11/05/04...9:16 am
"A face that launched a thousand
__________ (fill in the blank)."
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11/04/04...5:24 pm
First things first. Happy Birthday Mom!
In the aftermath, here are some must-reads:
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11/03/04...11:31 am
Well...I'm depressed.
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11/02/04...12:36 pm
Should I be this nervous, living in the great white
north? I'd love to learn what people around the world are doing
today. It feels as though there is a collective intake of breath,
that no one is willing to let out until the vote has been called.
For a distraction, I recommend the following: Ten
Mistakes Writers Don't See (But Can Easily Fix When They Do). Of
particular amusement is the trashing of the Da
Vinci Code.
The Drudge Report is already noting some scary
voting issues.
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11/01/04...4:16 pm
It's November already?
We won our final tournament of the year this past
weekend. We've never won as the 80s
AllStars so it was pretty satisfying. Now all we have left
is to win the other tournament we go to every year, Gender Blender.
tout pour le rock!
One day away from the US election and the polls
say the candidates are in a dead heat. What is going to happen
if the vote comes down to a decision by the Supreme Court two
terms in a row? Could that happen?
There's
an article in the New Yorker about the
"father" of Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Bobbsey Twins. As I believe
I have already mentioned, these books were ghostwritten. But
this article sheds light on how much work one man did to create
and maintain is empire of dime store novels for kids. Pretty
impressive, if disappointing for the kid in me who ate those
books up and was so impressed that one person could have so many
ideas & write so many books.
Some of my favourite people are in town this week.
They live in different places (NFLD, England) and it a fluke
they are all here visiting at the same time. But,
we are going to take advantage of it by hanging out tonight.
It is funny how much time I spent with these people back in the
day. For three years we basically saw each other every day, and
during the weekends. Ridiculous, when you look back on it. But,
we're still close. Or, as close as you can be when no one lives
in the same place. I like that.
This book (Osama:
The Making of a Terrorist) looks
like it could be a good read. Although I like following news
stories, I am not a huge fan of reading non-fiction books. However,
the reviews have been promising.
How scary is this? Destro
for Vice President!
As much as I do not appreciate Eminem's style/brand
of rap, I think that his new
song/video is quite moving. Have
a look here. And for an indepth analysis of its power, read
this.
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10/28/04...2:44 pm
So, Ian and
I are watching the news last night and they announce the discovery
of "human" remains
that will change the face of our evolution. Of particular note
is the fact that this ancient human was only about 1 meter
tall. After about a minute of reflection, I realize that what
those sneaky archeologists must have uncovered is the remains
of a hobbit. How clever, you are thinking, right? Apparently,
I am not
the only one who came
to this conclusion. Damn.
The Month of November could prove to be very exciting,
especially if you are a writer. Apparently they have a "blog
your own novel" type-deal over at blogger. 50,000 words
by the end of the month. I am oddly tempted to this challenge.
Unfortunately, I think it is more because of the challenge than
the potential to create a readable piece of fiction.
So, does anyone else find it slightly alarming
that somehow the stockpile of explosives stored in Iraq has disappeared.
And, if that's not bad enough, apparently this stockpile has
been missing since May. 2003. That's right, folks. 18 months.
- With Halloween right around the corner, NYTimes columnist
Maureen Dowd paints a funny picture of the Horrors
at the White House.
- Another article in the NYTimes about
the power "old-school" journalists and media have
and the damage bloggers are doing.
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10/22/04...4:10 pm
Ahh, Friday afternoon. What else is there to do
but troll the web for interesting blogs. I just came across
this site, which seems kind of neat.  .
Did I mention I finished Jonathan
Strange & Mr.
Norrell. If you are at all fantasy/magic/history inclined,
you will love this book. The writing is excellent. The story
is long. The plot, however, is somewhat convoluted (at some points
I found myself asking "is there actually a point to this
story?"). But, all
in all a fun and imaginative read.
I also finished up The
Songs of the Kings by Barry
Unsworth. For anyone who loves Greek mythology, this is the book
for you. Mr. Unsworth brings the characters of the Illiad and
the Odyssey (two of my favourite books) to life in
new and fascinating ways. It is a quick read, and well worth
the trouble, especially if you are familiar with what you think
went on during the opening days of the Trojan War. If you aren't
familiar with the Greek myths, I recommend checking
out this site. It'll help you brush up on your ancient history. And it
has cartoons.
Currently I am reading How
Proust Can Change Your Life. It is witty. Not overly challenging,
but educational all the same. It sort of reminds me of the Cliff's
Notes (or in Canada, the Cole's Notes) version of Proust's seven
volume work. And I am learning more about Proust that I did when
I picked up A
la recherche du temps perdu. In truth, I have only made
it through Swann's Way, thus far. But I plan to read
the rest. I do. Really.
If you followed the debates, you'll know
that one the one hand, Bush claimed he would never work with
Canada for cheaper prescription medications. On the other, he
claimed that maybe he would ask Canada to help out with The Great
American Flu Vaccine Shortage of 2004. In any event, prescription
drugs and Big Pharma is in the media more and more these days.
Take, for example, the
article in the New Yorker by Malcolm Gladwell about the high
prices of drugs and the lack of generic alternatives.
Is it bad that I have no desire to go to my 10th
High School Reunion (in Quebec we graduate in Grade 11). I am
happy to see the folks, but I don't need to go back to Traf and
relive the memories.
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10/21/04...11:57 pm
I just mailed in my ballot for the U.S. Presidential
Election. Every vote counts, right?
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10/21/04...10:29 am
So many good links today. But first, how about
those Red Sox? As much as I hate baseball, you gotta love the
Red Sox pulling a fast one on the Yankees last night. We tuned
in when it was 8-1 and wow, the underdogs definitely deserve
props for coming back from a 3 game deficit. I guess the lesson
learned is that when you steal A-Rod out from under the noses
of your biggest rivals just because you can, it comes back to
bite you in the ass.
In a job interview yesterday I was asked the following
question: "If you could go back to school, right now, and study
ANYTHING you want, what would that be?" Tough question, huh?
I mean, there are so many things I'd like to study.
Funny items in the news today:
- Who doesn't love a little cartoon Rocky Horror Picture Show
Mock The Vote.
- Even the NYTimes thinks Jon Stewart's appearance on Crossfire
is worth
discussing.
- Two-in-One article
in the NYTimes about Bill O'Reilly's "issues"
with women & Ms. Cheney's "outing" by Mr. Kerry.
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10/19/04...2:21 pm
We watched the first Greatest Canadian segment
last night. It was about Tommy Douglas. Very interesting man,
and a good case is made about his contributions to Canada. I
don't know if I'll vote for him yet, but I can't see a sports
star topping him.
In case you've been in the middle of the woods
without a TV, the host of the Daily
Show went on
Crossfire over the weekend and created a big ruckus. It is pretty
funny, and I recommend watching the clip. Or reading this
article for a summary.
In other entertainment news, they've come up with
an "alternative" to that horrible, disgusting, degrading reality
TV show, The Swan. Yeah, instead they are going to have
really
overweight people compete against each other Survivor-like to see who can lose the most weight. Um, I sense disaster with
this one. I think they actually win money too, if they manage
to outlast the rest and not get voted off the show. Healthy?
This sounds like the opposite of healthy to me. Plus, it is clearly
insulting to those who suffer from weight issues. This world
is sick.
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10/18/04...5:15 pm
Watching part of the presidential debate last week,
I thought it was interesting that Kerry chose to bring up
Dick Cheney's daughter when asked about whether people who are
gay choose to be gay. I thought he was respectful in
using Ms. Cheney as an example. Apparently her mother did not
think so. She immediately lashed out with some sort of comment
about how it was a cheap political trick for Kerry to slander
her daughter's name. But, everyone already knows Cheney's daughter
is gay.
What I really want to know is how Ms. Cheney can
work with on her father's campaign when he shares a ticket with
Bush. And the administration supports the banning of
any union that is not between a man and a woman. Can Ms. Cheney
sleep at night, knowing that under the current president, she
may never receive benefits for her significant other, or children,
should she ever choose to have them?
Ian and I watched The
Greatest Canadian last night. Some of the top 50 choices
were um, iffy, as though people did not really consider what
it meant to be a Great Canadian (Shania Twain, Celine Dion,
Jim Carrey). There are no women in the Top 10.
So, who are
they you may ask?
Terry Fox, Wayne Gretsky, Don Cherry,
Frederick Banting, Lester B. Pearson, P.E. Trudeau, David Suzuki,
Tommy Douglas, Sir John A. McDonald, Alexander Graham Bell.
Do you have the "one of these things is not like
the others" feeling too?
Don Cherry? You've got to be kidding me. What has
he done for Canada? Does anyone outside of Canada even know who
he is?
The rest seem worthy of top 10 status. I'm currently
leaning towards Frederick Banting, Lester B and Terry Fox
as my top choices. As much as I am not a flag-sewn-on-backpack-wearing
Canadian, I am intrigued to learn more about these famous figures.
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10/15/04...11:12 am
Hey, uh, America...do you think the rest of the
world is trying to tell you something?
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10/15/04...8:30 am.
I think I need this
puppy. Hmm. Too cute. Apparently (for you cat lovers) there
is a kitten site
too. Oh..the kitten one is so cute too. Maybe I need to live
on a farm. After all, I think cows are adorable. At least furry
ones. Don't you?
And now for something completely different...
Check
out this site, which posts errors
in the media. Pretty cool.
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10/13/04...11:19 pm
Three sites to check out in reference to the presidential
debates:
- Is
Bush Wired? Some people suspect he's being prompted by
Karl Rove. And wouldn't that just be like him, to use cool
Secret Service spy equipment to rig a debate. Ah, you just
gotta love the home of the brave.
- Elections
Blog by Eric Davis, professor at Middlebury College.
Midd does this neat thing every election year. They offer
free webcast lectures to students, alum and friends regarding
the Electoral process and Mr. Davis' view on the presidential
race. Highly recommended if you want to get the straight
up news on the candidates and how the race is fairing.
- Bush's
accomplished resume...don't say I didn't warn you.
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10/12/04...2:37
pm
Reason #6 why autumn is my favourite
season
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10/12/2004...11:13 am
For those of you who haven't yet seen the Triples
of Belleville, I highly recommend it. Funny, quirky, and
great animation.
In the news:
And if you don't know what a flash
mob is, climb out from under
your rock and check it out.
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10/8/2004...11:50 am
Two things to think about over the holiday weekend:
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10/7/2004...10:51 pm
So, just testing out the feeling of Fall, with
a little BURNT
ORANGE. Like it?
Last week Grandma came to visit. Here's a pic of
her with the grandkids and family dog.
Happy Canadian Turkey Day, for those
of you that will be feasting this weekend or on Monday.
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10/7/2004...10:06
am
Well, now that it is October, perhaps I should
get on the whole "I am going to change the look of this
blog"
thing. I believe I have a love/hate relationship
with web design. I hate the tediousness of the technical work,
but I enjoy the creative design part. Clearly I should
be an IA and not a coder. But even when I use Dreamweaver
or the like to build a site, I lose interest very quickly. Hmm.
So, the Nobel Prize for Literature went
to a woman this time. It is only the 9th
time since 1909 that a woman has won. Can't say I have read
anything she has written, so onto the "need to read" list she
goes.
Currently the most e-mailed article at the Times
is titled "Getting
Junior's Goat." Funny take on how Kerry "played the
Daddy card" in the first Presidential debate.
More
hot, dirty air from the Bush Administration
re: Clean Air act.
Well, there goes my urge to partake in a medieval
dining feast. I believe they have one of these places
outside Toronto (ie: the center of the universe). This caught
my eye only because it caused me to consider whether there
are staged medieval battles with cardboard/padded swords, sticks
and shields in other cities too? Running up the Mountain on Sunday
aft, we were shocked to find a battle of sorts taking place on
a dirt patch. At least 50 people, dressed in medieval battle
gear, were staging a fight. Kids as young as 5 and as old as,
well, 40 or so, were out there adhering to the proper medieval
fight etiquette (whatever that may be).
Good times.
Oh, and go read Ian's
blog. He has some great commentary on the way the world
works. Brilliant, one might venture to say.
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