Nerdy girls everywhere just got really excited

Exclusive: 'Caprica' snags James Marsters! | Ausiello | EW.com

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The Guild - Do You Wanna Date My Avatar

For those who love "The Guild"...

Things to Be Thankful for After a Weekend of Camping

In no particular order...

1. Hot water from the tap
   
2. My bed
   
3. Being barefoot
   
4. Arriving home safely
   
5. A warm, dry place
   
6. Not having to wear 2 pairs of pants, 2 shirts, 1 bunny hug, 1 Norwegian sweater and 3 pairs of socks to bed
   

Stories to follow...

Best Road Trip CD Ever!

It has yet to be created and I need your help! What is your favourite music to travel to?
Some potential ideas:
Free Bird - Lynard Skynard (obviously)
After the Goldrush - Prelude

So far this is going to be really short.

I have a great desire to find the middle of now where

It is times like these that I wished I didn't live in the city...

Perseids: "Last Chance" for Best Meteor Viewing Tonight

Daily Show Routs Brian Williams, Nightly News - mediabistro.com: TVNewser

Daily Show Routs Brian Williams, Nightly News - mediabistro.com: TVNewser

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somethings never change

Lessons learned at age 27: three cubed - April 29, 2005.

Things I learned this year in no particular order:
1) I am a music elitist.
2) There is no media conspiracy.
3) Some battles are not worth fighting.
4) Forgiveness is a choice you continually have to make.
5) You cannot lighten hair dyed black.
6) Life is never what you expect it to be.
7) God will humble the proud heart.
8) Patience is easier said than done.

I'm sure I learned some other things but I can't think of them right now.

I learned a lot that year. Yay me! Those were some rough years I went though but I know they were necessary.

I am so wise

As I repost from angelfire, I cam across this gem:

"Laziness is the true tie that binds."
- December 2, 2004

Brute Force Method

I finally gave up on trying to export my angelfire blog. As far as I have read it is not possible. I've been experimenting with wordpress to combine my blogger and angelfire blogs but no such luck. I have resorted to copying and pasting old blog posts into blogger. Ten down, 684 to go.* Hopefully soon I will have all 5 years and 1200+ posts on one blog.









*Umm, gross.

Breaking Hearts and Pushing Carts

Tonight I busted a shoplifter at Walmart. So why was I suspicious?

Out of place object or person
Man appeared to be homeless -- did not look like he had bathed in a very long time.


Unexpected behaviour
Man was kneeling in a very close to a wall and had taken three shirts off the hanger. One was bunched up in his hand as he looked at the others carefully -- he did not look like the comparison shopper type.


Gut feeling
I know guilty behaviour when I see it. As my sister and I walked by, he kept on looking over his shoulder at us with a panicked look on his face. When I first saw him he looked like he was trying to tuck the bunched up shirt under his own shirt.

As I left the store I told an employee what we say. He grabbed a co-worker and they went to the men's section. As we were walking out the door, the co-worker was calling for the manager over the intercom.

Exclaim News: Sloan’s Chris Murphy Struck by Drunk Driver in Hit and Run

In case you hadn't heard.

Exclaim News: Sloan’s Chris Murphy Struck by Drunk Driver in Hit and Run

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Sick with Worry

My hard drive crash, again. Technically it is not the same hard drive but you get the point. I have made a back up since the end of April so I've lost most* of my summer work, most** of my music and all*** of my videos. Fortunately I sent a first draft of a project I was working on to my boss and a co-worker last week so I won't have to re-write it. It makes me ill to think of everything I've lost from the last three months.

Note to self: back up work weekly.

The last thing I need right now is "Macs are evil" speeches from PC users so if you don't have anything nice to say don't say anything at all. I hate Windows so much even two crashed hard drives will not deter me from purchasing another Mac. Two hard drives? That's amateur compared to the tomfoolery I've had to put up with PCs personally and professionally.


*All except my website work which I can download from the server.
** all except what is on my iPod.
*** Good thing I purchased Dr Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog on DVD for the extra features even though I bought it on iTunes.

Fall TV Premiere Dates from E! Online's Watch with Kristin

Calendar of Fall TV Premiere Dates! - E! Online

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William Shatner Reads Sarah Palin Farewell Speech

I hear ya Horace

I am an old man now, and when I die and go to heaven there are two matters on which I hope for enlightenment. One is quantum electrodynamics, and the other is the turbulent motion of fluids. And about the former I am rather optimistic. - Horace Lamb

End of an Era?

I have noticed less small children know how to high five and more know how to fist bump. Is the high five passé? I am doing my best to pass on this cultural tradition but I need your help.

A call for documentaries

My friends and I have start a documentary viewing club. Know any good ones?

Why Last My Job Was More Fun Last Summer

Video is of bro-in-law Chris throwing an atlatl at the university soccer field. Last summer I was outside doing things and this summer I sit inside like a chump. :(

Into the Minds of Bored Female Physics Students

My friend Alana and I were texting during our math class today. We are the only non-engineering students in and the class and the only ones who don't need everything explained 3 times to understand. This is our story:

jannymaire: Your shoe lace is untied
alana: Your face is untied
jannymarie: Your mom is untied
alana: Your mom's face is untied
jannymarie: Good one. Now i'm the fool laughing to herself in class
alana: Aw but I had more

alana: Teddington Penish*
jannymarie: Your mom dated Teddington Penish in high school.
alana: Who told you? :(
jannymarie: Teddington and I are total bff

Problem was written on the board:

Captain Ralph is in the trouble near the sunnyside of Mercury. The temperature of the ship's hull at (x,y,z) is given by

where x, y and z are measured in metres. He is currently at (1,1,1). In what direction should he proceed in order to decrease the temperature rapidly?

alana: He's in the trouble!
jannymarie: Cpt Ralph is your secret lover
alana: Can you blame me? He can go to mercury!
jannymarie: But it must be worrying when he gets in the trouble
alana: Well its a good thing he knows calc and magically has formula for such things
jannymarie: Sigh. He is so smart and so brave
alana: Someone has has a cruuuuush


*In a lab a couple months ago we determined Teddington Penish to be the worst Scottish name ever. Alana, Blond Derek and I randomly text each other Teddington Penish to make each other laugh at inappropriate times. Today Alana knew how giggly I was all class so she was really trying to set me over the edge.

Culinary Tact

How do you politely tell someone that the thought of cream of broccoli & clam soup makes you want to vomit?

Award for Most Unrelated Search Result

Google Scholar search terms: aneurysm blood mathematical model

Result: Man + Woman = Marriage: Aka: How to Wreak Havoc Upon Your Female Critter [book]


I do not want to know.

Another reason why Janis Ian is awesome...

Disclaimer at the bottom of her lyrics page:

If you would prefer TAB notation, please send an e-mail to the webmaster from the link below. He won't give you any, but he welcomes every opportunity to tell people why TAB is a horrible way to learn to play an instrument and how TAB will likely lead to the death of western music and cause poor posture besides.

Open Letter to a Co-Worker

I do not care if you are an English minor, you do not know how to write. Your writing is confusing at worst and boring at best -- I've read better from high school students. Please remember that my job title is "editor" so if I tell you your work is too informal, you rewrite it. I completed my education degree over nine years ago and I have about seven years of teaching experience. You have not even had your internship semester so don't treat me like you know better than me.

Love Janny

Concrete Lightbulb Wall Hook

A pretty Clever idea

Ok, Maybe I Should Have Stayed in Bed

This morning I woke up with my right eye completely blood shot. I got something in my eye last night at Canada Day fireworks last night so maybe it is scratched.

My work email has not worked for over two days but at least now I can received most mail. It is a system wide problem so all the IT dept could do was take my complaint and tell me they'd get back to me.

Suddenly today I can't access an online journal for work that I could last week. The database manager is on vacation so all the librarian could do was take my complaint and tell me they'd get back to me.

As I left the library, the door got stuck on a rock underneath. I pushed the door harder then it jerked back and hit me square on the forehead. I have a HUGE red welt, it hurts and I feel barfy.

Power Level Ten for 30 - 60 seconds

Part 2: Wall may move ahead of public opinion on nuclear reactor

I said there would be more later...
I see both sides of the issue. Yes, SK needs a way to reduce CO2 emissions, there is a present need for medical isotopes and SK’s power needs will soon not be met by the current output capacity. This a case of an uninformed decision on part of the government. First, there is no possible way that a nuclear reactor could be operational in three years, as the government hopes. Usual time line suggest it be closer to 10 to 15 years. Second, the problem with shortage of medical isotopes is not a case of a shortage of reactors but a shortage of processing facilities.

It's the production facilities that we use when we take those targets out of the reactor and process them to remove the medically useful isotopes -- that capacity around the world is very limited. So we don't need necessarily to build any more reactors; we need to build those processing facilities."
The president of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Dr. Robert Atcher on Canada AM.

The Saskatchewan government is not making a decision based on facts and that is what bothers me.

Wall may move ahead of public opinion on nuclear reactor

Wall may move ahead of public opinion on nuclear reactor - CBC News Online, Last Updated: Monday, June 22, 2009


At this point I'm neither for nor against nuclear power in our province but this really burns me up. The government is going against its own committee's recommendations to wait and it is not done its public consultation sessions. Reading the UDP report (warning opens a pdf file), I get the distinct impression the main reason the government are purely economical.

You will be hearing more about this from me...


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John Hodgman's Broadcast Correspondent's Speech: Obama Is The First Nerd

Guess Who?

You'll never guess who this is. I think he looks drastically different from the last time I saw him.

NY Times Breaking News?

I'm not sure how this happened because this is not spam. Further down it actually had the breaking news about Iran.

Prince Harry 'I'm better than William'

Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal Video Version

I laughed so hard I cried.

Middle-Age Center Provides Safe, Positive Place For Fortysomethings To Go After Work | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

Middle-Age Center Provides Safe, Positive Place For Fortysomethings To Go After Work | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

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With Iran All A-Twitter, Service Maintenance Pushed Back

With Iran All A-Twitter, Service Maintenance Pushed Back

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Best Forward EVER

This used to be my email signature (I had to include it as a jpg because the text won't view properly in all browsers).

A slightly different picture this year

It wasn't my best year for play-off predictions but at least I got round 3&4 right.

Now after watching easily over a hundred games since October, I'm sure what to do with myself now.

Is This the Year? Yes it is.

YOU KNOW YOU GREW UP IN THE 80's IF...

Another forward from Krissie...

1. You've ever ended a sentence with the word "PSYCHE".
2. You watched the Pound Puppies. (or owned one)
3. You can sing the rap to the "Fresh Prince of Belair" [Now this is a story...]
4. You wore biker shorts under your skirts and felt stylish.
5. You yearned to be a member of the Baby-sitters club and tired to start a club of your own.
6. You owned those Strawberry Shortcake pals scented dolls.
7. Two words: M.C. Hammer
9. If you ever watched "Fraggle Rock".
10. You had plastic streamers on your handle bars.
11. When it was actually worth getting up early on a Saturday to watch cartoons.
13. You wore a pony tail on the side of your head.
14. You saw the original "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" on the big screen.
15. You made your mom buy one of those clips that would hold your shirt in a knot on the side.
17. You played the game "MASH" (Mansion, Apartment, Shelter, House) with friends at school.
18. You wore Jordache jean jacket and you were proud of it.
19. L.A. Gear.....
20. You wanted to change your name to "JEM" in Kindergarten.
21. You remember reading "Tales of a fourth grade nothing" and all the Ramona books.
22. You know the profound meaning of "WAX ON, WAX OFF"
23. You wanted to be a Goonie.
24. You ever wore, fluorescent, if you will, clothing.
25. You can remember what Micheal Jackson looked like before his nose fell off...
26. You have ever pondered why Smurfette was the only female smurf.
27. You took Lunch Pales to school.
28. You remember the CRAZE, then the BANNING of slap bracelets.
29. You still get the urge to say "NOT" after every sentence.
30. You remember Hypercolor t-shirts.
31. You thought Sheera and He-Man should hook up.
33. You thought your childhood friends would never leave because you exchanged friendship bracelets.
34. You ever owned a pair of Jelly-Shoes.
35. After you saw Pee-Wee's Big Adventure you kept saying "I know what you are, but what am I?"
36. You remember "I've fallen and I can't get up"
37. You remember going to the skating rink before there were in-line skates.
38. You ever got seriously injured on a Slip and Slide.
39. You have ever played with a Skip-It.
40. You had or attended a birthday party at McDonalds.
41. Don't worry, be happy
44. You wore like, EIGHT pairs of socks over tights with high top Reeboks.
45. You wore socks scrunched down. (aka slouchies!)
46. "Miss MARY MARY MACK, all dressed in BLACK BLACK BLACK"
47. You remember boom boxes vs cd players.
48. You remember watching both "Gremlins" movies.
49. You remember watching Rainbow Bright and My Little Pony Tales
51. You remember Alf, the lil furry brown alien from Melmac.
53. You remember New Kids on the Block when they were cool.
54. You knew all the characters names and their life stories on "Saved By the Bell", the ORIGINAL class.
55. You know all the words to Bon Jovi - SHOT THRU THE HEART.
56. You collected "Garbage Pail Kids" cards.

50 Fun Things To Do At Walmart

Krissie forwarded me this back in the day...

1. Take shopping carts for the express purpose of filling them and stranding them at strategic locations.

2. Ride those little electronic cars at the front of the store.

3. Set all the alarm clocks to go off at ten minute intervals throughout the day.

4. Start playing Calvinball; see how many people you can get to join in.

5. Contaminate the entire auto department by sampling all the spray air fresheners.

6. Challenge other customers to duels with tubes of gift wrap.

7. Leave cryptic messages on the typewriters.

8. Re-dress the mannequins as you see fit.

9. When there are people behind you, walk REALLY SLOW, especially down narrow aisles.

10. Walk up to an employee and tell him in an official tone, "I think we've got a Code 3 in Housewares," and see what happens.

11. Tune all the radios to a polka station; then turn them all off and turn the volumes to "10".

12. Play with the automatic doors.

13. Walk up to complete strangers and say, "Hi! I haven't seen you in so long!..." etc. See if they play along to avoid embarrassment.

14. While walking through the clothing department, ask yourself loud enough for all to hear, "Who BUYS this crap, anyway?"

15. Repeat Number 14 in the jewelry department.

16. Ride a display bicycle through the store; claim you're taking it for a "test drive."

17. Follow people through the aisles, always staying about five feet away. Continue to do this until they leave the department.

18. Play soccer with a group of friends, using the entire store as your playing field.

19. As the cashier runs your purchases over the scanner, look mesmerized and say, "Wow. Magic!"

20. Put M&M's on layaway.

21. Move "Caution: Wet Floor" signs to carpeted areas.

22. Set up a tent in the camping department; tell others you'll only invite them in if they bring pillows from Bed and Bath.

23. Test the fishing rods and see what you can "catch" from the other aisles.

24. Ask other customers if they have any Grey Poupon.

25. Drape a blanket around your shoulders and run around saying, "...I'm Batman. Come Robin--to the Bat cave!"

26. TP as much of the store as possible.

27. Randomly throw things over into neighboring aisles.

28. Play with the calculators so that they all spell "hello" upside down.

29. When someone asks if you need help, begin to cry and ask, "Why won't you people just leave me alone?"

30. When two or three people are walking ahead of you, run between them yelling, "Red Rover!"

31. Make up nonsense products and ask newly hired employees if there are any in stock, i.e., "Do you have any Shnerples here?"

32. Take up an entire aisle in Toys by setting up a full scale battlefield with G.I. Joes vs. the X-Men.

33. Take bets on the battle described above.

34. Nonchalantly "test" the brushes and combs in Cosmetics.

35. While handling guns in the hunting department, suddenly ask the clerk if he knows where the anti-depressants are. Act as spastic as possible.

36. Hold indoor shopping cart races.

37. Dart around suspiciously while humming the theme from "Mission: Impossible."

38. Attempt to fit into very large gym bags.

39. Attempt to fit others into very large gym bags.

40. Say things like, "Would you be so kind as to direct me to your Twinkies?"

41. Set up a "Valet Parking" sign in front of the store.

42. Two words: Marco Polo.

43. Leave Cheerios in Lawn and Garden, pillows in the pet food aisle, etc.

44. Re-alphabetize the CD's in Electronics.

45. In the auto department, practice your "Madonna" look with various funnels.

46. When someone steps away from their cart to look at something, quickly make off with it without saying a word.

47. Relax in the patio furniture until you get kicked out.

48. When an announcement comes over the loudspeaker, assume the fetal position and scream, "NO, NO! It's those voices again!"

49. Pay off layaways fifty cents at a time.

50. Drag a lounge chair on display over to the magazines and relax. If the store has a food court, buy a soft drink; explain that you don't get out much, and ask if they can put a little umbrella in it.

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.