Kiwi jubilation

A very berry Happy Birthday goes out to Chiquita, who is currently gallivanting about hobbitland with her beau. Happy birthday sweetheart, wishing you all the very best. Hoping that you had a stupendous birthday filled with much love, merriment, laughter and all things wonderful. Many,many happy returns.

Enjoy the rest of you trip.
Come back safe and sound.
All our love and squishes.
Us.

Periodic Update

Well this is handy.
Should put it on the fridge.

Not XRay Glasses

Well, they aren't XRay glasses, but in their own way they sound pretty damn cool.

Voice Stress Analyzing Shades.

I'm seeing a combination of effects from Predator and Terminator as the subject speaks and a little waveform displays on the lens with LIE - Terminate Subject flashing up next to it.

Computer Security

An amusing article for two reasons.

1) Supposedly Macs frustrate standard measures in terms of accessing data from them that is easy to do via windows machines.

2) When frustrated by the Mac, who do they turn to? The Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Love it.

Second opinions.

I have recently had odd burning sensations that start near the armpit and proceed to gallivant up and down my arm in some form of mad ice-fire race. Considering that this is the second occurrence I though that it might be a good idea to go pay a visit to my family doctor.

I arrived there on time and was sent right on through to his office only to sit there for a full 20 minutes, after an off handed hello as he played with an electronic rolodex. Umm. Hello? Dr ______? Can I give you a hand? Is this an inopportune time? Would you like me to come back when it is more convenient for me to see you? Having finally finished what he needed to do, he looks up and inquires about my health, work, my home life, Hugin and all manner of other things. When he finally comes around to why I have decided to grace him with my presence, he looks perplexed, ponders a bit and then says with little conviction that it may just be this, this or that. Having delivered his prognosis. He then proceeds to continue fiddling with objects on his desk. Umm. Dr_____? If you would be so kind. Could you perhaps recommend a course of action. Maybe medication? Causes? Anything?!? He then looks up sheepishly and inquires if I would like him to examine the area? HELLO!!! Why no actually I just came here for your very pleasant company.

I have known my doctor, since I was a little tyke. He has been there for flues, pneumonia, bronchitis, strain wrists and all manner of other maladies, bumps and bruises. To give the man some credit I will honestly say that in the past he has always been an excellent physician. To this day, he also provides excellent health care to the rest of my family. Conversely, when I go to see him, he dismisses my symptoms and leaves me with the notion that he believes that I may be a hypochondriac, resulting in a lack of confidence in his ability to make a proper diagnosis. I am stuck wondering if I should continue trusting my doctor to give it to me straight, or if I should find someone else who could give me a second opinion. [something that I am not exactly sure how to go about. ]

Segue: I really wish that doctors would indicate what lumps, bumps, twitches are normal and which ones have no business being in your body. It would set a mind to rest.

Mixed Bag entry

Sitting at work, drinking Earl Grey and listening to Shakira in Spanish. Reading about strength and endurance workouts and doing some work.

Earl Grey is quite nice, although I still find the bergemot to be a little off-putting, but not as much as I used to.

Shakira has a nice voice, and it was interesting watching an aspect of belly dancing showing up in her dancing.

The strength/endurance is for my latest effort which is going back to the gym. Yup, the gym. Not sure what got me into wanting to do this. Whether it was a sense of getting older, or wanting to be healthier, or being physically more capable which will allow for Munin and I to do more things together (eg rock climbing, hiking, etc.) In any case, I decided going to the gym three times a week for three months would be a good way to get in better condition and stronger quickly. Then I can just keep up a bit of exercise at home and out that will keep me in better shape, and by doing actual stuff (as opposed to just being in a gym lifting weights) that will take what exercise I have done and make use of it. After all, it doesn't hurt being able to lift your own bodyweight plus extra if you are hanging from a wall by your arm or pushing off with your leg. It doesn't hurt to be able to repeatedly be able to squat your own bodyweight or more when you are off somewhere hiking with a huge backpack on. So I decided it would be worth it and shall start Sunday if all goes according to plan.

Work, well... nothing really interesting there. But I am listening to music at the same time, which has now changed to "Concerning Hobbits" from LOTR. No complaints.

Let it snow.

Oh the weather outside is frightful, and the indoors are quite delightful. Let it snow. let it snow. Let it snow… Anyone know how many days left till spring?

Shaping up

Have been pondering the benefits of getting back into shape. Years of sitting on my derriere staring at a computer screen for countless hours has left once flexible subtle muscles stiff and inflexible. However, every time I come closer to a getting off said derriere a little part of me becomes wary of this endeavour which inexplicitly results in said arse being glued firmly on chair, not really willing to budge from the comforts of home and hearth. Considering the benefits of finally getting back into shape, this is odd behaviour indeed. The question then arises, why I am so reluctant to go out there and find a good place to work out at?

Anyone have any good suggestions on how to get off one’s fanny?

Wine, Fondue and Chocolate.

Saturday night was spent in the company of wonderful friends, toasting glasses of wine in a late celebration of Hugin’s birthday. Fondue, and Chinese fondue were served followed by fruit drenched in warm dark chocolate spiked with Grand Marnier. The festivities lasted late into the night, with our last visitor departing the next day. All and all a superb way to spend a Saturday night.

Thank you all so much for coming, your company is ever enjoyable and we hope to see you all very soon.

Monkey

Happy Chinese New Year.
Welcome to the year of the Monkey.

Now Monkey is pretty great. Here's information and here's a cute story.

I remember being younger and watching a show on television with Monkey causing havoc in heaven. It was a lot of fun. As his character as you've seen is mischievous but also noble. He's a wonderful combination rogue with absolute self-confidence and well, more of the same actually.

So I'm sure the upcoming year should be very interesting. Looking forward to it in a very un-Boarlike manner.

Monkeying around.

As Hugin indicated in the above, today marks the Chinese New Year and the Year of the Monkey. Wishing all of you who celebrate the Chinese New Year, a happy new year and prosperity.

Have been a little sparse lately; zonked, overworked, with too many hours spent with nose glued to screen are my excuses. Going to take a little break and leave you all in the very capable hands of my better half for the next few days while I try and recharge. And maybe, just maybe when I get back I’ll actually post some more pictures. [self deprecating shake of head] If I don’t succumb to that little demon called procrastination.
Lots of squishes.
m.

The Good

Alright, I've done the bad and the ugly in what I saw of Lord of the Rings by Peter Jackson. We have the Extended Version of both movies that have been released and will get the Extended version for Return of the King also.

So what did Peter Jackson do that was great?

Visuals. Maybe more thanks should go to New Zealand and the location scouts, but the choice of visuals and locations made a lot of the movie. The scenery was amazing. But visuals goes beyond locations, it also involves props and more. Having watched the special features, everything was beautiful, the weapons, the armor, the buildings, the FX were all beyond amazing. The care given to every little nuance. A beautiful example that was simple and all pervasive was the forced perspective that allowed the differences in height to be shown. An unseen example from the special features was a small symbol that was included on the inside of Theoden's armor, something that nobody in a movie theatre would ever see. A wonderful example of the care and dedication that went into the movie.

Actors. They were all brilliant. Maybe not my view of the characters, especially Denethor II in the last movie. But they were still brilliant. Believable, whole, and living. The Fellowship was well done, the cameraderie of the main characters was subtle yet unmistakable. As for Gollum/Andy Serkis, brilliant. The movies have been made so much more through him and the animation of him.

Music. Great evocotive music. Sometimes a bit repetitive but not in a way that clashes with what is shown. It supports the visuals well, and matches them also.

Dedication. Simply a great trilogy of movies, put together by people who loved what they were doing. It shows in the details.

Extended Editions. Sure they are a way to make more money, but more than that they are IMO the way the movies should have been. They flesh out the characters more, they give a better feeling as to the pacing, and quite frankly after all of the above points, more is definitely great.

After all of that, it is simply a wonder to watch the special features such as the WETA stuff and the bigatures. They simply amaze with what was done and how. While they do spoil the feeling of wonder you get from watching the movie, they give a deeper appreciation of what was accomplished as well.

Reliving It

OK, listening to music from Return of the King. It's the Minis Tirith music and of course this is reminding me of the gorgeous visuals. These in turn remind me of Faramir and his men riding out to charge Osgiliath. And then my head starts to hurt with the nausea...

He's the head of the Rangers of Ithilien. His men have been shown as being sneaky, woody, smart, cunning and on top of things. They ambushed the Southron men, they kept an eye on Gollum without his knowledge and captured him, they did a good job in the initial defense of Osgiliath despite the numbers.

Then suddenly it has them in shiny armor, riding straight for a hostile ruined city filled with bowmen.

Morons.

It's totally out of character and without any good excuse other than that it is flashy. The horses aren't going to do them any good within that mess of a city so the only reason to be on them is speed. And speed isn't going to do them any good in the middle of the day when they can be seen coming from a long ways away. The armor, also a giveaway.

It's a gloriously naive cinematic moment designed to get Faramir injured ala books without doing what was in the books, ie having him fall in valiant rearguard action to a Nazgul as his men make it to Minis Tirith.

We hatses what they did to Faramir. He could have been great, they turned him into a token. And gave him Eowyn, another great turned into a token.

Still a good movie, but sometimes I must agree with Gollum that Peter Jackson is a hack. A very good hack but sometimes...

t minus xhrs 18min &42sec

You know it’s going to be a rough day when you haven’t left the house and are already counting the minutes till you get to come back home.

Monkey Jobs

As seen at Steves, and as requested by Blork and Martine: 12 Monkeys, the list of the jobs/employments/freaky positions I have held over the years.

Lifeguard/Swim Instructor at the local “Y”: Perks pool time, anytime. Downside: waking up at the crack of dawn, donning a mildly wet suit that did not have time enough to dry from the night before.

Lifeguard/Camp Counsellor. The only downsides to this little gem of a job: Friday lunches which usually consisted of mush made of leftover from the week before and fire drills at 3:00 in the morning. Someone in the higher-ups had a rather warped sense of humour.

Retail Salesperson, Clothing store. My only stint in the schmattes business. Interesting experience, though I am not sure if it is one that I will want to repeat soon.

Retail Salesperson, Greeting Cards in a quaint little store located in a very dead mall. Lots of hours spent sorting out cards, ordering paper, and reading books behind the counter.

Science Demonstrator, two consecutive summers, two different places. One underpaid with a rather disgruntled manager. The other, well the other just rocked. Mad science, snakes, tarantulas and various other creep crawlies, microscopes, telescopes, Rube Goldberg devices, rockets, pyrotechnics, slime, liquid nitrogen and dry ice. A true geeks dream.

Assistant Facilities/Building Manager. Where are I learnt the value of a good floor plan, teamwork, and never getting involved in office politics, especially if HR found itself in the mix.

Bookstore/Stationary clerk. One of my favourite jobs; Hours spent in the company of delightfully eccentric people who are completely endearing. And. Books, books and more books, with handfuls of stationary thrown in to sweeten the deal, all for the yummy discounted price of 30% off.

Data Entry Clerk/Process Creation/Lost Package Tracker/Girl Friday.
Two summers spent sorting through data, entering data, fixing databases and tracking merchandise that mysteriously never made it into the buyers’ hands, answering phones, filing documents, wading through stacks of papers and coffee runs.

Data Entry Clerk/ Database designer/AutoCAD Draftsperson
An 8 months stint that lasted past its initial summer job status. Once again buried neck deep in data, inventory and databases with architectural drawings thrown in to add little bit of spice.

Technical Trainer: travelled to those mostly unknown places that you only hear about in urban legends to train clients on company software. Learnt a lot about my own abilities, people, and how to get through US customs.

Engineering consultant/Technical trainer/Tech writer/Your general replacement cog for the big cooperate machine.
“Need one, we got one, just stick her in and watch your company run. Needs no lunch hour or bathroom breaks. Will work 8 hours straight and then ask for more. Does not need any pertinent information, will sort things out through divination alone. All this for a cheap, cheap price that we the company will charge you an arm and a leg for.” Truth be told, I really do love my job, stress, underpay et al. The people are great. The work is challenging, the hours are mostly reasonable and I get to learn a heck of a lot

Hugin. V3.2

Today my beloved goes from being a yummy 3.1 to a delectable 3.2. Though he’d rather remain a younger, version of 2.4 or 2.5, like all fine things the man just gets more scrumptious with age. You may find yourself closer to the edge of the hill corazón, but jet-black or grey, smooth or wrinkled, youthful, craggy or aged you will always be the love of my heart. Happy Birthday Beloved!

click for actual size

Wishing you all things magnificent and delicious, on your birthday, my love. Hoping that your birthday is filled with much amusement, laughter, silliness and love. Hoping that all your birthday wishes come true and that all your hearts desires are fulfilled. Ti amo. Bonne fète!

Bonne Fête!

Happy Birthday Jennifer, wishing you a wonderfully happy birthday! Hope you have a superb day, filled with much love and happiness. May all your wishes come true. Go give her lots of Birthday loving!

White, Stark and Empty.

Ever have one of those days weeks months, where no matter how hard you try, your mind remains a blank canvass devoid of any real insight, thought or imagination?

Yes. It’s another weather post!

The adventure into to sub zero degree –40^oC/^oF*weather wouldn’t be so bad if the cold didn’t drain every once of energy that my body possesses. My little arse is taking a pummelling, and so far the weather has beaten me 5 days to 1. I feel like a depleted coppertop who has been plopped into a favourite toy one time too many and is now running on sheer willpower and fumes. How many more days till the big thaw?

sleep good.

Need more coffee. Must keep eyes upon. Must not fall asleep. Must… Not… Zzzzzzzzzz.
Who would have thought that the second Monday back at work would be tougher then the first. Six hours left on the clock, two coffees downed and I am no more coherent then when I stumbled out of bed this morning. Debating the merits of heading home early and making up the time later on this week, though if today is any indication of languorous fatigue, it is probably best to stick it out and save the extra hour for Friday morning sleeping in time.

Curses!

Curses! Foiled again.

URL Thanks to Blue's News.

A winter’s plea.

Please sir, please don’t send me out into the bitter wintry cold. Please sir, please don’t ask me to leave the warm confines of my happily heated home so that I may make my frigid dreary wind swept way into work. My nose will freeze off, my eyes will water and freeze shut, my toes will whittle away and blacken, and my fingers will freeze to icicles and break at the slightest banging. Please sir. Don’t. But if you insist. I ask you then, sir; how will I ever enjoy the smells of spring, the sights of summer or be able to prance about under the autumn sun, kicking up the leaves. But most importantly sir, how will I be able to type and use my mouse so that I may accomplish the tasks that you have set before me, allowing you to bill our clients and pay the rent if I do not have fingers? Please sir, don’t send me out into this unnatural winter weather, because in the end it will detrimental to us both.

Whimper. It's -38⁰C outside.

winter promise.

To you Lords and Ladies of Winter; when I find the prankster amongst you thought it would be a hoot to drop the temperature below what is natural I will wring your laughing head off!

You Know It's Cold

You know it's cold when your eyes water from the wind.

But you really know it's cold when your eyes water from the wind and it freezes on your glasses.

Learning words from Mr Gaiman

Cool.

Reading Neil Gaiman's site has taught me the word, "Faff."

It is a good and amusing word, I shall try to use it as appropriate.

9/11 Memorial

As you can see from headlines, the proposed winner for the memorial site has met with criticism.

The question becomes, what is appropriate for the memorial?

Having looked at most of the memorials, they all seemed a little... questionable.

Looking at a couple of more successful memorials, we have the Wall. There is the Tomb of the Unknowns.

How do you respect the dead, commemorate their sacrifices and pay tribute to their heroism while at the same time not diminishing the tragedy?

And something that will be seen by everyone to evince those qualities.

I can't say I know the answer to that, but seemingly neither do a number of others. So perhaps it is worth trying.

Could try and do something along the lines of the Wall. Names of the victims, inscribed on scale replicas of the towers. Made out of stone it would be somber, perhaps made out of glass, would allow it light and could also permit a spotlight to shine up. Problem with this is that unlike the wall, you cannot see each and every name readily, as the replicas would create height as opposed to length.

Or it could be inverted. Have a sunken area of one or several levels. So a walkway around which the names would be placed and perhaps images. Allowing for people to place tokens for specific names. And in the middle could be... Something rising from the ground, a statue (although not sure what would be appropriate) or effigy of the towers, a frame of the towers...

No running water though. Should be peaceful, not cluttered with the sounds of water.

Maybe a transparent section over the ground, showing the crater or a part of the original towers.

Whatever the case, it should be tasteful. Not some visual monstrosity or work of artistic genius. It has to be a memorial for people, not the architect. It should remind and renew, not repulse.

After all, this is a place worthy of sorrow not an eyesore.

Resolutions

A dear close friend and I where discussing New Year resolutions. How there have been years of long hopeful, ‘this year these things will be done’ lists. How each one of those lists has landed up at the bottom of a pile of other lists, dusty and forgotten.

I have a penchant for list making. I love making them, scribbling items down to form neat precise lines of everything under the sun and then pinning them up on bulletin boards so that I may gaze upon my lists and check items off at whim. And yes, it would stand to reason that my love of list would come into full swing when it comes time to making that ever notoriously unkept resolution list.

However, knowing myself, and knowing where this list will land up, I resolve once again to continue on the path that I started last year. To: Live and enjoy life. Take as many opportunities as I can. Seek out new adventure. Learn. Look at the world through different eyes. Grow. Appreciate every little moment. Cherish. And Love. Love with everything I am.

Hugin's.

I guess I should add my resolutions.

I want to do more and fear less.
Act more, react less.
Love even more and endless.

Just another manic monday*

Not sure what is more disconcerting. The fact the Hugin has a few songs from The Bangles on an old playlist that I copied, or of the fact that I am bopping along to them.

But sir...

Can’t believe that the holidays are over, and I am not quite ready to head to work tomorrow. Looking forward to the challenges, but not really looking forward to the waking up at the crack of dawn. Maybe I could forget to turn on my alarm clock and just sleep in a little. That would be good. What? It’s a thought. All I would need is a tinsey winsey extra hour of sleep before schlepping off to work to face the daily grind again.

Is that the date?

A much belated happy birthday goes out to Gina. Hoping that you had a wonderful birthday filled with laughter and spent in the company of those you love. May all your all your hearts desires be granted.

Go give her some belated birthday loving.
Squishes and hugs
Us.

Housecleaning.

A mad little cleaning fairy zoomed through the site and removed all the musty old entries from 2001-2002.

When pressed as to why she thought this was a necessary endeavour she replied, in a tone that stated that she couldn't quite believe that someone would even question her motives, that she just couldn't help herself. That she was possessed by a mad cleaning frenzy. And barring that, she thought it might reduce the load up time.

Our old musty musings, inconsequential inanities and past blathering can now be found here.
:o)