Thank you Capt Obvious!

Fact: Less men get married when they are outnumbered by women.

Phewf, science is a lot easier than I remember it being.


"When young men are scarce, they're more likely to play the field than to propose" - Laura Bailey, University of Michigan

Zach Morris on Jimmy Fallon

Evolution of Dance 2

Evolution of Dance

Going Back to My Roots

I started my first blog on Anglefire about 5 years ago because I felt like I was annoying friends and family with forwarded messages. I figured with a blog, it would be their choice if they wanted to read them or not. I came across some forwarded emails that I had intended to post a long time ago so I decided it was about time I did. I'll post a new one every couple days (most are silly but some aren't).

How to keep a healthy level of insanity and drive other people insane

I don't remember where I got this...

1) At lunch time, sit in your parked car and point a hair dryer at passing cars to see if they slow down. (This is especially effective if you drive a large, white Ford)
2) Page yourself over the intercom. (Don't disguise your voice)
3) Insist that your email address be
Xena-goddess-of-fire@companyname.com or Elvis-the-king@companyname.com
4) Everytime someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.
5) Encourage your colleagues to join you in a little synchronized chair dancing.
6) Put your garbage can on your desk and label it 'IN'
7) Develop an unnatural fear of staplers.
8) Put decaf in the coffee maker for 3 weeks. Once everyone has gotten over their caffeine addictions, switch to espresso.
9) Reply to everything someone says with, "That's what you think."
10) Finish all your sentences with "In accordance with the prophecy."
11) Adjust the tint on your monitor so that the brightness level lights
up the entire working area. Insist to others that you like it that way.
12) Dont use any punctuation
13) As often as possible, skip rather than walk.
14) Ask people what sex they are.
15) Specify that your drive through order is "to go."
16) Sing (howl?) along at the opera.
17) Go to a poetry recital and ask why the poems don't rhyme.
18) Find out where your boss shops and buy exactly the same outfits. Wear them one day after your boss does. (This is especially effective if your boss is the opposite gender.)
19) Send e-mail to the rest of the company to tell them what you're doing. For example: "If anyone needs me, I'll be in the bathroom."
20) Put mosquito netting around your cubicle.
21) Five days in advance, tell your friends you can't attend their party because you're not in the mood.

Having to Rely on the Unreliable

Hmmpffft

When it comes to school, I am not a fan of being in a group that is not of my choosing. I have high standards for the quality of work I want my name associated with and the work ethic and ability to reach those standards. In previous lab classes, I was expected to collect data with a partner (of my choosing) but submit my own analysis. For my current biology lab, we were all assigned to groups of five then submit a single group report where we all receive the same mark. There are several problems with this scenario:

• I am the only person in the entire class who has taken a university-level science lab. It is very easy for the people in my group to want to jump right into the experiment without considering what we should be should be trying to find. With four people in the group, it is hard to keep track that everyone is performing their part correctly. As I said to my lab instructor, their data collection is a little "willy-nilly" for my liking. C'mon people, remember the scientific method!
  
  
• For the final report, "good enough" is not good enough. We submit our analysis at the end of lab and I feel like the some of the group member want to get the work done as quickly as possible to get out early.
  
  
• Not understanding what is truly important for the class. When working on a big group presentation, some of the group members were more worried about how we were going to dress and slide transitions. Yes making a good impression is important but fulfilling the requirements of the assignment is more so. I get the impression that more than one members of the group charmed their way through most classes.
  
  
• We have a group member who quit. Normally this wouldn't matter but it just so happened when he quit was the only week we have work to do outside of lab time. Each group has a presentation on a different eco-zone in Saskatchewan, the guy knew when we were meeting together and what he was supposed to work on and he just stops coming to class. We've sent multiple emails with no reply. One group member's attitude was "Oh well, let's not do that part." Another was "We can let him present his part if he shows up the day of the presentation." Neither are an option. I don't care if a group member quits, there is no excuse for incomplete work especially when there is enough time to complete it. Also, there is no way I am letting anyone take credit for work they had no part of.
  
  
• Guess who always does more work than anyone else? It is not fair but necessary if I want to be happy with the final product. Week to week everyone in the group gets the same mark but at least for the presentation we mark our group members' efforts.
  

Sorry this was so ranty and long. I can't sleep and have nothing better to do than rage on.

Strange Reminders of the Past

I was in contact with three people today I haven't spoken to in a long time: a friend from Junior Achievement and two former students. Weird how it happened all in one day. It was a little strange to talk to the former students since they are in post-secondary school just like me. They are the age of my peers and older than some of my friends from school.

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film as 'Fun, Watchable'

Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'

Nonsensical

"Two batsmen scored centuries yesterday"

That's just crazy talk.

A Good Economic Example to Follow

Thriving Norway Provides an Economics Lesson - LANDON THOMAS Jr., NY Times Online, May 14, 2009
Instead of spending its oil riches, Norway saved, and it is now growing in the midst of the global recession.

Ugh, gross

Food Companies Are Placing the Onus for Safety on Consumers
- MICHAEL MOSS, NY Times Online, May 15, 2009
Makers of processed foods have increased their efforts to eliminate pathogens, but with uneven results.

Increasingly, the corporations that supply Americans with processed foods are unable to guarantee the safety of their ingredients. In this case, ConAgra could not pinpoint which of the more than 25 ingredients in its pies was carrying salmonella. Other companies do not even know who is supplying their ingredients, let alone if those suppliers are screening the items for microbes and other potential dangers, interviews and documents show.

Well, three out of four ain't bad

Wow, wow, wow. When US sports pundits admit they think the Stanley Cup Playoffs are more exciting than the NBA playoffs, you know something special is going on.

I'd like to think that my poor predictions have more to do with 15 of the 16 teams had an honest chance of winning. To be truthful, the only second round prediction I got wrong was thinking Boston would beat Carolina. Boston lost to Carolina in overtime of game 7 so it wasn't a bad pick. Anyway, here is my revised predictions based more on what I'd like to happen more than anything:

Overheard

Lady 1: "How are you doing?"
Lady 2: "I've been having problems with electronics and nickels."

An Example of Funded Research

Too Upset to Sleep

As my boss is away, I receive the questions and comments for the math website then appropriately distribute. Tonight someone sent a complaint about a question posted over 9 years ago. It is true that the response needs to be rewritten for clarity but I wish didn't I have to read it. Not that I'm all rainbows and kittens but that kind of negativity makes my tummy hurt.

Did I not get the memo?

Is there no Thursday this week? Woo hoo! Four day work week!

Ok, maybe things will be alright

Even though I will not get full time hours as promised, I have found a bit more work for the summer. My boss from the math education website has a ton of funding so even though he hired someone for the summer, he says he still could find some work for me. The prof who I am doing research for found work for me working on a website for a private elementary school. I also decided to take a class this summer since I have the time.

Now my tummy is starting to get nervous

I found out about a week ago that my summer job will not be full time as promised. Last summer when I was hired the plan was to job share with another student who had one year of school left. They hired me because they wanted someone with several years left in their degree so that I could continue the same research summer to summer. The plan for this year was the work to be full time (as told to me first when I got the job last year and reiterated up until last month). I had a class with the professor this semester who promised me the full time work and he told me as I was handing in my final exam. He said he wanted to give some work to the student who was graduating and I could just ask the math department for part time work like I did last year. WHAATTT! I was offered 3 jobs over the course of this last semester that I would have loved to have. I turned them down because I had already committed to working for this professor. There was another job that I would have loved to have that I could have applied for. The start date for all of these is tomorrow and they've all been filled. I have no idea what I am going to do.

The Wild Side

Let’s Hear It for the Bees
NY Times Online, Leon Kreitzman, April 28, 2009

You can set your watch by the openings and closings of certain flowers, but for real circadian synchronicity, it's the bees.

Lord Stanley's Cup: Round 2 Predictions

Ok, so I got 4/8 correct for my first round predictions. Here is what I think is to come:

Best Joke I've Heard in Awhile

Did you guys hear about that big fire on that golf course in Calgary? Flames everywhere.

Hahahahahaha, sigh.

The Revenge

I forgot about these photos:

Bully

LynnieC's revenge


Shaking our fists at Pense for fooling us into thinking we were almost to Regina.

You know you are burnt out when...

Blond Derek: "What day is the 30th?"
Janny: "We've gone through this already: Friday is Thursday."

Janny's Stanley Cup 2009 Prediction

Now let's see if I can make a better prediction that last year. This year I definitely watched more hockey and kept track of the stats of other teams because my fantasy hockey teams. I feel like my decision is much more informed than previous years but I'm not comfortable about my western picks.

The East:

My beloved Canadiens will not make it out of the first round. I adore them but this is reality folks. Boston has beaten them in every meeting this season. Montreal may win a couple games in the series but no more than 2.

Rangers just don't have the skill to beat the Capitals. Enough said.

Carolina is too inconsistent and doesn't have the goaltending to beat New Jersey. Carolina definitely has the ability to make it to the second round but unlikely to happen.

Philly versus Pittsburgh is definitely the series to watch. It will be close but ultimately Philly is the better all around team.

The West:
San Jose has had a play off work ethic all season. What the results of the other series are inconsequential because the Sharks are going all the way.

Chicago and Columbus are young and lack playoff experience.

Calgary is too inconsistent and has too many injuries right now.

Detroit has inconsistent goaltenders.

Vancouver will have an easy first round but lacks the tenacity to beat any of the teams that could make past the first round.

LynnieC, star of High School Musical 3

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You are not helping your cause, Ma'am

Yesterday I heard Jorge Cham do his presentation on "The Power of Procrastination". If you read his comic regularly, you would know he travels all over the world speaking at different universities. Weirdest part of the talk:

Jorge Cham: "Any actuarial scientists here?"
Random humanities grad student: "Not on this coast"
Jorge Cham stands blankly in confusion for a long period of time.

Fact: Bee are our friends

Creating a Bee-friendly Garden - David Suzuki's April Nature Challenge

We’ve all heard about the mysterious global disappearance of honeybees. Other bee species are also declining, mainly because of habitat loss. You can make a big difference just by creating a bee-friendly space in your garden. (And it’s not hard – bees are easy to please!)

Why should I create a welcome place for bees?
* All creatures that eat plants (including humans!) depend on pollinators.
* 3/4 of the foods we eat – fruits, nuts, vegetables, and herbs – need pollinators to reproduce.
* Creating hospitable homes for beneficial insects in your garden means they are less likely to move into your house.
* You’ll triple the yield of fruit and veggies in your garden – no more lumpy strawberries or shrunken squash!
* Even what seems like a small contribution – just a tiny flower pot or patch – can provide valuable pollinator habitat.

When Seventh Feels Like First

I have three fantasy hockey teams that I manage. One of the teams, the Burninators, has been plagued with injures and underachievement. I kept my eye on the stats so I could make smart trades and pick up unsung heroes. For most of the season, I sat at 10/12 with about 47/144 points*. Slowly progress was made and now I sit 7/12 with 67/144 points and I could very easily move into 6th place. My other teams are within a position to actually win the season but I'm most proud of the Burninators.






*I'm in a 12 team rotisserie league where points are determined best to worst in 12 categories (12*12=144 possible points).

Loud and Obnoxious

How do you politely tell someone
- My annoyance with you has nothing to do with jealousy. I have no desire to be a 5 ft nothing waif. You annoy me because you are loud and rude.
- Learn some self-respect. You think that you are free and uninhibited but men think you are immodest. I'm viewed as a peer and you are viewed as a joke so get a clue. Think to yourself: when was the last time someone ask you what you thought?
- You don't have to say everything that pops into your head, especially at a shrill pitch that seems to resonant through concrete walls.
- Before you get annoyed with someone for not caring about your story, make sure you remember that person's name. [Oh right, I already told you that]
- Stop acting like you aren't smart.

Jumping with Skates

Guillaume Latendresse of the Montreal Canadiens jumps in the air as he screens Karri Ramo of the Tampa Bay Lightning on a shot from the point as Maxim Lapierre #40 of the Montreal Canadiens looks on at the Bell Centre on March 26, 2009 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

Girls, I need your help!!!!!

Tomorrow Ken Dryden is talking at my school about Canada and the future. Keeping mind that the other people there will be university students, what do I wear? If I can overcome my social awkwardness I'd like to be able to talk to him after. So what do I wear to not look like the old lady who has come back to university but serious enough to approach a hockey hero / politician? I'm puzzled.

Adorable

Having a Bat Mitzvah in Their 90s Because It’s a Hoot
CHRISTOPHER MAAG, NY Times Online, Published: March 22, 2009

Ohio women in their 90s jumped at a chance to perform a rite rare in their youth, but common for Jewish teenage girls today.

Tiny Pointing Derek

Just 'cause he's awesome

Just Your Type: INTJ

According to the Carl Jung and Isabel Myers-Briggs typology test, I am Introverted Intuitive Thinking Judging. I first took the test when I was 17 then again when I was 28 and the results were the same. It freaks me out how well the description fits me (I know it is long so I bolded the key points so you can get the gist of it):

INTJ Profile by Marina Margaret Heiss

To outsiders, INTJs may appear to project an aura of "definiteness", of self-confidence. This self-confidence, sometimes mistaken for simple arrogance by the less decisive, is actually of a very specific rather than a general nature; its source lies in the specialized knowledge systems that most INTJs start building at an early age. When it comes to their own areas of expertise -- and INTJs can have several -- they will be able to tell you almost immediately whether or not they can help you, and if so, how. INTJs know what they know, and perhaps still more importantly, they know what they don't know.
INTJs are perfectionists, with a seemingly endless capacity for improving upon anything that takes their interest. What prevents them from becoming chronically bogged down in this pursuit of perfection is the pragmatism so characteristic of the type: INTJs apply (often ruthlessly) the criterion "Does it work?" to everything from their own research efforts to the prevailing social norms. This in turn produces an unusual independence of mind, freeing the INTJ from the constraints of authority, convention, or sentiment for its own sake.
INTJs are known as the "Systems Builders" of the types, perhaps in part because they possess the unusual trait combination of imagination and reliability. Whatever system an INTJ happens to be working on is for them the equivalent of a moral cause to an INFJ; both perfectionism and disregard for authority may come into play, as INTJs can be unsparing of both themselves and the others on the project. Anyone considered to be "slacking," including superiors, will lose their respect -- and will generally be made aware of this; INTJs have also been known to take it upon themselves to implement critical decisions without consulting their supervisors or co-workers. On the other hand, they do tend to be scrupulous and even-handed about recognizing the individual contributions that have gone into a project, and have a gift for seizing opportunities which others might not even notice.
In the broadest terms, what INTJs "do" tends to be what they "know". Typical INTJ career choices are in the sciences and engineering, but they can be found wherever a combination of intellect and incisiveness are required (e.g., law, some areas of academia). INTJs can rise to management positions when they are willing to invest time in marketing their abilities as well as enhancing them, and (whether for the sake of ambition or the desire for privacy) many also find it useful to learn to simulate some degree of surface conformism in order to mask their inherent unconventionality.
Personal relationships, particularly romantic ones, can be the INTJ's Achilles heel. While they are capable of caring deeply for others (usually a select few), and are willing to spend a great deal of time and effort on a relationship, the knowledge and self-confidence that make them so successful in other areas can suddenly abandon or mislead them in interpersonal situations. This happens in part because many INTJs do not readily grasp the social rituals; for instance, they tend to have little patience and less understanding of such things as small talk and flirtation (which most types consider half the fun of a relationship). To complicate matters, INTJs are usually extremely private people, and can often be naturally impassive as well, which makes them easy to misread and misunderstand. Perhaps the most fundamental problem, however, is that INTJs really want people to make sense. :-) This sometimes results in a peculiar naivete', paralleling that of many Fs -- only instead of expecting inexhaustible affection and empathy from a romantic relationship, the INTJ will expect inexhaustible reasonability and directness.
Probably the strongest INTJ assets in the interpersonal area are their intuitive abilities and their willingness to "work at" a relationship. Although as Ts they do not always have the kind of natural empathy that many Fs do, the Intuitive function can often act as a good substitute by synthesizing the probable meanings behind such things as tone of voice, turn of phrase, and facial expression. This ability can then be honed and directed by consistent, repeated efforts to understand and support those they care about, and those relationships which ultimately do become established with an INTJ tend to be characterized by their robustness, stability, and good communications.

Put it out of its misery...

I deleted my education blog. I wasn't posting and I've averaging 0 visitors a week for months. I might start it up again if/when I go back to teaching.

Mini Player McDonalds - NHL Star Helmet commercial

Clever Quotes

Once on a teacher professional development day, I found on a scrap piece of paper stuck in a magazine. I may have posted these before:

“Politics is the second oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a close resemblance to the first.”

“Take a lesson from the weather: it pays no attention to criticism”

“Health nuts will feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals, dying of nothing.”

“Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.”

“#1 Thing I Have Learned: Never take life seriously, nobody comes out alive anyways!”
- Author Unknown

"She's the Other Girl in Physics"*

Yesterday, it became very apparent how few women are part of the physics department. In the afternoon, I went to a seminar on dark matter and I was one of three females out of a group of about 60. One was a grad student, one of a first year from a non-calculus based physics class (non-major) and then there was me. I only know two other female undergrad physics majors and they weren't there -- one was working on a lab and the other was getting her tonsils removed. To quote Cecilia from Piled High and Deeper, "The odds are good but the goods are odd."



*Honestly, how I was introduced to a fellow student's roommate.

Wow

I've been alive for 370 months.

That's Unpossible

I just finished my chem lab report. Either I made a mistake in the experiment or 125% of the vitamin C tablet was made of ascorbic acid. I hope it is the latter because unlike physics labs, I can't redo experiments.







Update: I made a copying mistake and wrote some data for my second trial under my first trial. At least it is something I can fix easily.

Socks are for Chumps

I know I'm in the minority but I love winter -- everything is so pretty. The cold weather doesn't bother me and it is the only time of the year that I can breath when I'm outside. The only thing I hate about winter is I have to wear socks. I'd have to say they are in the top ten things I hate -- some where below evil dictators and above capitalism. You read it right, I hate socks more than capitalism. I'm considering leaving a pair of flip flops at the university so I only have to wear socks during labs and coming to and from school.

Inferiority Complex

A friend just got full expenses paid acceptance from Oxford to work on his MSc. I'm worried that no grad school will accept me because of grades from 9-13 years ago. I'm cursed with a GPA that does not reflect who I am now.

We didn't start the fire....

When I first heard the fire alarm sound I thought "What idiot planned a fire drill with a -45C wind chill?" I grabbed my bag and left the Physics students' lounge and the hall was filled with smoke. I was with Blond Derek* and we met Jemaine** in the hallway on our way out the door. Jemaine was in the middle of an experiment that he just had to leave it going and start over later.

We were shooed out of the lab building towards the library. The next building over, the classroom building was evacuated as well. There were grumblings from students about the physics dept starting fires with there experiments which is complete baloney. The only experiments running at the time were first years seeing how fast ice melts in cold water and a pendulum. The only thing "dangerous" in our wing is a neutron howitzer which radiates materials and cannot cause fires.

We didn't know what happened to everyone else from the Physics dept. We wandered back and forth between the entrances from both sides of the building waiting for it to open again. We ran into was The Commie*** eventually. There were many strange conversations about possible sources of the fire****:
- the pendulum was moving so fast it punched a whole in the space-time continuum
- the pendulum bob was made of a highly reactive metal
- the biology dept is breeding dragons (which lead to Blond Derek's decision to raise an army of zombie dragons for a biology project)
- spontaneous combustion of multiple professors

We found our way back to the library where we met the head lab instructor returning from lunch. When he found out how long since we were evacuated he looked at the doors said "They'll let us in soon" then they opened! It was eerie.


Names are used to protect the innocent:
*He looks and acts almost exactly like Derek. We have a physics class and lab together. Once I get to know him better I'll ask if eats toast ironically. I missed tiny pointing Derek.

** By his own admission he looks like Jemaine Clement with a beer belly.

*** Been called so since deciding to take a class on Marxism.
**** I am well aware of our nerdiness.

Idiots Who Call In to Radio Shows

I'm pretty sure Hewert Packard did not make your paint gun.

Vanity

I'm procrastinating from going on the treadmill because my hair looks awesome. How often does a girl WAKE UP with good hair?

PSYCH 101

One of my greatest pet peeves are people who have taken a psychology class who know think they are experts at diagnosis. A couple examples:

• I overheard a girl telling her friend that he had Asperger syndrome because he doesn't like small talk. Idiot. Asperger syndrome is difficult to diagnosis even by professionals and is also characterised by physical clumsiness. Considering that this guy is a lifeguard and avid bike rider it is highly doubtful.


• My grade 9 English teacher took me aside because she was concerned I had a drug problem. A 14 year old girl with well-behaved friends, good marks and a well kept appearance having problems staying awake in class. Doesn't that scream drug fiend? As a teacher I would have loved if my students would finish their work early and the room was so quiet they fell asleep.
  


• Don't get me started on people diagnosing ADD, ADHD and OCD.
  

Creating Your Own Confusion

A friend from high school and his fiancée had their official wedding photos taken ahead of time. It is still awhile until the actual wedding so it makes no sense why he would post the pictures on Facebook. Now every comment is congratulating him on getting married. He explains over and over again that he is not yet married but who reads old comments before posting? Despite the confusion, isn't it tacky to post your wedding photos before the wedding?

Excuse my ignorance

Is there a valid medical reason to have armpit fat removed? I haven't really noticed if she has cumbersome armpits*. She is someone who has never had a lot of money so I can't imagine that it is a cosmetic procedure. If you were a person who has scrimped and saved for liposuction, why would the armpits be the priority? Why do I feel like I'm missing something here? Armpit liposuction: I don't think anything will surprise me anymore.**











*That could be a condition, right?
** Totally should be a T-shirt

Mr T Elbow Drops a Bee

Happy Valentine's Day

Offical Late Night Word

The last episodes of Late Night with Conan O'Brien air this week and next week. He'll start hosting the Tonight Show on June 1. Official word is the final two weeks will be off the chain. Here's crossing my fingers for a Chuck Norris appearance.

I've been so busy I can't believe that I forgot about this.

True in More Ways Than Just Hockey

"I don't think you can handle the Sharks for 60 minutes." - Joe Thornton, San Jose Sharks Center
Sharks were too much for Bruins in third period, Dan Rosen - NHL.com Staff Writer, Tuesday, 02.10.2009 / 11:49 PM / NHL Insider

Less of a Social Life: Updated for Fall 2009

My university posted the tentative fall schedules: I may have to inquire about taking up permanent residence in the lab building.

For sure classes include
Complex Analysis I (Learning how to do calculus proofs with imaginary numbers)
Electricity and Magnetism plus lab
Heat and Thermodynamics plus lab

Then I have to choose between
Classical Mechanics II (Sequels are rarely as good as the originals)
Mathematical Physics I
I'll ask around my faculty adviser and some other students which will be "easier". I could take both but

1 300-level math + 2 200-level physics + 2 200-level physics labs + 2 300-level physics = brain explosion

Consider Reducing Your Font Size

A friend sent me a forward today and this was the size of the text:



Further down it gets smaller but not small enough to have an entire line displayed on the screen.

Best T-Shirt Ever

Sounds Like Me

'What will your obituary say?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I'm Pretty Sure it Raised My Cholesterol Just Looking at It...

Behold, the Internet sensation Bacon Explosion:


Bacon surrounded by two pounds of Italian sausage wrapped with two pounds of bacon. Looks like a good idea at the time but something you'd regret much later like KFC or deep fried cheese.

My Highest Scrabble Score Ever

A good game for me is anything over 420 (a bad game is anything under 350). There is something about that 420 barrier that is difficult to get past. Previous record was 475. When I realized that I might break 500 I was so excited I could barely stand it.

Awkward Conversations

I have a classmate who has asked me to met with her tomorrow morning to help her with an assignment. Currently she has a pharmacy degree but wants become a doctor. She has a couple classes she needs to pick up before she can apply for med school. She needs a physics class but didn't want to take one with a lab. The only such class being offered this semester has 3 Calculus classes and 1 Physics class as prerequisites -- she only has one of the Calculus classes and none of the others. She convinced the professor to let her into the class. Do you see the problem here?
I do not have the time to teach her everything she needs for this class -- I barely have enough time to finish my own assignments. Is it for me to say that maybe she shouldn't be in this class? Do I let her figure that out for herself? I definitely have to tell her that I only have a limited amount of time to help and if she needs more to get a tutor. This class is hard for those of us that have all the required classes.

Gross.

Pride Comes Before the Fall

"You want to know my philosophy? One day a peacock. The next day a feather duster."
PAT QUINN, the governor of Illinois, on his turn in the spotlight.

I'm that good...

Yesterday I busted my brother for cheating on a high school calculus test 8 years ago:



I admit that catching it after he finished university defeats the purpose but in my defense I didn't even live in the same city as him at the time.

Excellent Reason not to See the Underworld Prequel*

From Movies Without Pity's 9 Reasons You Shouldn't See Underworld: Rise of the Lycans

6) Bill Nighy can't fly in real life, and this is just a sad, 90-minute reminder of that painful fact.








*Besides the fact it looks like a terrible movie.

Out of Wack*

I went to a chiropractor today since my shoulder and lower back are not getting better on their own. He agrees that I had a very bad week, now I have scientific evidence to collaborate. I strained my rotor cuff, jammed my left hip bone (which caused it to lock) and two of my lower vertebrae are askew. Good news is I probably only have to go to the chiropractor for about a month.








*of the wiggity variety.

Carol, you're pants are ready

Marilyn called to let you know. Since I do not know either of you, I hope you get this message.

The Lab That Would Not Die

I had quite the week. Not only did I fall multiple times but I also completely forgot to go to a class and went completely brain dead during a physics lab. Not being able to convert centimetres to metres was the first sign that maybe I was lacking the thinking capacity to be performing experiments. We had a horrible time trying to set up various apparatus and barely collected the data before the end of the three hours (or so we thought). The next day my partner texted me to point out that a set of our data was bad -- we had to redo the entire second part of the experiment. Later as I was doing calculations, I realized that the first set of data was bunk as well so I had to redo that as well. Tonight my partner texted me again to mention we failed to make some measurements for our equipment. Oy, so now I have to go back again to my lab instructor tomorrow and tell him that we are still not quite done yet. How embarrassing.

Last semester, I had the best lab mark in the class but I'm certainly not acting like it this semester.

That Doesn't Even Make Sense

I came across an article about not appearing nervous when speaking in public. In reference to avoiding too many hand gestures:
"Don't pretend that you are Adam and give yourself a fig leaf."

Barack Obama's inauguration in Legoland, California

In one of the more detailed pictures they even have dudes waiting in line at the port-a-potty.

The Loneliest Man in Sports

You want the most stressful job in sports? Live behind the mask of Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price
Source: ESPN the Magazine Online, Lindsay Berra

My life as a character in a silent film

While still smarting from my fall on Monday, I fell down the stairs at the university on Wednesday. I tripped over my untied boot lace and fell head first down the stairs. Thankfully I was able to grab onto the rail with both arms so I only fell down about three stairs and landed on my knees. My arm and back are worse and my knees are badly bruised but at least I didn't hit my head or break any bones. I expect next week I'll fall from a a 20-foot barn ladder, slip into a giant vat of fresh cream and while vacationing in Egypt, manage to stir a 5,000-year-old mummy from its restful slumber.

Quotables

Here are the rules of the game (for me):
Pick 10 of your favorite movies
Write a quote from each movie
Make your friends guess the quote
Fill in the film title once it’s been guessed

These rules are for you people:
Don't cheat.
Leave your answer(s) in the comments.

1. Without you, today's emotions would be the scurf of yesterday's. Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain or also more commonly known as Amélie
   
2. Hey! What're you kicking me for? You want me to ask? All right, I'll ask! Ma'am, where do the high school girls hang out in this town? Swingers
   
3. Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear. Empire Records
   
4. Sir. Whilst I don't wish to be rude, I do believe that you watched too many Tarzan films as an impressionable child. Mean Machine
   
5. The ball is round, the game lasts 90 minutes, everything else is pure theory. Lola rennt or more commonly known as Run Lola Run
   
6. That's Tommy. He tells people he was named after a gun, but I know he was really named after a famous 19th century ballet dancer. Snatch
   
7. You're the only woman for me. You and Janet Jackson. Enemy of the State
   
8. If you hold back anything, I'll kill ya. If you bend the truth, or I think you're bending the truth, I'll kill ya. If you forget anything, I'll kill ya. In fact, you're gonna have to work very hard to stay alive Nick. Now, do you understand everything I've just said? Cause' if you don't, I'll kill ya! Now, Mr Bubble and Squeak, you may enlighten me. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
   
9. Man, I wanna see a picture of this Nubian princess. If you were any less black, you would be clear. Go
   
10. My line? My most effective one is to tell a girl she has hair like a tortured midnight, lips like a red couch in an ivory palace that I'm lonely and starved for affection. Then, I generally burst into tears -- It seldom works. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
    

Bonus Questions:
Which two of quotes were said by the same actor? Vas Blackwood
Which three movies have the same producer? Matthew Vaughn

Walker, Texas Ranger Commerical Transcript

Announcer: "Walker, Texas Ranger, serving up justice on DVD..."
Chuck Norris: "He deserves a beating"
Random Dude: "He sure does"
[Round house kick]
[Explosion]
Announcer: "...one fist at a time."
[Jumping from moving helicopter and tackling dude]
Chuck Norris: "You're under arrest."
[Explosion]
Announcer: "With all 23 action pact episodes."
Black Texas Ranger: "Maybe we should call for back up."
[Round house kick]
[Double ear slap]
[Quickdraw]
[Kick a dude through a window]
Chuck Norris: "Why?"

Ever wanted to be annoying to anybody? Here's how.

Last night I came across a "How to" wiki site. Curious what the site had to offer, I came across these gems in the Language Nuances category. This is some of the more confusing and ridiculous advice -- I wish I was making these up.

How to Be Annoying to People Who Use Expressions

Whenever somebody uses an expression or exaggeration, challenge it by being literal. Example: If somebody says: "Think outside the box," you should say: "What box?" or "How big is the box? Because if everybody thought inside it, it would have to be pretty big." or "What is it that is inside this 'box' that is so important for people to think about?" or something of that nature.

How to Think of Quick Witted Comebacks

One tactic to use is to mutter "[insult]saywhat" really quickly, and they will say, "What?"
Do not, under any circumstances, use childish insults such as "I know you are, but what am I". It does not work - at all.
Never ever, ever, ever say just "your mom" unless you are countering a mom insult with your own. And if they are actually using a mom insult, it probably isn't a serious situation.
'Leave me alone' does not work.

How to Be Cool

Being cool can be a challenge. A lot of people who aren't cool can slow your path to coolness down. So if something puts you in a bad mood, it's good to have reminders of your end goal of being awesomely cool. Also if your mood distracts you enough for you to forget your end goal reminders can help you stay positive.

How to Be Sarcastic

Example:
“You stole my homework to copy it!”
“No, I didn’t!”
“Hmmm...the dog must have eaten it, then!”

A Little Banged and Bruised

I fell hard on my left hip crossing the street -- the road had a layer of soft snow over ice. I had just got off the bus and was only about a half block from home so I didn't have far to walk. My hip is a little swollen but doesn't hurt even if I touch it. I tried to break my fall with arm and I think I sprained it. My back and neck are stiff and incredibly sore. I'm incredibly grumpy now and just can't shake it.

Hit and Miss

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, iPod on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.You must write that song name down no matter how silly it sounds!
There were way too many so I used the same ones LynnieC did.

How would you describe yourself?
"French Taunter Part 1", Monty Python and the Holy Grail
“I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.”
Strangely perfect description

How do you feel today?
"Marching the Hate Machines into the Sun", Thievery Corporation featuring the Flaming Lips
I know the song and even I'm confused

What is your motto?
"Star", David Bowie

I could do with the money
I'm so wiped out with things as they are
I'd send my photograph to my honey - and I'd c'mon like a regular superstar

What do your friends think of you?
"What I Got", Sublime
"Lovin', is what I got, I said remember that"
Apparently my friends don't know me very well.

What do you think about very often?
"Concerning the UFO Sighting Near Highland, Illinois", Sufjan Stevens
Wow, I'm nerdier than I even knew.

What do your parents think about you?
"Gonna Buy Me a Dog", The Monkees
Weep

What do you think of your best friend?
"Leaving to Stay", Jonny Lang

What is your life story?
"Sunny Days (Sesame Street Theme)"

What do you want to be when you grow up?
"Black Math", The White Stripes
Creepy

What do you think when you see the person you like?
"Blackbird", The Beatles

What song will they play at your wedding?
"I Wear My Sunglasses at Night", Corey Hart
I'm pretty sure that will be played at LynnieC's wedding over and over and over again as she air guitars down the aisle

What will they play at your funeral?
"Chramer, Gip Die Varwe Mir - Krämer, Gib Mir Die Frabe", Carmina Burana
A little too triumphant

What is your hobby/interest?
"Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe", Barry White

What do you think about love?
"Seed 2.0", The Roots

Knocked up nine months ago
And what she's fittin' to have she don't know
She wants neo-soul cause hip hop is old
She don't want no rock'n roll
She want platinum, ice and gold
She want a whole lot of somethin' to fold
If you're an obstacle she'll just drop you cold
Cause one monkey don't stop the show

What is your biggest flaw?
"Dream a Little Dream", Mamas and the Papas
I wish it wasn't true.

What is your best trait?
"Brand New Key", Melanie Fathkay
That's kinda gross

Quote for this Generation Too

The era of procrastination, of half-measures, of soothing and baffling expedients, of delays, is coming to its close. In its place we are entering a period of consequences.

* Winston Churchill, Speech at the House of Commons, 12 November 1936

Brussel Sprouts

Am I the only one that didn't know that brussel sprouts grow on stalks? I always thought that they were like baby cabbages or something.

Valuing What Really Matters

"In elevating to a level of demiworship people with big bucks, we have been destroying the values of our future generation. We need a total rethinking of who the heroes are, who the role models are, who we should be honoring."
RABBI BENJAMIN BLECH, professor of philosophy of law at Yeshiva University, on the downfall of disgraced financier Bernard Madoff.



Betrayed by Madoff, Yeshiva U. Adds a Lesson
By JAVIER C. HERNANDEZ
Published: December 23, 2008
The university is grappling with a sense of betrayal that goes beyond the $110 million it says it lost with Bernard L. Madoff.

Smarts Girls at the Party

What Did Amy Poehler Get You for Chrismukkah?

This one is going out to all those grad students...

"Don't make fun of grad students, they've just made a poor life choice."
- my friend MJ

More than a little unexpected

Word confirmation for my all-star hockey player vote:


Hmm, "Mathematics" and "mulai"*. I think that is more a reflection on the website creator than any affiliations with the NHL.





*Indonesian for "from".

Christmas Ideas for LynnieC*

Librarian Action Figure


Librarian Temporary Tattoos





*This is my 500th post on blogger.

NHL All-Star Game Picks

Chance of a Lifetime

Brett Leonhardt, web site producer for the Washington Capitals, had the chance of a lifetime to dress as an NHL goalie for a game. NHL teams have two goalies on their roaster and if one gets injured they get another from their minor league team. Last week, the Washington Capitals' goalie Jose Theodore injured himself the morning before a game and the replacement back-up goalie wasn't going to make it to the game in time. The Captials asked Leonhardt, who was a goalie in college, to dress as their back-up goalie until the replacement could arrive.

Leonhardt just one of the guys
Saturday, 12.20.2008 / 1:00 AM / Division Notes
By Mike G. Morreale - NHL.com Staff Writer

Gift Ideas

Aunts And Stepdads Line Up For This Year's Hottest Gift: The Electric Tea Kettle

That's Why I Haven't Used IE in Years

All Internet Explorer Versions Have Hole, Gregg Keizer, Computerworld, Dec 13, 2008 8:00 am

Will my father and mother, who don't like new and different things, finally start using Firefox?

Bacon Quote of the Day

"Bacon is the key ingredient in the fall of communism." - Andrew D'Ambrosi (via Twitter)

Behind the Name

Pretty comprehensive site on the etymology of first names. The name Janice was created by Paul Leicester Ford for his novel 'Janice Meredith' (1899). huh.

Best. Baby. Ever.

Yeah, that's about right

Best Photo Blog Award

I previously mentioned a photo blog Regina in Pictures. The blog is up for a Canadian Blog Awards Best Photo/Art Blog. Give a deserving site your vote.

Is it something about me?

Sources: Daisies, Eli Stone and Dirty Sexy Canceled
Source: Watch with Kristin, Kristin Dos Santos, November 20, 2008, 4:11 PM

Why do shows I love get canceled?

Janny: Your Ultimate Source on Bea Arthur Wrestling Dinosaurs

No fewer than 5 out of the last 100 visitors to my blog were searching for images of Bea Arthur wrestling a velociraptors.

I tried a google search myself and came across this discussion on "Bea Arthur vs a Raptor"

StoneGold: Bea Arthur vs a Raptor

Crinos: Why is Bea Arthur floating? Is she haunting the Raptors her killed her?
Hmm... Bea Arthur goes back in time, gets killed by Raptors, then becomes a ghost that causes the extinction of the dinosaurs, thus gaining an army of dinosaur ghosts.
"Bea Arthur: Ghost dinosaur general."
Hey, I'd read it.

Grazzt:No, she's actually a super hero in real life. Just like Hugh Downs on Family guy, or Lucy Lawless on the Simpsons.
This gives me a good idea for a crossover. Deadpool/Bea Arthur in the Savage Land!

StoneGold:That's just pure lemon fanfic fodder.

Studying Checklist

1. Pen
2. flash cards
3. lab companion
4. Watch hockey
5. Watch SportsCentre
6. Watch recorded SportsCentre from yesterday
7. Search you tube for videos of Jay Onrait and Dan O'Toole
8. Watch Jay Onrait interview Sidney Crosby you tube videos
9. Stumble on W5 piece on Carey Price
10. Search for Carey Price videos on you tube
11. Search for Onrait/ O'Toole Facebook groups
12. Take my turn on three separate games of Scrabble on Facebook
13. Blog

Now that I have everything I guess I can study now.*




*The sad thing is my sister procrastinates more than I do. I should have never gotten her an early birthmas present.

Maybe Could You Be Swarmed by Bees?

The Devils haven't been bitten by the injury bug, they've been in the center of a swarm of killer bees.
Source: Atlantic: Injuries just a part of Devils' problems, Monday, 11.17.2008 / 10:30 PM / Division Notes, Adam Kimelman - NHL.com Staff Writer

How dare he insult the majestic bee with his terrible sports analogy!

Roger would be glad to hear it...

Cavaliers Declared NBA Champions As Basketball Knocks Off Early

NEW YORK—A happy, triumphant, and visibly relieved LeBron James accepted the 2009 NBA Championship trophy from commissioner David Stern at a small ceremony in New York Wednesday, just hours after the NBA announced that it would be canceling the remainder of the 2008–2009 season to give itself, and sports fans, a much-needed break.

Source: The Onion, November 13, 2008

Uneasy feeling

As a courtesy, I emailed my professor to tell her I was dropping her class. She replied that she wants to meet with me. Ugh, the thought of what she might want to say to me makes me feel uneasy. I've made a formal complaint about her during a time when the department was considering not hiring her to teach any additional classes.* As of now she is not teaching any classes next semester and the university has no plans to hire her for any in the future. I didn't do anything wrong, I just reported her unprofessional behaviour.** I'd rather avoid her especially since she was hostile towards me even before I destroyed her chances of a career at the university. If she is going to freak out on me, I'd rather her do it through email so then I can forward it onto the department.




*I have worked for the math department for longer than she has. I am well known in the department and am regularly asked by staff to work for them. I was offered 6 different jobs (unsolicited) for the current school year. Despite the rage this situation causes me, the math department head saw my complaints as constructive criticism.
** I have kept a journal since the second week of school. I have documentation for everything she has done plus another student to corroborate.

Withdrawn

I finally dropped the class where I has having problems with the professor. I had gone to the department head and made a formal complaint and nothing improved. She copied notes straight out the textbook, refused to give any further examples not already worked out in the textbook, arrived late to class every day, never was available for help, became agitated when we didn't understand .... I could list so much more. My breaking point was preparing for a midterm that I knew nothing about the topic because I had to learn everything on my own, she refused to give us a proper answer sheet with the work shown because it was "too time consuming" and she never handed back our previous assignments that the test was based on. I just don't have the energy to deal with the drama anymore. I am interested in the topic but don't need the class for my degree. I just wished I would have done this weeks ago.

Fred's Interactive Map

One of the Many Reasons I Adore Carey Price

Who knew that he was funny too?!?!


Potential All-Star Price paying off for Canadiens

Very Bit Makes a Difference

I wish more people in my own country had this attitude:

"This is huge. This is bigger than life itself. When I was coming up, I always thought they put in who they wanted to put in. I didn’t think my vote mattered. But I don’t think that anymore."
DEDDRICK BATTLE, who at age 55 registered to vote for the first time.