Grace in Small Things: Day 18

1. Got an email from Ky that her presentation went well!


2. multiple naps


3. talking about silly things with my sister


4. leftover pizza for breakfast


5. house to myself for the day

Science Ponders Zombie Attack

BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Science ponders 'zombie attack'

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Janny=Trouble?

Names that mean trouble | Melanie McDonagh - Times Online

Grace in Small Things: Day 17

Sorry, got a little too tired to finish this last night...

1. generous friends


2. FREE HAMBURGER, CHIPS, POP AND MINI DONUTS! First week of school is awesome.


3. saving time by getting a ride to school from my dad


4. plans for an upcoming trip coming together better than I imagined


5. some much needed perspective on how blessed I am

Grace in Small Things: Day 16

1. Steve Jobs was in such a good mood after his liver transplant, he gave me a 160 GB IPod instead of a 120 GB one


2. finally got gas money for my trip last month


3. opportunity to get my name on as many journal articles as possible in the next two years


4. someone with a lot to purchase letting me go ahead in the line


5. having the time to run silly errands with a silly friend (details to follow)

Grace in Small Things: Day 15

Sorry this is late. Last night I wasn't feeling well and went to bed at 8:30

1. the class that I thought would be scary might not be so scary after all


2. resolving some differences


3. Alana gets to be my lab partner for one class


4. my mom had a good night sleep and is feeling much better


5. finding candy in my school bag


6. my friend Elizabeth's daughter had surgery on a detached retina. It was a complete success and she has already started to regain vision. The recover will only take 3 weeks instead of the expected 6 weeks.

I want to kiss Steve Jobs full on the mouth

[Dear Janny,]
Apple is pleased to announce the updated iPod classic, now with 160GB of storage capacity so you can hold up to 40,000 songs or 200 hours of video.
Since your 120GB iPod classic has not yet shipped, you will receive the new 160GB iPod classic at the same price.

I had to read the email two times just to make sure I had read things right.

Debra Jackson on Dollar Palace

From a news story on towntalk.com, serving the Alexandria-Pineville area of Louisiana:

Lyn and Mr T Bust a Move on Soul Train

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Grace in Small Things: Day 14

It is the difficult days when the little things mean the most...

1. didn't miss any thing despite being late for class


2. thought I missed the bus this morning but it was just really late


3. being reminded you can't judge a book by its cover


4. FREE mini-donuts


5. the new nurse at my allergist office is a girl who sat next to me in Grade 9 Math


6. being referred to as "Awesome clever"


7. only one class and no work today (easy start to a hectic semester)


8. watching Top Chef with my papa


9. despite being banged and bruised and little lighter in the wallet, I am incredibly thankful for my health and to have a family who loves me very much

Foolish and Costly Mistake

I spilled water on my laptop last night. Not a little bit, probably a little less than 2 cups worth. I flipped it upside down immediately so the water could run out while I went to grab a towel. I wasn't thinking and should have shut down the computer first but the time I was back it was off. I read online that it can take up to 5 days to dry out but I think it is fried.
I bought a 500 GB external hard drive last week and my most recent back up was on Sunday. At most I lost a couple emails that I received since then. I just bought a new hard drive for that computer and was hoping it would last me until next fall.
I have no idea what I'm going to do.

When Determined People Have Too Much Money

Balsillie ups his bid for Coyotes to US$242.5

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Feed the Masses or Just Me

Last school year I spent way too much money buying meals at the university. I convinced myself that I'd make a lunch everyday to take but that rarely happened. When I was teaching, I'd cook massive amounts of food the freeze it. I think I set a personal record today for most amount of food cooked in one day but not consumed:
- 9 servings of pasta and sauce
- 9 servings of chili
- 5 servings of tofu stir fry
Please note that all of this food was made from scratch (except the pasta and the tofu). Even if I have nothing else but these three things for weekday lunches, this food would last me until Thanksgiving weekend. I need a little more variety so I want to make soup sometime this week before things get too busy at school.

Grace in Small Things: Day 13

1. my dad muttering "I'm doing science" while making a 3% acetic acid solution


2. my electric wok is out of storage!


3. despite having a bad cold, my mom did all the dishes so I could clean my room


4. all the wonderful people that help those in need (even when it is someone they don't know)


5. someone reaching out to see how you are doing

Stupid or Not Able to Think in a Crisis?

Trapped girls call for help on Facebook - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

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Gehl pushes bicycles

"Reduce the asphalt in Saskatoon."

-- Danish architect Jan Gehl,
who told citizens of Saskatchewan's largest city if they want to see fewer automobiles and more bicycles, the changes must begin at street level.

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Grace in Small Things: Day 12

1. I thought I had a migraine coming on but I got better instead of worse :)


2. May-B bought me tea for our mini-road trip


3. Sunday afternoon naps are the most satisfying of all


4. holding hands with my daddy while we watch TV (it helps keep him out of trouble)


5. cool breeze on a hot day

Grace in Small Things: Day 11

This is also my 1100th blog post!

1. eating a Sour Jelly Belly Twister on the steps of Westminster United with my friends


2. visited my bff Megamunch*


3. getting to go to bed early then getting to sleep in (about 9.5 hours of sleep)


4. leftover pizza for breakfast


5. finally getting to go on the second floor of the Legislature. I'll make it up to the dome some day.

*Rawr means I love you in dinosaur

Come Together

I have officially copied over my old blog posts from Angelfire into Blogger. I updated the links and deleted some posts that had broken links (~100). Anything older than May 2006 is transferred from Angelfire.

Grace in Small Things: Day 10

1. sitting in the grass, barefoot waiting for my bus in Vic Park


2. free buffet with steak! I'm on a roll -- two days in a row with free meals.


3. good news that a large blood clot in my leg is no cause for concern


4. an evening at home and supper with my parents


5. silly conversations with my sister

Classic Janny: Cowboy, Ninja, Bear Explained

Not only will you find rules to Cowboy, Ninja, Bear but also the variation Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris.

The same weekend I learned Cowboy, Ninja, Bear I dreamed I could use fanny packs for time travel.

The World According to Glenn Beck: NBC HQ At 30 Rock is the Heart of A Communist Conspiracy!

Dude, don't the Americans have like an economy to worry about?

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Grace in Small Things: Day 9

I'm having a hard time being thankful so this one might be tough:

1. abnormally high pain threshold


2. not having to pay for parkade parking downtown


3. free breakfast


4. missing a bottom step 3 times but not falling once (I don't think my body could take it right now)


5. unexpectedly saw Blond Derek

Weekend at the Farm

My daddy posted some pictures from my weekend at my grandparents' farm on his blog. I will have to do the same soon.

I think I could suggest a few people for this show

From Scripted Shows that Need Reality Counterparts | TWoP

Big Bang Theory
Nerds making Battlebots. Nerds making laser mazes for their living rooms. Nerds arguing over what to name their Halo clan. Nerds storing their money in Green Lantern's butt. Plus, the educational side bonus of physics! Because I choose to believe in my heart that physicists are really exactly like this in real life, I'm going to assume this would be the greatest reality show ever. And yet, we do not have it. As Sheldon would say while reviewing Leonard's work, "Wrong!"

Grace in Small Things: Day 8

1. meatball sub with mozzarella


2. having my hair washed by someone besides myself


3. got a locker in the lab building


4. new shiny 500 GB hard drive


5. being recognize for my hard work and mad skills


6. being silly with Alana (she was getting ready to hunt with an atlatl dart)

When Fantasy Hockey Fans Get Antsy

Nhl.com announce that sign up for the official fantasy hockey leagues started on September 1 but not at what time of the day. Starting at about 12:00 AM EST people started to get a little punchy as to when the sign up will occur:






I really wanted to add that "your mom" is the president of Yahoo but couldn't think of anything clever enough.

Grace in Small Things: Day 7

Sorry this is a little late, I just got home...

1. The movie (500) Days of Summer at my local movie theatre. I thought I was going to have to wait for months for it to come to RPL or on DVD.


2. Spending (most of) the day with May-B. These days time with her is hard to come by.


3. The government will legally let me out of the country now


4. Had an extremely productive morning despite the distractions


5. Tony Roma's Lunch Special -- Delicious ribs for cheap

Grace in Small Things: Day 6

1. Snow Leopard arrived in the mail today!


2. vegetarian Mucho Burrito (the only Mucho Burrito in the province is right by house and for this I am truly thankful).


3. a safe trip home from the farm (there was a near mishap)


4. my parents were able to come with me on my trip (on Thursday it looked like I might have been going on my own)


5. crisis averted: I do not have a cold

Grace in Small Things: Day 5

1. little girls who hold hands when they sleep


2. church service with many talented singers. It is nice to blend in rather than stand out.


3. Grandma's Saskatoon Berry Pie


4. being barefoot in the sand


5. knowing all the good jokes kids like


6. conversations with teenage girls about hockey

Grace in Small Things: Day 4

1. chocolate cookie dough


2. weeding barefoot


3. my dad covered in pets: two dogs and a cat


4. large dust clouds created by brushing off dirt from children


5. a giggling small child putting her toes under running water


6. children so well behaved that you can nap while babysitting


7. picking up where you left off with friends you don't see often

Grace in Small Things: Day 3

Apparently my bedroom at my grandparents' house is close enough to my uncle's house to connect to the Internet. Who knew? It is slow but better than nothing. So.....

No interruptions in the thankfulness! I had a fair good day and I'm excited for the weekend so this will be fairly easy:

1. Grandma's Shepherd's Pie


2. Finally having the time to read the special Mythbusters Edition of Popular Mechanics


3. Making a powerful ally and the potential for more


4. A job with flexible hours


5. Company for long trip (especially when I'm so tired).


6. Internet access when I thought there would be none!


7. People who help even when it is not in their job description


8. Access to a computer program that lets me finish tasks in hours rather than days. O brave new world!

Enough for now, lots more to be thankful for tomorrow...

Grace in Small Things: News

I'm away this weekend at my grandparents' farm so I will not be posting for GiST until Monday due to lack of Internet access. I plan to keep track of it everyday and posting them when I get back.

Who knew?

You can reset an IPod by holding down the menu and select button for 6-8 seconds.

I connected my IPod to my computer last night to charge it. This morning I discovered that the computer had not recognized the connection because the IPod was stuck on the menu screen. I only knew how to reset through ITunes so I did a little digging.

In other Apple news, I pre-ordered Snow Leopard and it should be arriving early next week. It only costs $30 for those who are running Leopard and there are some improvements that I am seriously interested in. Some Adobe CS 3 users are upset right now that Adobe tested compatibility with CS 4 and not CS 3. Some software magazines are testing it and so far there are no problems. I'm going to wait to install it until after the first OS fixes and I've heard more about compatibility with the programs I use.

FANGIRL INVASION Part 1 - The Changing Face (and Sex) of Fandom

Newsarama.com : FANGIRL INVASION p1 - The Changing Face (and Sex) of Fandom

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Grace in Small Things: Day 3

Even more reason to concentrate on thankfulness: I'm cleaning up a bureaucratic mess at school and a friend of the family passed away.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9 (New International Version)

1. Chili cheese fries


2. The bus running later than I am


3. Dad waiting for me so I can have a ride to work


4. Teen-aged boys helping a blind man onto the bus. There is hope for the future!


5. Meetings that run on time and go better than planned

Is Twice Removed Still The #1 Canadian Album?

Is Twice Removed Still The #1 Canadian Album? | CHARTattack

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Worst.Introduction.Ever

Ask an average person whether he can draw an Indian tipi [or teepee] and he will say "Why! Of course!" There is no "of course!" about an Indian tipi unless you are an Indian learned in the old ways or, like the anthropologists Reginald and Gladys Aubin you have spent years studying tipis all over North America.
- THE INDIAN TIPI- Dorthea Calverley

Grace in Small Things: Day 2

I almost forgot! I had the list created but almost forgot to post it:

1. flip flops (something I am thankful for about 6 months of the year)


2. the smell of the farmers' market


3. catching up with friends who live far away


4. finding my bus pass


5. 20+ minutes to wander around Victoria Park on a beautiful day while I wait for my bus. One of the few moments in the day I had a chance for any semblance of serenity.

Don't Copy that Floppy

I found a software piracy PSA from 1992 called Don't Copy that Floppy.

What you can look forward to

• M.C. Hart kickin' it to you public service style


• Possibly the longest rap song of all time.


• Sweet computer graphics


• Reminiscing about when a computer game was less than 1.44 MB


• Hot computer nerds ("You had me at Dungeons and Dragons!")

Julia Stiles Cares About The Environment More Than You

Tough and Rumble

As I eluded to earlier, I had a rough day. To be more specific, a brief klutzy moment caused a rough day.

I had my first chiropractor appointment in 5 weeks this morning and on my way back to work I decided to pick up a sandwich from Italian Star Deli. On the sidewalk right outside the store, I tripped on the uneven sidewalk and fell hard. I scrapped both hands and knees. The welts on my knees were so big, I had a hard time driving home to clean up. Still determined to go inside, I entered the store bleeding, barely able to walk and growing increasingly nauseated from the pain. I quickly grabbed a sandwich and a ginger ale for the nausea (which the owner was kind enough to open for me). This year has been a rough for Janny:
A Little Banged and Bruised - January 12, 2009
My life as a character in a silent film - January 16, 2009
Ok, Maybe I Should Have Stayed in Bed - July 2, 2009

Grace in Small Things: Day 1

I've taken up Schmutzie's call to arms and am starting Grace in Small Things. You'll notice the new badge on the right. I was planning to wait until the new school year and my blogiversary to start but I've had a bad day (more on that later).

1. Band Aids with duct tape technology


2. An opportunity to see good friends (even if they call me Lettuce)


3. Italian Star Deli sandwich for lunch


4. Chubby cheeked baby on the bus


5. A beautiful, sunny day that looks like will turn into a beautiful, sunny week


6. My chiropractor is back from vacation

Classic Janny: The Falconer

So you want to delve into the mind of Janny? I have no idea where I come up with some of this stuff, you've been officially warned:

Very late at night, back in January 2006 I wrote some bad but in a good way, beatnik poetry.

Knowing what I know now

I posted A Gentle Reminder: Narnia is Not a Real Country on January 4, 2006

A financial new agency reported that Narnia representative Susan Aslan walked out of World Trade Organization talks. The story was picked up by several other news agencies.

The Lion, The Witch and The World Trade talks (from The Age)

A couple weeks ago I watched a documentary about The Yes Men who

are a group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call "identity correction" by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations. They create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on their websites to appear at conferences, symposia, and TV shows. - Wikipedia

The documentary focuses on them poses as the World Trade Organization. I wonder if they were the ones behind the Narnia "talks"?

The virtual end of online anonymity

Schmutzie was interviewed for The virtual end of online anonymity - The Globe and Mail, topic near and dear to many of us. Earlier this week I came across Do You Pass the Social Media Recruitment Test? and what should come up when your name is googled:

1. Does not lead to something controversial like arrests
2. Leads to profession-related discussions and commentary on other social media sites
3. Leads me to their online blog, webpage or social media profiles
4. Doesn’t come up blank

The gist of the over 1400 results of an internet search of my name:

• math education website I work for


• math conference papers and proceedings


• my conics webquest


• a petition to keep Arrested Development on the air

My reason for blog anonymity? Like most, keeping my personal and professional lives separate.



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Classic Janny: Memories from My Sister's Wedding

My sister had a horrible cold in the days leading up to her wedding. She was so ill she couldn't drive herself anywhere or finish any of her errands on her own so I was her helper. I had a little notebook with our list of errands so I started to record the pleasant things we saw to help put her in a better mood. I finally posted these notes about 5 months later.

Classic Janny: Lego Janny on the Beach

My sister wrote me a story about me being a character on CSI:Miami. She was inspired by my Lego effigy.

Classic Janny: Further Proof Why Lyn and I Are the Fun Ones

Lyn and I sat for a good portion of the evening being ignored by all of Maryanne, Ky and their friends. Life is what you make of it so Lyn and I took off to take silly pictures around the city. In Vic Park at the statue of Sir John A MacDonald, I took a picture of Lyn hugging the statue. As she was getting ready to take my picture she told me "Do something funny" so the logical course of action was to knee him in the groin (because I'm classy like that). She laughed so hard she could not take the picture. Once she regained composure, she took the picture then cops drive by. This got us laughing even harder.

Let it be said I have not lived a dull life.

Classic Janny: The Proust Questionnaire - Oct 2005

I started to answer the questionnaire before my hard drive crashed. I'll have to try to start it again sometime soon. I'd like to answer it every couple years to see how I've changed.
My answers from 2005

Cuteness Explosion

Orphaned hedgehogs adopt cleaning brush as their mother | Mail Online

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An Approximation of Me Trying to Tell My Parents About My Camping Trip

Not an exact transcript
Janny: I want to tell you about my camping trip.
Mom: Let's look at Michael's wedding pictures again. We stayed up late last night looking at all of them.
Janny: I climbed a mountain.
Dad: Michael's special special*
Janny: I was in a cloud on a mountain peak.
Mom: Look how cute Allie is
Janny: I cut myself on a hunting knife and bled my own blood.
Dad: I look bow-legged in all of the pictures
Janny: It rained almost the whole time we were there.
Mom: The [brother's in-laws]'s are all shorter than us.
Janny: Some of my friends left early because of all the rain.
Mom: There are 25 pictures of the groomsmen play fighting.
Janny sulks away in frustration






*My grandma once told me "Janice, you're special but Michael is special special". Nothing stings more than a grandma burn.

Twice the Work in a Quarter of the Time

I discovered last week how little work my co-worker has done over the summer. She had an opportunity to compete in an aquatic sport at the international level so you quit her job with one month to go. I was given her projects* to finish in addition to my own**. I have gotten more done in the last week than she did in the 3 months she worked for the website. May I also note that I got more done in a week working 2 hours a day than she did in working 8 hours a day over 3 months.



* most of the images needed to be redone because they were either poor quality or photos we are not legally allowed to use.
** most of which needed to be redone due to the hard drive crash.

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.