,
and the plot centered around a magic item that seemed TOO powerful... along
with a "gee, I wonder who it is" moment that was telegraphed from the
first ten minutes of the show. It's again a case of $50 million for the
production, and $5 spent on the script: you get what you pay for.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I applaud Netflix for making <i>Bright</i>, and
hope they'll do more original programming in the future: though it appears that
Bright is getting a sequel, I don't think I'll be watching it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Wanna bet they'll call it '<i>Brighter</i>' ?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 30 – Eyeballs</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My eyes still hurt, but <i>less </i>each
week than the last: so, um, good.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I believe it's because I'm getting better
at switching glasses for each of my tasks: Real Close, Close-to-Midrange( <i>one
to five feet </i>)and finally Everything Past Five Feet Away. Being consistent
about it means that my eyes don't 'tweak' in pain when I try to look at
something 'out of the range' of the pair I'm currently wearing, so I'm taking
that as a sign that I'm doing things right.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm also switching distances every
20-30 minutes, to give my eyes a break from focusing at the same range for too
long( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">the ol' 20-20-20 Rule </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">)which is also helping. One trick I've found
is to 'defocus' my eyes when I'm doing something close to the range-limit, so
that my eyes aren't trying to make the details 'crisp' - I can still see well
enough, and it works as well when I'm </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">not </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">wearing glasses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week as well, my order of <i>Lutien
Plus </i>cam</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">e</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in, which I'm taking twice a day. I'm not expecting miracles, but
rather I hope the supplements( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">benefits are listed HERE</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> )will help
'round out' my eye health, letting get back to being more flexible and relaxed
of a day. Heck, I'd LOVE it if the stuff helped my night vision become less
ultra-sensitive so I don't have to avert my eyes from oncoming cars in pain. One more reason to <a href="https://draxe.com/eye-vitamins/" target="_blank">pay attention to your eye health</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Small things, but they all add up to
quality of life: the eyes have it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 31 – Pulling The Shades</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's an interesting thing, privacy:
it's what you make it, these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm a private person, though you
wouldn't know it from this blog, tossing things out there for the entire
internet to see, if it cared to look. Most people don't, though; I doubt I've
had more than one random visitor a month over the last decade, and none of them
likely stayed too long; why would they?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the early days of the internet, it
was a different story. People p</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">ut all sorts of info online: home address, phone
numbers, email addresses... all through the 90's, things that are completely
<i>are-you-NUTS?</i> today. I was one of the few who did my best to keep my personal
info OFF the web, and it shows even today: I barely get any spam, only a few
marketing calls a month, and no junk mail whatsoever. Keeping a low profile
online has many advantages, especially when it comes to social media, where
people 'creep' your profile regularly to try to pry out info they can use to
sell you things, or worse, sell to spammers to sneak past your spam filters: I
still get email derived from spambots scraping my online
profiles for friend's names, which irks me.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Offline, I like to keep my blinds
closed, and it weirds me out that so many people leave theirs open; don't they
care that other people can see their activities? Not to mention advertising
their nice big-screen TV, art collection, and what-have you. While I'm no <b>Harrison
Ford</b>, I do value my privacy, all the more so having lived on a main street for
the last five years with constant traffic twenty feet away. Time to myself, the
privacy of my own thoughts without interruption or distraction, is precious
indeed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Retreating to a cabin in the woods
can't happen soon enough for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 1 – Try Not To Lose<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">When I'm stressed, I don't want to
think: I want to relax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which leads to problems like not
enjoying semi-complicated boardgames, stimulating conversations, or other
medium-to-hard mental activities: they're <i>stressful</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ah, conundrums... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMTmF9DxPcQf1n2VytKbmaS6jiqqIvrfKdnjnPLKZ3dOssLI6oiXQNh_ngYkD0l-vBA8Ra_7okBo1g6cB7zTIa5_GqaFSoP2hXXbCV1QHhhh_cqamq1VjdlSXIjhWSZVLFBapslbzSJE/s1600/Stress+-+No+Stress.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="419" data-original-width="1153" height="116" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimMTmF9DxPcQf1n2VytKbmaS6jiqqIvrfKdnjnPLKZ3dOssLI6oiXQNh_ngYkD0l-vBA8Ra_7okBo1g6cB7zTIa5_GqaFSoP2hXXbCV1QHhhh_cqamq1VjdlSXIjhWSZVLFBapslbzSJE/s320/Stress+-+No+Stress.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">really </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">frustrating: I want to
relax, to play a game... but I don't like to lose, which undercuts my
self-esteem. What I seem to want is to win without trying, which my logical
mind *knows* is laughable, but at the same time I can't put in the effort,
because it seems too much like work, which I'm trying to avoid.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">*rubs his eyes with a tired hand* <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I don't have a solution to this,
apart from not playing games where I can't lose, like co-operative games:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pdBpgslNvDc" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 2 – It's that Day again!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Groundhog Day</i> never fails to relax
me... even if only for a while.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This week has been especially trying,
as I've been at work with a cold, focusing as best I could while killing Kleenexes
- not fun, but I'm damned if I'll use up my previous sick days for just a head cold. I've
needed them in the past for when I'm too sick to BE at work, and I want to
ensure that 2018's supply isn't wasted early on...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anyway: great movie, one that never fails
to move me. Just what I needed tonight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGWRvng_F7nlqOeIuV0C-xs9Oe86lvOJ3qaSfH-HawnihR-IdItoqSj43eOMdtGE4nJpI8beiP3KMi4TpZ_0wo21owL1NNz2vWs98XHpw79g1JmZM0_poHiuLK1ubRWF_5F3H2lLxz_Y/s1600/Groundhog+Day+25th+anniversary.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="469" data-original-width="900" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrGWRvng_F7nlqOeIuV0C-xs9Oe86lvOJ3qaSfH-HawnihR-IdItoqSj43eOMdtGE4nJpI8beiP3KMi4TpZ_0wo21owL1NNz2vWs98XHpw79g1JmZM0_poHiuLK1ubRWF_5F3H2lLxz_Y/s320/Groundhog+Day+25th+anniversary.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's also the </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">25th anniversary of the
film</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, and worth mentioning because I've been watching it for nigh into twenty
of those years, every year... and still not tired of it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The same can't be said for the people
of Woodstock, Illinois, where<i> Groundhog Day </i>was filmed for five weeks in 1995:
<a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/ct-ent-groundhog-anniversary-20180202-story.html" target="_blank">the town has moved on</a>, but much of the town has remained the same...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Definitely not a timewarp, but
something else - kind of like this 15-minute video, whose creator went to Woodstock to capture many of the film's locations as they are today:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6DcbOIvygG8" width="560"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 3 – Eyeballs<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm feeling down this week.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Maybe it's the total lack of
sunshine, or the constant rain, or the depressing size of my chequing
account... a combination of many, MANY factors, but I'm down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm sure the cold's not helping
either, though I'm mostly over it by now. I haven't swam this past week because
of it, but I'm determined to go THIS week as I NEED the exercise, to keep my
health improving: I've lost 5lbs over the last 10 days, which isn't good, so
exercise and eating well are the orders for February.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfG9XU8eamFXlYK8BUWQio3D3nb0nCAnFAtEAU9M8TLoNup92fVXCUXccH9J4Z2MYIAyG9t8vZ_ooE6M6lkGRsYF_5s2siOBNmLdebyww3VMjLzuPG-cwD5B3Nz42rzRbpZi1wms6m74/s1600/Quicksand-Rhino.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEfG9XU8eamFXlYK8BUWQio3D3nb0nCAnFAtEAU9M8TLoNup92fVXCUXccH9J4Z2MYIAyG9t8vZ_ooE6M6lkGRsYF_5s2siOBNmLdebyww3VMjLzuPG-cwD5B3Nz42rzRbpZi1wms6m74/s320/Quicksand-Rhino.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quicksand Rhino isn't enjoying himself right now...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Perhaps I'm just tired: tired of
hanging on to the ledge with my fingertips for so long, that they've gone numb.
I'm tired of looking up from my long trudge and seeing the future no closer, my
book(s) still not published( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">don't get me
started on THAT side-quest </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">)and each day seeming like the same "Wake,
Work, Worry, Wish, Repeat" cycle - it gets old, trying to be optimistic
when nothing changes for the better.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjUhHIabpzlEpQAi3NzgNJAamIzSWeeZzSaRgCeVy4SBtoKUDpSnXK32PoP79PXh6G0Ze6a3fPA5jzYgpPC1-bY6XdzSVkvGZWvkVwbZ1KtNjYrceTxd_1V7r3VpduN1rOUD8QgLpnKk/s1600/Chris-Pratt-Dont-give-up-break-b4-you-do.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzjUhHIabpzlEpQAi3NzgNJAamIzSWeeZzSaRgCeVy4SBtoKUDpSnXK32PoP79PXh6G0Ze6a3fPA5jzYgpPC1-bY6XdzSVkvGZWvkVwbZ1KtNjYrceTxd_1V7r3VpduN1rOUD8QgLpnKk/s320/Chris-Pratt-Dont-give-up-break-b4-you-do.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet 2018's here: I made it through
2017, and something's GOTTA give as long as I keep pushing, though from past
experience it might be a tendon of mine.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Each day's another opportunity to
push: to take another step towards the goals I've set, and nevermind that the
light seems to always remain just as far away...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">At least it's stopped flickering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Feb 4 – Timing</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ergh.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I must have woken on the wrong side
of the bed today, because everything hurt: my neck, my head and most of all, my
mood: it was foul and decidedly down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Writing the blog in the morning
helped somewhat with the mood, but by noon my head was aching abysmally, so
much so that I popped a second Tylenol, which was unusual of late. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">By the time I met my lady downtown at
the main library for an afternoon poetry session being presented by Victoria's
Poet Laurate </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yvonne Blomer</b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, my head and neck still ached. I persevered
through the presentations, which admittedly were lovely when I could focus
enough on the words being spoken. It was a shame I couldn't fully take
everything in, but I gritted my( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">mental</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">
)teeth to enjoy as much as I could through the pounding in my head, which
thankfully had faded to a dull ache by the time things wrapped up a few hours
later.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">My lady suggested a late lunch /
early dinner at Shiki Sushi, which combined with her gracious company really
helped lift my mood. We ended the day with a long walk that looped over to
Cherry Bomb Toys, where a friend had earlier today said some Babylon 5 toys had
come in! Unfortunately, someone had beat me to the <b>Shadow Sentient</b> by ten minutes( <i>ARGH!!!!!!!! </i>)but we were
still able to enjoy the rare sight of a good number of B5 toys on display:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7ycu8Q5L0ch3na2zXjnC7vvkYBzlpJzPRuUsTLNd5H_Ue1Ruyy64qG1FN9vf7QF808tFCCg3OhJhTuiAgBkPDbf2CGha_fVSgp_2HyS9JIJk3Byq11I8YlcpgUu6OGj6aG2eP6Pz7e4/s1600/Babylon+5+B5+toys+at+Cherry+Bomb+Toys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="1600" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV7ycu8Q5L0ch3na2zXjnC7vvkYBzlpJzPRuUsTLNd5H_Ue1Ruyy64qG1FN9vf7QF808tFCCg3OhJhTuiAgBkPDbf2CGha_fVSgp_2HyS9JIJk3Byq11I8YlcpgUu6OGj6aG2eP6Pz7e4/s320/Babylon+5+B5+toys+at+Cherry+Bomb+Toys.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Middle Left: Shadow Sentient, usually goes for $150 USD, IF you can find it...</td></tr>
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Not that I could have afforded to purchase the figure, mind you, but I would have liked to have held it, at least... kind of like finding a unicorn and being allowed to pet its nose.</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Pshew... I'm glad this week's over
with, especially Sunday: what with the cold, body aches, stress and the mood I
was in, I was fit to chew adamantium... but, sometimes the elephant sits on
you, and all you can do is wriggle out from under: no butts about it.</span></i></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-32989438569308075792018-01-28T19:14:00.001-08:002018-01-28T19:17:08.779-08:00Writing Woes, Wasted Weekends and Wrapups<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is pertinacious.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 22 - Farewell, Earthsea</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The losses continue: today Ursula K. LeGuin has passed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">An acclaimed Master of scifi and fantasy, LeGiun
was one of the giants that writers hope to measure themselves against: genius
coupled with skill, decades of experience, wit, <a href="http://lithub.com/ursula-k-le-guins-best-life-advice/" target="_blank">wisdom</a> and all the other
ingredients mixed together to create an artist of words without compare. We'll
not see her like again for a long time, if ever, and her life advice is worth
paying attention to for its piercing insight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/112654091" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><a href="https://vimeo.com/112654091">Neil Gaiman presents lifetime achievement award to Ursula K. Le Guin at 2014 National Book Awards</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user720533">National Book Foundation</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">While I was introduced to her work early when my
grade school class read <i>A Wizard Of Earthsea</i>( <i>which I loved! </i>)I
must say I've not pushed myself to read much of her other work, including the
seminal <i>The Left Hand Of Darkness</i>, one of the greatest science fiction
novels ever written.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">When I think on why, it's clear now: <b>I wasn't
ready</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Having consumed so much scifi and fantasy as I
have, I think I knew as I was doing so that there were certain works I'd wait
to get to, like <i>Left Hand</i>, because I wanted to ensure I had the depth
and breadth of understanding before tackling them. I recall reading <b>Larry Niven's
</b><i>Ringworld </i>when I was twelve, and only appreciating it on a visual /
story level: cool stuff, but the book has so much MORE than that, even on a
technical level.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><a href="https://www.tor.com/2018/01/24/bright-the-hawks-flight-in-the-empty-sky-ursula-k-le-guin/" target="_blank">This article from Tor.com</a> is a <b>brilliant </b>goodbye
to LeGuin, and well worth reading, as it shows her far-reaching influence on
generations of writers, as well as many other folk. Because that's what giants
do: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">They cast long shadows where they walk.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 23 – Debt Trap<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">When you're trying to stay afloat,
it's grimly amusing to know you're not alone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">According to recent surveys,
Canadians carry the <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canadas-household-debt-to-disposable-income-ratio-climbs/article36275898/" target="_blank">second-highest gross-income-to-debt </a>ratio in the Group of
20 Developed Nations, a worrying statistic because so <a href="https://www.bnn.ca/one-in-three-canadians-can-t-cover-bills-amid-debt-trap-survey-1.968182" target="_blank">many Canadians are walking a razor's edge of debt</a> levels right now:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsBw6giBJVr3KoTWDMEIvyizxyx9hzNRDAnDEOwE8Kh5pOWGrkFcL2egK-o0c0a0NLlwP4Ku0SJIlVQQOKmw9qG_x7KpKWzA9q26h1iMZC131GyoYPW4BMa_E_ZaTkrrGP587vOgcPdk/s1600/mnp-debt-survey-dollars-added.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="1307" height="104" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibsBw6giBJVr3KoTWDMEIvyizxyx9hzNRDAnDEOwE8Kh5pOWGrkFcL2egK-o0c0a0NLlwP4Ku0SJIlVQQOKmw9qG_x7KpKWzA9q26h1iMZC131GyoYPW4BMa_E_ZaTkrrGP587vOgcPdk/s320/mnp-debt-survey-dollars-added.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's my wallet in the middle, most days</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">With interest rates hiked 1.5% last
week, some people may not be able to cover their bills, when it comes to
mortgages: "Property rich, house poor" as the saying goes, which
makes me glad I'm not in that group right now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thankfully, in my own case, TD Bank
managed to get their act together, though it took a few phone calls over the
past few weeks to get things back to normal. My interest rate was preserved
because of my good history AND my timing, which was my main concern: my
payments actually fell by $12/month, which was great!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now I just have to keep my nose clean
for a few more years, looking for opportunities to increase my income so I can
chip away at this debt-mountain on my back until it's the size of a big
boulder, then a rock, then a pebble...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Persistence, patience and planning:
for the future.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 24 – Hero's Journey</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My sister and I watched <i>Moana </i>on
Monday night...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was <b>wonderful</b>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What struck me the most was its
almost-pedantic adherence to J.J. Campbell's The Hero's Journey( <i>see <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hero%27s_journey" target="_blank">here</a> for a definition </i>). While I've noticed it to various degrees in films for
the last few years now that I know what to watch for, <i>Moana </i>is the first I've
seen since that embodies it <i>completely </i>- <a href="https://mythicthinking.org/tag/the-heros-journey/" target="_blank">this reviewer</a> in particular
<b>nailed </b>their observations along those lines.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which spurred me to check YouTube for
a few other animated examples, and that was when I came across this gem: a
tongue-in-cheek sendup of The Hero's Journey in two minutes!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have a watch, it's
hilarious:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="268" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/250087509" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span>
<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 25 – Doomsday</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Unsettling news today...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">The Doomsday Clock was moved forward to 2.5
minutes to Midnight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">In case you're not familiar with the Clock, and
what it represents, there's an <a href="https://www.wired.co.uk/article/what-is-the-doomsday-clock" target="_blank">excellent primer here</a>, which looks at the
various Major Problems facing humanity, including:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Nuclear threats<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Climate change<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Biosecurity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Bioterrorism<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">- Miscellaneous threats including cyber warfare
and AI<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As the graphic below shows, the clock is moved
each year in January to reflect the current state of ALL threats to humanity.
The furthest it has been from Midnight was in 1991, and the closest in 1953:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy2NBiKdqSw6mlKDFF18ZRDXXFg5jFv3AMdgH3YWITUO1sef3KEiT8fjidc1zZQk-czZomG-K8TmdR4ydE-GYSwS_ov_yJ-y7A7o05yXHjyEYDP-GhqXB5MTn4EySVYcSYj4cA0cQBIM/s1600/Doomsday-clock-Online-4-examples.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="618" data-original-width="700" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwy2NBiKdqSw6mlKDFF18ZRDXXFg5jFv3AMdgH3YWITUO1sef3KEiT8fjidc1zZQk-czZomG-K8TmdR4ydE-GYSwS_ov_yJ-y7A7o05yXHjyEYDP-GhqXB5MTn4EySVYcSYj4cA0cQBIM/s320/Doomsday-clock-Online-4-examples.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In looking at social media today, I was
disheartened to see comments like this one, showing people have forgotten the
reasons WHY the Clock is so important:</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt5b0_Aed9aGIbMytOeLJDr8nWdBTbo8R-D6hQyJX6X0r7v429YauGnGYYizSE59jzpmBCRKkWQUkKv3LYBI5QF2rVGB9RkJ4_kJI0RY1kH_oZt-RC0V0JsUesaak7_qAoShNPwWwMTA/s1600/Doomsday+CLock+-+Jeff+has+forgotten.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="560" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzt5b0_Aed9aGIbMytOeLJDr8nWdBTbo8R-D6hQyJX6X0r7v429YauGnGYYizSE59jzpmBCRKkWQUkKv3LYBI5QF2rVGB9RkJ4_kJI0RY1kH_oZt-RC0V0JsUesaak7_qAoShNPwWwMTA/s320/Doomsday+CLock+-+Jeff+has+forgotten.JPG" width="228" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Which leads us to a classic quote,
itself too often forgotten:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Those who cannot remember the
past are condemned to repeat it." -<i>George Santayana</i><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 26 – *Achoo!*</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ah, <i><b>nertz</b></i>... I've caught a cold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm glad I got my flu shot 2 months ago though, as
this is the first time in almost five years that I still feel halfway human
while sick; as the last few flu-season blog entries have shown, I've previously
been down for the count( <i>including
pneumonia!</i> )when I've fallen sick, and Christmas 2016 was when I lost 16
lbs of weight while EXTREMELY ill:<b> never again!</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nevertheless, some people keep
railing against flu shots, and vaccinations in general... and it boggles my
mind some days. I grasp that they often have a poor understanding of the
science involved, as well as other cognitive biases and probably just some
plain old 'what we do not understand, we fear' issues. Not to mention
WIDESPREAD misinformation via social media thanks to anti-vaxxer 'activists'
who I think should be held responsible for the suffering( <i>and associated costs</i> )their rabid rantings have caused.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH2YpqIPlGGh9y1Ib_69PhGkj2AkdHd70PefUQB_uSKBPeufQ8eAZN76qNbtEjerK4GNTCoU8ChQaowKpXjcGHnUwsMLVHyaW3rqbXaCj6oYPIsorclxKyb7L8UqLd3aSoAICG7Dl4v8/s1600/Infographic_Flu_Shot_Infographic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1294" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEH2YpqIPlGGh9y1Ib_69PhGkj2AkdHd70PefUQB_uSKBPeufQ8eAZN76qNbtEjerK4GNTCoU8ChQaowKpXjcGHnUwsMLVHyaW3rqbXaCj6oYPIsorclxKyb7L8UqLd3aSoAICG7Dl4v8/s320/Infographic_Flu_Shot_Infographic.jpg" width="247" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Get the facts on flu vaccines, not fiction</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'll post more on the topic next
week, but for now it's time for me to dig in: chicken broth, plenty of fluids,
an extra sweatshirt and hot baths / showers are all in the cards for me for the
next few days to try and kick the bug's butts.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Good thing I laid in a good supply of
Ultra Kleenexes earlier this month!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 27 – Intimidation</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I read an excellent post today by writer <b>David Gerrold</b>, one that helps to explain the WHY behind so much of the online
venom behind those pushing the far-right agendas these days... and it's
surprisingly simple. Here's a summary snippet:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The <a href="https://www.facebook.com/david.gerrold/posts/10213603937665120" target="_blank">entire post is worth reading here</a>, because of how it gets into the mindset of those who equate authority
with fear and intimidation, then act accordingly. It's a mindset that I admit I
have a hard time understanding, not only because it makes my mind feel dirty, but
because I can't relate to the sort of person who would ACT that way to other
human beings... though the word sociopath comes to mind, it's all too easy to
fall into labels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Time and again, I see people
responding to my thoughtful, carefully-composed posts with venom, emotional
diversions, memes and just plain dismissiveness of "You're wrong, so
there!" which is the "Nyah, Nyah!" of the schoolyard bully.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkfAxIjYoY3swHdfN-xtJ30UDDP6ktDUh4L5jv5XtanbRxMLUHwBw6k77iBYD-pjbQ4CUkIH5OoTfixErdLyyizf96rBEciZKoU_VpqeFhtnxy3RsABhbhyTv0q555xRTlV4N-OzbaYk/s1600/internet-bullys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="307" data-original-width="414" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkfAxIjYoY3swHdfN-xtJ30UDDP6ktDUh4L5jv5XtanbRxMLUHwBw6k77iBYD-pjbQ4CUkIH5OoTfixErdLyyizf96rBEciZKoU_VpqeFhtnxy3RsABhbhyTv0q555xRTlV4N-OzbaYk/s320/internet-bullys.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We're better than that... or at
least, humanity has to try to be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This one's ruminating in my head, and
likely I'll have more another day to say on it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 28 – Wrapping Things Up</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Bleh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I spent most of yesterday on the
couch, watching Netflix, unable to concentrate much beyond that while wearing a
rut in the carpet to the bathroom killing Kleenexes every ten minutes: it kept
me moving, at least, so there's that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YR9h09Ivl_tXnwTTYSDkmlYPKSUs7y_Ua7VUhmDIzl4iJf78DidihqBSNtdu-W5BR1ar973TfIdCujlX-0Vuoh2vH77KJpqmArtoJ8JUZ9eM4cxpYBeDlwDh79vZhXCoQWccZGjVejs/s1600/Voltron-legendary+defender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6YR9h09Ivl_tXnwTTYSDkmlYPKSUs7y_Ua7VUhmDIzl4iJf78DidihqBSNtdu-W5BR1ar973TfIdCujlX-0Vuoh2vH77KJpqmArtoJ8JUZ9eM4cxpYBeDlwDh79vZhXCoQWccZGjVejs/s320/Voltron-legendary+defender.jpg" width="244" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oh, Dreamworks: why the 4th-season mehs?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I used the opportunity to catch up on
a few shows I've neglected, one of them being the fourth season of the new </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Voltron</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">...
which ended up being a little disappointing. Truth be told: the writing just
didn't hold up: it made some big plot errors, missed several opportunities and
felt just kinda... </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>flat</i></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">, give the building tension of the last
three seasons. To give the show credit, the characters are solid and the
animation excellent, but if the writing's not crisp, the rest unravels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SqDhmuIDZ6Q" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">At work this past week, I also
wrapped up the complete <i>Dave the Barbarian </i> animated TV series from Disney, which was as <b>excellent</b>
as I recalled: full of fun, puns and heroes on the run... from danger, because
"they're the only ones we've got" - it's great that the series can be
found on YouTube; though I managed to record a good number of them when it was
broadcast to air(<i> using my <b>ATI All-in-Wonder </b>card!!! </i>)I didn't
get them all, so there were about a dozen episodes that were 'new' to me, which
was a treat! If you haven't seen it, go watch it <i>now!</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i><br /></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaking of treats: today my lovely
lady took me out for a few hours at lunch, to set my cabin-fever to rest, as I
haven't been out of the apartment since Thursday night. We had lunch at the
nearby <b>My Thai Cafe,</b> seating ourselves next to the washroom so I could duck in
as needed to vent my nasal annoyance - the food was delicious, what I could
taste of it. We then whiled away a bit more time over in Oak Bay at <b>Good Earth
Coffee</b>, where incredibly I managed a 4-2 victory ratio over my lady playing
<b><i>Hive</i></b>; she complemented me on my improved skills, which really made my day! And,
to top it all off, we took a brief walk during a lull in the heavy rain down
the road to a local toy shop, where to my delight I found this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGGWkAmMpADDaxz450BAK_WLLQdE_5u7OOZkmXAKGeFdwTobJ0Iwz9VEghWBE5zyCmJtZgaYzBR6hDsVCj5GcxYo9fBCQqDk3ABXJ5BOGTtr0sAmcOsx9kS7TuzpBSvnwzdx7QFKptEI/s1600/Ghostbusters+Playmobil+-+Venkmann+Terror+Dogs+and+Dana+as+Zuul.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="717" data-original-width="1024" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYGGWkAmMpADDaxz450BAK_WLLQdE_5u7OOZkmXAKGeFdwTobJ0Iwz9VEghWBE5zyCmJtZgaYzBR6hDsVCj5GcxYo9fBCQqDk3ABXJ5BOGTtr0sAmcOsx9kS7TuzpBSvnwzdx7QFKptEI/s320/Ghostbusters+Playmobil+-+Venkmann+Terror+Dogs+and+Dana+as+Zuul.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOW - so cool, and for <i>LESS </i>than the MSRP of $17.99!!!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've always wanted a Terror Dog toy, so poicture me with a happy grin on my
face, akin to a kid getting a lollipop after getting a needled at the doctor's
office, and you'll know exactly how I felt today after picking this little set up for a mere $14.99 - cheap therapy!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">And, smiles are good for the sick:
"Laughter Is The Best Medicine" y'know!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Because I've got a cold, my
heartrate's up a fair bit, and while I'm not monitoring it obsessively( </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">only a few times a day, NOT hourly )<i>I'm conscious of that
knowledge being a source of anxiety: I'm telling myself that it's JUST a cold,
that I'm doing WELL compared to previous sick-times, and that it will pass in a
few days with effort and attention to self-care. I've too much to do in the
next few months to start the year off on the wrong foot, so all my will is
focused on Getting Better NOW: you wanna bet those bugs are in for a FIGHT!<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif;"></span>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-24919286311539219862018-01-21T19:41:00.002-08:002018-01-21T19:41:45.598-08:00Spaceships, Sharp Shadows and Sad Songs<div style="text-align: start;">
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is inchoate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 15 - Glowforge is Ready! But...</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Last week, an email arrived I've waited YEARS
for:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></u></b></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My GlowForge is FINALLY ready to ship to me!</span></u></b><span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Except... I'm not <i>quite </i>ready for <b>it</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Firstly, if I tell them to ship it now, it's just
going to sit at the holding depot in the USA, costing me money every week it
idles until my lady and I have to make the trip over to the USA to pick it up.
Since she's moving to her new place this coming month, it's just too much to
ask( <i>she agrees </i>)and we've no compelling reason to add to her stress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Also, I've still got the website to complete, not
to mention the import papers, which are key: I've <i>almost </i>got things
figured out to where it will 'only' cost me a few hundred dollars at the
border, but rushing a pickup might cost me big time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Lastly, there's the issue of insurance, which
maddeningly I've not been able to get a straight answer to from a few places
regarding a home business. I'm stepping up my efforts again this month, to see
what I'll have to pay to operate here safely.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZwlxiWxP634" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Details, details... the devil's always in them.
But:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">IT <b>WILL </b>BE THERE WHEN I'M READY - AT LAST!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 16 – Goodbye, Dolores<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Goddang it, not <i>another </i>gone...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today we lost <b>Dolores O'Riordan,</b> of <i>The
Cranberries, </i>at the WAY-TOO-EFFING-YOUNG age of 46... only a few years
older than I, and a tragic loss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3sJFUv1DFXPHpsV_NFrJpc0nm4PXwOMKMKPW0_yikdzu2czPY0UYNUG-U7sF0dPkG_79vvDDFVhcCtUXs-dKUqM3hLpXWu6I8PLIsMnLl-wXQmtNdCL4wGIt3CFvgEMAON_3IOqU1sI/s1600/dolores-oriordan-tributes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="450" data-original-width="840" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw3sJFUv1DFXPHpsV_NFrJpc0nm4PXwOMKMKPW0_yikdzu2czPY0UYNUG-U7sF0dPkG_79vvDDFVhcCtUXs-dKUqM3hLpXWu6I8PLIsMnLl-wXQmtNdCL4wGIt3CFvgEMAON_3IOqU1sI/s320/dolores-oriordan-tributes.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I first heard Dolores when Linger hit
the air, shortly after I was done high school and deep into the magnificent
mess that was university. While I was introduced to a great deal of new music
in those years( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">par for the course </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">)like Sarah McLachlan, only </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Cranberries </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">stuck: I knew years later that it was because of Dolores.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/culture/postscript/the-ferocious-sublime-dolores-oriordan-of-the-cranberries" target="_blank">piece</a> from <b>The New Yorker </b>eloquently
describes the impact that Dolores had on the world, and the legacy that she
leaves through her music that has touched millions. Below is my favourite song,
Dreams, which has held many meanings for me over the last twenty-five years...
and will likely bear more, as I listen to it again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Yam5uK6e-bQ" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 17 – AI Authors?</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes the future can be...
frustrating.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, don't get me wrong: I love most
things to do with the future, as I'm usually an optimist and can see great
potential for humanity given our strengths... while hoping that our weaknesses
don't undercut us too much.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Such as shooting ourselves in the
foot when it comes to technology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As many of you know, I'm a writer,
and I hope to be a published author sooner rather than later. Yet sometimes I
wonder about the future of the publishing industry( <i>as do many people who
are currently in said industry... </i>)when articles like this one pop up:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XgTFYwolcsA" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I was initially discomfited by the
video, that gave way to some milder contemplation, as nowhere did the creators
of <b>Quill </b>mention HOW its writing capabilities work. For all we know,
what it turns out will be laughably pedantic and bland, suitable for travel
brochures and quick-burn website content only.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I doubt that we'll see AI Authors
turning out books on par with human authors anytime in the next few decades, at
least. Though I won't discount the low reading standards of the general public,
who seem to lap up films like <i>Twilight </i>and novels like <i>Fifty Shades
Of Bleh</i>...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Best I get my books out <i>soon</i>, eh?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 18 – Street LEDs?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Sometimes change sneaks up on you.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">While I was walking around the city this week
after dark, I noticed that some areas looked... different. At first I couldn't
put my finger on what was off, but then I realized it with a start: the shadows
were different!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It seems the city has been quietly
replacing their old HP-sodium-vapour streetlights with new high-power LED
lights, and as you can see from the image above, the change is startling. Gone
are the mushy outlines and vague shapes of shadowed objects: every line is now
sharp and clear, and the light has a spotlit-feel, as though you're on a sports
field... no more 'golden glow' to the streets, as this </span><a href="http://www.laweekly.com/news/how-las-new-led-street-lights-will-change-movies-forever-4413696" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">article</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> laments about
the loss for the city of Los Angeles' film industry.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Change is sneaky, but the light's
gone on for me now...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 19 – Almost-Awesome Animation</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dang it!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why do I find out about the cool
stuff AFTER it's been cancelled?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As some of you know, I'm a fan of <b>MWO</b>(
<i>MechWarrior Online</i> )which is set in the <b>BattleTech </b>universe:
giant heavily-armed robot 'mechs' stomping around. Good times, and back in the
mid-1990's there was even an <a href="http://www.sarna.net/wiki/BattleTech:_The_Animated_Series" target="_blank">animated BattleTech series</a>... which wasn't so
good, but at least they made it in the days before CGI.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Fast forward twenty-three years, and
someone had the bright idea to make a NEW series, based on the animations in
MWO but with cell-shading to appear 'animated' rather than pure-CGI: genius!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately, the folks who owned
the rights to Battletech <a href="http://www.sarna.net/news/animated-mechwarrior-teaser-back-up-after-being-hit-with-cease-and-desist/" target="_blank">shut it down hard</a>, and all we have left to see is an
'official animated advertisement' for <b>MWO </b>- sigh.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6jzsaVHxwn0" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just goes to show we can't have nice
things when lawyers are around, and when it comes to the BattleTech universe,
there's a LONG history of legal bickering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Makes me want to climb into my
Catapult and zap things with lasers...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5E2DnGV0kzI4gpxPkoink6R3yXgeb0VtTlLcztWYjZ3ZdejPnd2S2fSW4h-Jhu9X9Ny5rXlL6ENy3lkBOcdkml13vhzdm37-5G0dAozU0JOsQLxIPPoLv22VHzYNhHPqIYnn1m4VJlk/s1600/MWO+-+My+Horned+Devil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1011" data-original-width="1390" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju5E2DnGV0kzI4gpxPkoink6R3yXgeb0VtTlLcztWYjZ3ZdejPnd2S2fSW4h-Jhu9X9Ny5rXlL6ENy3lkBOcdkml13vhzdm37-5G0dAozU0JOsQLxIPPoLv22VHzYNhHPqIYnn1m4VJlk/s320/MWO+-+My+Horned+Devil.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is how I roll... er, walk. In MWO. </td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 20 – That Looks Like...</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">There was a time when I saw
spaceships everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Though that was when I was much
younger, just a boy, I still do on occasion: my creative muse points out
"Hey, that thingamajig looks like a space fighter!" or the like - and
it usually does. Just goes to show my imagination's always working.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I went into the wordy side of
the arts, others with the same spaceship-gaze as I took a different path, and
it's served them well - take a gander at <a href="https://kotaku.com/artist-turns-household-objects-into-cool-spaceships-1822073256" target="_blank">this guy's work</a>:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato peeler and can opener? Not any more!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I must admit it came in pretty handy
when playing as a kid, when anything could become a spaceship - and often did.
I was fortunate to have quite a toy supply to muck around with, and I
supplemented it with as many 'found' spaceships as I could...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What I'm saying, I guess, is: you can
never have too many spaceships!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 21 – Happy 10th, io9!</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wow, has it been a decade already?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two months after I moved to BC in
late 2007, I ran across a cool looking website with an odd name called
'<b>io9.com</b>' and I've been visiting regularly ever since.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrPSQMe4xrvJG3WJ8licrmiXUmwOJJyKQg7qa64u-1xMA4eMPeNX9CnAtlMitw3BOQXiH8cimcmDbwjvpJjBC_C6LJC7iO3CAa0_HCQPL0n3U51Y0gtoXR0fIw_WGosvpv-iRzE8hR2I/s1600/io9+-+ten+year+anniversary.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKrPSQMe4xrvJG3WJ8licrmiXUmwOJJyKQg7qa64u-1xMA4eMPeNX9CnAtlMitw3BOQXiH8cimcmDbwjvpJjBC_C6LJC7iO3CAa0_HCQPL0n3U51Y0gtoXR0fIw_WGosvpv-iRzE8hR2I/s320/io9+-+ten+year+anniversary.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">io9.com is, for lack of better words,
a 'g33k mecca' where all the different threads of g33k culture were woven
together into a single website that collected news, articles of interest and
videos from all over the Internet into one place - sweet! Even better, they
fostered an amazing community, whose Comments sections never developed the
petty ping-pong of many other sites, thanks to vigilant mods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was able to satiate my hunger for
Star Wars news at the same place that I could find information on being an
author and check out what people were saying about the latest movie news. It
was a breath of fresh air in that it acted like a portal: I could be confident
in going there first to check things out rather than combing through the
scattered results from random Google searches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1qHiJdfc6rY" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As the video above shows, a lot of
love's gone into io9.com over the years, and it's stayed the course when many
other places like it have come and gone( <i>looking at you, IGN... </i>)which goes to
show its impressive attention to g33k culture.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here's to another <a href="https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-100-most-popular-io9-posts-of-the-last-10-years-1821917281" target="_blank">fantastic ten years</a>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">All right: this last week was SOLID!
I swam twice in the morning before work, spent five FULL days at my desk(
seated AND standing )and I felt great going into the weekend... no tendon
aches, sore core or even a headache; yes! While I didn't end up being as productive
as I'd hoped over the weekend( I did a tech support visit to my parents )it was
a good one overall, and I feel balanced heading into my work-week. Normal Is
Good!<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-63348164100633661062018-01-14T19:02:00.002-08:002018-01-14T19:02:40.847-08:00A-Bomb A-Holes, Amazing Aloy and Auditing Life<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">The word of the week is tremulous.</span></i></div>
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</span></i><b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 8 - Pixar... X-Wings?</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Let's start the week out <i>right</i>: with Star
Wars!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Not just *any* Star Wars though, but a 'What if?'
kinda teaser:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What if Pixar had made a Star Wars animated film,
along the lines of <i>Cars</i>?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Cue a cute and <i>very </i>well-done trailer:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/AZ3n_D1zBrg" width="560"></iframe><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 9 – Horizon: Zero Dawn</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Wow! While looking for something
different to watch here and there at work this week, I stumbled upon this
'cutscene assembly movie' from the recent videogame Horizon: Zero Dawn, which
is described as:<br />
</span></div>
<blockquote>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">
<b>Horizon: Zero Dawn </b>is an exhilarating action role playing game developed
by the award winning Guerrilla Games, creators of PlayStation’s venerated
Killzone franchise. As Horizon: Zero Dawn’s main protagonist Aloy, a skilled
hunter, explore a vibrant and lush world inhabited by mysterious mechanized
creatures. Embark on a compelling, emotional journey and unravel mysteries of
tribal societies, ancient artifacts and advanced technologies that will
determine the fate of this planet, and of life itself. </span></blockquote>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Here's a synopsis review that doesn't
spoil too much about the story:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HrxIRk3q-ck" width="560"></iframe> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I quite enjoyed the 'cutscene movie'
which was almost 1.5 hours long and excellently written: for a near-future
story, it had <a href="https://www.polygon.com/2018/1/9/16868990/horizon-zero-dawn-women-true-heroes" target="_blank">great depth</a> and the main protagonist of Aloy was an engaging
character all on her own. I especially liked her sense of curiousity, which
drove her to become what her world needed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Great job, Guerilla Games - more
stories like this, <i>please</i>!</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 10 – Wisdom from Beyond</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Some profoundly wise words today from
a 27-year-old young woman, who wanted to <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/27-year-old-cancer-dying-letter-holly-butcher/" target="_blank">share them with the world</a> shortly
before dying of cancer a week ago on January 4th 2018. She had her whole life
ahead of her, and speaks clearly about how her looming passing put her time
here into clarity:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> </span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 11 – Pseudoscience</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Ah, the ignorant things I see people type online
of a day...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Pseudoscience especially: it really IS true that
a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, and people are willing to listen to
anything that sounds somewhat plausible, despite there being so little science
involved that you couldn't fill a thimble with it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Such as this posting, by an ardent
anti-climate-change commenter, who has NO idea how science works, but is quite
vocal in his opinion of how he thinks science works:</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWa958LJFIfvQqQDzGYP-lRBzlS30WkdxYWBfqSZLYM6TjEdpw7y15kEYTGnfdT_PCnyFZL8V5aemR2w0c8NNI99ncYqerP-m5c12hKEUq6epgxEZctKuVs_GTud_H_tUUpvJbHktJ48/s1600/Matthew-Nimburu-nonsense-blackout.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="288" data-original-width="656" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWa958LJFIfvQqQDzGYP-lRBzlS30WkdxYWBfqSZLYM6TjEdpw7y15kEYTGnfdT_PCnyFZL8V5aemR2w0c8NNI99ncYqerP-m5c12hKEUq6epgxEZctKuVs_GTud_H_tUUpvJbHktJ48/s320/Matthew-Nimburu-nonsense-blackout.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">That's right folks - this is 'science' to some people...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"> A common thread among folks like the guy above is
that they usually offer YouTube videos as 'proof' of their claims, or links to
non-scientific blogs. In Matthew's case, he pointed to the video below, which
contains such tenuous and flimsy pseudoscientific premises that anyone with an
ounce of scientific knowledge would dismiss them immediately:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><iframe allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Km3uhv6oVWg" width="560"></iframe> </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">We live in an age where anyone with
internet access can find solid scientific data, thousands of sites, yet garbage
videos like this draw people in like moths to flames.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I begin to see where pundits from the
sixties decried the death of knowledge when they coined the term 'boob tube' as
people tuned into television, and tuned out their brains...</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 12 – 2018's Films?</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">On a lighter note: this year's going
to be FULL of fine films!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Here's a <a href="http://theprovince.com/entertainment/movies/2018-movie-preview-the-44-biggest-movies-coming-your-way-from-avengers-infinity-war-to-aquaman/wcm/ff7ec8c7-a239-4dbd-892e-b479d7ab99a4" target="_blank">HUGE LIST</a> of 44 of the biggest
movies coming out in the next 11.5 months, and of that list, 14 are of mild to
MAJOR interest to me, as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Feb 16 - <i>Black Panther</i>( HECK
YEAH! )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Feb 23 - <i>Annihilation</i>(
interesting? )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 9 - <i>A Wrinkle In Time</i>( kinda...?
)</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 16 - <i>Tomb Raider</i>(
interesting? )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">March 30 - <i>READY PLAYER ONE</i>!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">April 6 - <i>A Quiet Place</i>(
Horror, so I may rent and watch it with the lights on )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">May 4 - <i>Avengers: Infinity War</i>(
mostly interesting? )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">May 25 - <i>Solo: A Star Wars Story</i>(
interesting? )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">June 1 - <i>DEADPOOL 2</i>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">June 15th - <i>THE INCREDIBLES 2</i>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">July 6 - <i>Ant Man and The Wasp</i>(
interesting and funny? )</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Nov 21 - <i>WRECK-IT RALPH 2</i>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Dec 21 - <i>Aquaman </i>... and also <i>Bumblebee</i>!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As you can see from the list above,
many are sequels or reboots, but on the whole everything looks good enough to
see in the theatres... which would be a BIG change for me from 2017, where I
saw about six films in total on the silver screen.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Of all of them though, it's a
three-way tie between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadpool</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ready Player One</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wreck It Ralph</i>... those three <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">alone</b> will make 2018 a memorable movie
year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><a href="http://theprovince.com/entertainment/movies/2018-movie-preview-the-44-biggest-movies-coming-your-way-from-avengers-infinity-war-to-aquaman/wcm/ff7ec8c7-a239-4dbd-892e-b479d7ab99a4"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;"></span></a><span style="color: black;"></span></span>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 13 – WTF, Hawaii???</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For the millions of people living in
Hawaii, today was terrifying:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0yBqxXjQxyzraFg5DwbeRCcwhdnjzfc12sJ9erSpN4bl8kKpp2n5H70PFWi_yPSoRDtSaDiLc6x67cIyFU1RrTav8aXqf7MOgrCqVXVouSRqKIuoij40mBIQ1jHo4Kdd4B57u9EMd9U/s1600/HawaiiFalseAlert_1515972680185_75963601_ver1.0_640_480.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD0yBqxXjQxyzraFg5DwbeRCcwhdnjzfc12sJ9erSpN4bl8kKpp2n5H70PFWi_yPSoRDtSaDiLc6x67cIyFU1RrTav8aXqf7MOgrCqVXVouSRqKIuoij40mBIQ1jHo4Kdd4B57u9EMd9U/s320/HawaiiFalseAlert_1515972680185_75963601_ver1.0_640_480.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Though it turned out to be a false
alarm, I can only imagine the horror and helplessness people were feeling
there: there were reports of parents pushing their children down manhole covers
into the sewers for shelter, among other things. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What stunned me though was that so <i>many
</i>people were laughing it off online: comments ranged from "great
joke!" to "I wouldn't want to live in Hawaii today" to "I
keep hoping this isn't a joke" - the last comment should tell you how many
Neanderthals are still alive today and learn to use social media.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I <i>never </i>thought that the world
could so easily return to the state of fear akin to that of Cuban missile
crisis in the sixties, with nuclear annihilation was only a few breaths away. I
grew up in the 1980s, with the threat of MAD hanging over all our heads from
the US - Russian Cold War standoff, but it was never immediately real because
the public wasn't intimately and immediately aware of developments.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2XZHoOVkd_tEgM3UhJjX_V98_70HvS8080BfexNL8FmTQ459S7ixhT6cgF_TGoGhvS9b6wM1kaTbGCWQVxncKnzsZE07ryt5pVwSyHxNEMLscCkYFEIFjN_sm8jTILCFKuIoPlFgVx4/s1600/trump-and-kim-nuke-penis-contest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="513" data-original-width="1228" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2XZHoOVkd_tEgM3UhJjX_V98_70HvS8080BfexNL8FmTQ459S7ixhT6cgF_TGoGhvS9b6wM1kaTbGCWQVxncKnzsZE07ryt5pVwSyHxNEMLscCkYFEIFjN_sm8jTILCFKuIoPlFgVx4/s320/trump-and-kim-nuke-penis-contest.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Cue Twitter and 45's penis-size
contest via nuclear proxy, and here we are today. I can only hope that everyone
who voted for 45 had enough of a shock today to begin re-thinking their support
of the madman with the nuclear button...</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Jan 14 – Life Audits</span></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I spend much of my time thinking, in
addition to doing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">While most of my doing is humdrum,
day-to-day tasks at work or the samesuch at home, my thinking tends to rove all
over the place... or at least, it used to.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">For the last few years, much of my
thinking has been in 'survival mode' aka how to make money stretch, how to get
a better job, how to overcome my health issues. Little time was spent thinking
about fun things, or the future, or even interests outside the narrow scope of
immediate entertainment, or writing.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Going into 2018 with a better
financial sense of how this year is going to turn out month-to-month means that
my thinking can finally escape survival mode and get back to the business of
living life by examining it from a far freer scope.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">Part of that means looking ahead, as
I mentioned above: where do I want to be in the near / far term, what do I want
to be doing, and how do I want to get there?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxygRjNgA5yu3LbcIRAW_Zkxbo4UKl58u4oRV8uKWSerYhQ2wnrm-Blgp8R6rKxaKHzOuPnQ-syxAScECLVpkVWVAgz8oEvKVaSzuSniVk8q-vyRmxLQEKnSR0WORMNbpbVP5nquJ_Pg/s1600/Life-audit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1108" data-original-width="800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRxygRjNgA5yu3LbcIRAW_Zkxbo4UKl58u4oRV8uKWSerYhQ2wnrm-Blgp8R6rKxaKHzOuPnQ-syxAScECLVpkVWVAgz8oEvKVaSzuSniVk8q-vyRmxLQEKnSR0WORMNbpbVP5nquJ_Pg/s320/Life-audit.jpg" width="231" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">As is often the case, LifeHacker has
an article on just this sort of thing form back in 2013: <a href="https://twocents.lifehacker.com/perform-a-life-audit-to-set-yourself-up-for-success-in-1821648221" target="_blank">Performing A Life Audit</a>. It asks some excellent questions, such as:</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What life do I want? In 5, 10, 40 years?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What areas of my life could be improved?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What’s my motivation?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What do I believe in?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What do I consider essential?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">What does “meaningful” mean to me?</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">These questions, among others, will
help you get a handle on where you want to be and how you're going to get
there. As I described to my girlfriend today over a nice relaxing lunch at
Garrick's Head Pub, for years I've felt the disconnection between my knowledge
of what I need to do and my ability to achieve it, akin to seeing a series of
handholds rising up a wall towards success... but the bottom one is just out of
reach, no matter how hard I strained or jumped towards it.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">My hope is that a firm financial plan
will provide the boost that I need to grasp that first run towards a far better
future this year, in all respects of my life. </span></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">It's been a good week: while I've made little progress on my novel, I made BIG progress in the financial side of things, and my health's teadily improving( </span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;">I swam twice this week! <i>)ao I'm going into this coming week with a steady stride...</i></span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Georgia",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"></span></i></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-12956069612757937932018-01-07T20:21:00.000-08:002018-01-11T17:29:12.032-08:00New Year, New Thoughts, New Perspectives<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is obdurate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 1 - Four Day Mini-Vacation II</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEwUzMOzREspgm6MafaN_Uzz1sb4BAADFpvc7TR-xTYjW7YtzN805nXXuon7HzZKOhSoWWkqkw3E3GYoeSaXdy5qPwBhq_-Q4VM1O9WCdKUxcI0kxq4D6mfm8wRREdybXTM0nnejkYLc/s1600/Happy-new-year-baby-old-man-goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="612" data-original-width="1106" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSEwUzMOzREspgm6MafaN_Uzz1sb4BAADFpvc7TR-xTYjW7YtzN805nXXuon7HzZKOhSoWWkqkw3E3GYoeSaXdy5qPwBhq_-Q4VM1O9WCdKUxcI0kxq4D6mfm8wRREdybXTM0nnejkYLc/s320/Happy-new-year-baby-old-man-goals.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Christmas AND New Year's worked out
well this year!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">This was my second 4-day weekend in a row, and I
took it easy for the most part, using the time to give my core muscles a rest
as well as my eyestrain; the muscles around my right eye are still bothering me
slightly at the end of the day, though I no longer have to wear sunglasses at
night to counteract bright lights - mostly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">After a relaxing morning, I met my friend Simon at <b>Caffe
Fantastico </b>in the afternoon to just chat and catch up, as I hadn't seen him
since he gave me such amazing feedback about my first novel's most recent draft
back in October 2017. While Caffee Fantastico is rather loud at times, its
location at the very same Parkside Hotel where I swim is conveniently within
walking distance of my home. Also, they have <b>Phillips Dark Matter </b>on tap, so
<i>that </i>was nice too, as I rarely have alcohol these days due to my regular
headaches.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">Later on, my lady joined me there for a while, so
we enjoyed the ambiance of being in a different place than our usual hangouts
and our conversation was as always delightfully deep on a variety of topics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It was a <i>great</i> way to start the new year!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 2 – Reward Show!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">At last!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I promised myself that I wouldn't
watch any new episodes from my favorite shows( <i>Trollhunters, Voltron, Star Wars Rebels, et al</i> )until I finished
the edits on my v4.5 draft for my first novel, but as progress has been
extremely slow one that front due to financial stress and health issues, I gave
myself a slight break for 2018, I picked ONE show to allow myself to watch: <b><i>Trollhunters</i></b>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ajGqSaMFkoEaaoMPYxYN37hX9wxupChwgoQIOI1bFrwBNBVuCLWAOG1nd_VmMHZ9UraAqnutyOoRbe4qUn6NbnXcpR-_9sxuaBKpQz2JLjSfv-IyK_2Yajr36luEoqD8uDz1_4Gk-0/s1600/trollhunters-season-2-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="1170" height="129" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN_ajGqSaMFkoEaaoMPYxYN37hX9wxupChwgoQIOI1bFrwBNBVuCLWAOG1nd_VmMHZ9UraAqnutyOoRbe4qUn6NbnXcpR-_9sxuaBKpQz2JLjSfv-IyK_2Yajr36luEoqD8uDz1_4Gk-0/s320/trollhunters-season-2-banner.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guillermo Del Toro's amazing show - Season 2!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's tragic that the original voice
actor for the show's main character, Jim, was </span><a href="http://nationalpost.com/entertainment/celebrity/anton-yelchin-actor-best-known-for-playing-chekov-in-star-trek-dies-in-car-crash-at-age-27" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">killed in June 2016 in a freak accident</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> when his SUV rolled loose and pinned him against a brick wall. Anton
Yelchin was a rising young Hollywood star, best known for his role as Chekhov
in the new Star Trek films and by all accounts a wonderful human being; he
plays the part of Jim well, and notes from the </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">TrollHunters</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> producers state that they were able to integrate all
of his pre-recorded dialogue into this second season, which in a way allows him
to stick around with his fans a little longer...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm going to take my time watching
the series for the next few months, rewarding myself with an episode only at
the end of weeks where I've made solid progress on completing my draft, with
the goal of having it ready for my critique group and a few others to go
through before the summer arrives in June - the anniversary of Anton's passing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's fitting, and I think Anton would
understand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 3 – DONE with eBay sales</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I was pleased with my latest
eBay sale, I've almost run out of stuff to sell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, it's getting <b>damned</b> expensive
to do business online, with shipping costs and eBay fees eating up <b>huge</b> percentages of profits, especially
now that PayPal and eBay have gone their separate ways.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For example, as I mentioned a few
weeks ago, I managed to sell my rather rare Crossbows & Catapults game
collection for a decent $200 price, which was great as the money came in handy
for a bill that was due a few days later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">But man, those <i>fees</i> - look at what I
paid for the 'privilege' of selling on eBay:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">eBay Fee: C $36.47 Shippo Fee: $46.57 = $83.04</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<br />
</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So, if my price was $200.00, then my
total profit after fees was $116.96 - <i>ARGH</i>!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What gets me are the new fees,
courtesy of <b>Shippo</b>, the company that eBay is now using instead of <b>PayPal</b>
and who essentially sits there with a pretty interface between you and shipping
companies so they can charge you a fortune for doing essentially <i>nothing</i>.
I should've gone with my first instinct and printed up the label on CanadaPost
with my business account, but I guess I had to learn a lesson... again.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, I may be mistaken, and the
Shippo fee <i>may</i> have been rolled into the total fee paid for the shipping label
to send to the receiver... but that doesn't really make sense. I will look into
it this week by contacting Shippo by email, now that the holiday shopping
craziness has died down a bit so I can get an answer in a reasonable timeframe.
I suspect that I'm right, and if that's the case I won't be using eBay to sell <i>anything
</i>any more, instead switching to local services like craigslist, Kijiji and
VarageSale, among others, most of which don't have substantial fees - or <i>any
</i>fees at all.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 4 – Stopping Online Stupidity<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">As some of you know, I've been fighting a fairly
lonely battle online for the last year against stupidity, ignorance and even
malicious misinformation when it comes to climate change in various FBook groups that I frequent. Here's why I do what I do, in a nutshell, pushing back
against people spreading pseudoscience:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thankfully, my mostly-solo endeavours of the last
year have been bolstered recently by the arrival of almost a dozen pro-science
online friends, and amongst us we've managed to hold the line against the worst
of the climate-change crazies. Which is quite a feat, as the
least-knowledgeable are somehow the most vocal in their protestations against
scientific evidence in favour of their opinions...</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrmEO68jl-yWP_E-zG1aMUGfhBa-uYyxK3bch5SkLbOTqOKxo52HRPMqw3CqKy3YV7VUiiUU9MQoRhuUTRqbH3d4m-e11EVZSQr7hWZmMPIKOHwn7LY9gIbElEd1a9iom970lgu3Ju9c/s1600/Mark-S-Mental-prison-ScrCAP.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="775" data-original-width="497" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrmEO68jl-yWP_E-zG1aMUGfhBa-uYyxK3bch5SkLbOTqOKxo52HRPMqw3CqKy3YV7VUiiUU9MQoRhuUTRqbH3d4m-e11EVZSQr7hWZmMPIKOHwn7LY9gIbElEd1a9iom970lgu3Ju9c/s320/Mark-S-Mental-prison-ScrCAP.jpg" width="205" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Being polite doesn't help with cognitive dissonance...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While most of the self-titled
'skeptics' are indeed rabid climate-change deniers and defend their opinions in
the face of logic, reason and evidence, many others just don't know where to
turn in the tsunami of disinformation out there. When presented with proper
information, some of those are quite grateful for the help:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the new year, since I'm no longer
have to ‘go it alone' in pushing back, I've also decided to adopt a single
resolution for online debate - Tolerance:</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's my hope that in 2018, we'll see
less and less of the fake-skeptic on FBook, and more people who are just unable
to process the vast amounts of information and need help in finding proper
scientifically accurate sources for what's happening in the field of climate
change, once without hugely-bent agenda-driven biases, from either side.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It should be an interesting year, hopefully less tiring too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 5 – Who ARE these people?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I guess I'm just out of it...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">By it, I mean g33k culture: I have
little idea what's going on nowadays, if 2017's conventions are any indication.
That's greatly concerning to me, as I've always been of the opinion that I keep
up with g33k culture: I used to love <i>Attack
Of The Show</i> along with many other g33ky media I kept up with what was
happening.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet when I went online this week to
see the latest cosplays( <i>such skill!</i>
)it was a shock: I only recognize about one in 20 of the characters, a majority
which seem to be from more recent anime shows, and there was a distinct lack of
any scifi / fantasy or videogame characters that I know. See if you recognize
<i>any</i> of these:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xLRw3aXjF2E" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">This normally wouldn’t be a big deal,
but it made me wonder if I'm living in my own little 'g33k bubble' - not paying
attention to anything that I'm not already used to, something that could also
happen easily with Google when you filter out news items that you don't really
care about... <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Anyway, it's not a HUGE deal, but it
makes me wonder if I do end up going to a convention in a year or two( <i>finally!</i>
)if I will even recognize a quarter of what's going on around me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Then again, 2018's going to be DAMN
busy for me, so maybe I need to your off and I can pick up my g33k-cred again
in 2019 or 2020.</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 6 – Family Finances</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today was a <i>long</i> time in coming. - and <i>worth</i> the wait!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For some time, my sister and I have
wanted to have a 'family budget talk' with my parents, to get us ALL on the
same page as to where we stand now financially... and use that to move us all
forward towards attainable financial goals.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Part of the stress that I've
continuously felt for the last number of years is not knowing if I or my sister
would have to set money aside to support my parents in any given month, as we
didn't know what their financial situation was exactly. While they appear to be
doing well, some months were not so stable, and today's talk was in part
specifically to know where they stood - which succeeded admirably.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TibAhsM5H2P8KRgzCJgO8As7tAIPWCFy4dmBK3J2SSMvD1n6M_DZN7QG1AaYiqcUShB8q6H74RS-WXp_Y7ny_O6UzsCwi25YCFMYf30-0hjWl57SlB9hzfVPDHYCAsGjS-UxAw1Idt4/s1600/Fantasy+Budget+2018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="715" data-original-width="1600" height="142" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2TibAhsM5H2P8KRgzCJgO8As7tAIPWCFy4dmBK3J2SSMvD1n6M_DZN7QG1AaYiqcUShB8q6H74RS-WXp_Y7ny_O6UzsCwi25YCFMYf30-0hjWl57SlB9hzfVPDHYCAsGjS-UxAw1Idt4/s320/Fantasy+Budget+2018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All numbers are in the ballpark, but privacy-adjusted - and I'm NOT in the positive EOY!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I presented them with my 'Budget
Worksheet'( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">above </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)which I developed myself years ago( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">after long
searches for better ones that failed </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">)and have been refining ever since. It
allows me to plug in my income and my expenses, then fiddle around with them to
see how to stretch each month's income by reducing expenses and the plan ahead
for those months that have three paydays or things like GST or income tax
returns. The example above shows a fictional version of my own budget, in which
I'm earning a good deal more than actual right now along with much more modest
monthly expenses and even a 'savings account expense' to save for a rainy day -
something up on unable to afford to do yet in my life to date.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm-Ib5yvctUGci8d5Wtml0lnYg8frmqaZxc8PnvDqLmX1AW6-AM6ts22Yt_ov8swAy9PgKD6EJZDHjnkqSSr3VTQKd76pEbhT3BC6MUpS9VE0-40U4seF6WPn40aqrFoZz6HKelTag3A/s1600/Debt-cartoon-burden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="602" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzm-Ib5yvctUGci8d5Wtml0lnYg8frmqaZxc8PnvDqLmX1AW6-AM6ts22Yt_ov8swAy9PgKD6EJZDHjnkqSSr3VTQKd76pEbhT3BC6MUpS9VE0-40U4seF6WPn40aqrFoZz6HKelTag3A/s320/Debt-cartoon-burden.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's felt like this every. Damn. Day. Since... well, the 90's.</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was a long afternoon, but quite
fruitful, as my sister and I skillfully discussed delicate financial matters
with my parents while avoiding any antagonistic or accusatory pathways: this is
always a touchy subject and none of us are immune. By the end, we'd all figured
out where we were financially and where we wanted to go as a family as well as
individuals by helping each other as much as possible every month from now on
to get out from under the burden of owing other people money. It was </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">extremely</i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">
liberating for me to feel the claustrophobic constraints of the financial box
I've been living in for far too long loosen and now that my family will would
be doing everything possible to get my feet under me at all this moving forward
towards futures that </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">WE </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">have control over, and </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">not </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">the banks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I slept <b>extremely</b> well tonight, and it's
worth noting because of the dream that I had.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Normally, my dreams aren't at all exciting, as
I've noted previously: I hang around old houses and shopping malls that I've
been to, and generally not much that's memorable - just my subconscious hashing out its boring crap so my creative mind can exercise when I'm awake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yet tonight, for the first time that
I can recall, I dreamed that I was an <b>astronaut</b>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I dreamed that I was kept busy with
all the pre-flight checklists and other work necessary to prepare my rocketship
for launch, rushing around along with many other people to ensure that
everything would be in place for the upcoming flight.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The best part of the dream?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Towards the end, I knocked on an
unmarked door and <b>Spock</b> opened it, ushering me inside to a control center where
we went over the calculations for the launch.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I can't quite remember, but I think I
had a huge smile on my face as we worked. <i><b>SPOCK</b></i>!!!!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4vc2xkFpRJmuYJ2y2n-zo8pV8Zy1Em22H1g4vEDzEvbZa-84Gzt6CXxPN08-LNZ34xd-CTnX8vYorEuHt3-WThFsv7tiOpAx0HvmQqhpo6VRd4p_CWVPQzTs6M4SZLLusHGg39kiDXA/s1600/Spock+Space+Trip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1600" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP4vc2xkFpRJmuYJ2y2n-zo8pV8Zy1Em22H1g4vEDzEvbZa-84Gzt6CXxPN08-LNZ34xd-CTnX8vYorEuHt3-WThFsv7tiOpAx0HvmQqhpo6VRd4p_CWVPQzTs6M4SZLLusHGg39kiDXA/s320/Spock+Space+Trip.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">LLAP, Leonard...</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Jan 7 – Sacrosanct</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sundays are great: I <i>love </i>having
every weekend off.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For most of my working life, that was
the case and for many years when I worked retail, it was common for me to work
3 out of the 4 weekends in any given month, especially after I left University;
it was almost a given.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now that I've had weekends free for
almost 4 years now, I</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> don't think that I'd go back without major
consideration, because of what they represent:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Freedom.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Now, some people might say "But
you work EVERY weekday, how's that better?" And they have a point, but
they'd be missing mine: not working weekends means that I have the freedom to
plan around that 'free space' and it's been glorious. Given that so many of my
friends also have day jobs, it doesn't matter if I have a weekday free, as it's
a rarity that anyone I know now could actually do something of a warning or an
afternoon... which rather defeats the purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sundays especially were sacrosanct to
me, days that I set aside specifically for family and friends, not work. Here's
what I have to say about my Sundays almost exactly three years ago, when the
subject came up in my blog:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'll leave you with that, friends and
family: you're </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">all </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">always on my mind, the matter where we are in life.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My eyestrain has lingered this week
in the form of end-of-day fatigue that have unfortunately combined with the
shifting weather barometric pressure to give me headaches almost all week long.
I've been able to control them with Tylenol until this weekend, when I had to
use an Aspirin for the first time in a decade and thankfully that settled the
eyestrain down almost completely for the day at least. I also surprised myself
by walking 10K steps on Sunday almost without noticing without my cane and it
was a wonderful feeling - more of that to come!</span></i><span lang="EN" style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Georgia;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-44135609816590213502017-12-31T22:11:00.002-08:002017-12-31T22:20:10.736-08:00White Christmases, Water Therapy and Winding Down<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is wearysome.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 25 - Wait, is that... ?</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whaddayaknow! It's missile-toe:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also: Last night around dinnertime, white
flakes appeared in the sky above Victoria... and it wasn't a soap spill from a
passing plane - it was SNOW!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the morning, things looked like
this:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpad4D-Sb-wXMtY2O4MmzpCbKI8cEuGMkYYo-CikCFMBsrl-KGfoUa82ppZGrFAmk9v0UJft0W3_wQn3h4t7ebkVFIf2imJtwd2zcNKgj92nUOE6ofU4LQuyb1LC2IbPPCHNHNLozhaE8/s1600/20171225_084908.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpad4D-Sb-wXMtY2O4MmzpCbKI8cEuGMkYYo-CikCFMBsrl-KGfoUa82ppZGrFAmk9v0UJft0W3_wQn3h4t7ebkVFIf2imJtwd2zcNKgj92nUOE6ofU4LQuyb1LC2IbPPCHNHNLozhaE8/s320/20171225_084908.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It was <b>perfect</b> timing for a White
Christmas, which made my girlfriend happy, because it stuck around for most of
the day until the evening, when higher temperatures made things look less chilly
again:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFabbqDf2zrtaPVrwBEmGNTmpvUX5hEOmP0IB0M0wV2KP2-int3iXQErtPq2zn-61c_TQ9ZdAqYVGEZ0_vjr_UxxrIsjwCK6wpzMvmwn7oPw-xDFzL5CPizl-C8qz2XA4Vgwp-BO7oL0/s1600/Dec-26-no-snow-20171226_135837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimFabbqDf2zrtaPVrwBEmGNTmpvUX5hEOmP0IB0M0wV2KP2-int3iXQErtPq2zn-61c_TQ9ZdAqYVGEZ0_vjr_UxxrIsjwCK6wpzMvmwn7oPw-xDFzL5CPizl-C8qz2XA4Vgwp-BO7oL0/s320/Dec-26-no-snow-20171226_135837.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My lady and I spent a good part of
the day together, making it a quiet and enjoyable time; as we'd already spent
last Saturday at my parent's having Christmas Dinner early, today was all ours
to do with as we wished. We ended up going to <b><a href="https://www.sookjaithai.com/" target="_blank">Sookjai</a></b> in the early evening for
dinner, just as the afternoon crowd left, and had a lovely few hours there with
good company in a quiet atmosphere.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tya73aqqEhRPhxecSJk4K0RDhyN9RqdFcRArz3otO5xF5CdpKdeJZ_FvB9gdeRBMcdzYCXrfjMDTJHsHq2BPnVMWcsXjA2PFcgBRQtuzUJp5L5hc79xotUi841XdAeA9ZKUNUOMjI6A/s1600/Sookjai-Christmas-Dinner-20171225_170602.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="636" data-original-width="1600" height="127" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8tya73aqqEhRPhxecSJk4K0RDhyN9RqdFcRArz3otO5xF5CdpKdeJZ_FvB9gdeRBMcdzYCXrfjMDTJHsHq2BPnVMWcsXjA2PFcgBRQtuzUJp5L5hc79xotUi841XdAeA9ZKUNUOMjI6A/s320/Sookjai-Christmas-Dinner-20171225_170602.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's ALWAYS enough for 3 meals when I eat here!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Merry Christmas to all!<o:p></o:p></i></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 26 – Drop The Shopping<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I didn't buy a thing for Boxing Day
this year, and that's <i>great</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why? Because Boxing Day deals become
<i>less</i> so every year; the last <b>good</b> Boxing Day sale I was at was in 2007 when I
arrived in Victoria, and got a <i>heckuva </i>deal on a TV, Xbox and sound
system from the now-defunct Future Shop. Ever since, I've scanned the yearly ads, got a few things here and there...
but for the last few years, I've shrugged at all the flyers, and not just because
there's nothing I really need <i>or </i>want: the deals are just, <i>meh</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, there's the fact that spending
money right now <b>isn't </b>what I want to do.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sadly, NCIX shuttered their doors this month...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">Unfortunately this year, a Canadian tech store fell by the wayside: </span></span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">NCIX</b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">. Started in 1996, it competed against the likes of NewEgg.ca and Amazon.ca... and late 2017 proved to be too much for them, as they filed for </span>bankruptcy<span style="font-size: 12pt;"> this month.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">While I'm sad to see a Canadian company close, I hadn't shopped at NCIX for a few years now, as their prices weren't any better than the competition, which is admittedly brutal in the tech sector. <a href="https://www.techspot.com/news/72137-ncix-files-bankruptcy-after-closing-all-retail-stores.html" target="_blank">There's an interesting article</a> about their closing here, with insights from a couple of former employees about why NCIX couldn't stay afloat in today's tech sales market.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 27 – That's not funny...</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ah, banks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A few weeks ago, I called up TD Bank
to move a payment date back by 2 days to coincide with my payday this week, to
ensure the payment cleared while I looked into covering it by other means - if
necessary; I always hedge my bets.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">At the time, I was assured( <i>since I <b>asked</b>!</i>
)that the date could be moved back "no problem" if I called again,
and that the payment amount would be back to normal; moving the date caused the
payments to rise by $43 per month. Not great, but it would be for only this
month, then back to normal in January.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cue computer comedy, sans laughs on my part.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I wasn't able to get through on the
phone to TD for the last week: their line rang solidly busy no matter when or
how often I called, so I went in today for an appointment with a CSR.
Forty-five minutes and three different people working on it later, the date had
been changed back... but the payment amounts <i>hadn't.</i><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">It seems that my attempt to <b>save</b>
money <i>cost</i> me money, which annoyed me to no end, considering the assurances I
was given on the phone... but whatever: spilled milk, and How Do We
Fix This?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Turns out, you make <i>another</i>
appointment, a week from now, and the larger payment goes through while TD
tries to count its fingers to sum up to Ten. Again, nothing new from my experiences
with them, which is why I left years ago, and wished that I could have paid off
my remaining balances to be DONE with 'em.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">So we'll see how next week goes. By
my calculations, the 'new' loan terms mean I'll pay an additional $1507.41 over
the life of the loan, a total that has my long-term budget in screaming fits.
But I'm hopeful that we can resolve things properly, as the CSR and other bank
reps all agree that it's a technical issue and given the circumstances nothing
to do with me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Whee.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 28 – Global Village Construction
Set<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">It's closing in on the end of the year, and I'm
in Rumination Mode.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">I get like this every December, for as many
people do, I look back at the year gone by and wonder if it was Good, Bad, Ugly
or just plain Indifferent. I get a little grumpy thinking about 2017, because
being humans we tend to gloss over the Happy Shiny and focus on the Bad Things
that tripped us up and barked our knees, despite one's conscious efforts to
look on the brighter side of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;">But, at this end of the year, what about the end
of the world?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yup, that sort of thing is still on
my mind, though in all seriousness, if the world ended with a bang and not a
whimper, most of us across the globe wouldn't survive long: we're too dependent
on civilization. Even here on Vancouver Island, we don't generate our own
power, and food would run out for the populace in about a week; the rest of the
not-pretty-picture goes bad from there and the scenario of doom repeats from
there across the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What about <b>preserving</b> some of
civilization, though, and rebuilding?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Such is the subject of <a href="http://the-knowledge.org/en-gb/similar-projects/" target="_blank">The Knowledge</a>,
an organization that's compiling all such projects designed to rebuild
civilization after a global disaster, in whatever flavour. My favourite project
is the Global Village Construction Set:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I like to see such projects, as they
give me a feeling of hope at this time of year: that no matter how bad things
might get, that humanity might pick itself up from the dust and give it another
shot without having to start all over again from scratch.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 29 – In the Swim</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Early to rise, and all that...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was up at 6:30am today, which is
later than usual of late, but I had a full dance card: first up was a morning
swim, my first in over two weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The walk over to <b>The Parkside
Hotel </b>is a mere ten minutes on a good day, and since I've been cane-free
for a week, it took me only a minute longer without strain. What I like about
The Parkside is that the pool is indoors and <i>heated</i>( <i>as I've mentioned before</i> )so it's a joy
to swim in... and doesn't tense up my tendons. Their changerooms are small but
well-appointed and clean, and there's a hottub on the far deck of the pool that
I use to warm my legs up for a minute beforehand.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvypXhiLz4eQCHYfFHrH1HSdVTc0kyC9jeCk7SmvQk2ud1r3JDdq7Q6y3Kk6g2aIi2CYOIIKmtcg6IXsX-1780Z1F8F3KwhfJw3dBVl8w-sCIpzdv2zTE_k1NH2gnYUlFaaQKJfZApQ4/s1600/the-parkside-hotel-pool.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="239" data-original-width="550" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFvypXhiLz4eQCHYfFHrH1HSdVTc0kyC9jeCk7SmvQk2ud1r3JDdq7Q6y3Kk6g2aIi2CYOIIKmtcg6IXsX-1780Z1F8F3KwhfJw3dBVl8w-sCIpzdv2zTE_k1NH2gnYUlFaaQKJfZApQ4/s320/the-parkside-hotel-pool.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">25m of heated bliss all to myself!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Also, there's almost always no-one
there at 7am weekday mornings, so I have the whole pool facility to myself with
the occasional few people using the upper-level enclosed gym that's adjacent to
the pool area - I barely know they're there at all.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i>Heavenly</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Swimming today was also good because
I felt <b>good</b>: I swam carefully as usual, taking care not to overstrain my limbs
as I worked my way along the length of the large pool with various swim-strokes
I'd learned as a kid.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">For the first time since I'd started,
it felt <b>normal</b> to exercise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sure, at a few times I felt the
strain pulling at my left leg's tendons, especially under my foot, but the
whole point is to flex those too-tight muscles and ligaments: the heated water
resists perfectly, as long as I watch my effort levels. Best of all, it costs me a mere $3 per swim!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Forty minutes later, I padded out to
shower and grab breakfast at Frankie's, then bus on over to my massage therapy,
where I again had those recalitrant tendons worked over. I shudder to think of
the total cost I've paid over the last year of therapy, given that my benefits
don't cover it, but it's been the difference between being a cane-ridden
cripple and walking, so I've budgeted what's needed each month.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Onwards to see <i>The Last Jedi </i>for
a second time today with a work buddy<i>( we
almost missed it by entering the wrong theatre due to shoddy signage design! </i>)then
back home to relax for the evening catching up on some mundane tasks as well as
reading a bit, something that's been sorely lacking in my life of late.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A <b>good</b> day off, indeed!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 30 – Long-form Laughs</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I popped this in for a smile, or
thirty:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf9fGDVvVfH8OqftvjIwyWkEMUltoYckOIWDOqnHUEEFzdX-ImounhMmKJlahQUiMTULnkDBysPanp0w8Ng302iL2wrnNODAoSCX_i_GndiSk9djHd85KcIWpsxaOtX17oULewQZdiKw/s1600/Star-Trek-Federation-Humans-HOLD-MY-BEER-SCIENCE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="214" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOf9fGDVvVfH8OqftvjIwyWkEMUltoYckOIWDOqnHUEEFzdX-ImounhMmKJlahQUiMTULnkDBysPanp0w8Ng302iL2wrnNODAoSCX_i_GndiSk9djHd85KcIWpsxaOtX17oULewQZdiKw/s320/Star-Trek-Federation-Humans-HOLD-MY-BEER-SCIENCE.jpg" width="42" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Click to view for full-size laughter!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">I find this funny on many levels,
zany and serious... and because it provides such a </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">wacky </b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">filter to view
the Vulcan-Human relationship on </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Star Trek </i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">through. Original is </span><a href="https://imgur.com/a/wpZ4w" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">On a slightly more serious note, I've
been walking all this week without a cane, and it's going well: I'm up to about
8K steps a day without more than a few twinges at the end of the day, though
I'm keeping my backpack load light. It's tricky walking in the rain in my
sneakers, since they have mesh over the toes, but plastic bags inside and a
change of socks take care of any wet. I'll try to find some affordable boots in
January, but they'll have to be as fully-supportive as my sneakers, as I want
NO relapses like I had at the end of October that set my walking-again progress
back nearly 6 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Caution, and laughter, are the best
medicine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 31 – Winding Down Wonderfully</span></b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">A good day to wind down the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">My lady and I had lunch with our
friends, as it was Deborah's birthday and she'd chosen to eat at the brand-new
<a href="http://www.sizzlingtandoor.ca/" target="_blank">Sizzling Tandoor</a> restaurant at Uptown. There were over a dozen of us, and we
enjoyed the buffet there( <i>butter chicken!</i>
)while the sun shone for a few hours through the large windows. It was
especially nice to see some of those folks, as many of us had gamed together on
and off for the last few years in the Pathfinder game world, the spiritual
successor to DnD. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Afterwards, the two of us went to<b> Murchie's</b>, where we played <i>Dragonwood</i> over tea and a sizable
chocolate chip cookie - yum! We both enjoyed the quiet bustle of Murchie's: even
when it's busy, there's enough space, especially in the back room, that you can
talk without effort, and the huge rear window really lights up the place even
on crowded days, thanks to the fifteen-foot ceilings. So lovely!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">We also ducked into Chapters for a
peek at sale items, and my amazing girlfriend deigned to delight me with this magnificent
gift, at 30% off - wow! <i>Battle Angel Alita</i>, soon to be a live-action
movie in 2018, and a story I've loved for</span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"> almost twenty years, but didn't have
the scratch to pick up at any point:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL6ta1YXA4qbddkeavqVMuBx99phvtBOeZ2N3q3YVqqXkUeVx8krtqNxd3qIbIh2qDkAFJXHQzp87wFbWehZvewMVUDnllC2qeLl8O2zaje3cMYNcmjxMcVOsdKQl4Aky3RtBLyLQXY8/s1600/Battle-Angel-Alita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1095" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUL6ta1YXA4qbddkeavqVMuBx99phvtBOeZ2N3q3YVqqXkUeVx8krtqNxd3qIbIh2qDkAFJXHQzp87wFbWehZvewMVUDnllC2qeLl8O2zaje3cMYNcmjxMcVOsdKQl4Aky3RtBLyLQXY8/s320/Battle-Angel-Alita.jpg" width="219" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WOW! A Deluxe Hardcover, new and shiny!</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">What I'd not mentioned is that last
week, when my eyes were still hurting, we'd ducked into Chapters for a bit, and while
she'd explored the racks, I'd settled into a nearby chair... and slowly paged
through the first few dozen pages with my sunglasses and hat pulled down,
enjoying the incredible art and story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thank-you, sweetheart: it's a gift
I'd never have got myself, but I'll enjoy to the fullest as a treat over the
next few months.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<b>Happy New Year, all! May 2018 be kind to everyone you love, and those who need it!</b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">The blog's rather late, but that's because I'm taking it easy tonight, so I'm in no hurry as I'm spending New Year's Eve in( </span></i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 12pt;">sipping a Guinness <i>) - I'm still sensitive to sound and
have NO desire to be anywhere loud tonight. I'll ring in the new year snoring,
as boring as that is, because it's just a flip on the calendar until another
day dawns, with the same me making the same strides towards my goals...<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-56031454806822394522017-12-24T18:16:00.002-08:002017-12-24T18:39:24.612-08:00Christmas Eve, Eyestrain and The Eye Of The World<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>The word of the week is ephemeral.</i><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 18 - Mostly Healthy?</b></span><br />Wow, my eyes( <i>and head by extension</i> )still <b>really </b>hurt, mostly my right orb.<br /><br />Fortunately, I can still see if I wear sunglasses( <i>and a visor </i>)while at work, but I have to close my right eye every hour(<i> or more often later in the day </i>)for about twenty minutes, to give it a rest. Otherwise, it still feels like someone's poking my right eye from behind, meaning the muscle's strained from movement - ouch.<br /><br />Since I don't have any sick days left, it's a good thing I can still function at work with the above preparations, and my co-workers are used to my weird health issues, so only a few people have( <i>kindly </i>)asked about my pulling a ZZ-Top during the workday all this week( <i>which is a full five-day workweek</i> )so there's that. I'm again really lucky in that regard, that my job can accommodate these things.</span><div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">On the <b>bright </b>side, my tendon issues seem to be on the wane, so I'm walking around just dandy of a day, though still careful to move every twenty minutes - the timer on my Pebble smartwatch is <i>incredibly </i>useful!<br /><br />My core's still giving me trouble every other day or so, but once I get back to swimming next week(<i> no way I can splash in the water with a simmering migraine!</i> )I'll expect that to fade away as I build up strength(<i> along with other health aspects </i>)once I get into a weekly routine.<br /><br />So I guess what I'm saying is: I'm on the mend, eye-ouchies included.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 19 – Right Crab, Wrong Rock?</b></span><br /><br />Sometimes I wonder...<br /><br />Was I born at the right time?<br /><br />An oddly recurring comment throughout my life has been that my personality and mannerisms are 'old-fashioned' and that I behave in a manner unlike my peers - though I've never been quite sure what that means, other than I'm more polite...?<br /><br />As with most things in life, there's little certainty: most people are making things up as they go, especially in this day and age when what people used to take for granted is now called into question daily, either by science or social convention.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">The idea of 'finding your place' in one's life, or in society in general, is appealing, but it's never really struck me as central to my own needs: I don't really 'belong' anywhere, in terms of family / social expectations or career peerage. I just... <b>am</b>, existing in a swirl of actions of my own making(<i> most days </i>)and just ambling along daily to get through whatever most needs my attention at the time, which is somewhat distracting when you're also trying to develop AND adhere to some worthwhile life goals over a period of months or years.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Small things are key: one step at a time, building to a day at a time, then a week, a month, a year... eventually culminating in a life you can look back on, and while you'll wonder at the weird wanderings that some of those steps took, you hope you'll be able to see a direction of your own choosing, and not the swaying stagger of someone who reacted far more than acted when push came to shove.<br /><br />Tip: <b>always </b>have a good pair of shoes!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 20 – The Eyes Have It</b></span><br /><br />Good News, everyone!<br /><br />After another day of wearing sunglasses and shading my eyes with a hat at work, I walked to an eye doctor appointment along the already-dark streets. A few tests later and he confirmed that my eyes had been strained, but were otherwise healthy - what a relief!<br /><br />I should be back to normal in about a week, as long as I don't strain them again. <br /><br />He wasn't all that helpful in confirming why my eyes were so strained, but agreed that a more careful use of the proper glasses for various distances(<i> less than a foot / 1-6 feet / </i>)should make all the difference in adapting my eyes to each task. I already follow the 20-20-20 rule at work when I'm working on the computer or otherwise focusing on a close-in task:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">It's all part of paying attention( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">and learning the hard way...</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;"> )to one's body as one ages: the eyes are especially important, as they don't react as quickly as they used to when you're young - my sensitivity to light is but one example. I'll be looking into some supplements as well in 2018, to see if I can bring them back to a 'younger' healthier state, along with the rest of my body as I exercise more and more often...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 21 – Fantasy Epic Series DONE!</b></span><br /><br />Twenty-Seven <i>Years</i>...<br /><br />Back in 1990, in my second-last year of high school, I unknowingly began reading a fantasy series that would accompany me through HALF my life:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Robert Jordan's <b>Wheel Of Time</b> series, starting with <i>The Eye Of The World</i>. For those few of you unfamiliar with the series, be warned: it contains literally <b>thousands </b>of characters and a similar number of locales( <i>cities, towns, villages, and other settings</i> )that span a tale encompassing four and a half million words that tells no less than the end of time itself in a world that might very well be what our own has become... or once was.<br /><br />The word 'epic' <i>hardly </i>does it justice! I've written over a million words on this blog in ten years, and the late Mr. Jordan wrote more than four times that in twice the time, which staggers the imagination. Sure, it works out to only a little over 600 usable words a day over two decades, but every writer knows you have good runs and bad runs, so to maintain that level of continuous output is...well, epic.<br /><br />How do I feel, now that it's over? I'd have to say, satisfied - I won't go into the details, in case you haven't read the series finale, but I will say that things were wrapped up to my satisfaction. <b>Brandon Sanderson</b> was well-chosen to finish off the series after Robert Jordan passed on, and he did an excellent job of examining the nature of good vs. evil on a cosmic scale, while simultaneous keeping things grounded on a human scale and keeping the 'epic feel' of a giant series wrapup.<br /><br />As a bonus, a TV series was announced in April 2017, so there's that to look forward to( <i>AT LAST! </i>)after two decades of big, juicy novels. Huzzah!<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 22 – It's about...</b></span><br /><br />Gifts and gift-giving: not a thing for me any more.<br /><br />Sure, there's a few gifts my family gets for each other most years, but as I've said before: less is now more in the places we're renting, as we're space-limited - have been for a while, at that.<br /><br />This year especially has been a tight one, enough so that we're all grateful just to make it through into 2018. These last few weeks have been stressful, though thanks to a few moderate financial gains( <i>thanks, eBay and local game store! </i>)we'll be able to cruise through the end of the month and not have to go without.<br /><br />Presents though, <i>have </i>gone by the wayside, and that's fine: I'd rather have the rent covered than stress out while opening gifts anyway, as that would negate the whole reason-for-the-season anyway.<br /><br /><br />If I had reams of cash and a spare room( <i>HOME OFFICE! MAKER-STUDIO!</i> )to put a few things in, I'd peruse the lists of <a href="https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/ca/gifts/gifts-for-men/">this site</a>, which is full of... interesting things( f<i>or men, in this case </i>)like:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Personally, I liked their '</span><a href="https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/classic-literature-baby-books/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">Book Gifts</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">' section more, but that's probably just the immature lad inside me liking the simpler things in life... which is just fine!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 23 – Budget Bites</b></span><br /><br />I realized I haven't mentioned how I make ends meet when it comes to food.<br /><br />I tend to eat... <i>simply</i>.<br /><br />My rule-of-thumb when it comes to costs is to try to keep things around $5.00 / meal, or even less when I make my own meals. I'm a serviceable, not great cook, as I tend to take my time to make sure I prepare my food properly(<i> not to mention cleaning up my mess</i> )so when it comes to meal prep at home, I prefer to make a lot of food all at once every few weeks and then portion it out into meals to freeze and use as needed. Not being a big eater, this works out well, and allows me more time for doing things other than cooking.<br /><br />What's the best meal I've found, in terms of cost vs. nutritional value( <i>and taste</i> )?<br /><br /><br /><b>Quinoa</b>! It's inexpensive( <i>when on sale, which is often </i>)and can be mixed with all sorts of other things like peppers, broccoli, spinach and the like. As you can see, when I make up a batch, I go BIG - the one below makes about 20 meals for me:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;">As for eating out: most meal portions are too much for me to eat in one sitting, so quite often I end up taking close to half the meal home anyway. If I spend around $10 for a dinner and eat half, then it's $5.00 / meal... and it's still as good to my tastebuds the next day, or when unfrozen in a few weeks or a month.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br />Mixing it up between prepared meals from home, cheap lunches at work( <i><b>Bean Bandits </b>has $5 daily soups just outside my workplace - quick and yummy!</i> )and take-homes from various restaurants, I keep myself well-fed. Add in the occasional soup mix, leftovers from work or social gatherings and other places, and I eat well enough on a regular basis that I don't worry about my food costs.<br /><br />Which is a useful thing when you're trying to budget on a shoesting.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Dec 24 – Perfection</b></span><br /><br />Just relax: <u>it's Christmas Eve!</u> We made it!<br /><br />A nice not-too-rushed breakfast at The Hawk And Hen( <i>waffles with peanut butter and bacon - delicious! </i>)followed by a few hours gaming at <b>The Good Earth Coffeehouse</b> at Uptown were a great way to slide into Sunday. Sure, the GE was cold and we moved tables to escape a lady who'd bathed in perfume( <i>and spent an <b>hour </b>complaining to her friend loudly - yeesh </i>)but it was a great morning all the same. Soup for lunch( <i>shepherd's pie with chicken - YUM!</i> )and then back to my place.<br /><br />Spending a quiet Christmas Eve with my girlfriend is <b>all </b>I could want, or ask for, this year. We decided to watch a classic holiday movie tonight, after I'd finished working on my blog shortly after dinner, hours earlier than usual:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Sure, there's people who would argue that <i>Die Hard </i>isn't a Christmas movie... but they're <b>wrong</b>, as I've come around over the years to see that Bruce Willis gives far more than he receives... and in the end, isn't that what Christmas is all about?</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyL_80WYngMZjcBCbIq8npBFOeQhWfKeQzrNWkfWhtpzmZ8lj39-QoP9o9fE2MjvhCwAPu7dyKLLnnmK00r1XzTrAs-CJiwoEp2jqUt5fjzp2U6QodlBZD8yefZEFxwNukp9GxhkSLrg/s1600/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie-learntoride-co-with-regard-to-die-hard-christmas-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="510" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPyL_80WYngMZjcBCbIq8npBFOeQhWfKeQzrNWkfWhtpzmZ8lj39-QoP9o9fE2MjvhCwAPu7dyKLLnnmK00r1XzTrAs-CJiwoEp2jqUt5fjzp2U6QodlBZD8yefZEFxwNukp9GxhkSLrg/s320/is-die-hard-a-christmas-movie-learntoride-co-with-regard-to-die-hard-christmas-movie.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Come to the party for Christmas, they said. It'll be FUN, they said..."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>A Merry Christmas to all, and may Santa be kind to you and yours tonight!</i></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif;"></span>
</div>
</div>
Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8609498125896730021.post-83046393223710289312017-12-17T21:10:00.002-08:002017-12-17T21:10:10.180-08:00Farscape, The Force and Fiendish Headaches<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 5.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 5.0pt; mso-layout-grid-align: none; text-align: justify; text-autospace: none;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The word of the week is exacerbate.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span></i><b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 11 - <i>Farscape </i>Finished</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today, I finally finished my 'binge-watch'
of <i>Farscape</i>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I've been watching episodes almost daily since October,
whenever I could fit in a few minutes, be it on break, lunch or during the many
boring repetitive tasks that didn't require any of my brains higher functions
to engage my hands or eyes. Which, surprisingly, are big chunks of my daily
routine for the last year, which is saying something.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The last full watch-through of <i>Farscape
</i>I can recall was just before the series wrap up( <i>The Peacekeeper Wars </i>)was released in late 2004, easily a decade and more past. Until this year, I've
only watched an episode here and there on YouTube as they appeared before being
removed for the usual copyright violations. I own the entire series on DVD and
have copied it over to my media server for streaming via Plex, so I can watch
it anywhere any time that I have a solid Internet connection and my old OnePlus
One works great when propped up for viewing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyU-8hgYVfB8NYUfNhxqmmCl28NVIm_G4B77oPoOWN9qtaB9vhKu3f3Rn_g811NXSiQrIdkqrWMZO7gGxpJNPxvoQj61w_25dewTCHD0bvxYGF3u4rE5l8jU21dTAN4KteYKMQCX0nqQ/s1600/farscape_cast_by_devildogstudio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyU-8hgYVfB8NYUfNhxqmmCl28NVIm_G4B77oPoOWN9qtaB9vhKu3f3Rn_g811NXSiQrIdkqrWMZO7gGxpJNPxvoQj61w_25dewTCHD0bvxYGF3u4rE5l8jU21dTAN4KteYKMQCX0nqQ/s320/farscape_cast_by_devildogstudio.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Big show, big story, big cast!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">But back to the show: it was <b><u>better</u>
</b>than I remembered!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It goes without saying that the CGI
is a little dated, but the practical creature effects from the Henson Workshop
are outstanding and go a long way to making the world of <i>Farscape </i>far
more believable than it would with CGI alone. The puppets of <b>Dominar Rigel
The Sixteenth</b> and Moya's <b>Pilot </b>are both so well-done that they come across as
'people' in their own right, and some of the cast have stated exactly that in
interviews.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The writing on the series is also
excellent, with only a few questionable episo</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">des in total; the rest moved the
plot and story along nicely in a long-term arc, much like my other favorite
sci-fi series </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Babylon 5, </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">the plot evolves over the second and third
seasons, culminating in the two-part 3-hour-long series finale of </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Peacekeeper Wars</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">, which tied up all the loose ends neatly with a bang and a
flourish.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The acting was also top notch, with
an ensemble cast whose members changed slightly over the three seasons of the
show before it was canceled in 2002. The main character, John Crichton, goes
from a wide-eyed astronaut in the Premier to a badass galaxy-spanning hero with
The Right Stuff by the end of the series. Each of the other main characters are
all well fleshed-out, with many foibles and fine points each to play off one
another. The main villain of the series, Scorpius, is one of the best
antagonists I've seen on the small screen( or the big ): he's smart, devious,
elegant, powerful and always seems to steps ahead of the main characters while
not being omniscient or invulnerable - a hard thing to pull off consistently,
but the writers manage it and the series soars because of his presence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'm not sure when I'll <i>next </i>re-watch
the series, but I've certainly internalized many of its storytelling lessons
and for that alone, it was more than worth the daily binge time these last six
weeks. Especially as after finishing, I feel like I've had a long overdue visit
with some old friends and we all come away better for the experience.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 12 – A laugh...<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">When in doubt: <i>pun! <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">From this collection I found today,
this was my</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> favourite</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC5d0rkQ4wUnH20jMSKsl8lnXoAP39pCOWBcLv9ttZmCLUCFPDjtoq_c97zMF_TXDgcCBTRpTbWRXDHh9V-khVvZHGQtwEIu_1e1tgDNgFaL4zKYJ2ywTSExxONNMqmNMWAlvbH6SqBs/s1600/Spring-around-corner-pun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="451" data-original-width="605" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvC5d0rkQ4wUnH20jMSKsl8lnXoAP39pCOWBcLv9ttZmCLUCFPDjtoq_c97zMF_TXDgcCBTRpTbWRXDHh9V-khVvZHGQtwEIu_1e1tgDNgFaL4zKYJ2ywTSExxONNMqmNMWAlvbH6SqBs/s320/Spring-around-corner-pun.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This might leave some people cold... but not me!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">It's been a bit of an odd week, in
that various aches and pains and making their way around my body and it's quite
tiring to try to function day to day, especially when some parts hurt when I
stand in other parts hurt when I sit, so I can't do either for long. But you
learn to adapt, so with the help of my standing desk and a 20-minute timer on
my watch, I've been keeping the aches from getting any worse, though my core
seems overly sensitive matter what I'm doing. Even swimming this morning,
though it helped my left leg's tendons to loosen up, did nothing for my core so
I guess I'll just have to keep at it twice weekly for the next few months. I've
been able to walk to and from work each day without a cane, so that's
something, and I'm paying close attention throughout the day to ensure that I'm
not overworking my left foot whatsoever to keep it that way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'll leave you with this one... not a
pun, but still relevant as such:<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXLKzM2Qb1AONAbAPndDroK8hMyyFKLliS_KrWCtT6KFr3AN3sQvE11Zxx2g-R7uN__6hwfFEfoykfeM0GhKVv3zRsNR9KYff9j9QS_M8X6d0gHPEq8xTrhuB_uaKiGy_1Q2ot0S7D68/s1600/Charlie-Chaplin-day-without-laughter-wasted.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQXLKzM2Qb1AONAbAPndDroK8hMyyFKLliS_KrWCtT6KFr3AN3sQvE11Zxx2g-R7uN__6hwfFEfoykfeM0GhKVv3zRsNR9KYff9j9QS_M8X6d0gHPEq8xTrhuB_uaKiGy_1Q2ot0S7D68/s320/Charlie-Chaplin-day-without-laughter-wasted.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 13 – A replacement?</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Well <i>that's </i>some interesting
timing...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I may have found a <a href="http://www.pcgamer.com/medieval-destruction-sandbox-besiege-adds-multiplayer-and-level-editor/?utm_content=buffer597a8&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb" target="_blank">videogame version</a>
of 'Crossbows and Catapults' on the PC to replace the physical game that's now
winging its way to Australia for Christmas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><iframe allow="encrypted-media" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" gesture="media" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tTLPXPrNucs" width="560"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">While not </span><b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">quite </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">the same as
the physical boardgame, </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Beseige </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">looks to be as much fun and visually
excellent as well - might as well take advantage of the decent video card I
shelled out for a year ago for my computer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Of course, it will be more fun if I
managed to get a few of my friends to pick it up as well, as it's a sandbox
game that's designed for multiplayer mayhem. I'll keep an eye on it and see if
it becomes available during one of Steam's online sales this month, or in the
spring...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 14 – Double Dining!<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I ate really well today, <i>twice</i> over!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today was my workplace's annual
Christmas Potluck, and as always it was a feast for all involved. I was tapped
to carve the turkey, just like last year and by the time I was done with the 25
pound monster, two huge plates were stacked high with succulently-moist slices
of roast turkey that made everyone in the office's mouth water. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As you can see, there was plenty of
other food to go around as well:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqDgf2sleBJ0FHku-Em6jxdMCa6wG6RPDS0f6u5Kw3vobIcVihjHyrOCwCZuVpJROfzAn7BN0-alXyZPmkPGIbKHptpidKYXhhWMhWQP4AjGSRZBzKdEKDlPWpk27QFmMoEZj5N8HBqY/s1600/Potluck-work-dec-14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1422" data-original-width="1600" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKqDgf2sleBJ0FHku-Em6jxdMCa6wG6RPDS0f6u5Kw3vobIcVihjHyrOCwCZuVpJROfzAn7BN0-alXyZPmkPGIbKHptpidKYXhhWMhWQP4AjGSRZBzKdEKDlPWpk27QFmMoEZj5N8HBqY/s320/Potluck-work-dec-14.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I <b>love</b> this hat - and those that don't: get stuffed!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">As I don't eat nearly as much
nowadays as I used to even five years ago, I just took a normal sized plate for
myself, which as you can see isn't much more than a regular restaurant meal but
it still took me a fair bit of time to work my way through at my desk:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PPH-wHjLf_szUmJdQFKAt6CWOg4-8HMOTQ2spKeB5Yg4PDFEj58ZB2OLgdIVdXK4NWA-2F-p0vqlqEKb2CKVYziEl-DAIg-2zZhJR-LVF1bHb5mKNBK2CUeIIGxV9l0DGFgu699eoT8/s1600/20171214_121246.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6PPH-wHjLf_szUmJdQFKAt6CWOg4-8HMOTQ2spKeB5Yg4PDFEj58ZB2OLgdIVdXK4NWA-2F-p0vqlqEKb2CKVYziEl-DAIg-2zZhJR-LVF1bHb5mKNBK2CUeIIGxV9l0DGFgu699eoT8/s320/20171214_121246.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This counts as BIG meal for me nowadays...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I felt <b>full </b>for the rest of
the afternoon, and a few hours after getting home from work, my lady and I went
out to a second dinner at the <b>Victoria Model Ship Society's</b> annual gathering.
It was a fairly big affair with around 80 people, and though it wasn't free
like today's work potluck, I felt I did justice to the ticket cost with a few
plates of excellent food that included perfectly-cooked roast beef and
excellent mashed potatoes with gravy. We had some interesting conversation with
the other dinner guests at our table about the topic of real estate in
Victoria, and we left after two hours feeling quite satisfied that are time had
been well-spent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I went to bed feeling satisfied as
well and <i>not </i>overfull, which was perfect.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 15 – <i>THE LAST JEDI!!!</i></span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">After my regular 2-week massage
session this morning, I hopped on the bus again and the short ride later I was
at the Tillicum Silvercity theaters to print out my ticket to see Star Wars!
Just this week I decided to use my day off today to see the movie, as to date
I've managed to avoid ANY spoilers but I knew that couldn't last much longer. I
also thought that if I saw a weekday matinee, I'd avoid the younger evening
crowd, which would probably have much higher noise levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Turns out I was right, and I even
ended up with a <i>perfect </i>seat in the middle of the theater! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">SPOILERS BELOW!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2DQtlxUdETh0eHmVF2QclpFANUAgrr1EfkuufNbdlqdIyu_x3-eadPceSRAwYuvIYNZntzGDhbVpJaA3rFD9QYHeOadjNHDLjFHB2wBjpqIpa5H3dnonscUvcfILfDtBLNb2sFJUu1w/s1600/The-Last-Jedi-Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2DQtlxUdETh0eHmVF2QclpFANUAgrr1EfkuufNbdlqdIyu_x3-eadPceSRAwYuvIYNZntzGDhbVpJaA3rFD9QYHeOadjNHDLjFHB2wBjpqIpa5H3dnonscUvcfILfDtBLNb2sFJUu1w/s320/The-Last-Jedi-Poster.jpg" width="274" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I <b>thoroughly </b>enjoyed the
movie, as it made it a priority to have <i>fun </i>with the Star Wars saga
without mocking it, and any blockbuster that doesn't take itself too seriously
is a good thing in my eyes. The main characters all had their stories advance,
though to hear the fanboys crying online in various forms, too many things were
'left out' of the movie... but hey, it's already 2.5 hours long, how much MORE
movie do you think people could stand before it collapsed under its own weight?
Personally, I liked how the various storylines were intertwined with the old
lore from the previous Star Wars films while making room for new thinking.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Action-wise, there were some odd
choices in terms of what various characters chose to do in response to the
different threats introduced, and while some of them were pretty dumb( <i>bombers,
anyone? Casino trips in the middle of a space battle?</i> )it all somehow
worked together to provide a cohesive movie in the end. Even the 3-D worked:
not overdone, but tweaked just right to serve the story.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The most telling part for me when
watching any movie, especially Star Wars, is how long and how often I'm taken
out of the movie. For <i>The Last Jedi</i>, it was one continuous flow from
start to finish, and I left with a big satisfied smile on my face despite the
few flaws that the writer in me perceived. A great movie, and definitely one
geared to moving the franchise forward rather than retreading old ground. It
appears that the critics agree with me, though the <a href="https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/star_wars_the_last_jedi/" target="_blank">disparity between their ratings and audience ratings on RottenTomatoes</a> is rather surprising, though I
suspect mixed reactions on a film will only create even more good PR for
Disney.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I'll probably go see it again in a
few weeks, this time in IMAX!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 16 – Brain Pain!!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">So much for best-laid plans...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I woke up this morning with a slight
headache, nothing unusual for me with changing weather on the way, but BOY was
I wrong!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">By noon, my head was pounding and my
right eye felt like somebody was flicking it from behind whenever I moved it:
sure signs of eyestrain and incipient migraine on the way. I popped some
Tylenol but it was too late, and by midafternoon my migraine was in full swing
and my weekend was shot. It was the worst migraine I've had in years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">All I did for that evening was lay
down in the dark with cool cloths over my eyes and earplugs to drown out any
intrusive noises whatsoever. It was bad enough that I couldn't stand to look at
any sort of book, phone screen or video: my eyes were complaining that much
about both the effort and the brightness levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNtjFGKYqU3_j5DwZ_-CCIgwfNys7Pz3f3brGTGNPjbdOKbbsrsQvRbvo2PIGveBdbyAXdgzaLeQB4GSHUHaJqXaHswn7I2QtlYZCnyKsGGpnGWa4iuw03L7aG-7ZogrbisFXaj9rIpg/s1600/ocular-migraine-vicki-maheu-reversed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVNtjFGKYqU3_j5DwZ_-CCIgwfNys7Pz3f3brGTGNPjbdOKbbsrsQvRbvo2PIGveBdbyAXdgzaLeQB4GSHUHaJqXaHswn7I2QtlYZCnyKsGGpnGWa4iuw03L7aG-7ZogrbisFXaj9rIpg/s320/ocular-migraine-vicki-maheu-reversed.jpg" width="256" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's kinda like this, only it sticks around longer...</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What might have caused such a severe
headache and eyestrain? I ran over several possibilities, some of which may in
combination have hit me hard:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<ul>
<li>playing a few hours of <b style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">MWO </b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">this
morning, with fast-moving images</span></li>
<li>watching <i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Last Jedi </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">for
two hours yesterday in a dark theater, not moving</span></li>
<li>having some unusual leftover cheese
for lunch today, which I don't usually do as I'm still somewhat sensitive to
lactose</li>
<li>having prepackaged soy sauce on my
sushi for lunch yesterday before the movie</li>
<li>the severe weather change going
from high to low pressure ie. rainy weekend</li>
</ul>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thinking about it this evening, I concluded
that it was indeed a combination of factors: the movie, videogame and weather
together triggered an ocular migraine by straining my eyes in activities I
don't normally do together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Watching <i>The Last Jedi </i>with my
regular glasses at 50 feet away for two hours wouldn't have been bad by itself,
but ALSO spending a few </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;">evening</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">hours playing video games with those SAME
long-distance glasses staring at a smaller screen only a few feet away probably
strained my eyes quite a bit. Adding a weather change to the mix meant that I
was in for a rough weekend, and who knows if the soy sauce I had didn't tip the
balance, as it naturally contains glutamates, kin to MSG which is known to
cause headaches( </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">even though the restaurant where I went specifies that a
dozen at MSG to any of its menu items </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">). I went to bed early, and counted
myself lucky I could still function...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">So much for getting anything useful
done this weekend.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 18pt;">Dec 17 – Recovery... is... slow...</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today wasn't <i>quite </i>as much of
a wash as I thought it might be, though I didn't get all that much done
compared to what I had planned a few days ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I did everything I could to be able
to function at the minimal level as I fought my migraine, with the rain coming
down outside a reminder that the weather wasn't cooperating as a barometer kept
dropping precipitously. I found that if I wore sunglasses over my reading
glasses, I could manage to edit this month's critiques for about 20 minutes at
a time, and so I alternated editing with laying down in the dark with cool
cloths over my eyes for most of the day. Keeping the blinds closed helped, as
did turning down the brightness of my phone for quick checks of social media,
e-mail and the barometer, of course:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC3o18ixe2Cm_bkxtefo7oE5y07NxWtPFlwkLJDue7gZRznYP7OmoAmPH-wJ2gfGNeT77drIw-idPga1c9Ecw1x1wGLVAh7j1mK3iIQQsYTunYdjEk2S75tyh2eH7qlQdeOJ_GO9bvZw/s1600/Air-pressure-Screenshot_2017-12-17-15-58-31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="1080" height="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrC3o18ixe2Cm_bkxtefo7oE5y07NxWtPFlwkLJDue7gZRznYP7OmoAmPH-wJ2gfGNeT77drIw-idPga1c9Ecw1x1wGLVAh7j1mK3iIQQsYTunYdjEk2S75tyh2eH7qlQdeOJ_GO9bvZw/s320/Air-pressure-Screenshot_2017-12-17-15-58-31.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Down goes the pressure, up goes the pain - this time, at least.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">By early evening, I was done the
critiques and able to work on my blog, though admittedly with the brightness on
the TV turned almost completely off. I was still trading 20 min. of writing for
20 min. to resting, which seemed to work enough to allow me to finish writing
my blog, though by 8 PM my eyes were tired no matter what I did and I was
dictating it via Dragon naturally speaking with my eyes closed and correcting
whatever errors I could spot after I was finished each paragraph. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">By 9pm I was finished, though it'd taken me twice as long to write, and I didn't know if I'd be able to finish it when I started before dinner. I'm hoping that I'll wake up tomorrow with only a lingering headache so I can work in the office for a full 8 hours: I'm out of sick days AND vacation days for the year, so I can't really call in, which is a bummer feeling to go to bed still head-hurting with.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyGDoCqu8mO9iKN-aMwfSNxCDrxH5rd1I-d309ruOiJG5HgpWSkQI_ZV8eJCd0ptff7oo-QJzhiS1xOkFq1tSAc4qY-hw2MmIRRCsjTiloN0lMBdpmxyfBEXE3OUXLJ5v1l-W1qDAMgo/s1600/Ask-me-about-my-weekend-MF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="283" data-original-width="426" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCyGDoCqu8mO9iKN-aMwfSNxCDrxH5rd1I-d309ruOiJG5HgpWSkQI_ZV8eJCd0ptff7oo-QJzhiS1xOkFq1tSAc4qY-hw2MmIRRCsjTiloN0lMBdpmxyfBEXE3OUXLJ5v1l-W1qDAMgo/s320/Ask-me-about-my-weekend-MF.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at work tomorrow...</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That's all I’ve done this week: tons
of excitement after watching </span><i style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Last Jedi </i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">tempered by a wasted weekend;
there's balance there, much like what the movie did for the Star Wars universe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">That's good enough for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes it feels <b>odd </b>writing about
my week, like I'm reporting on my own life and especially when I'm not in the
best of shape. The last few years have felt like a constant battle with my
health, both physically and mentally, but that I'm slowly gaining the upper
hand despite some setbacks here and there. All I can do is wake up each day,
figure out what I can and can't control, and go from there. That's the best
plan that I've could develop, at least so far.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , sans-serif;"></span>
</div>
Soronoshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15933629255128173126noreply@blogger.com0