Yesteryear

Wishes.

Wishes of happiness and congratulations go out to Candi, who got married today!!! Hoping you both will enjoy everlasting love, joy and much happiness. May your years together be filled with wonder, special moments and lasting friendship.

Procrastinators are us.

Procrastinating again, I need to get an assignment done but just can't seem to focus. Everything else seems more interesting or captivating, heck even the dirt encrusted dishes look like they would be fun to clean then doing this assignment. I need someone to give me a swift kick in the butt, ply me away from the computer, sit me down and make sure I get this assignment done. [sigh] Blech! Will give it one more try and if that fails I am going to wash the dishes.

GRUMPBALL!

Feeling irritable, grumpy and just generally unfriendly. Have been in a somewhat snappish mood, lacking patience and hissing at everyone. I think at one point I might have managed to snap my professors head off too.
Watched classmates run around in endless loops trying to make a program work. I watched them in this chicken like state becoming more aggravated as the seconds ticked by. In my mind the solution was so simple and I wanted to grab control and show them that their errant ways were just not going to work. I rarely ever get this frustrated with people. This state of grumpiness is usually caused by a lack of food/sleep or when I am terribly worried about other aspects in my life. I think the impending end of the semester and lack of work may be causing this somewhat grumpy or bitchy [call it what you like] demeanor. Excuse me, I think I am going to go find our landlord and take my frustrations out on him. [grumble]

Rantings: A leaky Faucet

The landlord was suppose to be here at 9:00 to fix a leaky faucet, it is now ten and he still hasn't shown up. Correct me if I am wrong but shouldn't you make at least a concerted effort to show up on time, especially if you rang the doorbell at ten the previous night after having hung up on the person to whom you were speaking to see if you could pass by in the morning to fix a problems that has been plaguing your tenants for a month?

It's not like any of us aren't capable of fixing the faucet, but we know that if we do it, our landlord won't bother to pay is back for the parts and he will find more excuses for not fulfilling his part of the tenant agreement. The last time he had to fix something in this household, it took him three months to get the job done and then had the gall to lecture us on how to use an oven! His lack of responsibility, his consistent whining of small things [e.g. The dirt under the stairs has been moved and I can't close the gate] is enough to drive one to decking the man. In all my years as a tenant, I have not had the pleasure to meet such an incompetent landlord. I am giving him another fifteen minutes, if he does not show up by them I am locking him out and going to take a shower so I an be on my merry way!

Update: Shocker! He just showed up, an hour late, claiming that this was the time he said he would be here. "I am sorry Sir, but I distinctly heard that you would be here at 9:00am" Oh well, at least the faucet is getting fixed.

Hooplah

There's a lot of hooplah about ergonomics when it comes to the work environment and computers, but what about in the home? What about where the toilet roll dispenser is placed? It's always in a ridiculous place compared to where it is needed, that you have to be an olympic class gymnast or circus class contortionist to get to it. That can't be good for the average individual.

So of course you don't use it, and that's when cats that jump onto counter-tops and are also clumsy have this wonderful habit of playing basketball with the articles available... Toilet roll, toilet... be one. [splash]

Even without coffee.

Snuggling in the morning and watching a cooking show with Munin. Very very most wonderful.

Especially knowing coffee can be had later ;)

Snow and an Adventure Race.

It's snowing here in the middle of April! [sigh] The studying is progressing at a snail's pace I just don't seem to be in a studying mood so hopefully the icky weather will provide or better studying conditions. Spent a good part of the weekend watching the Eco Challenge, and I have got to hand it to Team GO! They embody everything a team should be. Though they finished dead last, their ability to push it through, support an injured teammate and pull him through the race have raised my esteem of their self proclaimed couch potatoe hood. If I were to ever run this race those would be the team members I would want to have. I should really go and attempt to finish at least one or two assignments now.[long slightly deflated sigh]

Light at the end of a very long tunnel

The end of semester is about two weeks away and it's finally hitting home how much work I have left to do: All the assignments for one class [there are about 7 of them spanning the full semester]. Two assignments, a project and a final project for the pompous teacher we all love to hate, the EDM project for the Machine Tools class, a final project for the CIM course and 4 final exams all to be taken in the last week of school.
Which mean one of two things, either the blog is going to be very quiet for the next two weeks, unless of course Hugin takes over the daily postings, or the posting quotient will increase significantly as I spend my hours procrastinating and not getting any work done.

Friday Five

1. What are your hobbies?
No sure if reading will fall under the category of a hobby, but it is something I enjoy doing. Painting, sketching, writing the occasional bad poem are other artist hobbies I partake in and then there are the geeky ones [something I am proud of!] wed design, computer games, coding etc. When I get a chance rock climbing [though it has been ages since I have done that] and amateur photography.

2. Do you collect anything? If so, what?
I use to collect coins and postage stamps, but have not done tat in a while. I still collect matchboxes from different restaurants around the world and seashells from various beaches I have been to. Books, lots and lots of books!

3. Is there a hobby you're interested in, but just don't have the time/money to do?
I would love to learn how about wildlife photography and I would love to get my pilots license and fly planes. Just don't have much time or the money to finance those endeavors right now.

4. Have you ever turned a hobby into a moneymaking opportunity?
Nope, can't say that I have.

5. Besides web-related stuff (burbs, rings, etc.), what clubs do you belong to?
I used to belong to the Society Of Automotive Engineers [SAE] a while back, not sure if my membership has run out or not.

Ouchie!

Just managed to stub my toes while getting up from that computer chair. My foot got caught in a box and in my vain attempts to free it I rammed my toes into the desk. Owieee [hops on one foot holding abused toes]

[sniff] Blogger won't let me post this right now! [pouts] How am I supposed to share me pain? [Granted it is a rather minute pain that has pretty much subsided] I feel like a little kid who falls down, bawls their eyes out, realizes that no one is there, walks in to the next room where there are people and lets out a loud tearful scream- it's all about show business and attention when you're a kid ;)

TMI

Button fly jeans are quite handy when one has only one hand available and desperately needs to go to the washroom.

Snip Chop Splurge.

Splurged on hair products and a haircut today, currently feeling guilty about it. Not so much the haircut as the hair care product that I picked up. My hair has needed a trim for some time now, and the hairstylist was sweet enough to lop off 3 inches [I think it was three inches] and add in a few layers up front. He then was kind enough to introduce me to a hair mask that will help eliminate the split ends, thicken my somewhat thin hair out a little more, get rid of the tangles and moisten the dryness. I am all for products that will help my hair detangle itself, there are some days where fingers can't get through the tangled mess, never mind a hairbrush. Those are days when my hair will land up in the ever-present messy bun/ponytail and I will not touch a hairbrush for the next couple of days, just too painful. This gets much worse in the winter when the heaters spew out dry heat and my hair is a static ball. So after all was said and done, I kissed a couple of twenties goodbye and walked out the salon with both my pockets and my hair feeling lighter.

Ashley's This or That

1. Is your mouse pad plain or decorated? Decorated, It's an Escher mouse pad with a print of the Reptiles on it.
2. Do you own a web cam? Yes or no? No. [though we have thought of getting one and hooking it near the aquarium - as a fish cam if you will]
3. Which do you do use more often online: email or search? I think that would search, though at one point most of my time was spend emailing. I wonder how that happened.
4. Do you use HTML coding, WYSIWYG editor, or something else to create your web pages? HTML coding combined with Dreamweaver. I will hand code the page, then type it in and then use an editor to see if I missed anything.
5. Do you forward chain emails? Nope, they drive me nuts.
6. Do you forward those mushy stories that take 20 minutes to read? No, considering I occasionally wonder if it is a hoax or not I don't feel right forwarding them.
7. How large is your monitor: 14", larger, or smaller? 19" though I would love to have a 21" flat screen [drool]
8. Do you have a mouse with a scroller, one with two buttons, one with three? Laser tracking mouse with a scroller and 4 buttons. [With much thanks to the Awe-C lad for gifting me with it]
9. Do you listen to music while surfing the web? Yes or no? Music will get turned on in the morning and shut of at night. The play list will vary from Hugin's to mine, though I like his better. [which is silly as we share all out MP3's]
10. How often do you clear your cookies, or cache? About every week to every two weeks.

Monday Mission
I don't have any fun or snappy comment to add with the Monday mission this week, aside from the fact that it is indeed Wednesday. So without further ado, here they be.

1. Ever had a love that you still think of as "the one that got away?" What's the story there?
I don't think this falls under the gotten away clause, but there was a guy I briefly dated as he was getting over a relationship. We met at a dance club during an engineering event, sparks flew ad we saw each other twice more after that. It was an odd period; he seemed unhappy and missed his ex. We lost touch for a little while until one day we met up again and he seemed much happier. He and his ex were back together. Last I heard they moved to the states and have gotten married. It warms my heart to know that he is happy.
2. What was the last book that you finished reading cover-to-cover?
A Song for Arbornne by Guy Gavriel Kay. [Though that was a reread] the last new book I read cover to cover was Snow White and the Seven Samurai by Tom Holt.
3. Did you ever get up and walk out of a movie? Which one and why?
Almost did but did not have the guts too, the movie was Battlefield Earth. The acting was lackluster, the story...Well the whole thing was pretty bad. I am not quiet sure why we decided to go see it. [any clues Ozzie Lad?]
4.If we were to go out dancing, what song would you want me to ask the DJ to play as I slipped him a $20?
This one was a little tough, as I can't remember most of the titles of the songs I dance to. [Though Promo's OK, C'mon Eileen! Has got me bopping away in my seat] Well here goes, and don't laugh please, Grease Lightning [I know it's corny, but it's a lot of fun to dance to] Weapon of Choice by Fat boy Slim, Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison, You Can Leave Your Hat On, [umm, well maybe not that one, that might be more appropriate for, umm..] New Sensation, I'm Too Sexy, Groove is in the Heart...Oh heck almost anything with a good beat or sultry tones.
5 What was the coolest toy you had when you were a kid?
LEGO and plastersine [play-doh]! I could spend hours either building houses, farms, cars well basically anything with Lego or creating weird creatures out of play-doh. Later on model rockets - though I don't know if 19 counts as being a kid.
6. When was the last time you felt lonely?
When Hugin's away, and I am home alone with no one to talk to.
7.Do you have any minor anal-retentive character traits?
Quiet a few, a little too many to list them all here. I am occasionally a perfectionist who needs to have everything placed or done in a specific way, which is odd because I also procrastinate. I used to be horribly superstitious and had a whole sequence of things that I would have to do. I seemed to have grown out of most of that though, however the procrastinating perfectionism has stayed, along with a need to list things.
BONUS: Can't you see what I mean ?
I'm sorry dear but no! Stumped again!

Like riding a tricycle.

It's good to know that you never completely lose the ability to operate a lathe properly. It has been four years since I last had the chance to use one, my second machine tools cutting threads, now that is one of the more nerve wracking tasks I have ever had the pleasure to accomplish. The reason being that if the lathe skips by a minute fraction all your threads go to shite and you land up with this luverly looking thing that does not resemble a threaded cylinder.

But I digress, the lathe and I where reintroduced after a four years absence. There I was standing shyly in the corner, toolbox in hand glancing over at it with uncertainty in my eyes. There it was a few hundred pounds of spinning machinery, standing tall and proud, hungry for metal. I made my way over trying as I might to hide behind the others in our class, that way I could sneak up upon it unawares. Why are you looking at me funny? I thought it would behave better if it didn't know my intentions and yes you do get the occasional odd look from your classmates as you tiptoe by them on your way to the lathe.
My intensions were of course to use it's spinning motion to cut two bars of stock, one copper and one mild steel, down to size. They were needed to complete the EDM project we have to hand in at the end of semester. So with much trepidation I approach LAM #12 [otherwise known as my lathe for the day], set up the machine, made sure the cutting tool was properly centered and then went to beg the help of a colleague as I could not quiet recall what the cutting and feed speeds for mild steel. He lumbered over to the lathe, made his introductions and pointed out that at the current speed I would have bit of cutting tool flying everywhere. So he backed off the cutting speed, corrected my feed and voila, we were all set to make the first cut. I have not been so nervous on a machine in a long time. To the bemusement of a few friends I shouted, "CLEAR" they backed off and I proceeded to make the first cut. To my great pleasure it went smoothly with no hiccups, no maimings or injuries.
The piece is almost near completion all I have to do is come up with a shape for the punch and die; I get to mill it next week. The only downside to spending 4-5 hours in front of a lathe is that you end the day with achy hips knees, ankles and a mildly stiff neck. [I must be getting old ;) ]

Wiped Right Out

Do a few things during the course of the day that you've never done before and it'll wipe you right out.
Before anyone gets the wrong idea about what I'm talking about, I was referring to computer related activities.
Had a chance to play around and set some things up that I hadn't before, easy, enjoyable, satisfying... hmm, maybe I am talking about something in euphamisms...
And conked out at around 8pm!
Crazy, maybe I'm just old.

Heck, at that rate if I joined the army and did a few impossible things before breakfast, I'd be passed out an hour later!

Back to the mundane; I get to spend more time awake with Munin that way.

POOFT!

Ever have one of those moments? A thought pops into your head, and you know it is something that just may be relatively important, something you have to get done, and something that might matter in the course of the day's events. You get distracted for a minute moment and pooft the thought bubble is gone! You spend the next for minutes racking your brain trying to figure what the heck it was. After no success you go about your day oblivious to the fact that the important thing has not yet been done. Then at night as you are just about to nod off, snuggled in the comforting darkness under warm fluffy blankets the thought comes bubbling forth erupting in your mind with enough force to send you scampering out of bed. You finally realize what you have forgotten to do and as you waddle klutzily about, attempting to get sleepy limbs into a bathrobe that just won't cooperate, you realize that it is too late the task will remain unaccomplished.

Free Scoop Day

I don't know if this happens elsewhere but it's Ben and Jerry's free scoop day!
There is a semi long line up outside the Ben and Jerry's near our place, and as much as I love ice cream I can't bring myself to wait in line it is just way too cold today. Is it me, or does it always seem like this day comes to early in the season? Perhaps if it wasn't snowing outside, or maybe if the weather was as nice as it was last week. Welcome to Canada Folks, where the weather changes without notice, eh!

Friday Five
It would seem as my Mondays and Tuesdays have become Wednesday and my Friday is Monday [sigh], I am going to have to get these days in order soon, but I fear that it will have to wait until the end of the semester.

1. What's your favorite TV show and why? CSI and West Wing are currently my two favorite TV shows. I had started watching them both about a year ago. West wing because I enjoy the characters, their interactions and their quirkiness. I enjoy CSI because the show intrigues me. When I was younger one of the career paths that I wanted to pursue was a Criminal Profiler/Crime Scene Investigator. There are still aspects of this job that interest me, but there are others that I would have problems coping with.

2. Who is your favorite television star? Don't really have one.

3. What was your favorite TV show as a child? Sesame Street, The Muppet show are shows that I still love today, The Monte Carlo Show, Kojack and Vega$ were ones I used to watch with my mom, we'd bring the TV into her room and snuggle up on her big bed.

4. What show do you think should have been cancelled by now? The X-Files, it has been on too long without any interesting developments, or ay least that is what I thought when I stopped watching it.

5. What new show do you hope escapes the axe this season? Considering I haven't really been watching any of the new shows I can't really say, maybe 24, but I don't know how they will do a sequel.

Livebearing fish should be taught about responsibility and parenthood. Sure I suppose there is something to be said for having your baby fish and eating them too, but... 4 more baby fish! The adults are having fun and then eating the evidence, I saw one chasing a teeny little baby around - my first thought was that it was chasing food, but then I reconsidered when the food deked...

So, proper sex education for livebearing fish and proper parenthood techniques that don't involve eating offspring. That's the plan. Evidently it is a little slow in catching on with the fish themselves.

Or maybe they are in cahoots with Munin in wanting another larger fish tank. Hmm... better see if Munin has been slipping Viagra into the fish food!

Some More Little Surprises.

Well this weekend we cleaned the aquarium to find some more little inhabitants. Our baby fish count is now up to seven and I think it is about time that we invest in some more breeder traps as I believe that two of the platys are still pregnant! Trying to collect the little platys and place them in the fry tank is quite stressful indeed. They are very good at hiding among the rock and evading the glass we use to capture them with. These ones are a yellow with black, seem a little stressed at the moment and are hiding amongst the foliage and pebbles that we have placed with in the fry tank. The other three that we found last week seem to be doing fine, they are getting bigger by the day. [happy smile]I wonder if this keeps happening if I can convince Hugin into getting another aquarium. [impish look, bats eyelashes at Hugin] Hmmm....He is currently muttering under his breath, something about promiscuous naughty little fish, maybe this will not be the best time to bring up the issue.

Solved!
Finally after 3 days I have finally managed to put the puzzle ring back together. Wahoo! I do not want to contemplate how many hours I have spent fitting the pieces of ring back together.

Went and saw the Scorpion King; all I want to say is that it was good fun cheese and much enjoyed.

Happy Birthday to our Dear Little Sister

She turns 25 today and claims that she is getting old. Pah!!! [I'll show you old! ;) ] Hope you have a wonderful day little one. Wishing you many, many more happy birthdays.

Tangential thoughts.

It's absolutely gorgeous outside, the weather is warm and sunny, the trees are budding, the grass is slowly regaining its vigor and there is this wonderful breeze that wafts past our porch. And what am I doing you may ask on this wonderful springy summery day? Well I am sitting indoors surfing the web, flipping through TV channels, playing with a new site design and trying to solve a puzzle ring that I picked up today! It's quite pretty, silver, four loops, with an elephant design that sits upon the knots.

I had been searching high and low for one for some time now, and this one appealed to me because it is not gaudy nor big but rather small and delicate. The elephant was the clincher though. There are some that say that the elephant is soul of the continent; it is the memory of Africa. This touches a soft spot in me for Africa is the place where I spent my childhood, and it is place that has had much influence on the person that I have become. It is one of the reasons, aside from my mom who schlepped me all over the place in a tent, that I have a great appreciation and respect for nature, for the wildness that inhabits this land. That touches your soul and makes you one of her own.

Well that was a tangential thought that came out of no where, perhaps it is time that I take my little arse out of this room, grab the puzzle ring, a book and go sit on the porch.

Butterflies.

Saw my first butterfly of the season today. Had just stepped out of school on my way back home and there it was flitting about, wondering from leaf to leaf. It wasn't a spectacularly gorgeous one, just your general yellow black variety, but still the sight of it brightened up my day.

I'm sorry little girl, but you can't be swinging that way anymore!
Correct me if I am wrong but didn't we all do this as kids, straddle the swing between our legs [or sit properly upon it] and swing sideways, using the chains to provide the push we needed so that we may in the end reach our ultimate goal of ricocheting of the swing next to us. I have vivid memories of doing this with friends as a child/teenager, a game of chicken if you will. We'd get onto our respective swings push off in a direction perpendicular to the swing and then use the chains to achieve the desired sideways momentum, until such a point that we were flying helter skelter inches away from our friends, teasing them by getting closer till at last someone would pull away as to avoid a collision. [Not the safest of games, but it was fun].
I am not quiet sure how I feel about this patent, I think the only word that comes to mind is 'laughable'. How does one go about patenting something that people have been doing for as long as swings have been around? I think the part that makes me laugh the most is the closing statement in the patent claim "Licenses are available from the inventor upon request."
Unless you can provide me with schematics that indicate how your swing differs from those that are commonly used and unless you can provide me with studies that prove you are the first person to do this, I won't be rushing out anytime time to request a license.

link first seen at slashdot

Ashley's This or That!

1. Do you eat food if it hits the floor? Yes or no? Yep, if it has been on the floor for less then 5 seconds I will.
2. Chinese food or Italian? That's a hard one, Chinese and Italian foods are two of my favorites. I love pasta and can eat it day in and day out, especially lasagna and fusili with a light tomato sauce, or penne with vegetables, garlic and olive oil. But, that can equally be said for fried rice, or steamed rice with spicy tofu and garlic shrimp.
3. Ice cream or yogurt? Ice cream! Especially if I have chocolate sauce to dribble over it.
4. Do you eat breakfast? Yes or no? God no! I can't hold any food down in the early morning so I generally stick to a mug of coffee, once that has been consumed my body is awake enough to start dealing with food which means I'll either have toast, or a muffin.

[[Hugin - Sure you do, just not at breakfast time.]]

5. Have you ever eaten a bug? Yes or no? Never on purpose, though occasionally one will fly down my throat without my consent.
6. Soft drink from a can, bottle, or glass? Bottle for coke, root beer and seven up, glass for ginger ale.
7. Do you consume 5 fruits and vegetables a day? I try to, not much success in winter seems easier to do in the summer.
8. Apple or orange? Apple and oranges together, yum!
9. Pork rinds or sardines? Sardines, I have never been able to get into pork rinds. There is something about the way they taste that makes me slightly ill.
10. Caviar or grits? neither.

Monday Mission
Crud, it's already Wednesday, how did that happen?

1. What caused your last case of psuedo-road rage?
Haven't really succumbed to a feeling of rage while driving. [shrug] Which is odd because I will occasionally swear at some of the idiots present on the highways/back roads/small streets, but I have never had the urge to beat any of them silly or ram them with my car.
2. Tell me about one of your favorite television shows that was cancelled (past or present).
It was not one of my all-time favorites, but it had the potential to be one that I would have enjoyed had they kept it on the air. "God, the Devil and Bob." briefly appered on the air and after I believe a 3 viewing was yanked.
3.Have you ever gone online and pretended to be someone else? What's the story there?
Nope. never had the desire to do so.
4. What was (is) one of your favorite Children's books?
As with everything in my life there are a few. The Chronicles of Narnia is still one of favorites, they were the first set of books that I got when I arrived in Canada, and Grimms Fairy Tales, is another. I have had those books for as long as I can remember, one of my favorite tales in them is "The Snow Queen"
5. Can you recommend a CD (tape or otherwise) for me to listen to on the drive home?
The Stealing Beauty Soundtrack, that and the Hackers Soundtrack are CDs I like to drive to.
6. What is your online nickname and what is the story behind how you selected it?
Munin is the newest one, which came about with the advent of our website. [Hugin and Munin are Odin's Ravens, Munin is memory and Hugin is thought.] Back in the days of BBS'ing I use to go by either White Chocolate, [which is very corny indeed, a name bestowed on me by a friend due to the fact that white chocolate used to be the only type I could eat.] Phoenix or Ce'Nedra, name taken from a David Eddings book. [wry shaking of head, I be a geek, yes I be!]

[[Hugin - Could be worse... I've used Bard, Raven, Horus, Rat and Morpheus (more Sandman...)]]

7. Ever been bitten or stung before (snake, wasp, dog, etc)?
Stung by a bee once, it had gotten caught in my hair behind my ear. I tried to help it free itself but must of squeezed a little to hard as I was sliding it out. Got stung in the back of my ear for my efforts.
BONUS: Does anybody love anybody anyway?
Muchly so! As for where this quote is from I do not have a clue! Anyone got any ideas?

Sad

We lost our speckled platy today, she was found resting at the bottom of the tank this morning the soft tide of our aquarium pushing her poor emaciated body back and forth. She had been sick about three weeks after we had gotten her with cotton wool fungus, and had seemed to make a good recovery after a salt bath. However, for the past month she would barely eat, she would peck at the food and then spit it out. We tried changing the food, tried to feed her separately but to no avail she just got thinner and thinner. She was one of our favorites a gorgeous orange speckled with black. I am going to miss her...

[[Hugin - As will I. I thought she had done well in recovering from the cotton wool, and it was good to see that. Maybe she will come back as a little dragon.]]

People watching.

Too nice of an evening to be spending inside, so we went for a walk as the sun set and then popped into a little Greek restaurant close to our place and had a delicious Souvlaki dinner. We are currently sitting on the front porch with the flatmates enjoying the warm spring air, watching folks walk by and our neighbor's teenagers who are trying to be cool as they sit on their parent's porch guzzling beer and smoking cigarettes. This has proven to be rather entertaining; there have been a blow-up, a stomping away and a Prima Donna act. Kids! [wry smile]

Sun! Where?!?

Supposedly it was a gorgeous sunny day today, suitable for wearing shorts, t-shirt and kicking about in sandals. Didn't see much of it though, was stuck in the sub-basement for most of the day. The good news is that I managed to finish the grinding of an end mill though, cut through steel like butter it did! Which means I only have one project left to complete the class! Wahoo!

Carte Blanche for Terrorism. The UN has endorsed a document that condones the use of violence and "all available means, including armed struggle" to establish a Palestinian state.[National Post] The thing that worries me most about this document is that they have accused Israel of human rights violations and yet have not condemned the use of terrorism to achieve the goal that they are supporting. I wonder how different their view point would be if this was happening in their countries, if terrorists were infiltrating their towns, cafés and marketplaces. What do you think their viewpoint would be then?

[[Hugin]] And that's the big issue with the statement, not about the need for a Palestinian state, but that there is no condemnation of the methods that are being used by some Palestinians and by that absence they condone it.

How do you justify separating

How do you justify separating children from their families? How can you justify sending them to live on their own with no family to care for them? How can you ask parents to choose one child amongst their siblings who will get to stay with you? I do not understand the reasoning or thought process behind this. All I can think of is that it is a horriblly inhumane thing to do.

Din-ah?!? We picked up a

Din-ah?!?
We picked up a breeder trap/fry maturation tank yesterday and managed to transfer the three little fry from the pint glass they were in, to their new home without any problems. They seem to be doing okay swimming about in their transparent box. The other platy have been circling their tank, and I am not sure if it out of curiosity or if they are expecting dinner to be served. I am hoping it is the former, though considering only three out of the possible forty -eighty survived it is probably the later. We are still a little shocked at the prospect of having baby fish, and Hugin will occasionally peer into the tank in search of the culprits, those who conceived, those who frolicked and those who should have left the little fry alone! Though I am not quite sure if a 20 gallon tank could have supported all those fish. [little smile] Which would be a wonderful reason for picking up another aquarium.[innocent look, batts eyelashes at Hugin] Perhaps a 30 gallon one?

jello It always amazes me

jello
It always amazes me how some days my brain turns to jelly and no coherent thoughts will make themselves known in the recesses of my mind. Thinking becomes a task and it feels as if my mind is trying to pull itself out from a pool of quicksand. Woke up too early this morning after having gone to sleep later then I had intended. The culprit of the late night Heroes 4, I had been all set to go to bed at 10:30 after a nice cup of tea and having curled up on the couch to read a book. I had come back in to the office to kiss Hugin goodnight, and check something online. Hugin was playing a game a, my brain won't co-operate and let me remember which one it was right now, though I believe it was Heroes, so I plopped down on the chair to watch a bit which led to me to playing. [sigh] A couple of hours later I had been defeated, recaptured my town and it was much later then I had intended upon going to bed. The morning started with the jarring whine of the alarm, no coffee and a meeting that I would have been better off not attending. I dislike being in meetings that take hours to get to a point, especially when I have not had any coffee. I feel bad for the person who had to sit next to me though; I think my grumpy uncaffeinated demeanor might have frightened her a bit.

When is a fish not

When is a fish not a fish?

When it is three baby fish! Goodness gracious. You casually go about cleaning the aquarium with Munin and get a shock when she finds a baby platy and then another, and then when you think it is all over, you see a third!

Talk about the birds and the bees (and the fish).

Hmm, I wonder if the fishy we lost was reincarnated as a larger fish... Maybe that neon tetra led a very good life and now gets to exist as a platy.

Well, it looks like Munin has found an excuse to get another aquarium. :)

Cigar anyone?

Well that was a shock!!!

Well that was a shock!!!
Cleaned the aquarium to find three new tiny little inhabitants. [as Hugin and I are typing this at the same time, I shall step aside and let him tell the tale]

On another note. I have

On another note.

I have always found western society to be tragic. The way we spend our lives working at jobs which in the big picture mean absolutely nothing. The things we accumulate, the rat race, the great waste of time that eats away at each of our allotments of time. We are unique, each of us. And we are unique, so far as we know, in this universe. And what do we do with our time? We spend it sitting at desks, or similar... what is the point of that? A life is given to us, and because of the structure of society, that life is taken away from us and parole is only given when we are past our prime.

Each of us should have the opportunity to do and see, to experience. There is a world out there for us to be a part of, and we should be able to do that. Climb mountains, swim oceans, touch the world.

And there is a world inside each of us as well, a world that exceeds the external. Imagination, thought, feelings, consciousness above all. Self-realization that makes the world what it is to each of us. The realization that we exist and the wonder to make use of that existance.

Anything less, anything that detracts from that is a tragedy and to be avoided at all costs.
We are here to live life, not have it lived for us.
We are here to gather experiences, not to accrue them for a resume.

I hope to get the chance.

As an addendum, I have found the love of my life and that counts for something beyond words.

My favourite of the Endless!

My favourite of the Endless!

Heh, just saw that Neil Gaiman has a link to this on his web journal :D I wonder which of the endless he would be...?

I always wanted to get a nice death t-shirt... She's such a wonderful character, well they all are in their own ways. Cheers to them all and their creators and writers and artists.

Sandman has played an interesting part in my life.

Just another lazy weekend. We

Just another lazy weekend. We haven't done much today, the couch and the TV have become our new friends, snuggled up with Hugin as it lightly drizzles outside watching nature shows and reading books. Maybe we will venture outside a little later, but it feels so good to have a lazy day off!

The Endless
I am a great fan of Neil Gaiman and his Sandman Series. [it figures that I would land up as destiny, [sigh] not sure how I got there but here I am]

Which Member of the Endless Are You?

Link impishly swiped from VA Spider

Things other accomplished when they

Things other accomplished when they were your age.
Oh this is somewhat depressing, what have I been doing with my time?

At age 29:

The Buddha decided to renounce the world and abandon family and possessions. Seven years later, he realized this brought him no closer to the wisdom he sought.

American inventor Alexander Graham Bell transmitted the first complete sentence by telephone.

Agatha Christie, the most translated writer in the world, published her first book.

Michael Faraday demonstrated electromagnetic rotation, leading the way to the invention of the electric motor.

Blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan invented the first real bicycle.

English novelist Emily Jane Bronte wrote the romance Wuthering Heights.

Singer-songwriter Carole King released her best-selling album Tapestry.

French naturalist George Dagobert founded the science of comparative anatomy.

link gratefully nabbed from Heather

The Friday Five all this

The Friday Five
all this talk of food has made my tummy all rumbly

1.What is your favorite restaurant and why?
I don't have a one particular restaurant that I enjoy eating at, I like to diversify and hence choosing one is a problem. Currently my favorites include a little place known as Schwartz's for their Smoke meat, this incredible Korean/Japanese restaurant in the old city for it's wonderful sushi and their yummy Katsudan dish, a pub near our place for their amazing Capone wings, another restaurant close to us for their yummy Lebanese food and a hotel downtown for their delish Sunday brunch.

2. What fast food restaurant are you partial to?
None really, I am not a big fast food eater, though I will occasionally get a craving for McDonalds McNuggets, it must be something in the sauce. [Oh, how I crave their hot mustard sauce, good for dunking fries as well]

3. What are your standards and rules for tipping?
I will usually leave between 15 to 20% of the bill before taxes as a tip. Though this will also be dependant in the service. If you are rude and arrogant and lack courtesy don't expect me to tip you well for bad service. If you are particularly obnoxious I will however leave you a penny and nothing more. I tend to tip cabbie drivers about between 2-3 dollars and when in bars will tip the waiters/waitresses according to number of drinks ordered, service etc.

4. Do you usually order an appetizer and/or dessert?
As I am not the biggest of eaters, I will finish half of what ever is served to me, I tend not to order appetizers unless I plan on eating them as a main course. [If I could get my way I would prefer to order from the kids menu, I'd at least be guaranteed to finish my meal ;) ] Dessert is an entirely different issue; I love desserts especially when it comes to cheesecakes, chocolate cakes and deep fried ice cream. I will usually leave space for dessert when eating out.

5. What do you usually order to drink at a restaurant?
I usually order a coke or ginger ale. If I am feeling a little adventurous and at a restaurant I'll order a class of wine, and if at a pub/bar I'll order a pint of cider, or an amaretto sour or a half dram of scotch. [Yup I'm a girly girl when it comes to drinks, I have never been able to enjoy the taste of beer, unless of course you are kind enough to mix it up with ginger ale with me - sacrilegious I know.]

Note of Thanks. A warm

Note of Thanks.
A warm Thank You to Heather for making us her Aortal Link for this week, I am touched beyond words.... merci beaucoup!

Basement good. The warm weather

Basement good.
The warm weather and sunny skies are making it harder for me to actually want to attend class. I'd rather be sitting outside on our deck reading a book and snoozing under the budding trees. The only saving grace is that our classroom is down in the sub-basement where there are no windows to distract a wondering mind... [unfortunately there are also computers which connect to the net]

Fishy Heaven We lost a

Fishy Heaven
We lost a neon tetra today; I came home to find him all pale and caught in the filter's suction tube. [sad heartbroken look] I was worried about him this morning, he was not he's bright usual self and was not swimming with the others just bobbing along the bottom looking a little bloated and not interested in food or anything else. I thought that he may have overfed the night before [I think he ate] and was just not up to eating. I hope it is not something in the water or some contagious disease that brought on his untimely demise, we had only had him for about 3 weeks. The rest of the tetras look to be all right they are swimming about non-chalantly and the platys all seem to be doing fine. [Though some of the females are hiding in the leaves.] I am not quiet sure as to all the sign and symptoms of diseases in tetras; I hope this is going to be our only fishy loss for a long while.

Some fries with that? Have

Some fries with that?
Have just started reading Fast Food Nation and there are some figures in it that are just mind blowing. Did you know that the American nation has spent $110 billion dollars on fast food alone in 2001? According to Eric Schlosser, the author of the book, that is more then they spent on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos and music combined. As a nation, Americans have spent more on fast food then they have on higher education, computers and computer software or fast cars.
To me that is just mind numbing, how is it that we can justify eating out at least 3 to 4 times a week, at a fast food joint that serves food that my or may not have any nutritional value and not spend money on things that may better us as a person. How is it that we have traded the family meal for a quick bite at the local eatery? Is it a conscious choice or have we come to this because we can no longer afford to put the time into preparing meals on a daily basis? I have only begun to read this book and already it has evoked a slue of questions, bringing much food for thought. I wonder what others queries shall be forth as this book progresses.

A BIG Happy Birthday to

A BIG Happy Birthday to my brother.

I hope it is a great day for you.

Cheers from Big Brother.

[[munin - happy birthday!!! and many many more!]]

Ashley's This Or That! 1.

Ashley's This Or That!

1. Do you answer the phone on the first ring? Yes or no?
Hugin doesn't answer the phone, which leaves me scrambling wildly, headless chicken like about the house for the phone. Takes about 3-4 rings until I find it. I would love not to have to answer the phone, but growing up with family living in less then politically stable regions, parents who travel also a lot and a mother who is allergic to all kinds of medication, you learn to answer the phone 'just in case.' Rather grim.
2. Which is worse: door-to-door salesmen or telemarketers?
Telemarketers drive me nuts, especially if they are the pushy kind and don't understand the meaning of the word no. We don't have any door-to-door salespeople who come knocking.
3. Which is worse: the phone company or the oil company?
The phone company, I never actually have to deal with the oil company.
4.Cordless phone, cellular phone, or corded phone?
All of the above, though I had never though I'd get a cellular. Though now that we have it just seems to be handy.
5.Phone number: write it down or remember it?
Remember it if I am about to use it otherwise I will right it down. My brain's just wacky that way. I can remember telephone numbers I dial them at least twice, otherwise I have to write them down.
6. When you tell a date, "I'll call you", do you mean it? Yes or no?
Yes, though I have not been on very many dates. But I did generally try and call the person back.
7. Do you own one phone? Two? Three? More?
We three phones at home, though you can never really find two when you want one since they are cordless and almost never on their base. The third one's not connected; it has gotten old and scratchy sounding.
8. Have you purchased anything by phone? Yes or no?
Never have, [slaps forehead] well that is a brazen lie! After some thought and a bit of coffee I realized that yes, I have. Ordered my climbing shoes and harness by phone. [sheepish look]
9. Have you ever called someone and then hung up before you spoke? Yes or no?
Yes, when I was much younger and dreadfully shy.
10. Do you own an answering machine?
[nods] ' We are not available right now and don't care to answer the phone, please leave a message after the beep' A luverly little service provided by our phone company.

Monday Mission finally, done and

Monday Mission
finally, done and here for your reading [cough] pleasure.

1. When was the last time your computer crashed? What happened?
About 6 months ago, it went on a blue screen of death spree. We had recently upgraded from windows 98 to windows 2000, I had forgotten to upgrade my video driver. It would run fine for an hour then crash, I would reboot my computer and then go through the process again, play/do stuff on the puter, open a new application watch it crash, reboot. Took two weeks until we finally clued in and upgraded the driver. [sheepish look]
2. Recommend a movie (new or old) for us to watch.
I have never been very good at recommending just one movie, or book, Anytime someone asked that question I land up offering two or possible answer just in case they don't like my initial recommendation and because I have problems choosing just one. This is not going to be much different, [sigh] If you haven't seen it I would love to recommend and old favorite of mine "To have and To have Not" starring Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart. The other flick I'd like to suggest if this is not to your liking would be "The Usual Suspects". [the child in me would also like to add Monsters Inc. but I think two is enough]

[[Never enough! Don't forget 12 Angry Men (the original) and Boondock Saints as my two offerings - Hugin]]

3. When was the last time someone told you that you were attractive (and you actually believed them)?
Hugin has said as much on many occasions, and another dear friend has pointed out the same too. But as much as I believe that I may be attractive to them I have always found myself to be simple, a plain Jane. [shrug] Just not much to see here, brownish hair, brownish eyes, and regular features. [One day I am going to have to work on that self esteem of mine]
4. Do you like to sleep in or wake up with the chickens?
Are you mad?!? Sleep in without the chickens of couse! I am not very good at waking up early. The only time waking up with chickens would be considered as an acceptable endeavor is when on a camping trip and you wake up to see the sun rise.
5. Are you gay, straight or bi? Ever been tempted to go the other way?
Straight and dare I say happily so. No, as much as I find some women to be very attractive I have never had the inclination to want to be intimate with another woman. [shrug] Just has never done it for me.
6. What will be the next computer-related purchase you will make?
A new motherboard and processor, and more Ram. Though I'd much rather go for a whole new package.
7. I soak up affection like a sponge. But in my current relationship, sadly, I am the giver. The only hugs I get are the ones I initiate (and those become fewer and fewer). I tell you, I would be putty in your hands if you were to be affectionate to me. What is your role when you are in relationships? A giver, a taker, or is it an equal balance?
In the past was generally the giver. I would give as much as I could even if it meant that my own happiness was at stake, which has happened in the past. I am also a suck for affection and loved being hugged and held. Currently I am still a giver, but in a balanced relationship with someone who is as much as a giver as I am. [and no dearest friend, you are not one of those who took without giving]

BONUS: Would I lie to you?
" Would I lie to you? Would I lie to you honey? Now would I say something that wasn't true?" - Eurythmics
No, I wouldn't! ;)

No Time to say "Hello",

No Time to say "Hello", "Goodbye"
How did it get so bloody late, one moment I was sitting here enjoying my coffee, staring outside at the sunny skies and reading online. It was bright and early and I had loads of time, and the next moment it was 11:15 YOIKS!!! I have to leave in 15 minutes and I haven't even showered or dressed yet! Time to get a move on, excuse me while I zoom madly about the house, singing the words to the White Rabbit song from 'Alice in Wonderland] and desperately attempt to get out the door in about 10-15miniuutes. [zooms madly about humming]

'I'm late, I'm late
For a very important date
No time to say "Hello", "Goodbye"
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late

No, no, no, no
No, no, no, I'm overdue
I'm really in a stew
No time to say "Goodbye", "Hello"
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late'

I was hoping to post

I was hoping to post a little more then this today, but am feeling rather wiped and a little headachy so the things I had wanted to babble about will have to wait for the morrow. Nite, sweet dreams...

So I love coffee. Alright

So I love coffee.

Alright that isn't exactly true. When I was younger I couldn't stand it, or anything hot to drink for that matter, if it wasn't cold I didn't want to drink it. I only started drinking coffee when I went to university, and only because it was the cheapest thing to drink and I knew I could make it last.
It was during that time I found some coffee I liked, a lot.
It's amazing how diverse the taste of coffee is considering how little diversity there is genetically with the plants; a lot of today's coffee plants coming from a single plant. But diverse it is, with various levels of robustness, acidity, bitterness, aftertaste it is quite wonderful. Or should I say, it can be...
It can also be vile, insipid, nauseating stuff.
For myself, I enjoy the rich kinds of coffee an example of which would be the Ethopian Harrar. But my favourite would have to be Sumatran. The best cup of coffee I ever had must have been a Sumatran Mandheling when it was just perfect. Unfortunately Sumatran coffee, from what I have experienced and been led to understand, is rather erratic in quality.
Which leads me to my next problem, what do you do when you live somewhere and the coffee is lousy? Switch to espresso and allonge? Quit coffee drinking? Special order in the good stuff? Grow your own and hope you don't get busted by someone mistaking your plants for a different variety of foliage?

All of which to say, I'm drinking strong coffee... not good, but not weak or the kind that makes you want to gag. And I'm drinking it black and strong, a sort of two part homage to the old Turkish saying that, "Coffee should be black as hell, strong as death, and sweet as love."

Cheers.

Springiness. I think the end

Springiness.
I think the end of spring is one of my favorite times, when the trees are abloom the leaves are a fresh green and the flowers gently scent the air; their color illuminating the neighborhood. When the sun plays lazily amongst the leaves dappling everything in its goldenness.
But there is something to be said about walking down the when the weather is still a little gray, when the air is dank and humid with the hint of spring wafting upon it. The smell of freshly thawed soil, of rich dark earth, a muted mustiness, assaults your nose suggesting that soon the time will come for spring flowers, tubers and grains all ripe for planting, all ready for bloom. There is a crazy energy in this as if you can feel the ground awaking after a long slumber, your steps quicken and you feel like bouncing along regardless of the muted color of the skies, regardless of the worried stares of people as they watch you skip by.

Mild Rant Our server seems

Mild Rant
Our server seems to be on the fritz again. If it is not the server then it's Blogger. [sigh] will things ever function properly? Not that I have much to whine about, I mean both services are free, but it would be quite wonderful if they actually worked 98% of the time!!! Is that too much to ask?
In other thoughts, it is really hard to get a good vent going when one's mind is still half asleep and suffering from the lack of an extra hours sleep and no coffee. I hate losing that hour, the effects of it last more then the initial day and I just feeling altogether groggy and disoriented. [yawn] Time for a quick reviving shower and coffee, lots of coffee!!!

Time. Ok, Daylight Savings is

Time.

Ok, Daylight Savings is just annoying. I just don't like losing an hour... it isn't fun on sleep or anything else.
I do believe that I would enjoy moving to Hawaii or Arizona where they don't tinker with time. Or maybe Queensland or Western Australia...

Another glass if you will.

Another glass if you will.

Friday Five 1. What are

Friday Five

1. What are the first things that you do in the morning to start your day?
Wake up 20minutes after the alarm has gone off [sheepish grin], roll around in bed as Hugin has a shower and gets ready. Attempt to drag self out of bed, fail miserably. Roll around some more then make another attempt, succeed. Get up, brush teeth and sit with Hugin while he drinks coffee. Walk him to door, kiss him goodbye and wave as he walks down the street. Saunter back into warm house, check email, some morning Blogs then go have shower, get dressed, make fresh coffee. Feed cats and fishies, on way out of kitchen grab a mug of caffeine. Head back to office, read news and other Blogs with big mug of java in hand. Head off to school. The weekday routine will generally follow this pattern unless I have to be up early for class and then it's a mad dash into shower, about the flat and then out the door. The weekend routine is almost the same, minus Hugin waking up early and going to work, wake up a little later and then just bum around the house, make coffee go online.

2. What are the last things that you do at night before going to bed?
Brush teeth, [occasionally make on final check to see if anyone has added something new to their Blogs, what can I say, I think I'm an addict] turn off aquarium light, light aromatherapy candle to help alleviate stress. [My body has been a tight stress ball for a while now, and the lavender seems to be helping with it. At least I am sleeping better] Crawl into bed, snuggle and talk with Hugin. Blow out candle, snuggle some more, occasionally read a book, turn off light fall asleep.

3. What daily routine have you recently added to your day?
Feeding the fish twice a day, lighting an aromatherapy candle at night to help alleviate stress and more recently trying to wrap my poor decrepit brain around CSS.

4. What routine do you wish you get rid of?
Cleaning up the cat liter. It is the only thing I do not enjoy about having 3 cats in the flat. Not so bad with one, but three leaves much to be desired in the pooh department.

5. What's the one thing that makes you feel like something is missing if you don't do it some point within your day?
Not checking email, I don't know why but going a day without checking email just feels very, very strange.

And the gamer in me

And the gamer in me wants a pair of these...

With this sitting beside me so I will have something to talk about over my headset.

The pyro inside me really

The pyro inside me really wants to have one of these... Just have to be a little nervous with one of these in your pocket though.

Just call the amazing sneezing

Just call the amazing sneezing monster.
Have spent the better part of the morning sneezing. [achoo] Oh [ah-gleep-chew] [gropes blindly for Kleenex] This had made the morning a little more challenging. Feed fish try not to sneeze into aquarium, which would result in goopy stuff floating on top or a bump on forehead from bonking heads onto edge of aquarium. Feed cats, try not to spill food all over floor as a fit of sneezing makes me double over and become all jerky. Refrain from making coffee as that may end in complete disaster. [sniffle] Excuse me while I go raid the grocery store for Kleenex.

Ashleys This or That. 1.

Ashleys This or That.

1. For gals: Panties -- Thongs, bikinis, or briefs? Usually bikini's and occasionally thongs when wearing dress pant, skirts or dresses. Can't stand briefs, for some weird reason I am just not comfortable in them.
2. For guys: Briefs, boxers, or boxer briefs? Boxers and Boxer briefs. Sorry boys but I find 'em briefs to be a little on the unappealing side, especially if they are Speedo tight.
3.Movable Type, Blogger, or Greymatter? Am currently using Blogger though we should be moving over to Movable type soon. [I hope, I am still trying to come up with a new design. Thanks again to the wonderful person who helped us install MT, we couldn't have done it w/o you]
4. Rabbits or hamsters? Rabbits, they are cuter then hamster.
5. Electric or gas home? Electric for the lights, gas for the heating and stove. I love cooking on a gas stove.
6. Mud between your toes: comforting or disgusting? Comforting. There is something that is very relaxing about squishing your toes in the mud.
7. Question mark or exclamation point? Exclamation Mark!!! [Though I think may tend to over use them]
8. Is it hot where you live? Yes or no? I wish! No it's rather cold for most of the year over here.
9. Is your monitor currently dusty? Yes or no? Mostly dusty. I would like it not to be but dusting it makes me sneeze something awful.
10. Would you rather have an abundance of love, sex, or money in your life? Love is all you need!

Unintentional Hooky I honestly did

Unintentional Hooky
I honestly did intend on attending classes today, packed my school bag and everything, even packed our flatmates digital camera with me in case anything interesting was happing in the machine shop. [I am still kicking myself for not bringing the camera with me during the 5 week of school. Our teacher had just finished case hardening some of the tapered parallels and was pulling them out of the furnace. Call me strange but there is something that is rather quiet pretty about glowing metal. It would of made a great picture, especially with all the residual charcoal blowing off of them.] I seem to have taken a rather long tangent there.
On my way to school I stopped by our local large computer store to pick up a copy of Heroes of Might and Magic IV for Hugin and meself. [The Diablo II addiction has been waning of late, need something fresh and new] While there I came upon a Client and Customer Service Rep, who were discussing the attributes of various digital cameras, their pros and cons and which ones would be better suited for the customer. I have recently begun taking pictures again and was interested in what the guy had to say so I stood by and listened in on the conversation. Both of them were nice enough to include me in the conversation and once the guy was satisfied the Sales Rep kept on answering my question and went as far as to show me the different types of models that would be best suited for my needs. [I love taking still shots, pictures of the outdoors, and much too Hugin's chagrin, pictures of him. I also want a camera that will take pictures in black and white. If I get up the courage and figure out how to place them in a template I'll post them up on the site] He and another customer were also kind enough to point out several places where I could develop the pictures for cheap and where I could download some free picture editing software. It's been a while since I've walked into a store and had a salesperson be this willing to spend time answering questions. Especially when I had made it clear that I could not as of yet afford to buy a camera. Needless to say, what was supposed to be a quick jaunt to the store turned into a two-hour information session. By the time I realized that I should be getting a move on, class was halfway over. So instead of dealing with my teacher's joyous sarcasm I opted to head home instead and play on the computer.

Well I'll be! I step

Well I'll be!
I step away from the computer for a half a day or so and come back to find Hugin posting [Big Happy Smile] Hmm... maybe I should leave more often?!? [teasing look]

Finally... some good news again!

Finally... some good news again!

"David Caruso, the red headed actor who baffled the public when he left the hit series NYPD Blue after the first season, is returning to television to head up investigations on the Southern tip of the East coast. Caruso has signed a deal to appear in the pilot of CSI: Miami, the spinoff to the highly successful CBS series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. Caruso will play the leader of a forensic investigation team in the Miami and Dade County area. The spinoff has already attracted a notable cast, including Khandi Alexander of ER fame, Adam Rodriguez from Roswell, Rory Cochrane from the film Hart's War, and Emily Procter, who became well known playing the blonde, Republican bombshell Ainsley Hayes on NBC's The West Wing. It is expected that the pilot for CSI: Miami will air as a crossover to its parent series in May."

CSI is a great show, with the exception of some of the dramatic shots of nasty things happening to bones etc... ugh. Unnecessary ugh in my opinion.

But most importantly, Emily Procter. She was absolutely magnificent playing Ainsley - my favourite character The West Wing - bringing her quirky character to wonderful life and making every interaction had with her more and more wonderful. I've watched episodes with Ainsley in them again and again just for little moments that spark from her character or spiral off from interactions with her; from the first meeting she had with Leo McGarry onwards.

Followed by what might be

Followed by what might be bad news... from the Sci-Fi Channel

"THE CHRONICLES OF AMBER (4-hour miniseries) - Based on award-winning writer Roger Zelazny's (Lord of the Light, Creatures of Light and Darkness, Home is the Hangman, A Rose For Ecclesiastes) classic international-best selling 10 volume ``Chronicles of Amber'' series (over 3 1/2 million copies worldwide have been translated into ten languages), this is the story of a royal family with amazing powers over time and space who are plagued by infighting as they try to unite against a sinister enemy. Corwin is a prince of Amber, the ``immortal city from which every other city has taken its shape.'' He has spent centuries on Earth as an amnesiac but when someone in the family tries to kill him, Corwin begins a search for his past. Richard Christian Matheson (Sole Survivor) will adapt the screenplay for SCI FI. Tom Patricia (First Shot, King of the World: The Muhammad Ali Story, Intensity, Medusa's Child, The Linda McCartney Story) of Patriarch Pictures will serve as executive producer."

One of my favourite series this is. It is a book that deals with intrigue and is written both in great detail and great subtlety. And I dread what will happen to that subtlety because of what they did to Dune, which although it wasn't one of my favourites I still enjoyed readin, but which they still mauled.

More good news! Gene therapy

More good news!

Gene therapy has cured Welsh baby Rhys Evans of the fatal "bubble boy" disease.

A step in the right

A step in the right direction.

Celine Dion's latest CD will not play in computer drives. In fact: 'Should the consumer try to play Dion's CD on a PC or Macintosh, the computer likely will crash.'

Now if they just take the next logical step and stop the playing of any of her music in any format.

Blogomania Withdrawal If you are

Blogomania Withdrawal

If you are looking for Robyn, Christine, Kymberlie, Heather, Gnome Girl, Wken, Julie and No Bra Required [can't believe I forgot Her name!! I am such a git.[Update: Dori!!! that's her name]]] They are over at Blogaholics Anonymous. Their sever is down for the moment, but you can find 'em all there!

This has been a blog reader addict's service announcement. Thank you.

Not much to say today,

Not much to say today, just sitting about trying to get better, drinking lots of tea and being a big vegetable. Aside the brain seems to be a little vacant today, not much of anything happening up there today, just a fuzzy drooly numbness. [and before you (HUGIN) decides to make any smart alec remarks, just remember who shares your pillow! [warm teasing smile]] Maybe will be more coherent later..

My Turn. Ok, Munin has

My Turn.

Ok, Munin has said a bit, I also feel the need to say a little.

The problem as I see it is that the Israeli people are under attack, by what for lack of a better word I will call terrorists, and is seeking to defend itself. Pretty straight forward and understandable. The USA found itself in a similar situation and is now engaged in a war in Afghanistan. Israel, after considerable restraint is in a similar situation. But is under pressure to find a diplomatic solution to the problem.

Diplomacy. this is the problem.
The Taleban had taken over ruling Afghanistan, the US could attack the country and be in the `right'. Israel doesn't really have that possibility, because it isn't a country that is sending people to blow themselves and innocent bystanders up. So when Israel tries to do what it can, they get called for a foul. Who are they supposed to be trying to be diplomatic with? The suicide bombers?

My point is that there is no political option for them. I say this because it isn't the mainstream governments of the Palestinian countries that are attacking Israel, but radical elements from those countries. Because of this, even if today in this hour a ceasefire were signed and the government agreed to be nice, those radical elements would still be active and still be following their agendas.

Is it possible to deal with the radical elements? Generally only by giving in totally to whatever they want, which is invariably impossible to do, as it is either not viable or merely the first step leading to another which is itself not viable.

I also do not feel that the Palestinian official leaders can do much about the radicals either. Maybe if Arafat was still a bigwig in the PLO and they were the only group on the block, but that's not the case.

I don't like radicalism, it leaves out the possibility of compromise, of tolerance. And inherent to that the only way to deal with radicalism is to either accept it totally or oppose it totally. There is no middle that they will tolerate, and so none that will stop them.

So what can Israel do? Live with people blowing themselves up, try to stop them when possible? That's not a real life. Nor is that of the suicide bomber, although people are proud of their children who have blown themselves up and killed bystanders. Where is the ability to reason with that? To compromise with that?

The alternatives left are a question of violence. Accepted military violence and perhaps the somewhat more black forms of it. Then the question becomes against who? Who are those who are advocating the suicide bombers, can they be stopped by direct force, or would that create a martyrdom spawning more bombings?

Perhaps the only option available is a combination of what could be called diplomacy by other means; applications of force against the only agencies able to forcibly stop the radical elements, the Palestinians themselves. An external attempt at the elimination of the radical elements would beget more violence from the remaining elements. An internal attempt might not have the same result.

I don't know as a war would allow for that path, but certainly I don't see anything else providing a solution either.

And I also agree that the countries that are pressuring Israel to step back are being hypocritical; if the threat of suicide bombers was a daily concern for those walking along the Champs d'Elysee, or shopping in London, enjoying the canals in Venice, or wherever each of us or our families and loved ones live - something would happen and it wouldn't be very different from what Israel is doing now. It would probably be the same thing, only more of it.

Enough! It amazes me that

Enough!
It amazes me that the EU has required Israel to quiet defending their own country. I would love to know what the reaction would be if this were happening in another country. Would the Spanish, French or any other European, sit by and watch their children, their daughters and sons, their husbands and wives, family and friends who are out on innocent outings be blown up in cafes? Would they stand by and watch their daily lives become one of terror? I wonder what their stance would be if they did not need the oil that is so preciously supplied by the Middle East?
No one deserves to live under a reign of terror, where a daily activity such as being able to buy food from a supermarket becomes a danger. No one deserves that. Not Muslims, nor Jews or Catholics, Hindus, Buddhist, or anyone from any other race or religion.

Sickly I am sitting here

Sickly
I am sitting here holding my head in my hands trying to keep it from falling apart, moaning and generally being a whiney pathetic thing. I think I may have just gotten myself a cold, and am in the first stages of denial. I hate being sick, hate it with a passion. I do not like feeling achy, I do not like the stuffy congested your sinuses are about to explode feeling.
As much as I want to deny that I will be sick my body seems set on the unwell course it is on, my nose is sniffley and my body can't decide if it is feeling hot or cold. Granted you may stay home on these occasions, if you're lucky and hide under the blankets, read books and play on the computer until the general malaise departs. Unfortunately I am not going to be so lucky this week and I am all the more grumpy about it because vacation is over, which means I have to go to school like this, spring as finally arrived the weather is warming up with more sunny days to come and I am going to be sneezey icky feeling thing. [sigh] Serves me right for being such a stress ball as of late...

Update: the Vitamen C and Advil seem to be working, the headachy feeling has left [happy smile] now if only the rest would go away!

So things seem to have

So things seem to have settled down after a fun filled day of pranks. We are back to our regular postings. [I think...] Considering it is Tuesday, I believe that it is time for the regularly scheduled

Monday Mission
1. When was the last time you wanted someone to take you seriously but they just humored you?
Hugin, I was in a righteous indignant mood babbling on about how the world was going to hell in a hand basket and all he could do was sit there, smile and nod his head. Something about me being cute when I am indignant. [humph!!!]
2. If you were going to get a vanity license plate for your car, what would it say? (Or if you already have one, what does it say?)
I think these might do, WLDCHLD, OUTDRGRL, FREAK though I am not one for vanity plates.
3. What was written in the sweetest love note you were ever given? What's the story there?
This has to one of the most endearing love notes I have ever gotten. "I want you to keep breathing and laughing and gasping and shouting and whispering and everything else that means you are in my life." My only response to it, is Ditto beloved. No story, just is.
4. What is your ethnic background?
Mixed. I am a very confused mixed child. Let see. English, Scottish, a little wee bit of Irish somewhere way back when. Israeli, Polish, Bedouin, German, and Russian. With a bit of South African mixed in for good measure. Yup that sounds about right; I think I've gotten all the parts of me down.
5.What, if any, is your personal exercise routine?
I wish I could say, I wake up in the morning stretch, run a couple of miles do 25 pushups [I am scrawny I figured that would be a good number for someone my size] and 50 pushups. But I have been a lazy bum as off late, just sitting here by the computer occasionally getting up to grab some coffee. Not good, not good at all especially if I want to do some climbing this summer.
6. Have you ever had any "one night stands?" How did that come about and how did you feel the next day?
Hmm, if memory serves me correctly I would have to say; I have never had a one-night stand. Too shy and timid to actually consider having one and would not feel right about it in the morning.
7. What is your fondest Easter memory?
That would have this year, but Guruvious ran over the Easter bunny and I was hoping that Hugin would walk in with chocolate Easter eggs, but all he could find where some nicely colored hard-boiled ones. [sniff]
BONUS: Who am I to disagree?
Me of course who else could disagree? The boogie monster I think not! [Promo has stumped me again, I have no idea where gets these]

I'd like to send a

I'd like to send a heartful thanks out to the wonderful Ms. Heather for participating in Robyn's April Fool's blog exchange with us and becoming the anoymous mysterious blogger. Thank you!

Hugin has stated that he'll

Hugin has stated that he'll come back if the pink gets changed. Unfortunately it seems as if the dog got snatched up by a Hollywood agent and is a shoe-in for the next Terminator movie. I guess it's time for another site redesign. [Humph!!] Then again maybe we'll just go back to the original orange and blue...

Time for Monday's Mission 1.

Time for Monday's Mission
1. When was the last time you wanted someone to take you
seriously but they just humored you? When I told Hugin that I was happy with the color of this layout, and he laughed, turned and pcked up and left.
2. If you were going to get a vanity license plate for your car,
what would it say? (Or if you already have one, what does it say?) Myfish
3. What was written in the sweetest love note you were ever
given? What's the story there? The day that Hugin said that we can get another fish...Story behind it....I'm sorry thats just toooo personal there..:)
4. What is your ethnic background? A bit of everything, does that make me a mutt too???
5. What, if any, is your personal exercise routine? I get up every morning walk the dog and the fish and return to the computer chair for continuous squats
6. Have you ever had any "one night stands?" How did that come
about and how did you feel the next day? No, I tend not to use men, like men tend to use women cuz we all know what men have on there mind every 30 seconds
7. What is your fondest Easter memory? The Easter that Hugin put an egg in the fish tank and there was a fish ring inside

BONUS: Who am I to disagree? I am me and I can disagree all I want ...

Have a great day!!!!

There we go, the colors

There we go, the colors have been changed, hopefully Hugin will log on somewhere's notice the change and come back home.

Hugin must have been mad

Hugin must have been mad and got onto the site, becuz we don't have comments anymore. Hugin, it's ok, I'm working on changing the colors ok....Can you and the dog please come home....Me and the fish miss you alot...:(

Wow! I just got an

Wow!

I just got an email with an offer to enlarge my breasts naturally!
Of course that would be rather unnatural...

I tried to beg him

I tried to beg him to stay, but he'll have none of it. He has taken the dog and has left for the day. My mom's coming to pick me up for breakfast and I don't know what she will say. She likes him so much, always thought he was the best thing in my life. Oh the curse of my tyrannical ways. I should have been more lenient I should have been more understanding...

Hugin has been complaining that

Hugin has been complaining that he doesn't like the look of the site anymore....Tells me that everyday that he sees it....thinks that colors just don't match and needs to change it soon or he is going to take the dog and leave for a couple days until I fix it....