Tuesday, June 28, 2005
Insano-Kamikaze Dude
Seriously, this was the scariest thing I've seen anyone do on purpose. You'll be happy to know (I know I was) that he cme out unscathed, and promptly returned to land to ask for money, which, I have to say, was well earned. If the panhandlers around here were doing crazy stunts live, maybe people would be more willing to pay them.
Some Architecture...
This is the goregous ceiling of the Cathedral we visited in Mazatlan. The whole place was incredible, the way it was lit and laid out.
La Puntilla
Where me, T and Mon shared a flaming boat of seafood, the legend of which will live on forever. Seriously, though, if you're in Mazatlan, check it out.
Before
The flaming boat of seafood. You can't tell right now, but the boat shot flame out of its sides. So. Cool.
Puff! PUUUFFFF!
This is a puffer fish, quite like the one in Finding Nemo. Granted, probably not the most exciting exhibit at the Mazatlan Aquarium, but I can't explain how long I stood there, trying to get any of the puffer fish to puff, simply by yelling "puff!" at increasing levels. Mon didn't help, but she didn't tell me to stop, either, so you know she wanted it to happen too.
Monday, June 27, 2005
Advertisement Analysis
Has anyone seen the new Kotex ads? They have nothing at all to do with the product. They seem to exist for the sole purpose of letting us, the consumers, know that the packaging has changed. You know, in case you walk into the store to pick some of your favorite feminine products (tm Girly's dad), and find yourself at a loss because...you can't read? Seriously.
Also, has anyone noticed one of the symbolic "flowers" on the new package that they're touting is an orchid? Isn't that a little...dirty, somehow?
Also, has anyone noticed one of the symbolic "flowers" on the new package that they're touting is an orchid? Isn't that a little...dirty, somehow?
Jamie's School Dinners
On Saturday night, while babysitting, I availed myself of the family's television, with their 60 channels (yes, the kids were asleep). Unfortunately, it was a Saturday, so there was pretty much nothing on, but I did manage to find one riveting program, called (as you may have guessed) Jamie's School Dinners. Basically, Jamie Oliver (The Naked Chef) decided to try to reform the repulsive school dinners that were being served to elementary schoolers in the UK. He made new menus (ones that didn't include "tater tots in the shape of happy faces" and "pretend pork chops") and trained kitchen staff, only to be confronted with kids who didn't want to try the new food. He found a solution to that (schools held a "food week"), and has even managed to convince the government to revise the situation, increasing funding to the school dinner program. It's all very impressive, except that now some schools are stuck in contracts with the crapfood suppliers, and can't get out for several years. Hey, suppliers, here's an idea: serve better food.
But if you ever get a chance, watch it. It's good, and honestly, schools around here could take a few pointers, too.
But if you ever get a chance, watch it. It's good, and honestly, schools around here could take a few pointers, too.
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Whoo!
I have photo-posting capability! And without causing my computer to sink into a month-long coma! Whooo! I will be photoblogging up a storm, people! A STORM!
Heh, got a little overwrought there. But now that I know this works, I can post pictures from Mexico! And next time I do something crazy fun, I can post pictures from that, too!
Ah, flickr. You are my today's true love.
Heh, got a little overwrought there. But now that I know this works, I can post pictures from Mexico! And next time I do something crazy fun, I can post pictures from that, too!
Ah, flickr. You are my today's true love.
Tuesday, June 21, 2005
Take in the View
Yesterday, at (well, close to) J's house, we went up to the top of the British Properties at J's mum's urging. We were a little skeptical, but man, the view was incredible. 180 degrees of Vancouver, on a clear sunny day, is gorgeous. You could see Mountains everywhere, and the amazing number of trees encompassed by Stanley and Pacific Spirit Parks are gorgeous. I highly recommend it, if you're in the area. Next time we're going after dark.
J's dad has a telescope, and since it was a full moon (or at least close to it) last night, we took it out to have a look. I've decided that should I ever be wealthy enough to afford one, and telescope will definitely be purchased. It was so cool! You could see the craters, and even the ripply edges of the moon, that weren't smooth anymore, because of craters and mountains! On a less accademic note, if you looked across the bay through the microscope, you can see the cars driving (I saw one run a red light. Grrrr), and if you look on the North Shore side of the bay? Yep, you can see into apartments. So, I'm getting blinds for my room. Cause that's creepy.
J's dad has a telescope, and since it was a full moon (or at least close to it) last night, we took it out to have a look. I've decided that should I ever be wealthy enough to afford one, and telescope will definitely be purchased. It was so cool! You could see the craters, and even the ripply edges of the moon, that weren't smooth anymore, because of craters and mountains! On a less accademic note, if you looked across the bay through the microscope, you can see the cars driving (I saw one run a red light. Grrrr), and if you look on the North Shore side of the bay? Yep, you can see into apartments. So, I'm getting blinds for my room. Cause that's creepy.
Sunday, June 19, 2005
Moods, Expenses, and Father's Day
I've been in kind of a weird mood lately, that I'm going to assume is hormonal. I've also been working for what seems like an inordinate amount of time for someone who's only working part time. However, since I've gone from one to three jobs in the span of a week, I guess that's to be expected.
I'm happy to report that my spending has decreased from the crazy spree last described, which is good. Since I last wrote, I've bought a pair of pretty earrings for $10, three books for $3 from the library (which is a Good Deal, you have to admit), and spent $30 in the process of going out for a friend's birthday. Clubbing is costly.
Today we had a family get together for Father's Day, which was ultimately successful. It was nice to see everyone, although I wish I hadn't just gotten off work; I was too tired to really converse too much. Father's Day, while not as brunchy as Mother's Day, still ranks high on the brunchometer.
I have tomorrow off work (whoo!), so I will relax, go to UBC and chill with J, and then tutor, because having a day off work doesn't mean that I get to, you know, not work. Heh.
Time for bed.
I'm happy to report that my spending has decreased from the crazy spree last described, which is good. Since I last wrote, I've bought a pair of pretty earrings for $10, three books for $3 from the library (which is a Good Deal, you have to admit), and spent $30 in the process of going out for a friend's birthday. Clubbing is costly.
Today we had a family get together for Father's Day, which was ultimately successful. It was nice to see everyone, although I wish I hadn't just gotten off work; I was too tired to really converse too much. Father's Day, while not as brunchy as Mother's Day, still ranks high on the brunchometer.
I have tomorrow off work (whoo!), so I will relax, go to UBC and chill with J, and then tutor, because having a day off work doesn't mean that I get to, you know, not work. Heh.
Time for bed.
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
It's A Good Thing I'm Working So Much Because...
In the past two (two!) days, I've bought...
A pair of running shoes
Three shirts
Socks
Lox pate
A laundry hamper
16 clothes hangers
Stickers
Fancy cheeses
Of that list, the socks and the runners were the only ones I could consider "necessary purchases" (apparently, I wear holes into footwear quite easily. I know, I know, holes in shoes are not normal. Stop judging). The laundry hamper and clothes hangers could be considered "practical spending" (didn't have a hamper, and my hangers are all wire. And Carson does say "never use wire hangers!"), and everything else, sadly, has to be put in the "frivolity" category.
After buying the three shirts, I was struck by a flash urge to organize, as happens on occasion. This time, as it does so often, at approximately 1 AM. This generally happens when something is so cluttered or crammed that (albeit after 3 months) I finally snap and have to clean it out.
One would wonder, this being a dresser, how messy can it be? Well, let me explain. I have one dresser, with three drawers. One drawer contains socks, underwear, and what could be called "little tops" - tees, tanks, that sort of thing. The next drawer holds my swimsuits, bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts) and pyjamas, as well as sweaters. The last drawer holds craft supplies.
Needless to say, drawer space is limited. This has never really been a problem; I don't have that much clothing. But lately it's been getting a little crowded, apparently enough so to push my "clean - NOW" button. So I took everything out of the drawers (the clothing ones, not the craft one), and went through it all. I managed to eliminate almost an entire drawer worth of clothing: things I never wear, or don't like. I also managed to rediscover a whole bunch of shirts I quite like but never wear, because I a) forget I have them, b) am scared I'll ruin them (which I've realized is stupid; they're clothes, the whole point is to wear them) or c) think that they're too dressy (and note that these are not formal dresses. It's like a shirt nicer than a beater). So, I ditched all the clothes I don't wear/like, and resolved to wear the clothes I do like more often.
I love being able to make resolutins like that; they cost me nothing, increase my enjoyment of life, and decrease clutter, all at once! So satisfying.
But no more buying. This is getting out of control.
A pair of running shoes
Three shirts
Socks
Lox pate
A laundry hamper
16 clothes hangers
Stickers
Fancy cheeses
Of that list, the socks and the runners were the only ones I could consider "necessary purchases" (apparently, I wear holes into footwear quite easily. I know, I know, holes in shoes are not normal. Stop judging). The laundry hamper and clothes hangers could be considered "practical spending" (didn't have a hamper, and my hangers are all wire. And Carson does say "never use wire hangers!"), and everything else, sadly, has to be put in the "frivolity" category.
After buying the three shirts, I was struck by a flash urge to organize, as happens on occasion. This time, as it does so often, at approximately 1 AM. This generally happens when something is so cluttered or crammed that (albeit after 3 months) I finally snap and have to clean it out.
One would wonder, this being a dresser, how messy can it be? Well, let me explain. I have one dresser, with three drawers. One drawer contains socks, underwear, and what could be called "little tops" - tees, tanks, that sort of thing. The next drawer holds my swimsuits, bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts) and pyjamas, as well as sweaters. The last drawer holds craft supplies.
Needless to say, drawer space is limited. This has never really been a problem; I don't have that much clothing. But lately it's been getting a little crowded, apparently enough so to push my "clean - NOW" button. So I took everything out of the drawers (the clothing ones, not the craft one), and went through it all. I managed to eliminate almost an entire drawer worth of clothing: things I never wear, or don't like. I also managed to rediscover a whole bunch of shirts I quite like but never wear, because I a) forget I have them, b) am scared I'll ruin them (which I've realized is stupid; they're clothes, the whole point is to wear them) or c) think that they're too dressy (and note that these are not formal dresses. It's like a shirt nicer than a beater). So, I ditched all the clothes I don't wear/like, and resolved to wear the clothes I do like more often.
I love being able to make resolutins like that; they cost me nothing, increase my enjoyment of life, and decrease clutter, all at once! So satisfying.
But no more buying. This is getting out of control.
Tuesday, June 14, 2005
Leaving, or Being Left
This morning, Girly left for Montreal, where she'll be living, at least for a few years. It's weird, her not being in Vancouver. I mean, she's left before, for months at a time, but this was always "home". Now when she comes here, it'll be a visit. Montreal will be home.
Before she left, I thought "It's not a huge deal; she's only going to be in Montreal. It's not that far. And we can still talk on the phone, and write letters and stuff." And I'm happy for her, because she gets to go to a school that's good at what she loves, and be in a city with a man that she loves, and just as importantly, loves her (Note to The Guy Formerly Known as Mohawk Boy: I'm watching, I'm listening, and you ever give me reason I can find out where you live). And I've had a really great time going to a big University, and I'm excited for her to have that too.
But I realized, hanging out with her all day yesterday, that I'm going to miss her, a lot. There aren't very many friends that you find, with whom you can sit in a room with them for 5 hours straight, talk or not talk, just be, and not get bored. I can think of maybe 3 friends that I have, with whom I can do that. It's not just about the comfort of not having to think about what you say; it's the knowledge that you don't always have to be saying something. And that when you do, if it's stupid, the other person will mock you mercilessly, and all you'll do is laugh because when she says it, it's funny, and not hurtful as it is from people you don't trust so well.
So I am upset, which I think was likely expected by everyone but me. But I know I'll be fine, and so will we. Every time one of us "goes away" for a while, when we finally see each other again it's just like it was before. I don't think you find that in many friends either.
And now I'm crying. Hard, Thanks for moving right while I'm PMSing, Girly.
Before she left, I thought "It's not a huge deal; she's only going to be in Montreal. It's not that far. And we can still talk on the phone, and write letters and stuff." And I'm happy for her, because she gets to go to a school that's good at what she loves, and be in a city with a man that she loves, and just as importantly, loves her (Note to The Guy Formerly Known as Mohawk Boy: I'm watching, I'm listening, and you ever give me reason I can find out where you live). And I've had a really great time going to a big University, and I'm excited for her to have that too.
But I realized, hanging out with her all day yesterday, that I'm going to miss her, a lot. There aren't very many friends that you find, with whom you can sit in a room with them for 5 hours straight, talk or not talk, just be, and not get bored. I can think of maybe 3 friends that I have, with whom I can do that. It's not just about the comfort of not having to think about what you say; it's the knowledge that you don't always have to be saying something. And that when you do, if it's stupid, the other person will mock you mercilessly, and all you'll do is laugh because when she says it, it's funny, and not hurtful as it is from people you don't trust so well.
So I am upset, which I think was likely expected by everyone but me. But I know I'll be fine, and so will we. Every time one of us "goes away" for a while, when we finally see each other again it's just like it was before. I don't think you find that in many friends either.
And now I'm crying. Hard, Thanks for moving right while I'm PMSing, Girly.
Sunday, June 12, 2005
Good vs. Bad
A friend and I were discussing the difference between good and bad customers when working in retail. An example of a good customer would be exemplified by a friendly, chatty customer that realizes that you can't be too chatty when it's insane in the store and people are yelling at you from every corner.
A bad customer could be characterized by someone who comes in at the busiest time of the week, criticizes the merchandise, the service, and the establishment, buys some of the merchandise, and then comes back the next week to do the same and also complain about the previous week. That is a bad customer.
A bad customer could be characterized by someone who comes in at the busiest time of the week, criticizes the merchandise, the service, and the establishment, buys some of the merchandise, and then comes back the next week to do the same and also complain about the previous week. That is a bad customer.
Thursday, June 09, 2005
Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants - The Movie
So on Tuesday night, I went to see The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants with Claire. There were some complications involving getting to the theater (apparently Richmond Centre movie theater wants its patrons to walk around the ENTIRE mall to see a movie), and then technical difficulties that managed to selectively obscure only the dialogue (this persisted for the previews, and then first 15 minutes of the film), but all in all I really liked it. Granted, I love the book. That may skew my perceptions. But the movie deviates from the book quite a lot, and is still really, really good. It doesn't hurt that the love interests are really cute (an area in which The Princess Diaries sorely missed target), and the casting of the four girls was excellent. And it had the type of happy ending that makes you feel all squishy inside.
And we got free passes to another movie, courtesy of the sound problems! Wooo free movie!
Summary
Type of movie - Teen, girl, romantic.
Hot love interests? - Yes.
Appropriate watching mood - Girly, romantic, hopeful.
Appropriate people to see with - Girlfriends, possibly Moms.
Incite body issues? - Three "sisters" will, one won't. Good for Hollywood, really.
Ending - Happy, squishy.
And we got free passes to another movie, courtesy of the sound problems! Wooo free movie!
Summary
Type of movie - Teen, girl, romantic.
Hot love interests? - Yes.
Appropriate watching mood - Girly, romantic, hopeful.
Appropriate people to see with - Girlfriends, possibly Moms.
Incite body issues? - Three "sisters" will, one won't. Good for Hollywood, really.
Ending - Happy, squishy.
Monday, June 06, 2005
Kitty and Sugar
Saturday night, I babysat a little girl named Kitty. I used to babysit her every week, a couple of years ago, but then they stopped calling. I later found out that her parents had split up, and this last Saturday was the first time I'd seen her since. She's certainly grown, in the year and a half or so since I stopped seeing her; she's gone from tiny tot to first grader. And she's matured, too. We'd left off in the middle of her "let's test people" phase (a phase to which teens, in my opinion, should be exposed to as birth control), and is now quite pleasant. All in all, it went well; we checked out her treehouse, did some flashcards, and read some Robin Hood stories, at which point she went to bed.
But.
She has a hamster. A hamster named Sugar. I'm sure Sugar is very sweet, and she's definitely the most lithe hamster I've ever met, but she is the loudest hamster ever. She lives in a little Habitrail cage, and she seemed to be staging a Shawshank Redemption escape. She just sat in one of the little plastic boxes, and scraped at it with her teeth. I'm not going to lie, there were plastic shavings flying; she was making progress. But my god, the noise! It was the hamster version of nails on a chalkboard, without the hamster-sized volume. For three hours straight. Never again will I used hamsters as examples of short attention spans.
But at least Kitty was cool.
Bloody hamster.
But.
She has a hamster. A hamster named Sugar. I'm sure Sugar is very sweet, and she's definitely the most lithe hamster I've ever met, but she is the loudest hamster ever. She lives in a little Habitrail cage, and she seemed to be staging a Shawshank Redemption escape. She just sat in one of the little plastic boxes, and scraped at it with her teeth. I'm not going to lie, there were plastic shavings flying; she was making progress. But my god, the noise! It was the hamster version of nails on a chalkboard, without the hamster-sized volume. For three hours straight. Never again will I used hamsters as examples of short attention spans.
But at least Kitty was cool.
Bloody hamster.
Friday, June 03, 2005
Book Reviews and More
All right, people, these'll be short and sweet.
Tribes, by Arthur Slade
Synopsis can be found here
Pretty good book; I think I liked Slade's Dust better, but it was definitely worth the time spent reading it, which granted wasn't very long, as it's a pretty short book.
The Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett
Synopsis can be found here
I know, I know, Pratchett again. This is one of the Discworld books, and involves the Nightwatch crew. It's far too complicated to explain, but suffice it to say that it involves werewolves, vampires, and dwarves. And I love Carrot.
Well, it's been a while, so quite a lot has happened. I went to Skybar for a friends birthday, where we had to pay an exorbitant $12 cover, but had enough fun so that I can consider it worthwhile. I bought jeans for $40.00 including tax, which these days is a huge bargain. I hung out with Girly, Tessa, and J, and ate ridiculous amounts of food (which has got to stop, as it is expensive to eat out).
Tribes, by Arthur Slade
Synopsis can be found here
Pretty good book; I think I liked Slade's Dust better, but it was definitely worth the time spent reading it, which granted wasn't very long, as it's a pretty short book.
The Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett
Synopsis can be found here
I know, I know, Pratchett again. This is one of the Discworld books, and involves the Nightwatch crew. It's far too complicated to explain, but suffice it to say that it involves werewolves, vampires, and dwarves. And I love Carrot.
Well, it's been a while, so quite a lot has happened. I went to Skybar for a friends birthday, where we had to pay an exorbitant $12 cover, but had enough fun so that I can consider it worthwhile. I bought jeans for $40.00 including tax, which these days is a huge bargain. I hung out with Girly, Tessa, and J, and ate ridiculous amounts of food (which has got to stop, as it is expensive to eat out).
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