Archive for the 'Commentary' Category
March 9th, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
8. I’m cheap/dutch.
7. I’m a geek, and proud of it.
6. I like home improvement, gardening, and general yard work - not that good, but I’d rather try to do it on my own and enjoy the process.
5. I collect quotes - weird, funny, intellectual, about the outdoors (not necessarily all in one), but never sappy, inspirational or cliche-ridden.
4. I run Linux (and derivatives of Linux) on most of my PCs. I don’t really know what I’m doing, but heck, I try and I have fun.
3. I can cook (well) and I love it, expanding my horizons, trying fancy things
2. I need isolation/solitude in the outdoors, usually via solo canoe camping trips deep into the interior.
1. I have worms. They are my pets, and they integrate both my kitchen and my gardens.
What got me thinking about this? Blogs usually focus on one’s unique qualities in an effort to differentiate themselves from the mass of teenage conformity that dominates blogs. Each of my unique characteristics may not be all that special, but put them together and I wonder if there is one other person in the world who can identify with all.
There was one blog that struck me as unique - here’s my inspiration: Jason’s Worm Bin Blog.
February 25th, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary, Silliness |
I think Canadian athletes are some of the happiest most perky most enthusiastic and cheerful gold medal winners and Olympic champions - take for example, Clara Hughes and Chandra Crawford. Clara and Cindy Klassen’s enthusiasm even infected the silver medal winner from Germany, Claudia Pechstein. I think the enthusiasm and sheer ecstasy they demonstrate exemplifies the Olympic spirit and what sports should really be all about. We start believing the NHL, MLB, NFL athletes, and the stupid things that happen with them are the epitome of sport, but the Olympics clarify that that’s really entertainment, along the same lines as WWE and Nick & Jessica.
February 25th, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
When you hate something so much you just have to do something. Here’s the letter I sent to Yoplait as a result of their recent commercials:
Please pull your recent commercials off TV! The “listen to your mouth” commercials are so annoying. I have vowed to (and do so) change the channel everytime they come on. Please don’t think that they are successful since I know the company who made them, rather realize that I have vowed to not purchase Yoplait products for a time proportional to how long I feel these commercials are overplayed. If I see that they continue beyond the end of the Olympics, I feel I must write to CBC (and any other networks that play these commercials) and inform them that they lose me for 10+ minutes everytime they play these commercials. I have nothing against your products, but your commercial is turning me against your company. Thank you.
February 12th, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
No, this is not a lust-based post, but rather a cheer for the Italian women’s hockey team! Not only did they survive playing a team 2 levels above their own, a country with something like a thousand times more women players, but the goalie made the 3rd star with 50 saves, and the team was in tears afterwards - not because they lost 16-0, but because they felt they competed right through to the end. Talk about loving the game, fully appreciating the skill and challenge provided by the opposition, and simply being happy to have an opportunity like this! What Canadian Friday night pickup team wouldn’t love to play the Stanley Cup champions - even if it meant losing miserably, in front of millions of viewers - it’s the love of the game, the essence of the sport of hockey, and the ultimate sportsmanship. And supposedly the Canadian women earned fans during practice before the game by being simply Canadian.
February 11th, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
If Martin was blamed for improprieties in Chretien’s government, shouldn’t Harper be responsible for improprieties in Mulroney’s? Wouldn’t the media just love that - then we could throw away another couple of years paying for a government who will accomplish nothing as they attempt to refocus the public off a supposed scandal and back onto politics. Then again, that would probably be better than what the Conservatives are proposing.
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January 31st, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
What do you think of this story?
Cyclist-driver clash photos spark online debate
According to the website, the male driver tossed some litter onto the street. The female biker picked it up and tossed it back into the van. He threw coffee on her and the two appeared to fight.
If it isn’t the average individual who challenges litterers, who will it be? Police wouldn’t “waste their time”, and any charges could be denied because it’s usually not the police who observe the littering. [I just now read the bit stating “Toronto police Const. Kristine Bacharach admits it would be tough to press littering charges – which draw a $305 fine in Toronto. “You almost need the police officer to witness it,” said Bacharach.” What good is a $305 fine if it never gets made?] I think the only time charges would be laid would be in the case of dumping an entire truck load on someone’s private property. Everytime someone just leaves their coffee cup somewhere, or spits out gum, or flicks a cigarette butt, they’ll get away with it unless someone challenges them.
I heard a comment that the passerby violated the litterer’s personal space by throwing his garbage back in his truck. What a load of ptoey. He waived his right to his personal space by violating the public’s clean space. Personal space is not a human right, but I do believe that human’s have the responsibility to care for our space. It’s really sad that “picking up after oneself” is expecting too much in terms of our contribution to society.
“The courier should NOT have thrown it back in, but instead just yelled at him to draw attention to him and make him look like an ass,” one posting said. “Instead, she (allegedly) threw it back in, which is just asking for trouble. She is not the police, and it’s not her job to be judge and jury of a crime.”
And how would he have responded to yelling at him and making him look like an ass? He’d have flipped her the bird and driven off, forgetting all about it, leaving a pile of garbage behind.
Opening the litterer’s door vs. throwing coffee at her and stomping on her bike. Hmm… where should blame go?
Some of the better comments:
i see she has a u-lock tucked under her belt. she should have been using that on the guy attacking her. nothing quashes road-rage like a 5-pound steel bikelock swung full-speed into one’s face.
actually, they’re not too far and few in between, because prevalence of occasions like this increases when nothing is done in anyone’s defense. as a canadian living in america for school, i’ve seen a lot of senseless shit. american’s think nothing of it and move on with daily life. the same is happening to canada. canada is 12 years behind the U.S. (fact quoted to me by a police officer friend of mine) in terms of crime. the worst is not yet here and i should hope that we have developed better strategies for keeping our streets safe but more importantly, a strong sense of community when it comes to aiding others. the point is that in this forum, there are several individuals even attempting to blame the girl. while it would have been “safer” and “less provocative” of the situation to take it in stride and walk away, that’s what the states does. what should be on everyone’s minds is that it’s wrong to litter and those who do should be held accountable. second, it was nice to see everyone come to her aid. there comes a point in time where the community needs to fight crime itself.
What would you do if someone dumped coffee on you? getting assaulted definitly justifies damageing property and damaging property does NOT justify that asshole assaulting her. what SHOULD you do if someone messes with you? get 3rd degree coffee burns and cry about it? bottom line, damage property and if they get out of the car with a baseball bat damage their face with your U Lock.
… and that’s after only reading 20% of the comments. Good stuff there.
January 22nd, 2006 -- Posted in Commentary |
Rick Mercer’s prediction of a Conservative cabinet
For example:
David Sweet – Minister responsible for the Status of Women
“There’s a particular reason why Jesus called men only. It’s not that women aren’t co-participators. It’s because Jesus knew women would naturally follow. Men, on the other hand, had to be called.”
- Conservative Candidate David Sweet former President & CEO of Promise Keepers Canada
December 10th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary, Christmas |
Doug and I headed to Niagara for the day! We went to Niagara-on-the-Lake first for a walk (bought some yummy fudge) to get some Christmas spirit. Lots of great decorations! We then drove to Niagara Falls - very pretty with ice all around. For dinner we went to the Rainforest Cafe. It is a place we went to a few times on our honeymoon so we like to go back now that it is in Canada. We hadn’t been in a few years so it was nice to go again. After dinner we strolled through the casino, through a few stores, and then stopped at Starbuck’s to warm up a little. We walked by all of the lights and attempted to drive by some others but the line was TOO long. It was quite pretty though and a perfect day. A little chilly in some parts but Doug lent me his thicker mittens! What a good boy. I gave him the rest of my caramel mocha…
December 7th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary, General |
You know you are tired and ready for a break when you left half of your year out of your Christmas letter. I thought the letter was a little sparse when I wrote it but it had all of our major events in it. I neglected our summer trips, Doug’s solo camping trips, his first moose sighting, and many other great things. So I apologize that it is lacking this year but it does describe that it has been quite the year.
November 12th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
What’s with Montreal eliminating the “Thank You Fans” messages just off the blue lines? Maybe there was too much English, and the language police raised a stink. I hadn’t noticed this, but apparently Toronto was the only arena to have anything other than the standard - they had “Thank You Leaf Fans”. Sigh… that’s Toronto for you.
May 25th, 2005 -- Posted in School, Commentary |
I saw my transcripts today and I passed!! I got honors in every course that had an honors option! Woohoo!! Not that that is a hard task but still an accomplishment none the less. Convocation is next week!
And our house passed the home inspection today which means most likely our home will officially be sold as of this Friday at 5pm - as long as everything else goes through ie. their financing.
So everything is moving along…
May 3rd, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary, General |
I am starting to feel a little stress… okay, a lot of stress. Packing, selling, buying, courses, cleaning, ahhhhh! Craziness. I am really thinking about dropping a course… as much as I would love to have it under my belt, I don’t know if it is worth it. It is offered again later in the summer so I could pick it up then. A lot of craziness going on.
On an aside, I don’t know if we mentioned our celebratory dinner last week. When Doug got his job offer we went to a fancy dancy restaurant on the water. I had the beef tenderloin, and Doug has Guinea Fowl. Yumm…. then we split this chocolate raspberry cake! Yummmm! Anyway, I had a student coupon which was one of the reasons we went. We had great seats too where we could both look out at the water.
So, that is what is going on here. Chaos!
May 1st, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
CBC News: Polls show Liberals recovering
Rather that accomplishing something positive, the conservatives seem to just be trying to stop all political action and value. This drives me crazy, as I’d rather see politicians do something with their time and money. A minority government can be a very effective tool to accomplish bipartisan agendas, and the Liberals and NDP understand this. Comprise to accomplish vs. stubborn resistance to change. In the end, this just makes Harper look like an idiot.
The other thing that drives me crazy is when people sensationalize minor political issues into major human rights violations, in an effort to make their issue more important and egregious. For example, a person (who happened to be an MPP) attended a traditional marriage rally on his own time, with no advertised affiliation with his political status or party. Pro-homosexual marriage advocates said this violated the human rights of his constituents. His personal stance was in one direction, but it has no correlation with how he will vote politically if it comes to it - not to mention it’s an issue that exists at the federal level, not even his political level, and ignoring the fact that to say he can’t attend would violate his own human rights of freedom of expression.
May 1st, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary, General |
With all the changes and decisions going on right now, it appears that Doug and I are taking turns sleeping. I was probably up until midnight and then awake at five. I just checked my e-mail and it seems that Doug was up the 3-4 am shift. He’s snoring up a storm though. I had a HUGE nap yesterday thinking it would catch me up but it just delayed sleep last night. If only I knew how to use Linux so I could watch some of the downloads! That’s what Doug does when he can’t sleep…
April 15th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
Here’s my latest theory:
If you hope for the best, imagining that the ultimate scenario will occur, think that you’ll get everything you look for, you feel really good. You get excited, your adrenaline starts rushing, and emotionally you run a high. But on a regular intermittent basis, you step back and realize in the realistic/logical part of your brain that this will not occur and that you are likely to be disappointed. This very thought process ensures that the final disappointment is less than the difference between reality and the high you are experiencing. It doesn’t matter when you find out that you didn’t get it, because you subconsciously expected this result, but consciously got the benefits of expecting success. The net result is positive. Furthermore, when you are feeling good, you will do better, be more successful, and destine yourself for better outcomes.
Naive idealists are happier than pessimists.
Happiness is more likely to lead to success.
Therefore success comes to naive idealists.
April 13th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
I seem to be entering a new phase in my life and I have been pondering where I’ve been and where I am going. Last year at this time I was a little down as I found I did not get into Teacher’s College. I was also finishing up my thesis project which was a little stressful…. It was hard to be proud that I was finishing something yet it wasn’t taking me anywhere… yet.
It’s funny how last year at this time I had a college diploma yet still felt like I wasn’t there… and in about a months time, I will have a college diploma and two degrees. Weird. I’m right where I wanted to be at 30. It is a strange feeling to arrive at a destination where you thought you would never be. I am a teacher …. and it was something that was always out of reach and yet it is here.
Where does one go after they have reached their goal for the past seven years? Right now I am finding it hard to set new goals, but perhaps that is not necessary. I think I will just enjoy arriving for a while. Oh… and play my guitar.
Thank you to all who believed in me… even when I didn’t believe in myself.
April 2nd, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
If you were to make hockey goal nets larger in the NHL, isn’t that dealing with the symptoms the league is experiencing (ie. low scoring), when something closer to the source (the lower calibre of play) would resolve the situation while having a greater impact? In particular, going with a net that “curve’s out at the sides” would just look stupid. Why not just go with a circle - make a hockey net like in basketball. Hey, basketball’s an exciting sport - let’s replicate it on ice! Suggestions like eliminating the center line, and reducing the number of teams (so bad players get squeezed out, and so there is only enough room for the good players who want to play that the good players who whine too much (like the Lindros’ and Yashins) can just get lost), and cutting back on the chippy cheap play (so goons get eliminated from the league), and preventing the goalies from playing the puck (heck, allow goalies to be checked if they’re out of their crease like anyone else) and encouraging more breakaways and so on. Then the quality is directly addressed instead of resolving the secondary problems with the game.
Or, if you don’t care about hockey, can you stack pennies like this?
March 25th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary, General |
Today I learned the correct spelling and the real definition of uncorrigible. For some reason… I always thought it was encouragable… so I would reply, “Yes, I am encouraging, aren’t I?” Anyway, it seems that I am often told that I am uncorrigible. I went to the dictionary website and it says that uncorrigible means: not capable of correction. EEEKS! Umm… I’m afraid that suits me to a tee! or is it ‘T’? Anyway, I am not capable of correction. But I don’t think I really want to correct all of my silliness!
March 9th, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
Woo hoo! We made it! Well, if we were American, we would have made it. But for some bizarre reason, “Canadians” didn’t make it to the list (maybe something to do with the fact that “Canadians” are not “Americans”, by definition only) in spite of legalizing marijuana, legalizing gay marriage, not supporting the war in Iraq, nor the missile defence system, making the US look bad when we signed the Kyota Accord (even though we won’t really do anything with it anyways), being so loved internationally, being so much better at hockey, and so on. In any case, here’s why you and I are loathsome, were we to simply live somewhere between 1 and 50 kilometers further south:
3. You
Crimes: You gaze idly at the carnage around you, sigh, and go calmly back to your coffee and your People magazine. You can’t stop buying useless crap, though you’re drowning in a deepening pool of debt. You think you’re an activist because you bitch all day on the internet, but you reelect the same gangsters at a 99% rate. You consider yourself informed because you waste a significant portion of your life watching the same three news stories cycle over and over again on your gargantuan, aerodynamic television set while you eat processed food. You really thought everything would be okay if Kerry won. Not only do you believe in an invisible man who magically farted out the universe, you also excoriate and marginalize those who disagree. You have a poorer understanding of your country’s foreign policy history than a third world peasant, but you can’t wait to see what Julia Roberts will be wearing at the Oscars. You cheer as Ukrainians challenge an election based on exit poll data, but keep waiting around for someone else to fix your problems. You can’t think, you can’t organize and you won’t act. This is all your fault.
Smoking Gun: You’re fat.
Punishment: You’re soaking in it.
February 23rd, 2005 -- Posted in Commentary |
We went out for dinner to Shoeless Joes tonight. I ordered a sweet chili (with vegetables and noodles) and Jenn had a club sandwich (sigh). My meal came with rice instead of noodles, so when I asked about it our server offered to remake it. I said no, because it still tasted really good and I hate good food getting thrown out. He advocated for us, and the manager gave us 10% off - in addition to the buy-1-get-1-free coupon we had. And then we filled out the online comment card and we’re going to win a $3,499 Sony 42″ Grand Wega Widescreen TV on March 1st. What a winner night! Now I just need to have a bath, and watch Gilmore Girls, and fall asleep. Life is good.
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