Haven't you always wanted a monkey?

Saw Kong late last night. I'm bag-tired at work but it was worth it.
Great monkeys godmother, I've been waiting for ithis film for a while and I have to say - it was great. Other than the talking giggling stoners sitting behind me (who, thankfully, were quiet once being humiliated by many people telling them to shut up) the film was as great as I expected . I'm so glad to see Jet girl doing some great work and Kong was magnificent. I love the style of the times as well...just a good movie. GIven my apprehension about the Narnia film (still haven't seen it yet - likely will this weekend) this was a great relief.
What a great film.

Freedom of the press can try your patience

OK.
I just learned of a book and have read a few quotes and sections from it and I am already angry.
It's called "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science". I have to read thru it completely to fully make sure I'm not misreading it but I'm already mad.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/089526031X/ref=pd_lpo_k2a_2_img/103-4212707-1996653?%5Fencoding=UTF8

*sigh*

I do hope it's a tongue in cheek piece or else, whew. Where do I begin? If you are going to attack science it is helpful to actually know something about it. I mean if, for any religious or faith reason you are opposed to parts of scientific theory then by all means, state so and try and refute it. That's what science is all about - challenging and learning. I read a brilliant book a while back that summarized the history of science up to the 1900's in all areas - unbiased history. It's fascinating to see how science developed and has changed, contradicted itself and ultimately advanced over time. Who is to say our theories now won't be refuted in the future? It is constantly repeated to me and others in our lab that we can't bias or place our hopes of results ahead of our actual true results. Results are what they are and theories have been "proven" by "tweaking" data and others that have been thought to be canon law have been proven true or false accurately. Many have been and many will be. That's what we're here in the lab for - to learn with an unbiased and interested mind. Part of learning what is true is finding out what is false. Refuting what is your theory of what science is is not helpful. Taking the crap associated with science and exposing it is fine - a lot of what is called "science" today should be closer examined. But jeez...

This books appears to just spout reactionist theory. If it was written as a opinion piece or even humor I could stand it, but it's nothing more than crackpot who hasn't made the effort to study the many things he opposes or more accurately the legitimacy of what he opposes in the scientific community, with responses that quite honestly make me angry and ashamed to have a belief and religion. Why oh why are we so frightened to honestly examine something analytically? Is our belief not strong enough? And if it isn't - why do we keep it around? We have minds - what we can accomplish with them for the betterment of all is staggering when it is focused on doing good. Science, like religion can be used to do bad things. People are bad...theories are not. They can be wrong, but I don't really think that makes them bad.
Burying your head in the sand will not make society better. Science is itself in many ways a religion of sorts. There are theories and beliefs, many things based on unproven (and often later disproven) concepts, but we work with what we have and try to learn. I mean Evolution is just a theory. Creationism if you break it down is just a theory (from a literal pont of view). Faith does not mean turning off your brain. Literal mindedness is not scientific. There are not enough scientifically minded people out there to read this book and go "Whah?". The more I learn as a scientist I worry when books are aimed at the non-scientific trained person and sell them the "many evil holes" of scientific theory. I am not a bad person. I am not a stupid person. In fact the more I learn about the intricacies of life and the way we work, I am more and more convinced things couldn't have "just happened". The fact that science and scientific method have nothing to do with that seems to fade ito argument for argument's sake.

I have seen both sides of this argument. I mean, I like to hope for interesting and unexplainable things (so I can try and explain them..!). There was a time after seeing "What the *&$@*! Do We Know?" that I got excited about the water scientist who calaimed to observe physical changes in the property of water when exposed to anger and joy and other thoughts and words and music styles and that he'd "published" his results. Turns out he was a quack as his work was not consistent and it is not reproducable - although I still like the idea behind it. I just can't accept it as a fact. Pretty pictures tho and I like to think that there are still people out there who believe in the impact of emotion and surroundings on nature and science. I've seen things I can't explain and I like it that way. I like to think that there are some mystical creatures still hidden away and that there is still magic in the world.
But apparently magic is bad too...
*Sigh*
What's a scientist to do?
Put her soapbox away and get back to the lab I guess...

Jiggly

I'm finally getting the Christmas thing..I've been so crazy busy helping out publishing a cookbook for our community station (OK doing most of it) and there was no snow, so I haven't been feeling too festive BUT we got a huge dumping of fluffy snow and the neighbors put the lights up and we went on a sleigh ride through the city's Festival of lights and I'm now in the holiday spirit. I have to get to our 8 zillion lights and put them up, but I pulled up some lights and pine garland to go around the door last night and that helped satiate my need for blinky shiny things.
Plus I watched the Invader Zim Christmas episode while waiting for an eggnog cheesecake to bake for a potluck at work today. I've never tasted it before but it looks gooood. (It took forever to make and I didn't start it til 9:30 so I finished around 1....so I'm really tired. Too tired to write a poem about how tired I am...but not tired enough to eat it). I love Gir...


I've started my christmas shopping out of necessity (as most of it has to be mailed and I just realised I'm screwed if they're not mailed by friday). I am a happy camper as I found that one of my favorite old shows Nowhere Man is finally out on DVD in January - joy. I know what I want! Honestly -I don't really care if I get any gifts for Christmas. It's never been about that - IF anythihng I hope to not have to dwell in a store or get too sucked into the commercial stuff. I'm just looking forward to a week off with J and lots of snow. I plan to race the neighborhood kids on the tobaggan hill down the street and drink eggnog and rum and mulled wine. My Dad makes wine and I"m not too fond of his red, but when it's mulled up, it's goooood.
If this eggnong cheesecake is approved by my guinea pigs at work I'll make it for the family over the holidays.
Ho Ho Ho. My jiggly friends.

So very tired

I'm so tired
So very tired
And there is nothing else to keep me occupied

Yes I am tired
So very tired
And I think I may just take a walk outside

Well I must wait until my break
But there's a path that I can take
And I can go and sit and watch the river run

And I can take my coffee time
By walking on that path sublime
Before I go back to my lab and have some fun
______________________________________________

Your 2005 Song Is

Feel Good Inc by Gorillaz "Love forever love is free. Let's turn forever you and me." In 2005, you were loving life and feeling no pain.

What Hit Song of 2005 Are You?

How true. It's been a good year.
Just sitting here with a big dumb grin on my face and trying to pass the time.
And now I have a groovy tune in my head to help me along.
Hope you all have a good day.
I think I will...

Apparently I have an ego problem...

But only as my alterego....

How to make a geosomin

Ingredients: 1 part pride 3 parts crazyiness 5 parts ego

Method: Blend at a low speed for 30 seconds. Serve with a slice of fitness and a pinch of salt. Yum!

My real name gives this....

How to make a me

Ingredients: 1 part friendliness 1 part humour 3 parts empathy

Method: Combine in a tall glass half filled with crushed ice. Add emotion to taste! Do not overindulge!

Username:

Personality cocktail
From Go-Quiz.com

Fun with google

In checking out Roximoons blog she had a neat idea I tried out and barring any scary pornoish images, I've posted the first pic google image search comes up with when I looked for: The name of where I was born, the name of where I live now, My name, My maternal grandmother's name (you can choose your favorite image for this), and my favorite food, favorite drink and favorite smell (in that order below):
So here ya go. The image that came up for where I was born was too awful (really-trust me) to post so it's' the 2nd one (Other than that it's all #1 result...
Where I was born:







Where I live now:








My name:






My late Grandma's name (Grace if you're curious):





Rice pudding...








Chocolate martinis


tied with what must be flowing through my veins by now - coffee...




And the fantastic smell of juniper





I'm curious - what do *you* come up with??

Batgirl to the rescue

I got a cool picture sent to me today - *proof* that I'm known to the world (or at least the people I work for) as Batgirl!

Lemme explain...I work in labs in an old building where above the the 4th floor (where I happened to work) is the ventilation system for the whole building. Basically there's a whole floor of space full of fans and such above us for all the labs in the place. Where I live there are lots of bats living in the trees down by the river - you can sit and watch them hunt mosquitos at night by the wier if you feel so inclined - very cool. Where I work is also right by the river. Soooooo...when hibernation time comes a few of these little guys sometimes end up in the gap between the floors to sleep away the winter. Now once or twice a winter one of them will wake up and not be able to keep hibernating and set out to find food inside where it's warm. So they flut about the hall, classroom or lab all scared and people run around covering their head (especially one of my coworkers) and shriek and eventually try and catch it to release it. The problem is winters her can get down to -35 C..not good weather for *anybody* especially bats. The only option was to put them to sleep - I didn't like it. And so, after doing some investigation, I've worked out a deal at work to be able to safely catch them and take them to a lady I found in the city who takes in injured bats and birds and helps fatten them up and has a cold room for them to hibernate in until spring. So, last winter I managed to help out two little guys I ended up naming Zeus and Apollo (don't remember why). Unfortunately Apollo never made it, but Zeus survived and was healthy and I had the unique privilege of setting him free back in to the trees this spring, once the skeeters were back for him to eat.
Very cool experience.
The long and the short of it is that over time, it's become known around work that if you find a bat call me, the "batgirl" on the 4th floor. I've even cleared it all with my supervisors and made sure I'm officially trained to handle them - my supervisor keeps teasing me that he's going to get me a shirt with the batman symbol on it if I keep it up this winter...I can only hope!
Bwahahahaaa!
I am Batgirl!
Defender of critters!
Savior of all squeaky things!

I'd actually forgot about Zeus until I got a picture of him today that we took before he was set free.



....isn't he cute?
(for a bat :) )

Evil Bono

So I was watching Shaolin Soccer again yesterday (so help me I love asian films..the humor is different).
We were watching the final soccor match and J said "hey-the head guy of "Team evil" looks like Bono!" And so help me he does - an evil asian Bono.
Anyone else notice this or am I going crazy from winter isolation?
This movie is a howl...I mean seeing the various translations on the versions we've rented is even better..the Team Evil has "Special training" which in the version we first rented was "American Steroids" and later on PPV was just special training...the fact that Team Evil *is* called that and *1s* so Evil is fantastic. I hope this guy makes many more films.

Now I have to rent Kung Fu Hustle tonight...

Waiting for snow...

It just doesn't feel like winter yet. No snow. It's wierd...I like the not cold part, but I want to put up my Christmas lights soon (I'm crazy about christmas lights) and it seems wierd with no snow.
Well, as a sign of how exciting my day has been no far, I'll fill up a bit of it by filling this out again - it's been about a month since I pulled this out and dusted it off so here goes...

Current attire: Blue jeans. "happy" shirt. burgundy zip up bunny hug. black specs. superstars. rainbow glow in the dark belly ring.

Current mood: Happy. I have invoked the power of the shirt, and it appears to be working....

Current music: Nothing. None allowed where I'm currently sitting.

Current annoyance: Advertising in theatres. I went to see Goblet of Fire last night and was subjected to 20 minutes of ads (including a saladressing and Walmart ad) before the lights went down to...more ads before the trailers! I'd honestly pay more just to get this off the screen. It's like the theatres are rofiting off us as consumers cuz they know we are there...god forbid we'd want to talk or relax before a film....grrr. It's bad enough I have to look at ads when I pee in their bathrooms, but now my personal time before a film isn't safe....makes me very angry. The movie was good tho. :)

Current thing: Planning my ice castle that I'm going to make in my front yard...of course if it would snow I could get on with it. It'll have lights and everything. Just you wait and see....

Current desktop picture: the "No Cat Farts" international logo...should change it I suppose

Current song in head: Square One by Coldplay.

Current book: Nothing right now. Need to go to the library.

Current video in player: Dr. Who episodes taped off BBC kids last night (A set 7th doctor episodes...haven't seen them before-cool)

Current DVD in player: nada - I had to return it to the video store (it *was* Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - I loved it..)

Current refreshment: coffee

Current worry: How do I get my Christmas shopping done without actually going into a mall? And, more importantly, should I buy tickets to Coldplay in Vancouver? *And* can I afford to go even if I manage to get tickets?

Current thought: What if they had one night a week during the holiday season where all the stores played NO holiday music. Wouldn't that be cool? I'd go then. Heck I'd even pay admission...I was in a mall last week and just about went nuts with the endless Frosty the Snowman. Glad I never had to work retail...I'd have gone postal.
__________

Anyhoo...back to the lab.

Do or do not - do be do be do

Well... I can now cross a few thing off my list of things to do in life...some I'd only dreamt of and even a few I didn't even think of until they happened.
This weekend Jay and I went to an event with incredible PsyTrance and Breaks spun all night by live DJ's and get this - it was a Star Wars theme party - costumes encouraged! My exact words when Jay told me about it were "holy crap - well I guess we're going then". I would have settled for just the music, but luckily for J and I there are other people out there who love live electronic music *and* Darth Vader! Kindred spirits indeed...
All night long we got to dance in Dagobah, Jabba's palace and Endor. Three different rooms and DJ areas - and some crazy costumes.
I even got to dance in full costume to a break remix of the Cantina song from the original Star Wars...joy of all geeky joys. Black light added to the absolutely fantastic decorations. You could tell the GOMP crew (the self titled "grumpy old men" that put it on) that put it on were all Star Wars geeks...the attention to detail was staggering.
Downstairs in Jabbas Palace there were robots, a big lounge area with a stuffed Jabba you could hang out with while watching the films (without sound they're much better!) and a huge area to dance, with the walls and ceilings all decorated up. Princess Leia spun discs for a few hours (among others) and the music was fantastic. My favorite tunes were in Dagobah - some of the best were spun by a guy named Kevin who was dressed as Han Solo. There were Psy Trance and Breaks all night and the decor was great - they actually built a crashed X-wing into a blue lit pool with clouds coming off it and Yoda's hut in the corner where you could go and relax and take a break from dancing. Then in the main area of Endor the walls were painted like space with a image of Endor on the wall and the Death Star and Star Destroyers flying from the ceiling and mostly house played off the decks. Over the bar was the perfect finishing touch - Jar Jar's head mounted on the wall!
Even the stairwell downstairs was decorated with hanging asteroids and the mellinium Falcon flying through them. Last but definitely not least, someone had welded a fullsize replica of a speederbike outside in the smoking area with two working flames coming out the back. About half the people were in costume (a mix of vaders, lukes, darth mauls, leias, jedis and even Lando from his hippie years - even one other twylek!)
Man - I had a fantatic time - one of the best nights of my life. Fantastic music that made you dance *and* all the Star Wars stuff I could imagine. A few people even had an official replica of a lightsaber there (Jay had an older superbright one he'd "modified" himself to be superbright with some LEDs). The guy was cool enough to let me play with it a bit and take a pic or two.
I even won best costume! I didn't know there was a contest - I just had a great time making my costume...and a great time wearing it too - I spent a few days making our costumes the week before. J was a sort of Jawa happy alien character - I made him a black jedi robe and he made a mesh face mask with blinky green eyes...he looked great! I decided to be a Twylek - you know, like Oola in Jabba's palace and the Jedi woman in the 2nd and 3rd films. I was rather proud of my work - I danced like a monkey all night and it stayed on! Plus, near the end of the night one of the GOMP came up and handed me a few prizes and said "Cool - I found you! You've won best constume - thanks for coming to our party!"
I was blown away - I mean *I* thought I looked cool, but now I am officially cool and not just one of the biggest geeks around!! :) Jay even got an X-wing model as a runner up - we're gonna hang it in a place of honor!
Can't recall having such a great time for a long time...Man...the whole night was *Shiny*!

From the mouth of babes...

Soooo... I had a birthday over the weekend. It was a good one - having a birthday near halloween has always been great. I spent the day with my husband (our first day off together for a long while - very nice) and the night before we went out into the woods with some friends and lit a fire and toasted mashmallows and drank coffee and watched the moon. It was great, although I ate enough sugar to keep me up all night! It was a beautiful night with so much natural light and not that cold. A friend of mine was dressed up in full fireman costume for the halloween party he was going to later that night and it just made the evening better - he does firebreathing as a hobby and he brought his gear with him. He shot off quite a few fireballs in to the sky...very cool! I'm amused noone came to check it out or called the police...rural Saskatchewan can be cool that way. Our firebreathing friend ended up going to the party smalling of smoke and kerosene - so authentic. I still think it's great that the old uniform he got at a surplus store had a badge that said Sgt. Cox...heh heh heh :) I know, I know. Beavis & Butthead would be proud :P. Nothing like a great evening with friends to make you remember why life is so great - a good birthday over all. One of my faves in fact. My lovely hubby got me the ubercoffeemaker of my dreams...it grinds the beans and boils the water before brewing and keeps it warm in a steel carafe all day...joy! Jittertown here I come!

Anyways...I wasn't feeling old (I *am* only 32 after all) until I was back at work a few days ago and a coworker had me fill out a survey for her daughter's school project. In the age category part of the sheet there was 10-20, 21-30, 31-55 and 55+. I stopped and blinked "Thirty one to fifty five??"
*sigh*
I'm now officially really old to all kids everywhere. One step away from senior citizen in fact. Man what a blow to the ego...:)