Technology of tomorrow...

J is out shooting stuff for work for the Junos that are in town this weekend.
Me?
Not so much.
Beer in hand, I've put together a slide show DVD with music for J's sister for a wedding keepsake and made a copy for them to give to family when they go visiting next weekend. They had no video, but this way they still have all their photos on a DVD to watch when they get all nostalgic, with a watercolor filtered photo for a cover and music to listen to.
I just checked it out and it looks rather kewl if'n I do say so myself
Having a Mac is great. I end up impressing the heck out of my family, with far less work than things used to be.
On that artistic note, I'm taking my tipsy head to bed...all this keystrokes and compression is exhausting.
G'night!

Mummy muttering

I'm terrified and amused at the same time...
When my Mum is annoyed she will often make an irritated groan...very much like Marge Simpson. I always laughed at the Simpsons because of that and vowed to never do that....

But alas...today I was very annoyed and after a serious of iritations in the lab I did the very same muttering sound...and then after being slightly scared I started to giggle uncontrollably for a few minutes.

So help me, I do believe I may be slowly turning into my mother.
The next thing you know I'll be tidying at all hours, putting too much salt on everything and chewing my coffee before I swallow it.

Help. It's such a slippery slope...

so sari

In case you just had to know - here's a close up from the hindu society vegetarian dinner I went to on sunday with some girls I work with. We clean up pretty good I think. It's so you can see my bindi...you know, just in case there was any doubt of my fertility in the general populace...There's more photos at home, but I'm not at home, so if there's any more good ones on my camera I'll stick them on my flicker account.
Later...

Screwing the anonymous

I think I need a thicker skin.

I had popped in a weblog I lurk at every once in a while and had posted a comment to a question the they had asked...a rather long, wordy and somewhat pointless post as I so often do. When I looked back today out of curiosity, the poster after me had insulted me and honestly, I must admit it made me feel stupid...and angry.

Why does this bother me?
I don't know, but it does.

There's something about the internet that makes it easier to be a prick to people you've never met. Maybe it's that I try to NOT be insulting to other people, when they've babbled on too much or are just offering a bit of advice. Perhaps I shouldn't have bothered to say anything in the first place, seeing as I don't know the blogger, and although she asked a question of people, who am I? Just a feen in Canada I suppose. I make a point of never posting anonymously so if someone has something to say to me or don't like what I've said, they can come and debate with me or tell me off if I'm being an ass. If I'm wrong I want to know - it's the only way to learn.

And honestly - in life and online, I try and not be an ass. I try and be positive, and pass on good vibes to kill the bad...for this exact very reason. A total stranger can make you feel irritable with a few simple and largely unthought words...and then it festers and you want to pass it on. Insults are not arguments...they are like a plague, and a gut response. Putting someone down to feel better is not what I want to do...I'd rather pass on the good stuff and watch it multiply.

It doesn't help that all this makes me feel small and petty that a part of me wants to go to the insulter's webblog and say "Who the f*ck do you think you are? Why are you insulting me- I don't even know you...and it isn't your blog anyway, so what do you care?" But really...what's the point? *sigh*

Because sadly, the person probably just thought I was blathering on like a 'tard and posted off the cuff, added their 2 cents like I did and never thought of it again. Suppose I should do the same...

And so to you rude blogger I say "Hope you have a great day!"
Me? I'm gonna have a cuppa, relax and go do something useful.

hoola hoola jinx

I believe I have jinxed things...
It's been melting for a week or so and about half the snow is gone...actually around 5-10 degrees outside now. So I traded in my winter coat for my shiny spring coat.
And today it is starting to snow.
Hmmm...I think I taunted the weather by bringing out the spring duds.

oops.

There must be someway out of here, said the joker to the theif

I only have a minute, but I just had to pop in and say:

Is not Battlestar Galactica the best show on TV right now? The season finale was insane.

I was out at an indian banquet wearing a sari last night (long story, great time...I'll post pics later) and when I got home J was twitching and saying "Gah! You've gotta to watch this!" Having tried not to think about it while I was out, I was dying to know what happenedonce I was home and undistracted. So I stayed up late to watch it...and man - my mind is blown. I'd say more, but maybe you haven't seen it yet...and I'd hate to give anything away.
It's so nice to have a fantastic SF show I enjoy surprise me. I don't watch much TV, but if this show keeps it up...my little brain will combust. :)

I'm painting a room in a colourful way, and when my mind is wandering, there I will go...

So I have this room…it’s the one Dad and I fixed up at Christmas in our basement. Being the procrastinator that I am (and to be fair, I was sick for a while) I just finished the drywall this morning. And now comes the prime and paint…the fun stuff FINALLY.

The thing is, I have the paint, I just bought it. It is a nice warm yellow, a medium orange with a very slight beige tone to it (called “madras”) and a nice flat red color (“red menace”). When I was planning giddily months ago I was originally going to have 4 colors and do each wall a color, but then I didn’t know what to do with the ceiling…and 5 colours of paint for a small room was, really, a big waste of paint and $$. So I scaled it down a bit, thinking OK, I must have red in there, and the ceiling will be yellow for sure…but what to do with all the walls? I’m currently bouncing back and forth between doing two walls orange and two walls red (either opposites or adjacents) or doing the ceiling and two walls yellow, with the two remaining walls being orange and the opposite one red. Decisions, decisions…

If anyone has any ideas or thoughts…well I’m here to fish for them.

I love bright warm colours, but the room is pretty small with only a tiny slit window and a dim light fixture -the room is about 11 feet square. So, I couldn’t do it all red as it’d be dark and oppressive, so I brought in the other colours... it will be the room I go to to make things…glass, sew, you name it. I can’t wait to be in it and muck about…so I want to finish it up this week. I have a day or two while I prime it and try not to obsess about my lack of drywalling skills before I get to the paint… but I have to decide soon. J is staying out of the whole process as it’s my room and he wants me do do it how I want and doesn't want to influence my decision…heh heh…I wish I could be concrete what it is that I want. I’m one of those people who I don’t necessarily know what I like…but I know what I DON’T like, so sometimes it’s hard to take an idea and finish up with it.

So…any ideas or thoughts?
Pretty please?

Swinging party...pity I wasn't invited

I had a very vivid dream last night.

I was living somewhere in Europe, it was a warm summer night and everyone I knew from all over the world, including people I know in the blogosphere were all getting together to go out for supper and an evening at a 200 year old house. Apparently we had the "VIP" private place to ourselves and the place had multiple floors with wood and stone, a big fireplace, winding staircases, great food and mango wine, with music varying from floor to floor in the place...where we sat was all cosy with couches like someone's living room, only it had a hallway that lead to dance area full of happy people , where a great DJ was spinning music...but yet that wasn't the place to be...our gathering was the cosy place, with a garden lit by torches full of sparkly fountains - the sky was clear and the moon was full...I remember there was a telescope on a balcony where my friend Ken was looking at saturn.

And everyone I knew was there...some as slight caricatures of themselves. Some were animated, some shiny...it was strange, but "right". And people I've never actually seen, like Betty, Pacian and Diddums, well they were there too, but when I tried to actually focus on them they went a bit blurry, like camera out of focus. For them I more remember facial expressions and comments, but yet for an appearance, not very much, as their appearance would morph slowly over the dream...only their clothes would stay relatively the same.

I woke up wishing I knew of a place like that and wondering how I could pull that off in real life...and how to make mango wine. Sadly, noone I know lives in a castle...or do you? *blinks hopefully*

Moon Unit

I'll send a postcard

Speechless

I just can't believe it...but yet I can.
As a scientist I'm speechless-I just keep sputtering with anger and disbelief.

Bush Administration Edited Global Warming Reports
Bush administration is accused of altering scientific evidence of global warming


Bush administration altered scientific evidence of global warming, former high-ranking official has admitted.

Philip Cooney, an oil industry lobbyist now working for Exxon Mobil, admitted that while he was chief of staff of the White House Council on Environmental Quality he heavily edited environmental reports playing down on the adverse effects of man-made emissions on the climate.

"My sole loyalty was to the President and advancing the policies of his administration," Cooney told the house government reform committee.

New documents revealed that in 2003 Bush administration officials made at least 181 changes to a 2003 State of the Environment report that dealt with climate change. All the changes played down the consequences of global warming.

There were another 113 changes that downplayed human causes of climate change, to match views within the Bush administration and its friends in the business sector.

"These changes must be made," according to a note in Cooney's handwriting. "The language is mandatory."

James Hansen, director of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, also appeared before the committee, complaining that the Bush administration had attempted to prevent him from speaking out about the dangers of global warming.

"Scientific press releases were going to the White House for editing," he said. [AP, AGENCIES]

(www.torontodailynews.com/index.php/SciTechNews/2007032008global-warming)

And now some more about me...

Cuz all the cool kids are doing it...

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes

It's been a great day so far and it's only just after 8.
I had a long lovely sleep and got to say goodbye to my husband who works nights the next few days for a change instead of him being up far before me and off before I'm even coherent. The weather is warming and the sun was just coming up on my way to work...the sky was full of reds and oranges and I listened to the Flaming Lips on the bus and hummed and ate a tasty strawberry almond cream cheese muffin I made last night. I wasn't frozen cold and everyone I ran into happened to be smiling...a coworker even bought me a coffee when I got to work. And tonight I get to hang out and visit with my friends Trent and Colette who are in town for a bit from BC.

Crossing my fingers and heading into the lab...happy tuesday everybody! :)

October 30

I'm a sucker for quizz-thing...so thanks to Pacian I have another one to do, instead of saying boring things about how I'm bored in boringtown.

1. Go to wikipedia and type in your birthday, month and day only.
2. List 3 events that occurred on that day.
3. List 2 important birthdays.
4. List 1 death.
5. List a holiday or observance. (if any)
6. Tag 5 other bloggers.


30 October

EVENTS

1946 - Muffin the Mule, the first major British children's television star, makes his début on BBC Television.
1918 - The Ottoman Empire signs an armistice with the Allies, ending the First World War in the Middle East
1938 - Orson Welles broadcasts his radio play of H. G. Wells's The War of the Worlds, causing a nationwide panic.

BIRTHDAYS

1939 - Leland H. Hartwell, American scientist, Nobel laureate
1894 - Jean Rostand, French biologist (d. 1977)

DEATH

1978 - Edgar Bergen, American ventriloquist (b. 1903)

HOLIDAY

Feast of St. Artemas
and
Devil’s Night

I'm tagging Magnus, Peter, Thoth, Colette & Diddums

It turns out there aren't a lot of interesting things that happened on my birthday...I do like that there was a mule named Muffin and an Ottoman Empire...I just get images of vast armies of footstools streaming accross a battlefield.
I know.
I'm odd.

Happy Shamrock Day

I just finished a yummy meal of lamb stew I made with Guinness and just a hint of curry...and potato bread.

Yum.

Bail ó Dhia ort!

oops...

I'm off today - I get every 4th friday off from work.
J works today until 9:30. I thought I was getting up at 9 to make breakfast so we could hang out when he got home for a bit before he left to go do his radio show...but I set my alarm wrong. So I got up at 8. I didn't noticed til I was already up and dressed...*sigh*

So here I am. Up for no reason.
Silly me.
Think I'll go have a muffin and coffee or something and go fidget for a hour.

Another World. Another Time. In the Age of Wonder.

"When single shines the triple sun
What was sundered and undone
Shall be whole-the two made one
By gelfling hand, or else by none"

One of my favorite films of all time...nearly eclipsing Star Wars in the dreams and imaginings of my childhood is The Dark Crystal. It took Jim Henson and his crew 5 years to create an entire world, mythology and an entire cast of live action puppeted characters for the film. The wise and gentle mystics, the evil shrewish skeksis, the gelflings forced to fullfill a prophecy and all the other friendly monsters that help them along the way: they all combine in a world that has been created to the minutest detail. When you consider the film is almost 25 years old, it is a testament to the detail of thie film that itstill stands up to repeated watching, even now as a "grown up". Unlike many films that I watched as a kid, this is not a dumbed down tale with randomly inserted songs. I find I still know the words, and still the film calls up emotions and memories from long ago. The song the two gelflings play on the river is beautiful and haunting to me... I must admit I still sing Kira's part sometimes when at the lake on the dock alone watching the water sparkle and lap the shore...


The past few days J has been working days AND nights to train at work, and I've been here alone hacking away getting over my cold. J gave me the collectors set of this film for Christmas...it has a few documentaries on the making of the film, as well as a collection of artwork, including a booklet of some of Jim Henson's original sketches and ideas for the film and a print of the film. Today was a miserable day...I had a long experiment fail for reasons I don't yet know and I still don't feel fully well. Due to a stupid mixup on my part, I've had to replace my friend Heather's same collectors edition of this film...so I've sat down to watch it tonight to be sure it is a "good" copy before I give it to her. This set is getting very hard to track down, so I want to be sure I've properly replaced her copy with one that plays...but I'm rambling. I am pleased to say tho, that I found what looks like a shard of the dark crystal at a lake in the mountains a few years ago. To celebrate I yodelled to the mountainside. I'm keeping it just in case...but again, I'm rambling.

Even now, watching the film, I just forget about everything. I get lost in it and I feel like the little who girl helped her big brother pester her Mom incessantly until she took them into the city just to see what we were sure would be "the best film ever". My parents aren't movie goers, but Mom took us both to this film and I am still grateful...this film fills your imagination with ideas. It shows you what other worlds could be like and sparked my interest in astronomy, legends, religion and magic and made them so much more real than words in a book.

What am I getting at?
Well, if you haven't seen this film-you must.
After all this time it is still one of the most imaginative and original films ever made.
And I loves it so...
Apparently they're making a live action sequel to the film, coming out next year called The Power of The Dark Crystal.
I hope they do justice to Jim Henson's greatest work.
I am looking forward to it with squeaky joy...

Dullsville

I've got nothing to say.

Zip.

Pretty thrilling life out here let me tell ya.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz......

yellow wellie walkabout

J and I just went for a loooooooong walk through the woods.
The great melting has begun so I wore my bright yellow mudboots. The birds are coming back and you can actually see bits of ground through the snow. The wettening has come.
Thre's nothing like seeing a huge muddy path and puddles and just tromping through them. It was all I could do to resist hopping up and down in the puddles like a little kid.

Neat :)

Skeezer commando

I still can't hear out of my left ear...it's very annoying. I stayed home today too, because I'm going to get better if it kills me-no, wait, that's not quite right. I'm going to get well by sleeping, drinking lots of tea and relaxing. I'm hoping it'll do the trick, as I'm done with sick. Nothing a bit more fluff reading could hurt anyways. Plus, I can't think of when I took my last sick day, so I don't feel a bit guilty. I hope I don't have to go whining to the doctor ventually if it's just a cold...there's not much he can give me that will help. But who knows...I've never had such bad hearing form a cold before...so I'll see. I'm of the wait and see variety...I always think if I keep supplimenting my body it won't be able to heal itself on it's own...odd I know.

Oh and a cool thing? The sewing store found my sewing card...so I have my card back AND a dress form. Somehow I left it there when I was there...and so I have it again...how cool is that? It's so very nice to know I'm not going crazy...I was honestly beginning to wonder.

Sanity rules.
Skeezer commando aho!

ZZZZzzzzz...........

Sleep...that's where I'm a viking

Stayed home sick today because I seem to be getting the same cold I was almost over all over again.
Boo.
So I figured, I should finally take a day and sleep and sneeze to try and finally get better and stop going to work sick and infecting everyone else there (not that the entire city isn't sick at the moment...altho J is strangely immune to it all)
I've drank gallons of Earl Grey and read Thank You For Smoking in it's entirety - not a bad light read.
Now for some more agressive napping.

ZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzz........

Springtime for Hitler

J got tickets to The Producers last night at the last minute…I’ve always been curious about it…heard rumours and talks of how funny the film was. Magnus showed me bits of the old movie when we were out to visit and I loved it's absurdity, and J’s always told me about the Springtime For Hitler play within the play which had me really interested to see it. It was too pricey for a “kinda want to see it” musical and so it was a bonus to get to go see it. I’ve seen a lot of “serious” musicals like Les Miserables and grew up watching cheesy musical films like the Court Jester and White Christmas, so I was looking forward to what Mel Brooks could warp a musical into…in the end I was not disappointed. It was a very over the top musical. And the Springtime for Hitler portion…well, words fail me to describe the absurdity of it all: dancing nazis, prancing poncy Hitler and women wearing giant sausages and pretzels on their heads…oh and ballet dancing tanks too. Yeah it was something else. And I got to get all dressed up too…bonus. (I even wore heels…oh stop laughing, I did. A skirt too – with tights....Do you need a minute? OK? All right then).

I did a bit of hunting about The Producers and I was reading the Wikipedia entry on it. I wish I’d had the chance to see the Toronto production with Sean Cullen as Bialystock…THAT would’ve been something. Sean Cullens is a lesser known Canadian actor/comedian/musician. He was lead singer for a comedy music band called Corky and the Juice Pigs a decade ago and had a 6 episode show on the CBC a few years ago which I loved called (originally enough) The Sean Cullens Show. It had a yeti, a diabolical german neighbor bent on killing him, the odd musical numbers (The song about building a tower of hot dogs comes to mind), exploding figure skaters, a giant squid, a cellar dweller and even a William Shatner’s Fight College episode. Very over the top… Although the humour wasn’t for everyone I loved it. It’s not often a show has bizarre humour that I completely get. And to see Sean Cullins in a role he’d be perfect for in an over the top absurd musical…well I’d pay to see that!

Anyways I’m rambling. Just had to blather on about the play a bit cuz it was fun.
Gotta go.

Excellent

You'll die from a Heart Attack during Sex.

Your a lover not a fighter but sadly, in the act of making love your heart will stop. But what a way to go.

'How will you die?' at QuizGalaxy.com

What I was hoping for....a bit scarring for J though. Hmmm.

There was a cheer - the gnomes had found a new way to say hooray!

I've been listening to a lot of Shpongle lately. The recent CD we picked up on Ebay is fantastic. Really organic electronic...some ambient, some psytrancy, and all good. If you like electronic music, I'd recommend having a listen. It's my happiest find so far of the year. We saw Shpongle at Shambhala and I was hooked...their live psytrance sets were amazing. Dancing on a beach with the sun coming up had a bit to do with it too I imagine. But I digress...

Because I have lots to do but want to say hi, here's my marvelous monthly meme for march:

Current clothes: Jeans, purple tshirt, white bunny hug and blue runners & black specs.

Current Mood: Mellow. Went to bed early and feel as though I actually got enough sleep.. I'm optimistic as I"ve lots to do and think I"ll actually get it done today.

Current music: Nothing right now, but it was Shpongle "Tales of the Inexpressable" earlier. I haven't tuned in in the lab yet today...should have some music on really.

Current annoyance: When the medical residents wear their scrubs all over the university. *I* would get heck if I wore my lab coat all over. If I tell them not to they give me a snotty look and ignore me...I'm just a lowly tech.

Current Desktop picture: A photo of the tiles near the waterfall in the Chinese Gardens in Vancouver...so very soothing.

Current Thing: Trying to find a new book to read. I'm in the mood to read, but haven't found a new choice yet. I crave reading, but want some "good" reading. I think I need to hit the library.

Current DVD in the player: South Park Season 7 disk 2. It's good for a laugh.

Current song in head: "New way to say hooray!" by Shpongle

Current book: Nuffin...I've been reading the Tank Girl Comics I picked up in Vancouver but they won't last long. I need novelly goodness.

Current Culinary Obsession: Healthy food...trying to incorporate more veggies into our diet and not have any prepackaged premade food. I'm trying to get preservatives out of our diet as much as possible... It's hard to make healthy food all the time that doesn't take a long time...but it's worth it.

Current refreshment: Just finished my coffee. Now I'm onto my bottle of water. That's a lot of liquid for a short little coffee break!

Current worry: Could we really afford the Police tickets I bought on the weekend?

Current thought: Why does noone notice that news and pop culture are now self preserving and almost a self perpetuating cyle now? It seems that anything "talked about" on the web generates a buzz enough to be made into news...which generates a buzz on the web, and so on. Quality news is a thing of the past with a few rare exceptions...when it becomes a ratings race all integrity flies out the window...

Reboot

(XKCD)

New day.
New week.
It's been a long good weekend...
Many things are better now and I feel like all the spongy bits inside of me were filled up and the colors are back in my mind again and there's a shiny glow to my heart.

So have a good day everyone.
I do believe I will...

Sunday Scribbles: superstition

Superstition.
To me it's all a sort of mythology.
Stories and tales of things that happened to "so-and so's sister" and "this guy I knew at work, honest!". I firmly believe that if you want something to happen enough, you can nudge it into reality by fixating on it. I'm sure there is a basis to a lot of supersititions, but others not so much. My friend's Mum was very superstitious...she had all manner of odd ways of doing things and if we deviated...well, we'd brought the bad thing that happened to occur on ourselves. It seemed to add a a lot of needless stress to her life and those of us around her. It also took a bit of the sting out of the bad luck, but a unfortunately a little of the wonder away from the good.

My solution?

Well, I'm more in favour of gremlins, myself. I like the idea of the world I live in having a mind of it's own - that it is reactive to what I do and say. It seems fitting that good deeds are rewarded, ill are punished and occasionally, mischeif is afoot.

Of course, this means to level it all out, there are good *and* bad gremlins...and that opens the world a bit further and makes me nervous and excited at the same time. It adds an air of unpredictability to life. It makes me try and do good, to keep from creating a hurt and malevolent forces who will be bent on revenge - if only because some other poor unsuspecting soul might get the brunt of what I really deserve. And I'd rather think of things that go missing or break unexpectedly as the result of mischeivous companions that I could only see if I looked close enough and quickly enough out of the corner of my eye...and not just clumsy old me.

It's just more fun that way.



....another sunday scribble

A trip to freak out city

We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police
We're going to see the Police

Section G row 32.



I've always wanted to see them...figured it'd never happen as they'd broken up.
Holy freaking cow.

Did I mention we're going to see the Police?

Call the police

I'm trying to get Police tickets just like the rest of the world. THey're on sale soon. Wish me luck.
I thought they were on now...it's a whole hour yet. Gah.

Anyone have any rubber walrus protectors?

Try again please

I am starting to wonder if the weather people at Environment Canada are on crack.
Over the past few years a lot of weather stations have been closed down, and now to talk to an actual weather "dude" at Environment Canada you have to call Vancouver or Halifax. THere's a whole lotta country between those cities and for us, the nearest weather station is in Winnipeg one province away.
Why am I on this?
Well for th past 2 weeks EC has gotten the temperature off by 10 degrees. I don't even bother checking the weather forecast anymore...It was to get up to -6 today...it's currently -16. If I wanted a forcast that was "kinda sorta rightish sometimes" I'd just stand outside in my PJs and listen to how quickly my teeth started to chatter. As it stands I just want to know whether I need to wear a hat or not when I go out for a walk.
I just need a giant unfreezable Galilean thermometer in my yard...that'd solve it all nicely.

Hrrrmmm

I'm still miserable, still with no card, and so no dress form, and I have an overfull day of work. Funky blue indeed and trying not to dwell on it. I just need a hug from J...and a nap.
But, nothing to do about it. SO, instead of whining and spreading the misery I'm stealing this meme from Pacian and going with it to get my day off to a start.

1. Do you like cheese?
It's my favorite thing.

2. Have you ever smoked heroin?
Nope. As a biochemist I'd definitely say it would be a bad idea

3. Do you own a gun?
Nope. I have a number of waterpistols - do they count?

5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments?
No. I'm more bothered by the wait usually

6. What do you think of hot dogs?
Can't eat them-just can't. They're like bologna. We just don't need to go there anymore in this day and age. I stick to the tofu variety...more and more I'm going off meat.

7. What's your favourite Christmas song?
Coventry Carol...and Darcy the Dragon on the Roger Whittaker Christmas album makes me smile no matter what time of year it is.

8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning?
Coffee and a glass of pink grapefruit juice

9. Can you do push ups?
Yup. I can do about 40..well I could. I've been off the working out for about 2 weeks with the cold business, so that's probably halved by now. And they're the girly kind, so maybe they're only worth half points.

10. Is your bathroom clean?
Clean enough for me, and I'm the one who cleans it so it's as good as it gets.

11. What's your favourite piece of jewellery?
A handmade red stone and metal necklace I bought this summer at Shambhala

Where's 12?
The same place my damn sewing card is.

13. What is your secret weapon to lure in the opposite sex?
Food. I make good food. It makes up for a world of mistakes.

14. Do you have friends?
Yes. A small group, but sadly many not near me geographically. I'm not a super social person, but the friends do have I have I hold dear to me. Being the youngest at work by a decade doesn't help...

15. Do you miss someone?
I miss my friend Karli. I wish I knew where she was.

16. Middle Name?
same as my Mum, and my Grandma and my Great Grandma.

17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment?
i. I should get to work
ii. Today had better not suck or I'm going home
iii. I'm tired

19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink:
i. milk
ii. coffee
iii. beer

20. Current worry?:
Where my card is.

21. Current hate?
The City of Saskatoon City Council for backing out on a promise to build a new pedestrian crossing on the bridge I use to bike to work before removing the old one to widen the road. They just didn't get around to starting it on time and now they're just closing it all down and too bad for all of us...we can just bike an extra 20 minutes out of our way to get to another point to cross the bridge. Bastards. What ever happened to accountability?

22. Favourite place to be?
In J's arms.

23. How did you bring in the New Year?
With friends at home.

24. Where would you like to go?
Narnia

27. Do you own slippers?
Yes. They're shaped like Gir. They make me smile.

28. What shirt are you wearing?
Purple long sleeved shirt.

29. Do you burn or tan?
Burn mostly. I'm a white and pasty lab rat so it takes a few weeks of sun with 40SPF to get any color. That never happens, so neither really.

30. Favourite colour?
Currently? Orange.

31. Would you be a pirate?
Depends. I'd probably get tired of violence and I'm too timid and polite most days to pillage...I like shiny things though. Maybe I could ba a passive aggressive pirate?

32. What songs do you sing in the shower?
I usually sing Billie Holiday tunes

35. What's in your pocket right now?
A package of cough drops

36. Last thing that made you laugh?
My cat-he fell over licking himself this morning...that's why he's a geek.

37. Best bed sheets as a child?
Star Wars sheets. I had some pretty cool Sesame Street sheets too, but the Star Wars ones were the best.

38. Worst injury you've ever had?
When I cut my thumb deeply requiring stiches while chopping hot banana peppers. Not something I'd recommend. Slamming our fingers in a car door is also a no-no.

39. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Celebrity culture. It's so pointless.

40. How many TVs do you have in your house?
One.

41. Who is your loudest friend?
Probably Ben. He's a happy loud though.

42. Who is your most silent friend?
Geek.

43. Does someone have a crush on you?
Hopefully just J

44. Do you wish on shooting stars?
Always. Whenever I see one.

45. What is your favourite book?
Too many to decide

46. What is your favourite sweet?
Probaby "rickety uncle"-my Mum makes it. It's basically brown sugar carmalised with some butter and mixed with oatmeal to make a square. I'm not much for sweets, but give me that or a mint aero bar any day.

47. What song do/did you want played at your wedding?
I always wanted to march out of the church to the song they played at the end of Star Wars when they all have their medals given to them. J is cool enough that he thought it was a great idea. I mean if there ever was a song to walk down an aisle to in front of a huge crowd dressed in your finest and feel totally awesome and proud and happy to do so, that is it. It was cool.

48. What song do you want played at your funeral?
Do you Realise? by the Flaming Lips popped into my head, but actually, probably just some Beethoven...something poignant like the moonlight sonata or something.

49. What were you doing at 12 AM last night?
Trying to sleep after a crappy day

50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up?
OH bugger, here we go again.

Quest

I can't find my card.
I've looked everywhere.
It's just gone.

sigh

I am a complete and utter retarded b*stard

I just got my husband to arrange to leave work and drive all the way across town to come get me at lunch to drive across town AGAIN to buy a dress form that was on sale that I've wanted for ages and w3as really excited about getting, as it'd allow me to do all kinds of things in my sewing for myself that I couldn't before. To get the deal (40% off) I needed my membership card from the sewing store. This morning I looked to check that it was in my purse. The punch card from the store and a gold card were there and I'd looked at them in my purse last night too. I saw it and thought-Card-got it. Did I bother to actually pull it out of my purse and confirm?No...I thought that would be rediculous that it wouldn't be there...Too lazy and stubborn to look at a fucking card...because where else would it be? Where else indeed...fuck.
Pardon my french but I'm so angry at myself right now I can barely speak...I keep doing things like this and I'm furious at myself. I'm quite sure J is too, as he keeps trying to help me and put up with my inability to check things and jsut assuming things are where they are because they couldn't possibly be anywhere else. He even called before he left to make sure all was good and I had everything. I even recall being a bit miffed as I said - sure I checked this morning. Thing is, I have a very bad habit of forgetting things and he's good enough to ask me and remind me. And did I double check again? No I just said I had it, as I remembered seeing the gold card this morning. And so I managed to do a lof of stuff for absolutely nothing. Damn it.

We get to the store and wait 10 minutes to be served. And tehn go to the till? And what is in my wallet -No fucking card. It was a different gold card I'd seen in a rush out the door because I had slept in and was behind and nearly forgot my ipod and I just couldn't take 1 little minute to double check...Because I'm a stupid idiot who can't be bothered to check. Wouldn't blame J personally if he didn't talk to me for the day,as this isn't the first time I"d done something like this and I know I'm angry so angry at myself I'm not sure what to do...and I can't even begin to apologise to J for all the inconvenience...because I'm a total tard. and I didn't check well enough...at all.
AND I get no lunch cuz there's no time - J probably doesn't either and have to go back into the lab and do REALLY precise labwork when Im so angry at myself I'm shaking.

Whay can't I do things properly and just pay attention?

F*CK F*CK F*CK

AND city hall is closing the bike path I take to work all summer as they're widening the freeway and haven't fixed the pedestrian lane yet...

FUCK.

I HATE today. I'm an idiot.
I want to crawl under a rock and hide.

The sounds of silence

I'm so excited - my ear just popped and I can FINALLY hear out of both my ears again!
YAY! It's been over a week.
I think I may be almost over this damn cold...

Tasty things: Volume 1

Okey Dokey...just look what I made for supper the other day.
Yummy yes?
I love it so much, I must post again my favorite latest foody creation and say how to make it because frankly - I'm a genious :) And you should all have some too...


And so I present my recipe for Tofu Parmegian:

Tofu bit:
Extra Firm Tofu
3/4 c flour
1 c Breadcrumbs with 1/4 c parmegian cheese, 1/2 t Cayenne pepper, basil, cumin and garlic powder mixed in
2 eggs (or soy milk if you’re vegan) beaten with 1/2 t Tobasco in

1-2 c oil for frying

For sauce:
1/4 c red wine
3 cloves garlic
1T oregano
pepper to taste
1T beef stock (or veggie if you’re a veggie)
5 mushrooms diced
1/2 c diced onion
1/2 c diced red & green pepper
1 little can tomato paste and 1 small can diced tomatoes


1 1/2 c grated cheddar cheese and another 1/4 c parmesian cheese mixed together

How to:
1. Rinse and drain the tofu.
2. While it’s draining, sauté the wine, garlic, onions, veggies and
spices together until onions are clear. Add tomato paste and diced
tomatoes and simmer on low, stirring occasionally while cooking the
tofu.
3. Cut up the brick of tofu into finger sized pieces – you should get ~
36 or so out of a brick. Roll the tofu in flour and dip in the
eggwash and then coat generously in breadcrumbs mixed with spices.
Put ~1 inch of oil in the pan and get to a medium fryish heat and fry the tofu bits until they’re golden brown, turning as needed. Let them cool & drain on paper towel to soak up extra oil.
4. Layer half the tofu pieces in a 9X9 baking pan. Layer on half the
cheese and sauce. Layer the rest of the tofu, sauce and top with rest of the cheese. Bake @ 350 for ~5 minutes until the cheese is melted. Use any extra sauce for dipping the crunchy tasty bits in. Serve immediately whilst still crunchy with a veggie of choice (to make it slightly better for you :) ).
All I have to say is...Yummers.