A Nation Mourns

As I drove out of the parking lot, I was trying not to cry. As I drove towards Albert St, the tears started rolling.

The Alouettes missed their field goal and with no time left on the clock the entire crowd jumped up, cheered, hugged, high-fived, overcome with joy knowing that it was meant to be. Slowly the crowd grew quiet and we realised there was a flag called on the play. Hundreds of people silenced by the words "Too many men on the field". We watched in horror as the Als got a second chance at the field goal and made it. Final score: Montreal Alouettes - 28 Saskatchewan Roughriders - 27 There was no reason to stick around, so we just left.

Don't tell me that it does it matter. Don't tell me it is just a game. There is a reason why Rider fans are so passionate. The Roughriders are Saskatchewan's only professional sports team. It binds together generations forced to leave the province they love so dearly to be able a make a living. When I lived in Calgary, cheering for the Riders made me feel connected to the home I left.

Remember it is OK if you're sad, you've been through a lot today. Maybe watching the Babies trailer again will make you feel better.

River Tam Sessions

Series of youtube videos to promote the movie Serenity. I consider myself to be "in the know" for all things Whedon so how am I just finding this now?

BABIES - Trailer

It looks like it will be the most adorable movie EVER!

Matrix in Lego

Scarecrow day*

When I realized I forgot my lunch by the front door, I reached into my bag to discover I also forgot my cell phone.

When I was ready to go home, I remembered I left my coat in the locked study lounge so I had to find someone to unlock it.

As my bus pulled into my stop, I went to find my keys and they were not there. Looked in my locked car and the keys were in the ignition and my cell phone was in the trunk. Good thing CAA has a toll-free number because I had no change for the pay phone.





*If I only had a brain...

Putting the Fun in Dysfunction

In recent weeks, two people have blamed me for their problems. Both have a long history of dysfunction so I'm not sure why I, someone recently met, am the source. While resisting urge to sucker punch, a couple thoughts come to mind:

"When you blame others, you give up your power to change." ~Robert Anthony

And the classic folk song:

"Jolly Old Sigmund Freud" - Anna Russell

I went to my psychiatrist
To be psychoanalyzed
To find out why I killed the cat
And blacked my husband's eyes.
He laid me on a downy couch
To see what he could find,
So this is what he dredged up
From my subconscious mind:

Refrain:
Hey, libido,
Bats in the belfry,
Jolly Old Sigmund Freud.

When I was one, my mommy hid
My dolly in a trunk,
And so it follows naturally
That I am always drunk.
When I was two, I saw my father
Kiss the maid one day,
And that is why I suffer now
From kleptomania.
Refrain:

At three, I had the feeling of
Ambivilance towards my brothers,
And so it follows naturally
I poisoned all my lovers.
But I am happy; now I've learned
The lesson this has taught;
That everything I do that's wrong -
Is someone else's fault.
Refrain:

The Muppets: Bohemian Rhapsody

Neil Young Sings Fresh Prince

What happens to lonely scientists

An interesting effect of rubber bands in thermodynamics is that stretching a rubber band will produce heat (press it against your lips), whilst stretching it and then releasing it will produce an endothermic reaction, causing it to appear "cooler".
- Rubber band: Thermodynamics, Wikipedia

Power Droid Enjoys Camping

Power Droid Enjoys Camping
Originally uploaded by Glark

Now for something completely different

Godzilla doing the Safety Dance

Posted using ShareThis

Grace in Small Things: Day 23

I'm going to do things a little different, I'm going to give a bit of a story to go along with the things for which I am thankful for the sake of context:

I couldn't find my bus pass this morning so I missed the bus. I didn't have time to go to my locker before my 8:30am lab:
1. I'm thankful I was still wearing my coat and mittens when the fire alarm went off and we had to stand outside in -2C weather for a half hour.

After we finally started the lab, my water pump broke so I have to come back another time to finish it:
2. I'm thankful for extra time to work on my two assignments due for tomorrow.

The assignments were not going well and my professor was not where to be found
3. I'm thankful for spontaneous airplane making contests, even if I lost. Sometimes you need some silliness to help make it through the day.

4. I'm thankful for Alana because my assignment would have taken way longer if we had not worked together.

I attended a physics lecture this evening at the university
5. I'm thankful for carmel double chocolate chip cookies for snack afterward.
6. I'm thankful for traveling companions for at least part of the bus trip home.

After a very long, frustrating day
7. I am very thankful for having silly people in my life that like nerdy things like I do.
8. I'm thankful I got home before my parents went to bed
9. I'm thankful to watch the last period of hockey (rare occurrence these days)

The Way I Feel Inside

I need your help. A couple months ago I discovered this song on my computer. I never heard it before and I have no idea where it came from. Does anyone out there have a clue? It is "The Way I Feel Inside" by the Zombies. I think there may be more than one version of this song.

What nerds do on a Friday night

A sixth order Sierpinski triangle:

Each side of the largest triangle is 12" long, the smallest 1/8" long.

The Good in Everyone

I sort of feel stuck in the middle between two groups of people who don't like each other very much. From my point of view, it is a long history of hurt feelings, not admitting fault, foolish pride and all that fun stuff. Neither party is a bad as the other one claims and both parties are to blame for the state of affairs.

I was listening to my IPod as I rode the bus home when the song by Sloan "The Good in Everyone" came on. A thought popped into my head "If you look hard enough you can see the good in everyone. Also if you look hard enough you can find fault in everyone." Made me really think about how I see the people around me. Am I looking for their faults? Am I waiting for them to fail?

Porcuuuuupine!

I've been swallowing baby porcupines again. My throat is ouchie.

Edgar Wright Here

I came across Edgar Wright's blog Edgar Wright Here. Thought all the fanboys and fangirls may want to know

Insurance in America

I was reminded that there is one thing that health insurance companies absolutely hate - sick people.

Sick people have the audacity to require treatment, which not only eats into profits, but upsets the accountants' balance sheets. Too much of that and you could completely spoil their day.

- David Willis, The US health system 'headache', BBC News Online, 12:55 GMT, Saturday, 7 November 2009

Not being heard

It is extremely frustrating to have something to say and
- you aren't given a chance to speak
- you speak and it was completely disregarded

In the first case, I feel like may I am trying to talk to people that are so concerned about getting their own point across that they don't even notice that others are trying to speak. I'm not the type of person to interrupt when someone else is talking. If I know someone else has something to say or notice that they were interrupted, I try to make sure they are given a chance to speak. One rare occasion I do get to speak, often try to interrupt and if I do not stop talking they just start talking "over top of me". It is totally bizarre.

In a linguistics class I took, we learned that the amount how much time a person talks in a group shows how much power they have in the group.* Are others around me not willing to give me the power to speak? Are they not willing to give up their own power? Are they not willing to recognize me as having something meaningful to say? This might sound strange to people who have known me for my whole life that I am going through this.** Once after admitting I maybe overly assertive, my grade 10 English teacher told me that was grossly understated. How can the overly assertive compete with the hyper-aggressive?

In the second case, it is a really a problem with one person who often asks for help and has difficulty hearing "no". You know when telemarketers call you house and keep on talking even after you say you aren't interested? Imagine if those telemarketers came into your home everyday, followed you around bugging you. This is a little bit how I feel on a daily basis.

Not meaning to be ranty but these things have been bugging me for a long while. Today I a had a little bit of validation from a causal observer that had noticed the on-going pattern. At least I don't think the problem is all in my head...


*It doesn't necessarily mean that if you talk the most you have the most power in the group, silence can show authority.
** Certainly not sound like the girl who made a peeping tom cry.

Remember that time I was an idiot....

Why did no one tell me on November 1st the title of my post was "And the most creative costime goes to..."? I've changed the title but the URL still says "costime". Oy vey. It seems to be a common theme with me: today in math class I told my prof that -1/2 was smaller than -1.

Grace in Small Things: Day 22

Ok, I admit I've been slacking. I haven't posted a GiST in about 2 months. Did lousy on a midterm today so I felt like I needed to focus on the good:

1. Mom discovering bag of leftover Halloween candy


2. Triscuits and melted Havarti


3. Being able to go to bed early tonight and sleep in (a little) tomorrow morning


4. Dad helping me with my ridiculous E/M homework


5. Finding out this morning that one of two of my labs due on Thursday is fast to complete and easy!


6. Awesome hair day


7. My lab partners are awesome, I don't know what I'd do without them.

And the most creative costume goes to...