Odd, Old and Oscars

I'm still on the fence about canceling my Vonage phone, but for now I'll keep it. Best times to call me are 11-1pm or 11pm-1am, EST... before or after my usual work times. All on that for now.


Feb 16 - Love those eyes...

Seems all that is on the news these days is doom and gloom about the economy. Yet it appears that some saw it coming... have a look at this video by a fellow named Peter Schiff. It dovetails nicely into some info I discovered about similarities between the current crisis and what happened in Japan in the late 90's... eerie similarities there, actually.

Having moved out to BC, then from Victoria to Langford in the West Communities, I've yet again struck a blow against expanding my social circles here. Not that I had a large one to begin with, after a year here, but being dependant on a vehicle or bus to 'ride into town' to socialize was not part of my original plan... but so be it. One never knows what the future will bring, even if you are Peter Schiff, yet we have to make plans and adjust as best we can. While I enjoyed riding my bike to work last year, this year since I'm not feeling so good, perhaps it's best to limit my rides to recreation for now. Of course, I could always sign up for one of these seminars...

Who knows? If I ever ran across someone with eyes like Tilda Swinton, who was the White Queen in The Chronicles of Narnia, I might just dive in and get lost. The future in an eyeblink...

Feb 17 - The End is in site...

A few years ago, I reprogrammed one of my routers to use OpenDNS, which is a simple way to surf the 'net faster - this bit explains it a little better than I could. I just reprogrammed one of my routers with OpenDNS this week, nothing like getting speedier 'net access... for free. Considering I've just upgraded to the fastest version of cable with Shaw.ca, things around here should be pretty speedy now.

Surprisingly, the economic slump has postponed the demise of dialup 'net access, whose budget price is very appealing when trying to figure out to save a buck.

This doesn't help those without internet access at work, like myself - the silicon highway doesn't exist for me, save for 'approved' sites such as 411.ca or other sites that make my job easier. Yet blocking sites like Facebook may not be such a good idea for businesses, overall, and while I admit that some people might abuse the privilege, not having 'net access at work these days is annoying to most.

Feb 18 - Growing up G33k...

Brian, this one is for you: Doctor Who... as an anime character. Animated, no less!

On the topic of Doctor Who, it brings back memories of the 70's, and all those TV shows that I grew up with. In addition to Doctor Who, there was The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers, Battlestar Galactica... and many more. There is an amazing picture here that one artist has created that immortalizes the best of these shows... I was impressed with the detail that was put into it!

Yet modern era technology has let us do things yet-unthought of back then.... take Google Earth, for example. Recently, they added seafloor data to the application... and one intrepid soul with FAR too much time on his hands was trawling through it when he made an amazing discovery. Is it true? We'll see.

Then again, we have some controversial ideas popping up regarding internet use, so who's to say things weren't better back when the quickest way to reach out and touch someone was a phone?

Feb 19 - Linkup at work?

Work is work, and of late is proving to be rather wearing. Tax season is ramping up, and being the only person at my branch means that my task-juggling skills are being stretched every day. While not physically taxing, the always-on all-day mental challenges have proven to be rather exhausting, though so far I've been up to the tasks at hand. I can say it's NOT boring, not that it ever was really...

Speaking of work, here's links to the sites for some of my friends, who put a LOT of hard work into 'em:

The Art of Brian Thomas Woods

Jinx The Black Cat - From Mike, plus Newt & John!

ImageryFusion.com - yay Pierre!

Also, thanks to Paulino for posting this link about credit balance scams... informative video, watch it and decide for yourself if you need it. Especially in this era of job insecurity.

Feb 20 - What are they thinking???

This week has been bacon-free, mainly because I blundered across this story... which while unrelated in terms of food still just plain old grossed me out. Though not as much as the receipies I found here, which should probably only be served around Halloween time. Except the brain food, of course!

Perhaps it falls under the category of Odd News, which I have always enjoyed, usually from the decades-old News of the Weird column that has appeared in many papers throughout the continent.

One little tidbit I picked up from a Mythbusters episode: just as helium can make your voice squeaky, other non-toxic gases can alter it the other way too. Neat!

Lastly, it seems I am not alone in changing my diet... Andy Walker recently had to remove coffee from his daily menu. Fortunately, I never took up the habit, along with drinking, smoking, or skydiving... so at least I can narrow down any health issues without those complicating factors.

Feb 21 - Waiting

I'm waiting for the Watchmen movie to come out March 6th, with bated breath. Until it does, I'll have to content myself with some amazing photo galleries, like this one. Plus, I just found out about this gem... the mini-comic from the Watchmen story, The Black Freighter, will be coming out as it's own DVD, voiced by Gerald Butler of 300 fame.

Having cable TV for the last few weeks has proved to be less of a temptation than I thought, overall. While I missed some shows like Mythbusters, or the Space Channel, in general I find myself flipping through the Shaw electronic Program Guide( love it, $2.99 a month! )for long minutes without finding anything I really want to give up my time in hour-long chunks for. I think what appeals to me about live TV is that I don't have to fiddle with loading a DVD... which says something about couch potato motivation. Still, watching Adam and Jamie test the ancient Chinese rocket-firing hwacha was amazing!

Feb 22 - Oscars

My first day off, and it's been most enjoyable though it's going far too fast. The sun came out for a few hours this afternoon, and that attracted a huge flock of robins to the front lawn in search of worms. Barely ten feet away through the windows of my living room, they were happily plucking wrigglers from the dirt before my eyes - I've never seen so many of them all at once. Tristan watched avidly too.

Watching the Oscars tonight as I wrote this blog, I was struck by how upbeat and non-ax-grinding they were compared to past years. With Hugh Jackman as an energetic host, plus various changes to the programs, the show tonight was a definite Feel Good Experience for the audience.


Well, another few hours whiled away whilst writing this web-blog... not too much happening this week, but I still hope you enjoyed it!

Logs, Love, Lighting

Just another week... thankfully though, we are well past the most depressing day of the year. Good news, that... now let me turn my sunlamp back on and bask in the bright light.


Feb 9th - BC is cool, so burn stuff

We used the wood-burning fireplace for the first time today, after the chimney sweep had been by earlier to ensure that everything was in working order. The fireplace is in a shared wall between two living rooms, with double glass doors on either side allowing both rooms to see the flames. A 3-hour fire log( just sawdust and wax )made a cheery blaze that lent a lovely flickering glow to the rooms for the evening, if not adding a whole lot of heat. No fan in the fireplace, kinda odd.

I also picked up some solar accent lights today to place outside, and looking back at them from later in the week, it makes all the difference outdoors. No longer is the front yard a black hole outside the window at night, but instead has lovely low-power lights leading down the front steps to the porch. Since they're solar, they cost nothing to run and come on automatically at dusk; time was, a pack of ten of these things would have run into the hundreds of dollars, but Home Depot had them on clearance for... can you guess? $15.00 a box. Amazing the way some tech advances, when you look at it.

Some odd things about BC: unlike the QEW and 400-series highways in ON, pedestrians and cyclists CAN use the highways( well, the designated shoulders )without penalty. It still makes me start when I see peds or cyclists slogging away at the side of the highway though; this site has some other differences that set BC apart from other provinces. But I must admit, the main routes here are FAR less congested than back in ON, as there is almost a total lack of large truck traffic on Vancouver Island. From what I have read, they mainly travel the roads in the very early mornings after catching the first ferry over from the mainland. They do tend to travel faster than the trucks in ON, which has led to some lively debate in recent years about making speed limiters mandatory - good, I say.

Feb 10th - Talking B-days...

Today was my sister's birthday, which like many in the last few years have had us celebrating it in absentia, as she has lived in AB for the last long while. As with all things, time changes your perceptions, including your perception of time. Where before dinner, presents and hours of celebration dominated with friends and family, later in life it really is the thought that counts, as people get busier and find that both time and space separate them from their loved ones. Be that as it may, modern tech tools like Skype allow family to see and hear each other over vast distances, which has proved a comfort in my life on many special occasions in the past few years. Still, being busy is a problem that means good communication is necessary to co-ordinate chats on special days like birthdays. Miss ya sis!

On the topic of conversations, I've noticed lately that many of mine tend to trail off; having a firm, upbeat conversational closer seems to be something I've lost my touch in the last year or so. Apart from 'getting in the last word' I've noticed that when dealing with customers, the start and middle of things are great, on any topic you choose... but the closer always ends up with 'enjoy the weather' or some other inane comment. How hard is this, really, I wonder? Does anyone else have closing issues?

Feb 11th - Laptop Organ Donors

Today was training day, which for me means getting paid NOT to stand at the counter or answer the phone. Instead, I spent time at another branch, learning how to be a trainer. Training to train, if you like, though I avoided any railway puns... showing unusual restraint for me, as it were.

Nothing exciting really, but there were a few things I learned that I hadn't thought about before, which was nice.

Lately, I've been browsing a textbook from the early 90's on Canadian business. Interestingly, it talks about the economic depression at the time and how it was affecting all aspects of Canadian business. Here it is 15 years later, and we are facing the same issues, where businesses have to become 'lean and mean' in order to survive. Again.

One neat bit of techno-fiddling today: I managed to network my Xbox and my new laptop. Not the easiest thing in the world to do, but after some trial and error they are now on speaking terms. Which means I can use the Xbox to access media from my laptop's somewhat-generous drive and display it on the big-screen TV... neat stuff. Sometime in the future I will get around to replacing my old Blue Frankenstein with a modern Vista( or Windows 7 by that point )machine as a media server, but not just yet - things still aren't at the "Wow, that's so cheap I can't afford NOT to get it!" stage of hardware. Though I do have an unused license for Vista Home Ultimate sitting on the shelf, unused since my parent's old laptop bit the biscuit at Xmas 2007 - I've been donating / using parts from it for some time time since, including giving the downstairs neighbour's old laptop a much-needed RAM boost and overhaul. Glad to see the old parts making such a difference for someone after the fact.

Feb 12th - Sneeze on a Groundhog!

Since our group yesterday was so on the ball, I have today off: we got through 2 days worth of material, which I put down to all of us being managers, as well as the motivated, intelligent people that we were. Also that we didn't want to spend a second day cooped up inside; reminded me too much of a classroom.

After going out for a few things, I spent most of my day in my living room organizing. I went through my massive VHS tape piles and got rid of anything that I now had on DVD, which still left at least 2/3 of the pile to sort onto the shelves. I also swapped books around, loaded a lot of useful-but-unsightly gear into the cupboards and generally made the place tidy to look at - again.

A bit of news about the common cold: scientists have taken the first steps towards eliminating it from circulation. There IS hope for a cure after all... check back with this blog in 20 years for an update.

In the evening I finally managed to watch Groundhog Day - I picked up the Special Edition last year, and the extras have some great insights into the making of the film.

Feb 13th - Unlucky? Naaahhhh....

Sometimes events happen on a Friday the 13th, which makes them memorable and lends credence to the moniker of the date as unlucky. One such was only 3 years ago, when a massive snowstorm socked in Buffalo NY, causing then-president Bush to declare the area a 'major disaster' zone.

There is also the massive gathering of bikers in Port Dover annually on the first summer Friday the 13th of each year. Last June, over 150,000 bikers showed up, presumably behaving themselves enough to be welcome back next year. This is a similar event to the much bigger Daytona Beach Bike Week, which draws nearly half a million bikers every March to the FL city, and almost always results in a dozen deaths and many injuries from such a huge crowd. Ten years ago, my family visited Daytona during the equally crowded NASCAR race season, and it was an eye opener. Ten-lane-wide main city streets were so jammed with cars that people were driving on shoulders and sidewalks just to get anywhere, much like Marge Simpson did with her Canyonero super 4WD in one episode. Crazy, crazy times that the locals say they leave town every year to avoid the incredible noise and riot-like conditions. Yeesh.

Feb 14th - Love Your Day

I wore a red shirt to work today, totally oblivious( on a conscious level )to the colour significance... but many people were amused to see red, so to speak, given today's date. I even received some chocolate from one of the regulars, which was nice: the candies were even in the shape of little hearts. Cute.

Valentine's Day is celebrated( or not )in various ways around the world. One interpretation I liked is from Sweden, where it is called Ystävänpäivä or "Friend's Day" where the idea is to celebrate friendship in addition to your family and loved ones. Some places like Saudi Arabia have banned the holiday, which has only led to a thriving black market in roses and chocolates. Candy heart smuggling, anyone?

While surfing around today for various Valentines-related sites( rejecting the sappy, stupid and commercial dropped the total substantially )there was a site that caught my eye: The Experience Project. This is a site where people share, well, their life experiences. It was interesting to browse the various groups, though you may be wondering by now how it relates to Valentine's Day.

Feb 15th - Not a minivan...

I went over to the local Winner's today to pick up a table I had reserved, one that will fit perfectly overtop my massively unsightly colour laser printer. Sadly, the darn thing is of such a size that it would not fit into my car: despite my best efforts, I had to admit defeat or risk damaging the vehicle. So I hauled it back into the store and decided to come back on Tuesday, with either a rental van or my two-wheeled hand truck to haul it the 1.2 km back to my place... out of spite. I really hate it when my spatial skills don't do the trick, as I can almost always eyeball something and tell if it would fit into my car. Well, I could with the old '94 Grand Am, but it had bigger doors and more space inside. I'll put this one down to my inexperience with the newer '08 Mazda 3, for which today counts as a big xp dollop. We had company over today too, which was fun.

Aside: For lack of a physical paper, I've taken to reading up on events with The Toronto Star online. For years, we used to get the paper in the morning, which resulted in having to clean the table of rubbed ink every few weeks. Having a physical paper in hand, reading it over breakfast, was always both relaxing and informative... not to mention looking forward to the comics section each day.

For now though, I will leave you with a picture from our back deck here in Langford, one that I think expresses how much I hope that this new place will help greatly reduce my stress levels and improve my health. Enjoy.



Since I've not ended on a quote before, it's about time: "In the end, it is the person you become, not the things you have achieved, that is the most important." -Les Brown

Comments, Cable and Cars

As you may guess, it's not easy coming up with New Stuff every week... kind of like when your favourite TV show comes up with a 'Clip Episode' that reuses a ton of stuff from the past season to make up for the fact that they've either run out of money or ideas, or both. So far in this blog, neither seems likely... heck, I'd LOVE to be paid for writing this. Some Ideas have already been forwarded... any more?


Feb 2nd - The Day After Groundhogs

I like Groundhog Day, both the event and the film starring Bill Murray. There's just something about the film that speaks to me, about an imperfect guy who gets the chance( once he recognizes it )to become the person he's always wanted to be, through simple trial and error. Though there are no consequences to his actions, as he repeats his day over and over, he doesn't turn to violence but instead turns outward to help others, as well as inward to better himself. A lovely thought, and too rare... this site gets into some great detail about the messages of the film. Though I wonder if Bill Murray's other film with groundhog cousins in it may illustrate that most folk don't know there's a difference between the little furballs.

Each year around this time, I try to re-watch the film, but this year it will have to wait until later in the week - just too busy and too tired with the move. There's always something to unpack, move around or put on a list to purchase when its discovered that we're out or simply don't have it, like phone cords or the like.

This has to do with the whole darkness / winter thing that people go through every year: Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD for short. Unless you're a Gremlin, bright lights usually help keep folk from feeling down. I'm lucky in that my workplace faces towards the west, so I get light all day long and even a peek at sunset through the masses of windows that enclose my corner-built branch. Sunshine! Not the film either, which I just bought this week - who wouldn't want to get within hugging distance of a star?

Feb 3rd - Russian Empire

The Death Star - who wouldn't want to have the keys to this Ultimate Weapon, floating in orbit just waiting to blast a planet or two into dust? Uninhabited planets, of course! I've always wondered just how much it would cost to construct. Now, someone has come up with a dollar figure, based on the materials contained in the moon-sized battlestation - can you guess how many times the current U.S. National Debt the figure is?

On a related note: Darth Vader helmets... as re-imagined by top artists, on display at the Warhol Museum.

The Russians know a thing or two about breakfast, as well as how to build really big things - maybe someone should have suggested a Death Star to them in the 70's ? The gigantic construction in the photos is known as the Woodpecker, an early-warning radar system developed during the Cold War that could see missiles over the horizon. It got its name from the tapping sound it made on radio sets all over the world at certain frequencies. Thankfully, it was shut down and abandoned decades ago... leaving the giant metal skeletons to rust slowly in obscurity.

Feb 4th - Car Confidence

My parents had been looking at perhaps getting a new vehicle this week, a Mazda 5, as my mother has been having trouble getting out of our Mazda 3 lately, due to several medical reasons. They had been dealing with Pacific Mazda in Victoria, the same ones that they had purchased their current car from. Sadly, even given the current economic climate, the salesfolk at Pacific did not proceed with my parent's best interests in mind... which I deduced from what they had told me up to this point. So, I went in today in the morning to sit in on their appointment, and was rather annoyed with the indifference and vagueness of the sales pitch - it was as though the staff expected to spout off a few numbers and then watch as my parents signed on the dotted line, dazzled by the opportunity they were being given to throw their money at the dealer in large wads.

Needless to say, the sale didn't happen, and after work today I went into detail with my parents about how a lot of the car sales industry works, relating it to the techniques and information presented by Pacific to them this past week. My favourite was the 'Flow Chart', a vague collection of scribbled half-numbers in circles joined by lines criss-crossing the page - supposedly outlining the value of their trade-in, package options and 'discounts' being offered. My parents won't be going back to Pacific except for service, as they are the only Mazda dealer for fifty km in any direction, which likely explains their 'Only Game In Town' attitude they took with their sales pitch. I know it's a game, and that the rules are subtle... but neither side should ever assume the other are ignorant of ANY common sense.

Feb 5th - The Cable Returns.. or re-runs?

Moving on towards the end of the week... I will be SO glad to get a day off work, at home...

The cable guy was at out new place this week, and gave us good news: the signal into the house is plenty strong enough to support all the TV's in the place, plus a few more if needed. This can be an issue depending on the quality of the signal in your neighbourhood, as happened to us in Fonthill, where an extra line( at no charge )had to be run in to ensure a stable signal for all the outlets in use. This bodes well for fast internet speeds, assuming things stay working, which they haven't so far.

Now that I have cable again, I find myself reluctant to watch TV - odd, but I consider it mostly a waste of my time now. Considering I am out of the house for at least ten hours a day now, my time is becoming even more valuable, especially as work is getting busier with tax season and the ton of daily details that being a manager entails.

Still, there are a few shows I want to catch up on: BSG, which is in its final season & final episodes right now, plus The Sarah Connor Chronicles, which continues to surprise me with the quality of its writing as well as production values. The Terminator franchise, which is releasing Terminator: Salvation this summer, has often made me wonder about the intricacies of time travel. Someone has helpfully looked into how Skynet could make better use of its resources in killing John Connor than sending back machines shotgun-style to be mangled in various desperately-contrived ways. So, assuming that Skynet is listening, we're all doomed....

Feb 6th - Smiling... ack! Zombies!

The evening piled on, with a nice ending: my last customer of the night, a regular, gushed at how she loved coming to my branch because I was so efficient, friendly and professional. When I joked she should tell others, she surprised me by grabbing a comment card and stating firmly that she would send it in Monday with glowing comments. Needless to say, after having had several other customers( bad apples all )send in not-so-great cards, this response left me with a happy grin until I left for the night.

Apparently other people wanted to leave people with a smile a few weeks ago in Texas: hackers altered a few road signs to produce amusing messages. Go have a look. Makes me long for the days when things were hacked for the fun and the challenge, and not in order to make money, cause disruptions for millions of people or to plain old cause damage.

Feb 7th - Books I've never read

An interesting place to visit is Privacyworld.com. They have a ton of useful info about keeping YOUR info safe, as well as educating yourself. Though I am very well-versed on keeping my info private( it took someone ten years recently to find me again! )there were things I didn't know there. Worth a look!

Tonight, I looked through my collection for that rare bird: a book I've never read yet owned forever. The result? The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley, which won the Newberry Award in 1985. Apparently I've had the book since around that time but never got around to reading it, which amazes me - looking over my collection, I can recount at a glance when I've last read almost every one of them. Still, there are still a few that I haven't read, or finished reading.

Makes me wonder where the nearest library is around here...

Feb 8th - Day off? Work 8 hrs at home!

I managed to sleep in today, and it felt great. Though this house is not perched in a sunny spot, it has two huge skylights in the roof, one of which is in the main bathroom. Sunshine splashing, soon enough....

After spending all day in my living room, I had all both the couches and the chair cleared off, and all the electronics working properly. The TV is hooked up, the DVD players work, and the surround system sounds great. After long experience organizing masses of wires, I have it down to a fine, if slow, art - now that it's all in place, I can use any piece of media and have it displayed on the TV, with the option of the sound going to the surround or just headphones. Once I have the rest of the room to rights, I'll be able to enjoy the room for any form of entertainment... even relaxing, by gosh!

The only thing that gave me trouble today was configuring the wireless internet connections. This is always a tricky business, and for the entire week I have had trouble with things interfering with each other. There are a total of four routers now sitting on top of my shelves, and after today they're finally programmed to play nice with each other - one for the downstairs tenant, one for my parents, a faster 'N' version for me, and a non-wireless one for my VOIP Vonage phone. Not for the faint of heart, that.

Good news about my own cable modem too: it's not dead, just not programmed for the new place. Whew!

Looking around as I write this blog late Sunday night, I have to say I am pleased with my setup, moreso than at my May St address. Here, I have room for my entire 3-pc couch set, surrounded by shelves at a good distance without crowding, plus a nice see-through wood burning fireplace. The room is sunken, and paneled on the ceiling with wood, with large windows at the front. It is a calm, relaxing room and I am looking forward to spending a lot of quality 'me time' in it... I don't get enough of that.


Comments, we had comments last week - yay! Well, one was more of a personals ad / sticky note, but the others were good - Trevor, I will email you, and Anonymous: The story proceeds... slowly. Thanks for asking!

Moving, Movies and May St

Tuesdays... what happened to updating these things Sunday nights? Well, maybe next week... I have a few more things to add to the blog, which I will do tonight - I wanted to get it posted today, so here you are:

Jan 25 - Tensity

I've been trying something different at work, to see if I can change my daily stress levels around. I've made the effort to smile and make small talk with every customer who comes in, moreso than usual, to see if the level of Friendly can be raised - for the most part, it seems to be working. This is different from the false cheer that I can't stand when I deal with some in the customer service industry, that gets turned on and off like a spigot - I'm making the honest effort to be nice and jovial despite being tired, cranky and stressed for the last few weeks. So far, it seems to be working, as I've enjoyed my time at work a lot more than I thought, even though I work alone every day.

Not that there's a lot wrong with that, really. I suppose if I was a slob, I could leave the place a mess out of sight of the customers, or not wear deodorant, or do a ton of other things that would annoy co-workers, if I had any right now. Instead, I enjoy the freedom of keeping tabs only on myself, not having to put up with other's habits, and allowing the occasional gaseous expulsion to waft free. Which has been happening far more often of late, thanks to one of these before every meal. Digestively snap.

Jan 26 - Snopes, you say?

Bacon: now for dessert... on chocolate chip cookies! Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?

Speaking about fattening... well, not really, but I couldn't quickly think of a way to transition from bacon to internet scams; did I mention I am tired? Anyway, everyone receives emails, often daily, about things that sound too good to be true: scams, offers, spam, and urban legends all clog up email inboxes, not to mention those annoying chain letter emails... If you tire of these things, just go have a look at Snopes.com to see if what you suspect is true, that the sender( if a stranger )is trying to scam you or a friend( if they are known to you )is passing along something they really shouldn't. Every known spam or scam on the 'net is on Snopes, which makes it a GREAT resource to tell Aunt Bertha about next time she fowards you a 'warning' about gangs tossing shoes onto telephone lines in YOUR area... :-)

Jan 27 - Green

Green is the way to go these days in all things... which is great, as it also happens to be my favourite colour. Nowadays, David Suzuki is feeling like he's part of the mainstream, as the rest of the world is finally waking up to the message he's been preaching for the last few decades. Looking around the globe, there are some fine examples of green architecture out there, quite aside from the R2000 home program started in the 1980's and current market trends towards ultra-green residential housing. Though what a hand-crafted wooden iPod housing really has to do with green homes is anybody's guess.

It also occurred to me that there's an opportunity for a major spokesperson for environmental causes to step forth and take up the flag. One whose very appearance both speaks for the difficult task of protecting the planet, and the consequences of not doing so. I am speaking of a fictional character, one who has a long history in the comic industry, as well as other mediums:

The Hulk. He's literally green, and gets angry...with polluters. Perfect fit, no?

Jan 28 - Comics and Tigers

Calvin and Hobbes. Who among us DIDN'T read this fantastic comic strip in its heyday, and mourn it's sudden demise by Bill Watterson's decision to just stop? Well, for all of us out there who still wish for some Wit of Calvin's, I present to you: 25 Great Calvin and Hobbes Strips - not perhaps THE Greatest Strips, but certainly some of the very best. You decide.

Which leads me back to The Far Side... did the general public really understand that comic? It was so far out there in terms of funny for its time that it made Peanuts look like the scribblings of children... though considering it WAS a comic, maybe that's a compliment. I do know the Far Side Halloween TV Special was WAY out there, but it was great to see those out-there comic panels come to life... creepy, distorted, surrealistic-in-some-way life at that. Gary Larson, we miss you and Bill Waterson both.

Of Fumes and Final Thoughts: Unfortunately, I had to go back to the old apartment tonight to finish cleaning the oven, which was the only thing that had to be done again - I'm not one for using Easy Off due to the fumes, but in this case the landlord insisted. At least he sprayed it in the morning so it had all day to work, as well as for the fumes to( mostly )clear.

Jan 29 - More on Moving

The unpacking goes well, coming along apace. I do some in the mornings, then more as I find the energy after work. My mom, though she is limited in mobility and has other major health issues, has been great as she plugs away steadily at the work - most of the rest of the house is already put to rights.

I suppose I should talk a little about the place: it's on the shore of Langford Lake, about ten minutes north of Victoria. Langford itself is a bustling place, with a lot of new construction and a ton of things going for it, with all the amenities including a huge 'power center' for shopping in addition to a vibrant downtown.

The house itself is a large backsplit, nestled down away from the road tucked between neighbouring properties and so sheltered from noise and weather both. The lower level is given over to another apartment, whose occupants we've met - friendly, quiet and accommodating folks. The upper level is more than spacious, with a giant kitchen flanked by a living room and dining room. The front has a sunken living room for my use, that has to be seen to be believed - pictures coming soon. There are two bedrooms, plus a master bedroom, two bathrooms( one of which with a massive skylight )main floor laundry, double garage... and a hot tub on the rear deck that faces the lake - what a view! All of this means plenty of space for my stuff, as well as privacy.

Jan 30 - Boxes Are Evil

Now that most of the boxes are either emptied or relegated to the Toss In Storage Pile, the place is looking mostly livable... except for my den / living room. I just haven't had the energy to get all the books onto the shelves, or do more than hook up the TV and the 'net routers to the cable connection. Which is odd in itself - the cable, that is. When I first attached MY cable modem earlier in the week, the blasted thing didn't work and still doesn't - naturally it's the one I bought, whose 1-year warranty expired two weeks ago. The one from my parent's place works fine, thankfully... and it's the one they're still renting, 'natch. *sigh* I swear electronics come with Warranty Suicide Chips.

While I am not exactly in the business of Evil Lair Decorating, there is something to be said for Evil on a Budget... which also segues into setting up a great Evil Lair. Yet what use would be an Evil Lair without superheroes to defend it against? Here is a list of the most popular superpowers that wannabe-heroes of today are wishing for. Strangely, being bulletproof is not high on most people's lists...?

And if you want to see something truly evil, have a look at this - "Roxanne" by the Police as sung to the tune generated by Microsoft's Songsmith program. Ouch, my bleeding ears! The horror!

Jan 31 - End of the Old

The month wrapped up in a blur today, which was even busier than yesterday. Again, I find it odd that I can go an hour without any customers, then five show up all within five minutes. There is no common thread I can discern, as they don't do it at lunch hour, or all get off the same bus, or show up just after picking up the kids from school... damned odd, but it keeps me on my toes.

Do you ever get the feeling that things are being recycled in Hollywood? Or in the entertainment world in general, mining old hits for new viewer ratings? While I usually deride such mediocre efforts, sometimes a few of these reworkings work out, like BSG and (hopefully) the upcoming The Prisoner too.

There are a few movies I am looking forward to seeing in the next few months: Coraline, of course - it's Neil Gaiman, why would you NOT see it?? Also the Transformers sequel, plus one I'd not heard of before this week with a catchy title: Monsters Vs Aliens - no word on a cameo by a Predator though.

Feb 1 - A New Month, a New Place

Sunday found me crawling around the new place, puttering and poking into odd boxes to find things. While I kept a numbered list of box contents, there are still quite a few things stuffed into various odd boxes and other places to try and find. I found myself in dire need of relaxation today, as the week has been simply exhausting with the move and the very very busy month-end at work. Fourteen hour days are no fun for a week, especially when time not spent earning a wage is spent hefting boxes around and cleaning. When was this even fun, I wonder? I know I enjoyed moving to Port Dalhousie, but after that things just became a chore... good thing I was able to do a lot more under my own power back then.

I went to my delayed company Christmas party this year, which was a subdued affair - since we had our budget cut in half, only two stores( plus me )were able to get together, compared to last year, when everyone met for dinner... darn economic crunch. We all met at Nautical Nellies, which is a steak and seafood place downtown which bills itself as "the Best restaurant in Victoria BC." The food was very good in decent portions, if a big pricey - similar to the Keg, which sits on a corner as well just a block down the road. It was nice, in a way, to just sit at a large table and talk with people, as I don't see much of any of them while working on my ownsome. I left after only a few hours, heading home in the rain as I was rather tired.

For those who like moving reading, I suggest Ebon Musings, where the author digs deep into the Bible for his own amusement much akin to the spirit of the Flying Spaghetti Monster. If God is watching, I don't think He would be amused... but I know He WOULD want a word with His editor about doing a Revised Bible. Or maybe a Coles Notes version?


All for now - next update Sunday night, since I have Sundays off. For now.

Packing, Parks, and People

I'm dead tired from the move as I write this, so I'll keep it brief. With links. Still no comments though? I'm mostly prepared... last year around this time, we saw a few.


Jan 19 - Good, Bad, Not Paying Attention

Copasetic - an odd word. Look it up.

I could write a lot of things here, but today I choose to simply say I am ambivalent. I've had a lot to think about lately, and it's left my mind feeling rather wrung-out. Coming to a lot of realizations about Life, The Universe and Everything has not been fun some days. One thing that has bothered me has been what I term 'Life Withdrawal' where someone finds too many thing are causing them emotional distress, so they stop getting emotional... at all. While this works fine for stress reduction when your car drops its transmission, it really muffs you up when the time comes to find yourself caring about other people's life joys, or even being social. Most people are quite able to tell when you are going through the motions, pretending to be interested in what they are saying... especially when you can't recall anything about WHAT they were saying later on - can't be bothered, you know.

So that's it for today.

Jan 20 - Packing Green

I took time today to visit the park at the end of my street, the one that I've never managed to climb around in. Yes, that's right: climb. The park is a series of rock outcroppings of various sizes and levels, covered in scrub and trees with paths in between. It faces south, so that those who work their way to the top of the cliff are rewarded with a stunning view of Fairfield and the Olympic Mountains beyond. Being a beautiful sunny day, it was just amazing... the rocks, the green of the trees and grass( in winter! )and the misty cloud layer that the mountains rose above like the homes of the gods.

Too bad I'm moving out of the area.

While packing, I've found a few things that I didn't know I still had, forgotten about, or that I just haven't used - the usual. Take for instance, the Milton Bradley Gamesmaster series - lovely games that came out in the 80's, the most popular of which was Axis & Allies. While I still have the games with me, I have no-one to play them with any more... devoting an entire evening to a game session just isn't in the cards for folks in my social bracket / age category. A shame, as they're great games.

I just don't want to find myself talking about duplicate Bridge with someone anytime soon.

Jan 21 - What, me evil?

If you are an Evil Genius, you may find yourself too busy to take care of the smaller things... hence, hiring the Henchmen, those poor underworked slobs who are cannon fodder for the villain's plans. Thankfully there is help for these minimum-wage, high-mortality fellows: the Henchman's Helper.

Plus, if the Evil Genius boss decides to leave you hanging in the wind when the heroes come calling guns-a-blazing, good news: cloaking devices may soon be in the local Henchman Depot.

In the meantime, while you wait for your personal invisibility hoodie, you can look over the original handbook for wannabe Evil Geniuses: How to Win Friends and Influence People. Lots of laughs.

Next week: Evil Lair Decorating - without a single doomsday device in sight!

Jan 22 - So I told the Jedi I didn't want any lightsaber insurance...

Someone told me today I look like George Lucas, and not for the first time. Though I am not sure it's a compliment, as Mister Star Wars has totally gray hair and is not exactly slim and trim anymore.

Better than resembling Rush Limbaugh, I guess.

As you may have noticed, this week I am running rather short on sentences. For those of you that brevity appeals to, I offer you One Sentence - stories told in a single sentence. Go see.

Jan 23 - Countdown

Another busy day at work, but at least it was jerk-free. The sun was out most of the day, so people were in a cheerful mood. It also helps that I am now quite familiar with most of the regular customers at the branch, as I am there almost every day the place is open, being the only staff member. So that helps with keeping things smooth, as I know the names of 9 out of 10 people who walk in the door immediately. We do a lot of Western Union sends, especially to the Philippines, so I imagine if I ever attended a local Filipino cultural event, half the people there would know who I am... strange but true.

After work, I helped my parents pack some final items at their place, large or awkward things that they couldn't do themselves. Which twigged me to a realization that perhaps older people stay in the same residence for decades because it is just too much effort to pack things for a move... not to mention expensive if you're on a limited pension. Lifting TV's around, even smaller or flat ones, is not easy for those no longer in their prime. Even wall mirrors become heavy, awkward things that are best left in place rather than risk a shattering drop if they prove too much to handily.

Jan 24 - Tick... Tick... Move

Up early to do some final packing. My parents are moving today, so they're up too in order to, well, get things in order. Not me though; I have to work today.

I kept in touch with them to ensure all went smoothly, as we were using the same movers as last time, A to B Moving - they impressed me with their speed, careful handling of our possessions, and their reasonable rates. They were done moving my parents after only 4 hours all told, from packing the truck to unloading, with nary a dropped box in the lot. Very low stress, and I will be adding glowing reviews of them to a few websites as soon as I get the chance.

After work, I went back to my condo to finish packing a few final boxes, around a dozen all told. The piles of cardboard are man-high in most places, and have the added benefit of really retaining the heat despite the very low temperatures outside. I finally left around 11pm, tired but confident of a successful move tomorrow.


And... more on the move next week. No mention about the visitor from Jan 15th, though I will get the pictures posted... once I find them.

Holgrams, Humour and Hunger

Well, we went from 5 comments the week before, to 0 comments for last week; kinda like the yo-yo stock market. Which may be good, as things go, so maybe no news is good news, in these turbulent(-ish) times. So this week's and next week's blog: minimalist. Cue applause.

Jan 12th - Sunshine and Vikings

Just a gorgeous Monday here in Victoria; sunny all day, highs around ten degrees with no snow. Of course, the lovely weather means lots of people out, and I get to see a lot of foot traffic from where I am, stuck in a glass box. Which is nicer than being stuck in a back office with no view on a sunny day, though less cruel in some ways. I really, really like the lack of snow here... makes me smile.

I almost didn't have an entry for Monday, apart from that, until I read about this movie: Outlander. It's a story that took 18 years to bring to the screen, it has vikings in it... and aliens. Looks like quite a film, as it has a ton of solid names attached to it, including John Hurt and Ron Perlman of Hellboy fame. Watch for it!

Jan 13 - Superpower Boxes

The apartment is stacked with boxes now, some of them higher than I am, due to the extreme lack of extra space. Having learned from my last moving experience, the boxes are now simply numbered with a master list kept by yours truly so as to avoid temptations for boxes labelled 'camera' to disappear en route. Fortunately it is a short move, as such things go, so I hope that the two days off I've booked will be more than adequate for everything needed to be accomplished.

No superhuman moving efforts from me this time around, as I've not the energy. Though I could wish for superpowers, sometimes having them is not all it is cracked up to be, as this blog shows us. I have a few books on second-string superheroes, which are great reading; not to be confused with sidekicks, these heroes are stand-alones whose powers are not quite up to playing in the big leagues.

I've always been a fan of the Wild Cards series, edited by George R.R. Martin, which takes the superhero and plunks the concept right down into a universe very similar to our own. If you've never read it, you owe it to yourself to pick up at least the first book in the series and have a read. S'good.

Jan 14 - 7 of 9? I wish...

Existence is a fragile thing, but usually you can get a handle on reality even if you need a few supplements to make the picture sharp. However, a new theory may blow the socks off that: researchers at a German facility studying gravity have found data that suggests the universe is in fact a supermassive hologram - no, I'm not kidding.

Maybe those researchers should call up the writers from Star Trek: The Next Generation... nobody else has greater experience with the ways of holographic life as those guys. Especially how it can go wrong.

Or maybe it doesn't matter, in a world where people are more than willing to escape to such places as Second Life, where they can craft a better reality much more appealing than their dull daily existence here.

Still, life is what you make it( heh - still life! ). Eventually you'll end up surrounded by family as you pass from this mortal coil, or the other extreme: alone in your vast mansion, surrounded by sycophants who are only there to ensure a place in your will for a piece of your vast fortune.

Either way is better than a lot of other alternatives... well, except for immortality, but nobody's quite got that figured out. Yet.

Jan 15 - Day 9 of 9 and a Visitor

Today just rolled by, as I was feeling rather beat on this, the last day of 9 in a row working. I was glad to go home and relax, despite the chaos of boxes all around. Most of my plates and cutlery are packed, with a few left for daily use, along with all my books and DVD's so entertainment is limited to the 'net and the Xbox... which will also be packed shortly.

I had an unexpected visitor at the door today, one who has been by to see me several times already. More on this next week, I hope, when I have pictures.

One nice thing is that the NWN group I game with has seen a rise in numbers since the holidays, with a surprising number of new players dropping in to see the server. I've been stunned to encounter several folk who had actually read some of my Nichneven stories, which tickled me no end, I tells ya. It's good to be 'established' in that regard, in that people arrive fresh to the server and already have a sense of 'place' when they wander around to explore. Warms m'heart, it does.

Jan 16 - Lunch on the Prairie

I was up early today( my 1st of 3 days off )to fill in my passport renewal application, which was a nice change from having to go through all the rigmarole of getting one in the first place. The office was right here in Victoria, which was also nice; it moved into the top level of the Bay Center, which makes it quite convenient to get to and as an added bonus for the employees, it is set next to the food court - lunch breaks!

I didn't have lunch there though; instead, I wound up at the Prairie Inn, a place out in East Saanich that was established back in 1859... which perhaps explains why there is no website for it. The pub decor is eclectic, the ceilings are low and the whole place has that ramshackle feel of rooms added one by one as the space ran out. But the food: that's what has kept this place open. I had a large turkey pot pie that was baked to a perfect golden brown, with just the right amount of thick gravy and a huge side Caesar salad. The chunks of turkey inside the pie were thumb-thick, perfect white meat... my parent's meals were equally generous in portions and equally perfectly cooked. We all left with take-home boxes and the feeling of being quite full.

I spent the afternoon and evening packing more boxes, thankful that I had kept all the old bubblewrap and other moving materials from the last move in my storage locker here. Makes the job easier in some ways, though as always it comes down to fill box, tape, label and repeat. When all is said and done, I expect to have over a hundred boxes all told, plus furniture and bags of various soft items like linens. One can only imagine how much easier this would be if every book I had was an eBook... fifty boxes right there, give or take.

Oh, and Battlestar Galactica had its season premiere tonight... which I didn't see, and don't plan to until after the move. For now, I will content myself with a few BSG webisodes, which may be the wave of the future: smaller, less expensive side-plots to the main show that fill in unanswered questions and such.

Jan 17 - Star Wars Nerds love bacon?

While g33k culture has flourished, the stereotypes of the geeky cousin, the nerd living in his parent's basement, remains strong in today's society. While I don't normally endorse ridicule of such unfortunates, I did come across a hilarious mockumentary of the D&D gaming nerd called Fear Of Girls, which oddly has a very spartan companion website - odd, given the series' popularity. The comic writing is spot-on, and the production quality is rather high overall, given the medium. Go have a laugh.

If you liked that, you'll snort milk from your nose when you see this: The first Star Wars Trilogy as told by someone who hasn't actually seen it... in less than 4 minutes.

And what would this blog be without mention of bacon? This week, for those of you with a BBQ gleam in your eye for the first day of spring( months hence )I present: the Bacon Explosion!

Jan 18 - Half-Life 2

While I was out yesterday, I picked up The Orange Box fairly cheaply at EB Games. I've been waiting a while to get this compilation set, simply because my old PC couldn't handle it: it contains HalfLife2, both expansion Episodes, Team Fortress2 and the award-winning Portal... well, HL2 won a bunch of awards too, you know. I played it on and off all day, in between packing various things, and eventually played it well into the late hours of the night. I have to say I loved the graphics for the characters, but the background objects left something to be desired: often ladders and such appeared, well, flat... which is bad for a 3-D game. The story is decent, and the gameplay itself is solid... there are even such notable actors as Lou Gosset Jr and Michelle Forbes, who is also voicing a character in the upcoming Chronicles of Riddick videogame. Eventually I stopped playing, due to a combination of fatigue and the onset of a headache... the high pressure system here is still hanging around, which is great for the weather bu lousy for my constitution.


More cardboardy goodness next week, as I discover where I hid those missing parts for my computer... plus tell you about my visitor. Don't forget, you can always review my past blogs from the menu on the left, by year and by month - click on the triangle / arrows to see a month-by-month listing, etc.

Heroes, Homes and Halitosis

I'll refrain from further mention about whatever's wrong with me, as it resulted in some lengthy comments last week - not my intent. So instead I will continue to focus on events and things of interest here, along with the positive changes about life in BC. Happy thoughts.


Jan 5 - Real World Superheroes

The TV show Heroes was a smash hit when it started out, and despite a rocky road of uneven writing, it still remains a vibrant idea that seems to have struck a chord with the general public. Ordinary people whose everyday lives are changed forever by the discovery of untapped powers within themselves; heady stuff.

Apparently that sort of thinking has rubbed off a little, in unexpected ways. Amateur crimefighters have sprung up here and there around the world, taking upon themselves the burden of fighting crime and injustice in the streets. One of the most colourful is Citizen Prime, who keeps a blog of his activities that makes for some fascinating reading, as does the site for The League of Citizen Heroes( though the flag background is overdoing things a bit, from my Canadian perspective ).

One has to wonder what motivates some of these folk, though I suspect it is simple empathy for their fellow (wo)man, that they care what happens to others enough to do something about it. Their decision to do something, aside from joining civil services such as their local police or action groups, speaks to me of a desire to make something better out of society's mess. If we as individuals cannot empathize with one another, then we start to slide down that slippery slope towards the anathema of disinterest, where people become objects with names attached and so we lose a big part of what we call being human. Being a superhero can bring new perspective to one's sense of community involvement, to become a participant of solutions and not a spectator to the problems one sees daily. Kudos, heroes... too all of you who can get close to others.

Makes me want to go all civil-minded, but then I remembered I work in customer service. *sigh* Still, one wonders what would happen if a superhero had to hold down a day job... while in costume. My fave is the anger management counsellor; see if you can guess which hero it is.

Jan 6 - Death and Gaming

A sad day for gaming enthusiasts today: Electronic Gaming Monthly has bit the dust, just shy of its twenty-year anniversary. Companion magazine Computer Gaming World died early last year, after nearly 27 years tuning gamers into their needed hobby. I really liked CGW, even moreso than EGM; I still have some amazing issues, the crowning glory of which was their Dec.1996 issue, which gave you 425 pages of gaming goodness for a mere $4.99 CAN... how can you beat that in a monthly magazine?

And who wants to die, really? I mean, there's very little to recommend it, and as far as anyone knows, its both permanent and very boring. Apart from Terry Pratchett's amusing take on the character, Death has always been, well, unexciting and sinister. I did enjoy A Disagreement with Death, which is going for the bargain price of $0.01 on Amazon.ca - grab a copy while you can as it's out of print.

Two architects have come up with a novel life-prolonging idea: design a house that forces you to be active to live within its walls. While their idea has merit, I really do not think that living in their concept house would be all that safe on a daily basis; sleepwalkers would injure themselves in moments. It reminds me of a zoo habitat for monkeys, or a playground challenge area for really agile and active kids.

I suppose it all comes down to living; if you're a sloth, you move slowly though life and likely will end it early. If you run at high speed, you might crash and burn. I'm more of the moderate type; keep moving but watch where you're going, so as to avoid some of the bumps. Plus, it's better to travel with company than alone; who's going to take the scenic pictures and check the maps while driving life's highway? Oh wait, that's why I bought a GPS... though they don't have one with a camera too. Yet.

For those of you who wait every year for it, wait no longer: the 2008 Darwin Awards are out! Yep, now you can read about those intrepid souls who have managed to improve the gene pool of the human race... by removing themselves from it in acts of utter stupidity, though some get a lucky break.

Jan 7 - More Jerking

Just another day at work, though I did manage to have another oddball story to add to the list of Odd Things I've Witnessed at MMart. A perfectly normal-looking fellow came in to load some money to his Mastercard, using debit. As it is wont to do sometimes, my computer told me that the transaction failed to process, so I backed out and restarted the transaction from scratch. At the end of the second attempt, things worked fine, and I handed the receipt to the customer to have them sign it. At which point things took a 90-degree bend towards Weirdsville. On the receipt, the total showed the amount had been loaded twice( despite my PC telling me it had failed )and I opened my mouth to tell the customer that I would fix the error... but he beat me to it by demanding that I not charge him for the error. As well as demanding that I put it in writing; he was instantly rude and derisive towards me, not giving me any opportunity to interject my willingness to HELP and correct the problem, at all. Weird. In addition, when I was in the back calling the CSC, I could hear him berating customer service reps in general to another customer, being a total jerk about something over which I obviously had no control and was immediately going to fix for him( at no charge, no less ). Which I did, and when he had the gall to point out a single spelling mistake in the letter I wrote at breakneck speed, I instantly replied "Well sir, I did not want to make you wait further by running a spellcheck." Picky, mean-spirited bastard, I tell you... I refer you to my earlier link to The Serial Jerk, and would also add that when I read stories like this one, I am glad that I work at a place with armoured glass.

My opinion? Some people are nice most of the time, but can be jerks on occasion... then there are people who are jerks most of the time, but can be nice when needed. Telling the difference is always fun, as the jerks usually try to be nice when dealing with you for the first time... then when your guard is lowered somewhat, they let their true nature out with a bang - ouch. It's really too bad there's not some sort of licencing system in place; if people could just take a test to see if they are a jerk, then we may see more people taking a closer look at bumper stickers like this one. Which would result in some interesting stories. Maybe Steve Martin will star in a film about such jerks: oh wait, he already did.

Though one wonders... how can you tell if you are a jerk? I wish I could leave pamphlets on the subject strewn on the counter at work..

Jan 8 - Space Pressure

Battlestar Galactica has its final episodes coming up, and theories abound as to what will unfold. I've really enjoyed the show, even the 'break' season where they ended up on New Caprica for a too-long while, which was intended to reflect the USA's occupation of Iraq - nice, but it doesn't make for the same TV experience as a space-based show, despite the gritty character situations and writing.

I guess what it comes down to is trust: do we trust the producers of BSG not to screw their audience, who like that of Lost have followed the show along, enjoying the roller coaster of intelligent writing? Not that I expect BSG to jump the shark, but one worries, with some justification, that the writers have painted themselves into a corner at some point and have been desperately trying to figure a way out. No pressure: just millions of fans ready to jump all over you when that shark gets footprints on it...

I am also under pressure this week, though of a different sort: barometric pressure. The barometer has skyrocketed here in the last few days, rising to hover around the 104.00 kPa mark. Why is this significant you ask? Two words: weather sensitive. When the barometer rises, my head starts to pound; it's a trigger that many people seem to share in common, sadly. While theories are many as to the exact causes of barometric headaches, my personal research is leaning towards the reaction of blood vessel diameters towards exterior pressure. Given that the human skull is a series of closed chambers under various pressures and lined with many blood vessels going in and out, it stands to reason that some individuals will have a higher sensitivity to external pressure changes than others. The vast numbers of forums and blogs out there on the subject shows that for many, being able to predict the weather comes at too high a price.

Oh, on the note of Cylons: this is just the coolest. Well, when it's not on, that is. Mmm... chromy.

Jan 9 - Voices and the Doctor

A while back I wrote about cell phone watches, and the current lack thereof on the market. Well, the recent 2009 CES had a lot of great new tech, including a wristwatch cell phone from LG Electronics. Much like the Dick Tracy Wristwatch Radiophone of yesteryear, this new cell may( of course )herald the direction of things to come. We'll see how bulky it ends up being, as well as how actually useful it is, though with the advent of Bluetooth headsets, some of the drawbacks of having to talk AND listen with something strapped to your wrist are negated. The part I loved about it all? You can see it in this video... the phone used to call the wristwatch cell is my very own LG Shine! Sweet synchronicity! Though if I am honest with myself, my current phone will meet all my cell needs for some time to come.

Some news about Doctor Who; the new Doctor Who has been chosen! While this is a Big Thing for some people, I always wonder how far away from the Tom Baker standard the show can get before fan backlash snaps things back into line. Here is a bit about the various people considered for the role of the current Doctor, as well as some suggestions therein. One request: we need more scenes with the sonic screwdriver! And less with Daleks, especially if they are singing...

While singing is usually part and parcel of most Disney productions, thankfully their cartoon series have for the most part lacked musical numbers. One series I enjoyed immensely was the too-brief Dave The Barbarian, which was a parodied take on fantasy adventures. The show featured the voice of Jeff Bennett as the Narrator, and had some great writing with spot-on comedic timing. Bennett appears in many of my favourite old-school shows, such as Johnny Bravo, Freakazoid! and Earthworm Jim, and even appeared in several of the Baldur's Gate series of video games. He has quite the voice acting career which I find inspiring, especially as he is able to do so many different voices. Truly talented, Bennett... though I wonder if bad breath might make or break such a career? I know that Billy West, one of the most famous voice actors in the world today, had a lot to overcome to land at the top: he speaks about it here, a great read.

Jan 10 - Shared Plumbing

One of those things about sharing, be it bills, lunch or even bathrooms, is that you have to adjust to the habits of others. Nowhere is this more instantly apparent than while showering... and someone else runs water. The blast of scalding water or shattering cold jolts you out of your comfortable reverie; how many great ideas have been lost while in the shower to the inconsideration of others? One thing I will not miss about shared plumbing is all the other people using it at the same time. If I ever decide to build a home of my own, or renovate one, it will definitely have one of these to eliminate that pesky shower issue. And some of these. And one of these... and heck, while I am at it, one of these for good measure. Though we'll likely never see anything like it, the House of the Future still resonates today, as future homes are looking good, albeit still too darn large... and lacking fireplaces?

Going further along the concept of shared living, this site shows how modern ideas of living spaces have begun to change in the last decade. Given the huge housing problems that have struck the US from the sub-prime mortgage debacle, these ideas of smaller, shared spaces make a lot of sense. The days of vast sprawling suburbs, of huge isolated and individual expensive homes, may go by the wayside. While I am not a proponent of living in the huddled mass of giant apartment complexes, I am certainly open to new ideas for old concepts to make better use of space in already developed urban zones.

Jan 11 - Almost put my foot in it...

Today was day 5 of 9 in a row, not a bad stretch of working and not the longest I have ever worked in a row... but it still wears on you a little depending on other factors. One bit of news, good or bad as you take it: due to the general slowdown, we are closing on Sundays for the next while. Which will be a nice change, as I have worked almost every Sunday since the summer; I even have a three-day weekend coming up. Though I will be spending most of it packing. The place now looks like I am moving: packed boxes sit on shelves instead of books, and everything has that shambled, forlorn look as if to say "this is no longer home, so just get on with it."

After work, I was out shopping with my dad for a bit before heading home... and near disaster. While unloading my groceries from the back seat of the car, my dad put the car into park and took his foot off the brake... causing the car to roll forward downhill a significant distance. I moved instantly with it, whipping my foot out from in front of the rear wheel and so narrowly avoiding getting my foot trapped under the wheel. After some spirited reassurances that such would not happen again, I headed upstairs, relieved that my upcoming move would not be further complicated by any foot injuries - last thing I need. Kinda makes me wish I'd invested in a pair of steel-toed sneakers a few years back.


About all I've got for this week. It's just work and packing, rinse and repeat until month end... though next week, a surprise visitor!