Earmuffs

The cold air that has infused itself in the office is bordering on the ridiculous. I am sitting at my desk, snuggled up in my fleece with a scarf wrapped about my neck, my jacket on my legs acting as a pseudo-blanket and a small block heater warming my toes, bemoaning the lack if caffeine and heat. All that is missing are a pair of earmuffs and some gloves. If anyone has a pair to spare, please send them over, they would be greatly appreciated. [wink]

Building

It's a sad thing when you see an area of trees destroyed in order to make room for what will be an office building.

A Very Belated Birthday.

The delicious and very yummy Big Pink Cookie celebrated her Birthday this weekend, and somehow we managed to completely miss it.

Wishing you a very happy belated birthday Christine. Hoping that your day was filled with love, laughter and giggles. Wishing you all your hearts desires. May the next year bring you much love, laughter, happy adventure and all things wonderful. Many, many happy returns.
Big squishy hugs
Us.

Lies. All Lies.

… And they said the new environment would be more ‘user-friendly’. PAH! I can’t bloody well discern me elbow from me arse within their so called ‘new and improved’ menu picks. Liars. All of ‘em, selling me software with promises of stress free functionality and enhanced easygoing feature creation. And I, being the gullible fool I am, believed it all.

The white rabbit has run away with my time.

Busy. And late. Very late. Or grossly behind. Somehow my assessment of time needed to complete manual has gone all decoct and what I thought would only take a day or two is now bordering on three.

Back to the grind I go. See you all soon... I hope.
Until then I give you many beautiful pictures to look at.
Through other eyes

Reflections on Ice-Breaking

I couldn't resist the title.
While it doesn't relate to my topic, still:

Candy
Is Dandy
But liquor
Is quicker.
- Ogden Nash

In fact, I was referring to this.

I found it interesting.
Partly the coming together to overcome a situation, in this case nature. A not unheard of method for bringing people together.
But I find the choice of some of the group to be very interesting.

Hope it works, but I don't know what good it will really do for the Middle East.

Psyching myself out

I feel like I did when writing my technical report paper.*

There is a knot in my throat and I am having the hardest time getting anything down on paper. Which is strange given the fact that if I were in a classroom I would be rattling off explanations and mouse clicks like there was no tomorrow. Making sure that everything was clear and concise. But. Now. Now I am a babbling fool, who is not quite sure how to properly expound on the ideas and explain the concepts, let alone list the steps. I keep stalling and when I actually do have something to write I doubt that good enough, which in turn makes me feel even more overwhelmed. It is enough to make a person want to scream and pull out their hair in frustration. Why. Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why do I distrust my abilities? Damnitalltohell.

Anyone feel like volunteering their mad typing skills? I know that if I could dictate the concepts to someone, pretending that I am in a classroom while they typed, things would go a lot better. Or not.

*Not sure what it is state side, but from where we hail from it’s the last technical paper that we write in order to graduate from engineering.

It took me one painful week to write and 4 months of prep. Once completed, I thought I would never have to go through that amount of writing angst again. And I swore that I would never let myself fall into the ‘psych yourself out/poorly prepared’ trap again. Yet here I sit, knots in stomach, mouth as dry as the Sahara desert, feeling exactly like I did all those years ago. [wry self deprecating smile] Goes to show you, some things change and some things will always sneak up on you unexpectedly.

The Reservoir

So, picked up a copy of Reservoir Dogs.

Finally watched it last night. And I must say that I didn't enjoy it.

It didn't captivate me, it didn't draw me in, it didn't even really interest me.

I'd stayed up until 2:30am to finish watching the Godfather a few nights before. Not as amazing a movie as I had expected, but I wanted to see where it went next.
Not so with Reservoir.

There was a lot of potential. Given an interesting choice of storytelling POV. But it never brought anything out.

I was expecting something a lot slicker, a combination of The Usual Suspects and Pulp Fiction.

Instead, it seemed to be more a case of an audition/rehersal for Pulp Fiction.

The pacing was plodding, the action muted. The story was confused in terms of what the desired outcome was.

At first I expected the movie to be about a job. That was sight unseen.
As the movie started etc, I expected it to be a little more tensely oriented towards finding out who the rat was.

After we `discover' who the rat is, I was left with the question, now what?
Worse, I found I didn't really care.

But I watched it through anyways.
I'm surprised the movie is rated as highly as it is by people, certainly on IMDB. I guess it simple comes down to the fact that it didn't do anything for me.

Oatmeal

Over the past few days I have had the weirdest craving for oatmeal. I think it is due to the weather, something about cold rainy days inducing a need for hot steamy comfort foods, one of them being oatmeal. So here I sit, warm oatmeal in hand, happily munching away, enjoying the warmth that it brings. My question is am I the only one who mixes trail mix [or GORP if you please] into their oatmeal? *

*Yes. I am a strange egg.

Name that tune

Anyone catch the Emmy's last night?

OK, anyone recognize the music that was used for the video retrospective that played for Bill Cosby's award?

I know I've heard it somewhere recently'ish, but I couldn't place it...

Anyone?

Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!

Today is International Car Free day in Canada. Most people, well hopefully most, will be leaving their cars at home and will either be walking, cycling, or using public transportation to get around town. So how are you getting into work today?

These boots where made for walking…

irony

... and after all my talk of a deep inexplicable desire to cook, bake and make crepes, Hugin and I went out and got McNuggets and fries for supper. [wry shaking of head] We be odd that way...

Salt Water

Salt water tastes bad, it really does.

But when a friend leaves his water bottle open on my book... what can I do?

A little bit of salt.
Shake thoroughly.

Replace.

Sit back and try not to smile.

Brunch at our place.

I have this inexplicable desire to make crepes. Hot, piping, yummy decadent crepes slathered with chocolate* and topped with strawberries and bananas. So who wants to come over for Sunday brunch? The crepes are on me and the coffee’s on Hugin, just bring yourselves and your favourite toppings. **

*Or Nutella if that is your preference. Though maple syrup shall also be at hand, along with blueberries.

**I should, however, give ye all fair warning. I have a deviant tendency of swearing wickedly when making crepes and have been known to put fishwives and construction workers to shame. [something about burning the tips of my fingers does not agree with me] So if you are in possession of more delicate sensibilities, I would suggest that you do not enter the kitchen or bring along a pair of earplugs. [wink] All are welcome.

Today be a Pirate's Day.

So pull up a chair maty and rest ye weary sea legs, there’s grog to be had and bawdy tunes * to be sung.

Official link.
*not safe for children
-->young eyes beware.

A-rovin'
In Portsmouth town there lived a maid
Bless you young women
In Portsmouth town there lived a maid
Do mind what I do say!
In Portsmouth town there lived a maid
The British Navy was her trade,
I'll go no more a-rovin' with you fair maid.
A-rovin', a-rovin', since rovin's been my ru-i-in
I'll go no more a-rovin' with you fair maid.

She swore to me that she was true
Bless you young women
She swore to me that she was true
Do mind what I do say!
She's true to me, she's true to you
She's true to the whole damn Navy, too
I'll go no more a-rovin' with you fair maid..

I put me hand upon her toe
Sez she,"Young man, you're rather low"

I put me hand upon her knee
Sez she,"Young man, you're makion' free"

I put me hand upon her thigh
Sez she,"Young man, you're drawin' nigh"

I put me hand upon her thatch
Sez she,"Young man, that's my main hatch"

I slipped me mainmast to her blocks
Sez she, "Young man, I've got the pox!"

smile. laugh. be merry.

'Cause some days, all you need is a little laugh.

Found at funny-pet-pictures.

This one is too cute, not to post.

Now if only I can get our cat to be this calm... though I fear that may just lead to an excess of posted cat pictures. Which reminds me, I should really update our photoblog. It's about time that we added some more pics. [wry smile] Ah the joys of procrastination.

Tooth achy goodness

Someone just brought in Krispy Kremes. They are hot, steamy and oh so fresh. However their saccharine syrupy smell is causing my teeth to ache. I can feel them rotting in my mouth as I type. [ow!]

Strong coffee shall be called for, and then we're going to gorge ourselves with sugary goodness.

Big Trouble, Missy.

Holly crap. I just found out that my little sister is travelling in South Africa! Girl, what exactly do you think you are doing there?!? Hmm? Following a boy, whose doing a stage just so you can gallivant about the world for a little longer? Hmm? I will be giving you a talking too, next time I see you. Oh yes I will! Just as soon as you decide to grace us with your presence and get your little butt over to the frigid white north.

Yes, she does have a knack for traveling to all sorts of place, none of them, which are a hundred percent safe. But then I don’t think many places in the world are 100 percent crime free, or safe anymore. Which is a heart wrenching shame as many of the less safe [? i know that there is a better term. though brain won't provide it. need coffee.] places have so much to offer to those who wish to learn.

Liz and J. Take care of each other. Be safe. Enjoy. And get back home safe and sound. Love you lots.
Us.

New beginnings.

Our warmest and happiest congratulations go out to D and M on their engagement this weekend. May your lives together always be filled with love, happiness, joy and laughter. Wishing you both many decades of wonderful adventure spent in each other’s company.

Our love always
H & M

D, I still can’t believe that we have only met, and already you are heading out of the country. It is completely unfair. Your laughter, genorosity and warm heart, but most of all, you will sorely be missed. Hoping that we get to see each other soon.

Here we go again…

I am getting too old for this. Stability and a regular pay check. Is that too much to ask for? And. No. I’m not asking for full out stability. Life needs adventure and a touch of spice every now and again. But, to be quite frank, I can do without the worry and the not knowing if my position will be terminated within a day. My body just can’t handle the angst and all out gut wrenching, stomach turning anxiety. Blech. Wanting to go home now and curl up into a tight little ball.

Comforts

Soft, blue and fluffy, the pillow sits upon a couch, a place to rest a somnolent head. Though she knows there is much to do, she curls up on the couch seeking to cocoon herself in its overstuffed girth. Shirking her responsibilities, a heavy mantle that she rather not wear she flicks on a movie, white noise in the background. The clouds gather overhead, dark and grey. The soft patter of rain lulls her to sleep, natures lullaby for a weary soul.

More Damaging

I don't know how much more damaging something can get to the current activities of the RIAA than this.

So hello RIAA, the artists are saying that you are deceptive, foolish, archaic and basically self-righteous.

And if they don't know, nobody does.

Cheers to the artists, I'd buy their cds if it weren't for the fact that they don't see much profit from it. So, next time they are in town I'll go see a concert instead.

No Wanna

Friday afternoon. The rough part. The weekend’s just hours away. Calling. Beckoning. A sweet siren voice promising hours of endless play. A twitch. A yearning. A need to break out and escape into the warm happy sunshine. Thoughts of ‘no wanna’ bounce in my brain as I gaze at the work pile before me.

Is it time to go home yet?

Bling Bling

Some days it's all about the bling bling.

munin
n. drugs, but also a secret code-word for cigarettes.
"You have the most happy munin, Billie."

Link found via Solonor

Two lights dim.

Johnny Cash 1932-2003
John Ritter 1948-2003

Rest ye well, oh weary gentlemen.

Childhood memories, consisted largely of country music, played in the background. A counterpoint to my mom’s need to travel upon the long open road. Filling the empty spaces between the rough transitions over cracks as we raced down the highway seeking out new sights. One of those was the rough baritone of Johnny Cash. His voice would fill the car, transporting us to a new place, diminishing the miles as we were caught up in the tale that he spun.

John Ritter, I shall remember most for his role in ‘Three’s Company’. It is a show I was drawn to as a teenager. I remember racing home at four o’clock, propping myself in front of the tele, losing myself in the slapstick comedy of the show. No, it may not have been his best work, but it is one that I remember the most.

Remembering.

Remembering the heroes, those who gave up their lives saving others and those who where lost.

flowers and bees

Flowers and bees, are sometimes hard to shoot as evident by the following snaps. These are two of my favourite though blurrier shots, modified in Photoshop, in an effort to salvage the pictures.

The first one was modified using the Watercolour filter, and the second one was given a Chalk stick effect. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the exact settings for either one.

You can also, if you wish, save them to your desktop. Simply right click , “save the picture as” and enjoy. [well at least I hope you'll enjoy them]

Flower: 1200x900 * Flower: 800x600 * Bee in flower: 1200x900 * Bee in flower: 800x600

Do you know the muffin girl?

Hugin has recently taken to calling me "The muffin girl"* As much as I love the man, I am not exactly sure how to respond to this new term of endearment. In my head all I can see it an overly rotund Munin waddling about, bedecked in crust and laden with blueberries. A rather outlandish and alarming image, not one that leaves me feeling frisky and/or snuggly. On the brighter side of things at least he hasn’t taken to calling me “Miss honking huge yuletide log” [wry teasing smile]

Now if you’ll excuse me I’ve got some muffins baking that seem to need my attention.

Love you babe. Always. Yours. The muffin girl.

*Yes. That's a capital T to you sir. And NO you cannot take a bite out of my...

So Wrong

I can't believe it. Today must be "annoy the hell out of me day."

What are the people thinking?

It's like suing gun manufacturers... hmm, that might be a good idea actually.

Or automobile companies for drunk drivers... or maybe the automobile company AND the particular manufacturers of whatever beverages the driver imbibed.

If there was negligence or something like that, I could see it. But I can't understand the lawsuits as things stand.

What about car bombings? Or the bombing in Oklahoma. Should Ryder be sued because the bomb was in one of their vehicles? Maybe the city or state should be sued because the vehicle was on public property.

It's just wrong.

A long time ago

So, I read that White Wolf is suing Sony over similarities between it's games and their movie, Underworld.

Crazy world.

If anyone watched movies right after Star Wars came out, we always thought it was a Star Wars riptake off. I don't remember any lawsuits.

You used to see movies come out based on similar concepts in the same year, with whatever theme was popular; boxing, pirates, hacking, running, space, blah blah blah. Where were the lawsuits? Maybe there were some...

Fantasy movies, books tend to take a lot that can be said to come from Tolkien. But Tolkien borrowed from other sources as well. Some of the books follow the same formula, we read them anyways.

Oh no, your book has a hero with a sword who falls in love with a female character who has magical powers and for some reason can't be with the hero. Just like mine, only your sword name has two hyphens and mine has an apostrophe.

Although the little thing with the Harry Potter imitation was perhaps too sincere in its imitation/flattery; I have no problem with similar concepts. Stories are old and many are told. Some stories are retold and are popular. A kind of, the names have been changed to protect the innocent. But involving what everyone likes to read.

Sometimes there are twists, and little nuances which make the book better. Sometimes a setting can make all the difference.
And sometimes we get a whole new groundbreaking change; rarely though.

Tolkien was good for that. As were the older science fiction writers of the time. Innovation in concepts and circumstances.

Star Wars was good, but not original. A Space Opera, it was a twist on a few things that worked. And it spawned more things and grew in popularity.

And that's a good thing.

Can't say I find the lawsuit very compellingly persuasive.
How many things have to be the same, or different, before something is no longer similar enough to be considered a rip-off?

To paraphrase/rip-off (depending upon your viewpoint) a line from Amadeus:
How many notes are too many?

Oh, here's the comic that led to this.

Because...

OK, the company Ubi Soft is changing its logo.

I can understand that. Their old one used to be a rainbow arc; nothing wrong with that. Their new one is considerably cooler in my opinion.

However, their statement on the reason for the change:
Why the change? To ensure that our brand continues to reflect who we are and where we want to go.

That has to be in amongst the most ridiculous things I've read.

It's a logo.
It represents your company.
If you are lucky, it is cool and easily identifiable.
Period.

If you think your logo is a statement about corporate policy and future goals... you're in need of some form of therapy.

It's a logo.
I've been known to doodle logos/symbols/stuff and when one comes along that I like, I keep it for a while and use it for characters in RPGs or something.

It may even have an artistic explanation.
You know a sun emerging from a valley kind of thing, or a spread of cards.

It is not my personal ideology in logo form.
This isn't zen logo.

It's a logo.
If they wanted something that reflected they should have bought a mirror.
As for who they are, photo id is handy.

And they should really get some new marketing people, because I'm usually not this caustic. But this just really bugged me.

5 years old.

Google's five years old today.* Strange. I was under the impression that I had been using Google's search engine for much longer then five years. Even stranger still is the fact that I can't remember which search engines I was using before Google.

Aside: Can we say ‘unable to get into the work mindset’. I am blaming this on the now ever present access to the intranet. Must resist. Must pretend that the world past my cubicle walls does not exist. Help!**

*Unfortunately the banner only appears sporadically.

**Which invariably means that I will be popping through sites like some mad women. Almost stalker like in my attempt to escape the confines of my office space. It is in this vain that I beg forgiveness for my multiple pings, notes and off coloured mad ramblings that I may leave in your space. My heartfelt thanks go out to all of you.
A mildly unhinged Munin

Gerbil.

Today we head back to our old offices, away from the bustle of contract work. We shall stumble back into our usual routine of interim office work. We go back to the manuals and software. Back to writing. Back to editing. Back to the mild twiddling of thumbs, self-editing, pulling out of hair and more self-editing. Back to the semi-coherent mad ramblings of a mind that is slowly spiralling down into a form of self inflicted insanity. ‘How do you spell that again? Is this at all grammatically correct? Can some else please edit this? Please. Pretty please with cherries on top! What?!? No. We cannot write these manuals using both official languages!'

As the age old adage goes: Let the fun/games begin.

Iron Man Update.

Congratulations to all that made it through and those who gave it their best. I am in awe of your accomplishments. Of those we know who raced. One finished, and one made it through the swim, bike and part of the run. Way to go! [loud exuberant cheering] Maybe one day we will join you in this endeavor.

Two people amongst many, who I am in awe of:

1,534 official finishers ...
Frank Farrar and Jay Handy came across the line just after the midnight cut off, brining our total to 1,536 finishers so far!
Jay Handy is a diabetic competing on insulin -- what a great achievement! -Ironman Updates @ 16:57

We got that close finish!
As the clock went through the 17 hour point here, the crowd remained to welcome Frank Farrar, who was just over two minutes away from being an official finisher here today!
He fell down just yards away from the finish ... but got up and made his way through the finish!
What an amazing achievement, on a pretty amazing day! -Ironman Updates @16:53

Hollywood Me

Just thought I'd do my part for Hollywood by mentioning a few movies I'm waiting to see.

So Close
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
Matchstick Men

The last could be fun, but I'm not too sure.
Certainly I'd rather watch the at some point impending Ocean's Twelve... yes, that's right, you read correctly.

Iron Wo/Man

Sending all our energy and go get ‘em vibes out to those of you who are running the Ironman in Wisconsin this weekend. Remember, “it’s just around the corner” “you’re looking good” and “one more hill, you can do it.”
Hope y’all get back safe and sound, with tons of pictures*.

* I have been told by those who run it, that running the Ironman is all about the pictures ;o)

On a personal note:
I am in awe of the incredible people I have met who train and compete in events like these. One day I hope to emulate them.

whimper

Could someone please refresh my memory as to why I volunteered to go into work on a Saturday?

MS Mouse

So aside from releasing a new mouse that will add tilting to the scroll wheel; something that could be very handy in gaming. Microsoft is also releasing a version in black leather.

To me, the vision of a MS S&M mouse is just too funny.

Not funny enough to buy and put little spiky bits on the leather... but funny.

Another Goodbye

Today’s the last day at the company for a while. Our contract is up again and with it comes the usual feeling of uncertainty and sadness. I really do not want to leave this place again; I am reluctant to leave my niche, the friends I have met over the past few months, the coffee machine and the feeling of belonging. I truly hope that we get to come back soon, and I hope that the time of uncertainty as to what we will be doing next will not last long.

some more please

Fourteen vacation hours left. Feh. It all goes by way too quickly. Anyone willing to write me a doctors note? All I need is another 48 hours off.

*Upadated photoblog. Still a wee bit behind. cough make.that.a.year.behind. cough

Flysui

This game is just a wee bit too stressful... so far I have only managed to catch 5 flies with me choptsticks. I think I need a drink.

Nations Capital.

We got back from Ottawa yesterday. The bus ride up was uneventful. Spent most of it jabbering on about inanities, going ons and falling asleep on each other’s shoulders. The bus pulled in to our National Capital about noon’ish, and I almost got us lost. It has been a little while since I have been back and I wasn’t sure which direction to head in to meet our friend. Capital Hill is that way. Erm. Is it? We spent Saturday roaming about the market place, taking in the sites and smells of downtown Ottawa. I finally managed to make it back to The Chili Store. The only place I know where you have to sign a waiver before you purchase the hot sauce.

Saturday night after a BBQ’d supper, followed by a delicious dessert potluck affair where we met some intresting and gregarious people. We made it down to The Heart and Crown. One of my favourite Irish pubs. I was surprised to see how much it has grown in the past few years. The last time I was there the pub consisted of two tiny rooms crammed together providing an atmosphere of warmth and familiarity. It has now sprawled its way into two more rooms and a courtyard. If you are ever in the neighbourhood, and would like to grab a pint of some good old Irish Ale, I strongly suggest giving the place a gander.

Sunday was a low-key day. Woke up, made breakfast. Meandered over to the Science Museum. Wandered about and furthered our education on all things related to Canadian invention. It’s surprising what Canadians have accomplished. After lunch we headed back to Capital Hill, walked about, snapped pictures and found the Photography Museum just as it was closing. I guess we shall have to put that on our list of ‘next time’ visits along with the National Gallery. After that we made our way down to the bus station. Stopping ever so often to take a picture or two. We spent the bus ride curled up next to each other drooling on each other’s shoulders and made it back home late sunday night.

M. Thanks so much for letting us crash at your place and schlepping us about town. It was truly wonderful seeing you again. We should do this more often, especially now that you have the hottub. [teasing smile]Squishy hugs.