Friday, January 13, 2006

I pity the fool...


Well, being Ukranian Christmas Eve, I no longer have the excuse to keep up my Christmas lights. Ukranian Christmas is long over. Soo...this weekend I suppose I will take them down (if I have to...sniff). I'll take some pictures of the lights and stuff before I take them down...If any turn out, I'll post a few.

I've got Mr.T on the brain today. A friend of ours, who has a thing for Mr. T, made us a copy of a Mr. T inspirational video he made for teens in the 80's called "Be Somebody or Be Somebody's Fool". If you ever get the chance to see it - do. It's like a car crash - it's awful but you just can't look away. There's a certain guilty pleasure in giggling uncontrollably at what may have been cool when I was about 7 or 8. The 80's are a thing to behold. Combine them with Mr. T and what can I say? You have to see it to believe it.

And so: my last holiday wishes to all of you out there. Peace and joy for the next year to come. All is new and all is possible.
Happy thoughts to you all on this fine day.

Thursday, January 12, 2006

I need a doctor...


They took my Doctor Who away.
Frack.
We've been waiting to get the Doctor Who new series on DVD - it was to be released on Feb. 14. Now, suddenly it's delayed...indefinitely...it's even gone off Amazon and can't be found.
Why?
Who Knows?
I'm just worried that since BBC is in negotiations with the US broadcasters to show it there Warner won't want to put it out on DVD until AFTER it airs there so people won't just buy it. That could take forever. Why oh why can't Canada be more separate from the US in this kinda stuff. The US didn't want it so they can wait. CBC was a proud sponsor, so why can't we Canadians buy it and watch it? We could buy the 2nd season of the new Battlestar Glactica on DVD from the US before it aired here. If this is the reason, what makes them so special?

Much later: Woot! It's back. We in Canada still get it.
Good. I can relax now.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Hippie Crack

In my first monthly quest of the year have perfected my chewy granola bar recipe.
The most amazing granola bar ever invented with nothing in it I dislike and no preservatives...
They are so good I feel the need to tell the world about them. Heck I'd even mail you all one. Well OK that's just dumb, but MAN. So good...like hippie crack I tells ya.
I'm not a health nut or anything, but I got to thinking - why am I buying granola bars? How hard can they be to make and why would I want to want a bunch of preservatives and other crap if I don't have to eat them? So I tried many things and tweaked to include favorite things like pumpkin seeds and nuts and raspberry almond granola and I think I have it perfected for my taste.
As soon as I get home I'm going to eat one...

Monday, January 09, 2006

Ring ring ring ring ring ring ring, hamster phone....

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wouldn't this be worth an A?

http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1513938.html

Besides being a cool school project, it's a cool idea. I mean, who wouldn't want a hamster powered cell phone?
___________________________________________________
And of course, having nothing *else* interesting to say, I will fill out the following...
What's Going on in My Life Right Now

Current attire: Blue jeans. Grey/green wool sweater, green t-shirt, black specs, work boots/winter boots

Current mood: Tired. Monday mornings are harsh...I have to learn to not sleep in and stay up til all hours on the weekend (The Jerk was on...I just *had* to stay up until the thermos song was over)

Current music: Nothing. No music allowed where I am

Current annoyance: People for whom there are no consequences. If there's always someone to bail you out, there's no reason to do the right thing or try hard to accomplish something. Plus, being told how to do something by someone like this who has never really had to do it by themselves can be damn frustrating...

Current thing: Thinking up excuses as to why I need my Christmas lights. I don't want to put them away just yet. Ukranian Christmas is still coming up. Yeah, yeah, that's it...

Current desktop picture: Still a photoshopped picture of me as a twilek...should change it I suppose

Current song in head: "You Can't Kill A Deadman" by Beats For Beginners

Current book: "Know It All". A book written by a guy as he tries to read the entire Encyclopedia Britannica.

Current video in player: Nothing.

Current DVD in player: South Park Season 6, last disc. ("oh Lemmiwinks oh Lemmiwinks...")

Current refreshment: coffee and rice crackers (there's some spiced gouda around here somewhere)

Current worry: I'd like to know if I'm going on strike or not. I've been holding my breath (and my money) for a while now and the suspense is killing me.

Current thought: Is there a laundry robot invented yet? If not, can I invent one? Maybe I should just bribe my husband to do the laundry. OR get him to bribe *me* to do it.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

You can't trick the trickster

Brilliant and sneaky: You are an Arcane Trickster!
Score! You have a prestige class. A prestige class can only be taken after you've fulfilled certain requirements. This may mean that you're an exceptionally talented person, but it probably doesn't.
Arcane Tricksters combine arcane magic with rogue skills and sensibilities. They use their magic to confuse their opponents or to augment their more mundane, roguish skills. If you thought it was annoying keeping an eye that that rogue, the Arcane Trickster is probably picking your pocket from the other side of the room.
Both smart and sneaky, you're probably the type of person that loves planning practical jokes... either that or knocking over banks.
Arcane Trickster
33% Combativeness, 66% Sneakiness, 61% Intellect, 50% Spirituality

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 10% on Combativeness
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 92% on Sneakiness
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 25% on Intellect
free online datingfree online dating
You scored higher than 56% on Spirituality
Link: The RPG Class Test

So many questions...

As 2006 begins, I find the need to answer a series of random, nosy questions I found. I have no photos yet of Christmas as I'm too lazy to load them on the Mac , so this will fill the void until then...

1. What did you do in 2005 that you'd never done before? Went to the West Ed waterslides with my husband - he learned to swim and overcame a phobia of water this year. So cool to do that with him..we were like a couple of kids.

2. Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year? I didn't make any, so none to break last year. This year, I've resolved to be more active. I'd actually like to be jogging again in the summer, but we'll see. I'll settle for just exercising more.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Yup, my sister in law and my friend both had baby girls.

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, my old boss did tho rather suddenly.

5. What countries did you visit? Just Canada - to Vancouver. Had a fantastic time.

6. What would you like to have in 2006 that you lacked in 2005? A painted living room. It's a big room. I've been ignoring it.

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? The Star Wars GOMP party. One of the coolest evenings ever.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Tie between making a octagon stained glass window for my uncle and having the whole family at the house for thanksgiving (over 40 people) without a hitch.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not using the exercisae machine downstairs as regularly as I'd hoped to.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? No. It's been a good year...not sick or anything major this year. The odd sniffle, but nothing crazy.

11. What was the best thing you bought? Got J a Force FX lightsaber for Christmas. I share it vicariously.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration? My husband - the whole water thing.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed? A friend - they are not themselves...very frustrating.

14. Where did most of your money go? the house and paying off our debts...how boring.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Doctor Who came back! Pete got married - Plus I got to go visit old friends I hadn't seen in eons in Vancouver along with that.

16. What song will always remind you of 2005? "Swallowed in the Sea" by Coldplay

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

Happier or Sadder? happier

Thinner or Fatter? the same

Richer or Poorer? more cash, but more debt...so the same in the end.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of? Telling people how I felt or thought about them.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of? Complaining about things I can't change

20. How did you be spend New Year's Eve? Went "camping" in the living room with Jay. Set up the tent and spent a romantic evening together...so very nice.

22. Did you fall in love in 2005? Already was...still am.

23. How many one-night stands? None - got a love already.

24. What was your favorite TV program? Battlestar Galactica

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? No.

26. What was the best book you read? Tigana by Guy Gavirel Kay

27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Death Cab for Cutie.

28. What did you want and get? an iPod.

30. What was your favourite film of this year? Toss up between Serenity, Batman Begins and The Chronicles of Narnia movie.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? Went out and had a campfire in the woods with friends. I was/still am 32.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Paying off our student loans with money I found buried in the back yard.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2005? Comfy. A bit too casual maybe, but I haven't been shopping in a while. Jeans and fitted shirts for the most part. Anything nice I wear to work invariable gets wrecked, to it's tricky to get nice things that I actually wear...so most of it is older and plain.

34. What kept you sane? J

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I make it a habit to try not to be concerned with public figures, as I can't pretend to know them well enough to admire them. I've been in favor of what Jack Layton's been doing politically tho if that counts.

36. What political issue stirred you the most? The lack of speedy relief for the earthquake victims from Pakistan. Winter was coming and these people had nowhere to stay and nowhere to go...very sad.

37. Who did you miss? My old friend Karli. I've been trying to track her down...she's been MIA since she moved to England.

38. Who were the best new people you met? a few..don't like to name names.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2005: Value the friends you have. Share random acts of happiness and make everyone's day a bit brighter, as your day and everyone else's will be so much better.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: "That's where I belong, and you belong with me"

Sunday, December 25, 2005

HO HO HO

Merry Christmas to one and all!
I am full of lasagna...I must sleep now.

Tuesday, December 20, 2005

I'm done!

In the words of the great poet Jem Rolls
"We're done! we're done we're done we're done we're done we're done!"

We have met the requirements of the season. All is got and paid for (and mailed). All that remains is the shiny wrapping.
J just left to go visiting friends in a far away land for a few days and I am bored and lonely already. Pathetic aren't I? :)
Sure I have the whoe house to clean in the next few days before my parents come to visit for the weekend, but somehow I'm not bored enough yet to look into that.(funny how that works)
I did make a candy cane cheesecake tho...tomorrow it will be tested.
As for my 4 zillion cookies...the hounds have come and gone and there are 2 left. Hard to imagine 8 dozen cookies going to 2 in 2 days, but what can I say? People like the cookies.
Anyways..I must go tuck in my cake and grab a cat and be off to sleep.

And then there were gryphons...

I can die happy now.
I've seen gryphons.

I finally went to see the Chronicles of Narnia last night. As I watched I reverted back to my youth and I felt like I was reading the book again and lost in my head for the first time at 5 years of age. Oh sure, I had the odd little quibble, but then the fawn and beavers came...and then finally gryphons flew in and the animals I obsessed over as a child and daydreamed about all my life were real and right there and speaking to Peter. Then Aslan breathed on the statues to bring them back to life and I knew I had to be dreaming. Ever see something that is exactly how you imagined it?

I've always wanted to see a gryphon.
Utterly Fantastic.

Later:

ok...having read this over it sounds like pure treacle, but so help me, even a day later I can't remember having seen a film since LOTR that captured what I had in my head as much as this film did. And so help me there were gryphons. There aren't even words to express why that is such a big deal. It just is.

Monday, December 19, 2005

If you had a pair of pants made out of potato chips, *then* you would have a party

I have baked 4 zillion cookies. And let me tell you my friends...they are good!
I'm eating one as I type this. Given that I am bored, please find the following as I try to amuse myself:

What's Going on in My Life Right Now

Current attire: Blue jeans. Striped wool sweater, black specs, work boots/winter boots (and cookie crumbs)

Current mood: Bored. Not a lot to do today.

Current music: "Christmas in Frisko" webcast from Soma FM. A bizarre mix of all things Christmas.

Current annoyance: People who talk during films. I realise there is less and less of people being in theatres, and more renting - or maybe movies aren't such a big deal anymore. i don't know, but to me a movie is a big deal. I have a kickass system at home and if I wanted to stay home and watch a film I would. But when I pay to see something in a theatre nothing wrecks it more than some idiot yakking to his friend through the whole film. *sigh*

Current thing: Painting a christmas present for my sister in law. It has to be mailed tomorrow if its to get there in time so I gotta finish it (ah procrasatinations sweet company!)

Current desktop picture: A photoshopped picture of me as a jedi fro the Star Wars party...it's all sketchy and abstract.

Current song in head: Staunton Lick by Lemon JElly.

Current book: "What Einstein Told His Cook". A cookbook explaining why things happen by a biochemist. So very cool.

Current video in player: A blank tape with the very final 7th doctor episodes on it ("Battelfield"). It was on BBC kids late last night so we taped it...man the last few 7th doctor show were fantastic! Dark stuff.

Current DVD in player: Princess Mononoke. Watched it on Saturday.

Current refreshment: coffee and a sour cream cookie (Mmmmm)

Current worry: How do I get my Christmas presents to my brother ad his wife on time. If J goes to Edmonton to visit his friend for a few days, will he be safe on the roads. I worry too much.

Current thought: I should put up Nana's Christmas tree soon. I've got lights slathered all over the downstairs, but out big tree still isn't up - I haven't had the time. I suppose I'd better get on it if I'm going to.
___
And apparently I'm a green anarchist democrat...Hmmm...how I can be 17% nazi is puzzling. I am pleased that I'm even less of a republican than I am a nazi though!

"What political party do your beliefs put you in"
Green 100%
Anarchism 92%
Democrat 92%
Socialist 75%
Communism 67%
Fascism 25%
Nazi 17%
Republican 8%
(www.quizfarm.com)
___
There. That killed at LEAST 10 minutes.
OK...back to the lab.

Friday, December 16, 2005

An open letter to the stoners at the theatre last night


Hi.
I'll speak slowly so you get this.
I did not pay $12 to listen to you and your friends talk and giggle and play Mystery Science Theater 3000 to this or any film. If you wanna smoke up before the film I can't stop you and I honestly don't care but SHUT UP DURING THE FILM. If you were as funny as you seem to feel you are, others would flock to you for your wisdom and pay to hear you instead of telling you to shut up from all directions during the film. So guess what? It's late on a Thursday night on the freezing prairies and we just don't care if you've created your own squeaky monkey voice to say "wassup" and do voiceovers every time Kong appears. It's bad enough we have to watch commercials before the film - we don't need your help with the movie itself. I'm sure the director thought it out well enough for me.
Stay home and rent it. The movie I paid to watch is just fine without you.

Thank you.
Now go about your business...if you can remember what it is.

Cunning Plans

 Life is wierd ya know. It seems a lot of things have been hitting me hard lately. Been distant from people, including my partner who is dea...