Friday, April 28, 2006
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10:03 a.m.
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 That's right, everyone. Gathered 'round and see what my Wii can do. Isn't it nice and white? Nicely polished too. Everyone can get a chance to handle my Wii-mote. Using a flicking motion for more effect. Good job!
I'm trying to get used to referring to myself as a Wii-ner. I know many people think it's a Wii-todded name and are grumbling along the lines of "Wii-TF is Nintendo thinking?" but you have to at least admit people all over the Internet are talking about playing with Nintendo's big Wii this November.
It's just too bad that I can't say the name while keeping a straight face. Some people defend the name by saying that PS3 or 360 are stupid names, which in truth they are, but at the same time, neither one of them can be used so creatively to describe anatomy and bodily functions. For this alone, Nintendo should have a hit with teenage boys.
Aside from that, I mentioned to Jer and Catherine that Nintendo has more support for this system right out of the box than either N64 or Gamecube did. Already a slew of games have been mentioned as coming from Nintendo itself, as well as a ton of third party games. There's a Madden football game, a first person shooter, Smash Bros., Metroid Prime 3, and Marvel: Ultimate Alliance which is essentially X-Men Legends with more than 20 Marvel characters to choose from including Wolverine, Spider-Man, Captain America, Ghost Rider, Thing, Blade, and more. This game is supposed to have more than 140 characters appear in it. Not small potatoes. You can play alongside friends at home, or cooperatively over the internet. Me like!
 The last game is the most important for a number of reasons. It's coming out for ALL next-gen systems, which means that despite some saying that Wii has less power than the others, it can perform strongly alongside the big boys when you whip it out.
Other games include Super Monkey Ball, a first-person piloting game, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Spongebob, and a ton of other titles. This is more support than fans could ask for and a strong indicator that Nintendo has a wii-nner on it's hands.
Wii. Wii. Wii. Keep saying it. I'm hoping it'll stop being so funny. Wii.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
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12:01 p.m.
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 Though I spend more time thinking about and reading about toys than could possibly be natural for a man my age, I must confess that the Transformers line of Masterpiece figures, thus far only consisting of the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, are truly works of art.
The Optimus Prime was metal and cartoon accurate while still being a fantastic Transformer. He came with a ton of accessories and many thought this was a one-time deal. Well, apparently not, as the Decepticon jet Star Scream, has just been announced and looks PURTY.
I don't know that I'll be able to pick this one up, assuming that it's in the similar price range of the Optimus. That's too bad, as I only ever saw Prime once at retail and that was it. Gone for good, gone forever. A hot ticket toy item that now exists at home and will forever be known as my most valued figure.
Star Scream looks just as good, but alas, he won't be out until late September. I'll be in school (and jobless) at that point living on what I've been able to save up (no OSAP for me) and what Catherine brings home. Technically I suppose we could afford it, but you don't repay your partner's support and kindness by buying a $100 toy.
You wait until November and buy a Nintendo Revolution. (EDIT: Odd timing and breaking news... the name of the new Nintendo console has moved from the hip and provocative Revolution to... Wii. As in 'we'. As in "I have to wee-wee." They claim it will settle into the public mind much like google, yahoo, iPod, and tons of other names that were thought of as odd. Me? I think they're kidding themselves. It's a TERRIBLE name).
Other news: picked up season 2 of Battlestar Galactica. If you aren't watching yet, then you hate television in any way, shape, or form. Great stuff.
Tonight is the annual bowling extravaganza here at work. Two years ago (before I was here) they handed out team-colored bowling shirts. Last year it was ball rags. This year its dog tags. No, the company isn't doing poorly as they cleared an insane amount of profit last year... they're just dirt cheap and evil.
Got my passport back in the mail. This means I'm going to China (or I'm at least one step closer). Now I've just got to get my Chinese visa, get all my doctoring done (dentist, doctor, etc.) and jump on a plane. I have 10 weeks to do it.
Also, because I'm proud of how well my photoshop skills are coming along as a result of being bored, here's the before-shot of the ad featuring the Star Scream picture I made above...
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
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10:09 a.m.
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 Though I suppose it's really nothing that I NEED to make fun of, I'm still going to go ahead and do it. This past Sunday, my brother Graydon and his girlfriend, Tammy, got married in that most sacred of places on Earth... a wedding chapel in Vegas.
For those of you who know my brother, this doesn't seem terribly odd.
I love my brother dearly and I know this occasion meant a great deal to him, but I just couldn't afford to go to Vegas with the way my year is shaping up. I have a trip to China and then teacher's college, so flying down to Vegas just wasn't in the cards. I wish them all the best and they seem very well suited to each other.
Still, though... he got married in Vegas. My dad was also there and people who I assume to be members of Tammy's family. The service (which you can access via this link:
My brother's wedding. How modern!) was short and run by a sweaty preacher who kept leaning on the podium (from what I could see). I had to laugh at the use of a 'unity candle' during the service, though. Each person takes a lit candle and they jointly light a third. They then blow out their own candles because now 'they are one.'
 What a pile of ridiculous sentimental crap devised by people who obviously love self-help books! I get what they were trying to do, but come ON!
Oh well. Tammy looked nice in her dress, the ceremony was nice, and now I have a new sister-in-law. They suit each other and hopefully will work well together, despite the rocky year by brother is going to have thanks to Imperial Tobacco closing and him losing his job.
As for the wedding, I regret not being able to be there and I may have been convinced to go if they had shelled out an extra $100 to have Elvis, Marilyn, Tom Jones, or (another) Elvis present for the ceremony. Heck, if you're going to get married in Vegas, GET married in Vegas.
'Unity candle'. Ha! I'll have Catherine put that on our grocery list of things to pick up. Sheesh!
***PS. I made the above ad using a photo they had on the wedding website. Similarly, the photo at the top is a screenshot mixed in with some photoshop work. In other words, though nothing amazing, I'm trying to show off.***
Thursday, April 20, 2006
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11:04 a.m.
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 Above: a couple of photos I took along with a caption I wrote about a raccoon in a precarious perch on Monday, April 17.
Sometimes it just feels like there's not much to say, so this blog has been pretty dead for the past week or so. On my walk home on Monday, however, I stumbled across this cute little news item of a raccoon who was stranded on top of a street light just around the corner from my building.
I could see a news crew and several people staring towards what I thought was a rooftop so I figured there was a celebrity or some sort of filming going on. Normally I wouldn't stop, but I was curious and after a moment or two spotted the 20 lb. raccoon on top of a VERY tall street light.
Finding this fascinating, I went home and grabbed my camera and Catherine and we returned to snap a few picks. Most of the people seemed nice, but one young woman in her early 20s thought it was fun to go over and kick the pole to try and jar the raccoon loose. No one said anything, as the woman quickly moved away. No one was impressed.
After snapping a few picks and going home, we made sure that despite the presence of CTV that the city was notified about the critter's peril and we were assured that they knew and were sending a "cherry picker" to get the little guy down.
CTV later revealed that the raccoon got down safe and sound and that it had been up there for about 30 hours in the same position. It was quite warm on Monday as well, making it uncomfortable to say the least.
An article in the Toronto Sun covered part of the story (leaving out the outcome which isn't surprising as I know the sloppy journalist, a fellow j-schooler, who wrote the article).
From the article:
Panhandler Shawn Bedder, who saw the animal Sunday night and tried calling the fire department, the city and animal services to no avail.
"I finally got fed up and called the media. Five minutes later the city came," a frustrated Bedder said.
Toronto Animal Services officer Rick Ray said they were helpless to save the animal, pointing out the animal was more likely to fall during a rescue operation.
"We're looking at every angle to try to get him safe," Ray said, noting the raccoon was capable of shimmying down the pole, but unlikely to do so amid a throng of onlookers. "If he's hungry enough, he's going to come down."
In other news, I had my first taste of teacher's college and an orientation session. Everything seems on track and I just have to fill out tons of paperwork before I even get into school in September. They sure don't want to make things easy for you. Getting in is only half the battle.
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
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12:28 p.m.
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 Today is Catherine's 27th birthday, a cause for celebration for most, but probably not for her. She never really knows how old she is and this continues to be a source of amusement. I remember asking her just before she turned 24 hold old she thought she was going to be, and she was off by a year (younger, I might add). Catherine proudly maintains to this day that she is incapable of aging.
Her inabiility to remember age is not restricted just to herself. She recently told a friend of hers that I was 27. She couldn't remember that I had a birthday five months ago and turned 28.
But I'll keep her.
I'm hoping she has a wonderful day (wonderful week, really). She's already eaten a piece of her birthday cake (Monday), opened a present (last Thursday), gone out for a birthday dinner with her friend (last night) and will be dragg...er... taking me with her to the zoo this weekend.
Milking it? Maybe. But who doesn't like to drag out fun on your birthday?
The funny story I promised: I bought Catherine two zoo passes online weeks ago and was waiting for them to arrive. They finally did, addressed to me, along with two other birthday cards for Catherine in the mail one day. No big deal, I stashed the zoo passes and left the cards. She won't open anything (used to be true, anyway) until her birthday.
There was no postmark on one of the cards and we were trying to figure it out. Was it from England? No, the postmark was Canadian. Was it my mom? Didn't look like her writing. Finally, I suggested that I open it, see who it was from, and end the the mystery. She wouldn't get to see the card, but at least she'd know.
So I went into the kitchen and opened it. My first reaction was to be annoyed. Some insensitive jerk had sent her two zoo passes! Someone swiped my idea and I was NOT pleased. I read who the card was from and felt like a tool.
The zoo, being kind, sent her a birthday card and signed it as being from me.
"Who's it from?" she called.
I ignored her, processing the humor of the situation. She called after me again, this time slightly angry at being ignored, so I sheepishly walked into the bedroom.
"Well?" she asked.
"As it turns out," I said slowly. "It's from me."
She thought that was pretty funny. The letter *I* got had a zoo flyer and my receipt.
The next day at dinner she started pressing me and pressing me to go to the zoo for her birthday. I said 'no' quite often (I'm not a huge fan) but she seemed so sad about it that I gave her the card the next morning.
Just goes to show, make me feel bad and I'll give you what you want. I'll have already bought it for that fact.
Happy *27th* Birthday!
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
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12:47 p.m.
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 The above illustration that I put together this morning will be explained shortly as it deals with fun and games at last night's Blue Jays season opener. However, those of you who are paying attention know that I've been awaiting word on whether or not I got in to teacher's college. No mail on Monday or Tuesday, but a visit to the Compass website this morning reveals all... or at least what I wanted to see.
Lords and ladies, boys and girls, the two people who visit this blog... I made it. Though the University of Toronto claimed they would not post the results until 8:30am, at 7:41 I found out that I was admitted to the U of T. The building is between Spadina and St. George on Bloor, making it a whole five minute walk to the school.
A huge burden has been taken on my back as I doom the educational future of thousands of students. I can't hope to be as good as Nicole or Lindsey, but I'm going to do my best to be what I feel I was meant to be: a good teacher and role model.
Stop laughing.
So, come September I have something to do now. That means I'll be leaving my job in early July to go to China, then either work here part time or do some freelance until September. Either way, I'm on a path and greatly looking forward to it. Thank you all for your encouragement and support, especially Aaron, Jamie, Nicole (sorry I won't be staying with you, but four would be a crowd), my mom, dad, Josh, Paul, Nathan, and Jer.
The most important person, however, is Catherine. I try to express how strongly I feel about her in this blog, but it doesn't come close. She is the most loving, supportive, and caring person I have ever known and without her I wouldn't have gotten in. She was more excited by the news than I was as I just couldn't help but be happy that she cares so much. Truffle cares as well, but she's more interested in pooping.
Now, on to the picture above...
Catherine and I went to the home opener yesterday and there were three kids sitting behind us. One of them had a flag and would constantly wave it, often brushing my head with it. I'm tolerant and they're small, so whatever. At one point, the jumbotron shows three little kids on it, one with a flag. I remark to Catherine how it's like the kids behind us, and then realize that the spiked hair at the bottom of the screen (and slightly balding head) belongs to me. So, I did what came naturally, and raised myself in my seat high enough so that my head until just below my nose was visible, then I did the shifty-eyed dog look.
Then sat back down. The people around me, and Catherine especially, found this quite amusing. The illustration above featuring total strangers in uniforms I had to change to be Toronto gets across what it kind of looked like.
Another amusing part came from the pizza pizza booth. I was waiting in line for what felt like forever and when I finally got to the scared looking teenage girl and made my order of two slices of pizza and a large coke, she blinked and said "24.32."
"Uh, for two slices and a large coke?" I asked.
She repeated it. I was still confused. Then she explained that she wanted to know if I wanted a medium 24 ounce cup or a large 32 ounce. I said "which is considered the large?"
"The 32 ounce," she said.
"I'll go with that one, then."
Then she coughed once. Just a small cough that I barely noticed. She looked at me, horrified, then turned around without a word, walked to the back of the room, then off to the left. She was gone for about thirty seconds then came back and stared at me.
"I coughed so I had to go wash my hands," she said.
"Okay. No problem."
"What did you want?" she asked. I repeated my order and she skipped over the day-old pizza and got some fresh slices. She grabbed the wrong kind of slice so I corrected her. She she did a tiny cough again.
She looked at me, horrified again, then turned around without a word (again), walked to the back of the room (again), then off to the left (again). She was gone for about thirty seconds then came back and stared at me. I was just praying she'd fill my order before coughing again.
She gave me everything then asked "have you paid me yet?"
I said yes, which I had, then walked away.
Fun place, the Skydome.
I have another funny story about a letter received in the mail, but I'll wait until after Catherine's birthday next Wednesday to tell you as otherwise she'll find out what the gift is. She's crafty like that.
Sunday, April 02, 2006
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9:55 p.m.
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 I did it, I caved. I was walking by a local used DVD store with Catherine today and saw the first season box set of Battlestar Galactica used and on sale so I bought it. This is even considering the fact that I rented it just two weeks ago.
Already, I know Jer will be calling to borrow it. He grabbed a couple of the discs I rented and fell in love with it and I know he wants to continue on. I can see many others borrowing it from Aaron to my Dad, brother, people I work with, people Catherine works with... all in the vein of what happened when I bought Firefly so long ago.
As a tip of the hat, Serenity herself appears in the first disc within the first 15 minutes. A lot of the camera angles and space shots are done in a similar way.
Beyond all of that is an amazing story and an amazing cast. I rented the first half of season 2 and loved it (what a BRUTAL cliffhanger) and have now caught up to Space's current airing of the series.
Those who want to see it, let me know. You won't be disappointed.
Simply amazing stuff.
Oh, and tomorrow I finally find out. Months of applying, wondering, and waiting. Tomorrow should have the answer.
Unless there's a delay with the mail.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
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2:25 p.m.
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 Lost has become a never-ending addiction to finding out the truth behind the island, the most important cast member of this show. Last night's episode had Locke and the mysterious Henry Gale trapped inside the Dharma Initiative hatch called "The Swan." A crackle of radio static, then an ominous countdown, and all of a sudden all blast doors came down and trapped the men inside.
The exciting part came after the lights flickered out and a black light came on, revealing to Locke a huge map of the island and where other Dharma secrets might be kept. It was only on the screen for a second, but even I sat up to take notice.
Others went to work. Deciphering French, Latin, numbers, and crude scribbles, this map has largely been decoded, but it asks more questions then it answers.
I can't wait for next week.
The map, attached above, should fill in the rest of you on what you saw but didn't see. Click on it to see a full sized version.
Television speculation should always be this much fun!
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
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11:00 a.m.
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 This is a true story.
Well, it's a true story of a dream I had last night that Nathan insists is a lie. He thinks I had to have been stoned or drunk, but no, I'm weird enough to come up with this on my own:
I got pulled over by a cop who wanted to know why I was running from a couple who were trying to steal my van (I don't actually own a van). I had a copy of The 40 Year Old Virgin in the DVD player, which they were trying to steal. I don't know why they wanted it, but I was freaked out.
As we talked, suddenly the van was gone and two of the people climbed this stone pillar/perch where there were purple eggs. One of the eggs fell off but the cop grabbed it. It started to crack and pop open, and for some reason we knew it was a VELOCIRAPTOR egg!
Despite being in an egg, this was terrifying as THIS kind of velociraptor would be able to kill us right away. Another egg fell down and I grabbed this one, which also started to hatch. Then, we realized the ground we were on was part of a field of eggs laid out flat like a plastic kitchen floor and each panel was an egg that was about to hatch!
We all started to run away over this field of eggs, leaving a slush trail behind us whereever we stepped and listening as they all started to crack open. The good news was that you could slide quite quickly along the ground. I saw the van, and it had torn a strip out of the field in its wake as it moved towards me.
I jumped into the moving van (actually, it was a cool flip) that the others were in and as we got to the metal gate exit of this purple egg park, overhead we saw a half man/half bug with whispy wings that looked to be part torn fabric, part dragonfly.
We tried to get the van to hop up and splatter it on the windshield, but before we could we realized that it was OSAMA BIN LADEN. Just then, there was choir-like music thundering around us like something out of the matrix repeating over and over... OSAMA! OSAMA! (See the photo illustration I made with photoshop and too much spare time for a glimpse of the terror that I endured)
We got through the gate and he was flapping after us, realizing what we had done to his egg farm. It was quite scary. We thought we lost him only to see him flying in the distance. Just then, we crashed into one of his henchmen in a bright red suit who stopped the van short immediately. Then...
I woke up.
Thursday, March 23, 2006
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3:52 p.m.
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It's funny, but for a place that I hate working at so much, there are a lot of amusing bits that come out of it.
Yesterday, for instance, had this gem:
We've been dealing a bit with that ridiculous Nigerian email scam, except our members try to lure other members (quite successfully) into this scam. I laugh at the people who complain because they're quite clearly idiots who will believe anything.
At any rate, one co-worker decided she was going to fight the threat head on. She wanted to send out an email to the tens of thousands of people using our system warning them of the problem. She'd been doing some research on fraud and came across one website that had a handy slogan for detecting and avoiding the problem.
"I really like this slogan," she said.
The rest of us blink and kind of ignore her. "Brian," she asks, do you think it'd be a big deal if we used this? Would it be a problem?"
"I'm sure it would be," I said.
"You think it's a big deal to steal this?" she asked.
"So let me get this straight," I said. "Your solution to fighting fraud is to commit plagiarism?"
Co-worker, take a bow.
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
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9:14 a.m.
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“A woman came home to find her husband in the kitchen, shaking frantically with what looked like a wire running from his waist toward the electric kettle. Intending to jolt him away from the deadly current, she whacked him with a handy plank of wood, breaking his arm in two places. Until that moment, he had been happily listening to his Walkman.”
—Associated Press
The moral? Pain is funny. Cause someone some pain today, either real, or imagined.
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
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11:19 a.m.
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 The latest and greatest from the absurd world that is my job, one of the call centre women, a lovely older Indian woman whom Nathan and I tease constantly, came back to ask about one of our insane customers. This woman always has a kind smile and even gave me a birthday present.
She was quite excited as she's going to see the stage version of Lord of the Rings. Catherine and I went to see this stinker of a play last month (though it may have improved since then) and I've had nothing but negative things to say about it. Horrible acting, far too long, and the fact that it stops being a musical halfway through the first act.
So, being a jerk, I burst her bubble a little.
"I thought it was awful. It was just not good. It may have gotten better, however, as I only saw the previews."
"Maybe it's better now," she said.
"I hope so."
"I've heard it's good," she said.
"From who?" I asked. "Someone you know?"
"No," she said. "But I've heard it from caucasians (she pronounced it cauc-A-SEE-Ns)."
Sandy and Nathan started laughing. I commented that it was the most bizarrely racist comment I've ever heard. Then we tried to get her to pronounce it properly. She said she got complaints in the call centre all the time from people calling in to complain that they aren't caucasian at all, but white.
"What's the difference?" she asked.
"Caucasians are off-white," I replied.
Just insane.
Other news: I went back to Guelph this weekend, and though the whole city is my home, I was surprised at how dreary the place felt. It's kind of like moving out of your family home, then coming back for a visit once a new family lives there. It's the same house, but nothing is the way you remember it.
Saw V for Vendetta. Quite a good flick and not an action-oriented film at all. I was quite impressed.
Rented the first season of Battlestar Galactica. Just an AMAZING show. Must-watch TV with a few Firefly insprired space-camera work. Jer, you can borrow discs from me as I finish them. It's due back this Sunday.
Thursday, March 16, 2006
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11:37 a.m.
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 My quest to lose weight has been ongoing now for just under three months. I've been going to karate at least three or four times a week, walking excessively, and monitoring my diet. I haven't lost tons of weight, but it's pleasing to see the waistline slowly going down.
It's a bit disheartening though to go to karate and have a little kid mess it all up. You see, last night, I helped a new student for a little, then went to get changed. I come dressed in my uniform and have only to put on my socks, conveniently placed upon my shoes.
Some little shit of a six year old stole my sock.
I was left with one sock, and the option of another, different colored sock that would fit a small child. To add insult to injury, one of my socks had two holes in the heel, and that was the one he left.
GIVE ME BACK MY SOCK! Stupid kids.
It makes me want to give up on losing weight.
Catherine and I are still prepping for China. We've bought our backpacks and I'm getting my passport stuff ready. Catherine conned her parents into paying for hers for her birthday, which is still a month away. Go, Catherine!
Here's a bizarre news story from Hong Kong:
Several cafes in Hong Kong now lend their dining guests dogs and cats to pet during their visits. This temporary affection, according to a January Der Spiegel dispatch, is popular because Hong Kong residents find it so inconvenient to own pets in such a densely populated city. Also in January, the owner of the Augsburg, Germany, restaurant La Boheme confirmed that while customers are welcome to bring their own dogs with them when they dine, "small children" are not allowed in the evenings. "After a hard day's work, (diners) want some peace," he told Agence France-Presse.
Yes, waiter, I'll have the soup with the hairball that cat just coughed up.
Um, NO.
Friday, March 10, 2006
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9:50 a.m.
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 Though it's an oldie, Nate sent me this story earlier today and it tickled me. Not much else is going on except that it's Friday and I already need to take a nap. I just haven't been sleeping well this week. Oh well, it's the weekend now. Maybe Josh will buy Mario Kart and we can hook up our Gamecubes for an insane amount of fun.
From the Sydney Morning Herald, Monday June 15th, 1999:
An employee of Ansett Australia (who happened to have the last name of Gay) got on a plane recently using one of his company's "Free Flight" programs. However, when Mr. Gay tried to take his seat, he found it being occupied by a paying passenger. So not to make a fuss, he simply chose another seat.
Unknown to Mr. Gay, another Ansett Australia flight at the airport experienced mechanical problems. The passengers of this other flight were being re-routed to various airplanes. A few were put on Mr. Gay's flight and anyone who was holding a "free" ticket was being "bumped".
Ansett officials, armed with a list of these "freebee" ticket holders boarded the plane to remove the free ticket holders. Of course, our Mr. Gay was not sitting in his assigned seat as you may remember.
So when the Ticket Agent approached the seat where Mr. Gay was supposed to be sitting, she asked a startled customer "Are you Gay?".
The man, shyly nodded that he was, at which point she demanded: "Well, I'm afraid you'll have to leave the aircraft".
Mr. Gay, overhearing what the Ticket Agent had said, tried to clear up the situation: "Excuse me, you've got the wrong man - I'm Gay!".
This caused an angry third passenger to yell "Hell, I'm gay too! They can't kick us all off!"
Confusion reigned as more and more passengers began complaining that Ansett Australia had no right to remove gays from their flights.
(Ansett have refused to comment on the incident)
Thursday, March 09, 2006
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11:20 a.m.
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 By now, you should all know that I love my TiVo. It is a brilliant invention and those of you who do not have one would do well to get one.
Every night, because nothing else is on, TiVo tapes two episodes of Angel for me, because it knows that I like the show. It arranges everything nicely, lets me burn my programs, and yes, it even comforts me if I'm feeling lonely or just need a good hug.
It's a very warm machine... and a good friend.
Oh, and Catherine and Truffle are around as well.
I run into Tivo references with alarming regularity now. It's in the newspapers, my Ultimate Spider-Man comics (seriously, it's a recurring theme, one issue had a group of thugs trying to fence them), and is even referenced in my favorite TV shows, such as Veronica Mars.
It's an invasion of the mind. I stare without blinking into a future of TV goodness.
Speaking of Tivo, some late breaking news from Catherine reveals that the company will no longer be offering lifetime subscriptions to the service, as of the end of next week. It costs about $12 US a month to use the box, unless you pay a smaller fee for the year, or outright purchase a lifetime subscription for $299 US. Tivo offers a discount when you buy through the store that halves that cost right off the bat. Well worth the effort.
I'm pleased Catherine and I have the lifetime service fee, good for as long as our unit survives, but I can imagine many others will be frustrated by this who don't yet have the units, and for Canadians in general who are just preparing to get the box in stores.
Jamie should make a run for the border... before it's too late!
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
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10:53 a.m.
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 In four months, Catherine and I will get on a plane and head to the Orient. This is an exciting and daunting proposition, but one that I find myself increasingly excited about as the date gets closer.
It'll be a great trip, but I'm also looking forward to seeing Catherine's brother, David, just as much as the trip itself. Even though I have a brother of my own, David also fits the bill as well.
I haven't posted anything since my 'One Year Later' lament, but you'll be pleased to find out that the past week has been miserable (only at work) and that my computer crashes and average of three times each day. Yesterday, just as I packed up my lunch and containers my boss walked over to me. Not a big deal, but I still had half an hour left and was watching television on my monitor. He didn't say anything, but dammit, that ALWAYS happens to me. The ONE minute it could look bad, someone is watching.
Speaking of looking bad, today is my co-worker's birthday. Sandy and I work hand-in-hand on these awful ads each day and then bitch about them on the way home. Just as we did for Nathan, we made some horrible photos of her, two of which I'll post lower in the blog. One in particular will make a great many of you angry with me.
In other news, the new X-Men 3 trailer is out at Apple.com and looks much cooler than the first. Now I'm jazzed to see the flick.
In still other news, I figured I'd share some of my work misery by posting a few select ads that I've come across. Be warned, these people are messed in the head:
WANNA CHAT?
34 yrs old. amitious, lonely, but fun i hope, somewhat naive, grew up in religious cult so i struggle to make fast friends but i’m told i’m likeable... have acqiured much wisdom over the years. Ad#1
NICE, SUCCESSFUL GUY
21 yrs old. SW confused gentleman looking for a very young secret companion to wander deep into the forest with, no need to worry I brought a shovel. Ad#:2
WHY NOT PICK ME?
54 yrs old. I am available immediately, but fat, ugl,y and have a poor self-esteem. No body likes me, everybody hates me. Ad#:3
DISCIPLINED HEART
56 yrs old. In our daily choices,large and small, we contribute on one side or another in a continual struggle between good and evil, forgiveness and revenge, mercy and ruthless power. A true relationship is difficult at most. I am an optimist and feel there are wonderful ladies who will someday cross my path. Ad#:4
MISS HONESTY
49 yrs old. This meat market is absurd. Building hope in vain. If you would like to know more, call me. Ad#:5
Believe it or not, THOSE ARE REAL ADS.
And now, for the Sandy pictures!
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
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1:49 p.m.
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Today marks the one year anniversary since I started working here. I wish I could say this with a lot of happiness and pride, but you all know this isn't a place that I intended to stay at for long.
My initial contract was six months. I didn't think I could do it, but I wanted the experience. Four months in, my co-worker, Colleen, quit and I was left in charge. They offered me more money which was good as I was going to walk. Now it's six months after that day and I've one more month until I find out about teacher's college.
I may hate my job, but I have to be thankful for the freedom and standard of living that it's helped to give Catherine, Truffle, and myself. That, and it's given me a few new friends like Nathan.
I've been doing my best to keep going in a positive direction. Teacher's college is one thing, my first published Marvel work has been another, as well as my freelance writing and my karate. I've been keeping busy and my overall happiness has gone up.
Still, I can't wait to be done here. In four months, I'll be done and going to China for three weeks, then hopefully back here for teacher's college. It's not a guaranteed thing yet, but I'm optimistic.
One year later... I still can't believe it. So much has happened. Aaron moved out of Toronto, Catherine and I celebrated six years of our relationship, David went to China, Nicole and Jamie are having a kid, Josh moved to Toronto, Paul and Vicky moved in together, Jer... did something... uh.. bought an Xbox (and did well at school).
That's just the tip of the iceberg. So yes, I hate my job, but when all is said and done... I've got a pretty great life.
The photos here were taken today by Nathan. My job DOES suck and is evidenced by the fact that my comp crashed on me twice and I became quite angry the second time. I lost half an hour of work, and then found out another ad I'd made before that one had been cancelled. In essence, I wasted an hour of my day.
The angry red symbol on my computer was a nice touch. Nathan tried to make things better by taking pictures while I was irate. He laughed the whole time, but that's because he's an ass.
I think I'll spend the rest of the afternoon watching TV or a movie... Enterprise or Serenity... I'll see how the mood strikes me.
At least OYL, I'm good enough at my job to waste time so effectively on a slow day.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
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4:32 p.m.
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 So, as promised, I'll talk briefly about my experience with the Ultimate Avengers DVD. It's not the worst cartoon I've ever seen, but the early trailers made it look like a direct copy of the amazing comic series, The Ultimates, by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch. Aaron and Jer have read this and would no doubt agree with me.
This is not that movie.
It's passable, but many of the scenes shown in the trailer disappeared from the movie. This makes them dirty lying bastards.
Anyway, the whole review (and it's long) that I wrote is up at Comixfan. Honestly, it's fun enough to watch, but only a sucker like myself pays $15 for it.
Serves me right for having faith in Marvel.
Now to figure out that black suit Spider-Man is wearing in the next movie...
GEEK TALK DONE!
Monday, February 27, 2006
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12:01 p.m.
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 I don't normally condone this sort of nonsense, but I don't feel like writing up my Ultimate Avengers impressions just yet. I'll post images and a link tomorrow to a full review I wrote, but for now, just trust me that it isn't the worst thing I've ever seen, but it doesn't deliver on much of its early promise.
Aaron and Jer both did this nonsense list, and normally I avoid such things, but I may as well participate.
Four jobs I've had
Production artist
Movie extra
Hotel maid
supply teacher
(for fun... also paper route, office cleaner, gas station attendent, shopper's drug mart grunt, canadian tire grunt, home hardware cashier, fabric dome maker, imperial tobacco grunt, flea market grunt, changing lamps in office buildings, camp counsellor, L.I.T. co-oridnator, reporter, writer, business editor, art director, tutor, karate instructor, psychiatrist assistant, eBay listings writer, Christmas theme store worker, hotel porter, and I'm sure much, much more).
Four movies I can watch over and over
Shawshank Redemption
Stand By Me
Star Wars
The Princess Bride
Four places I have lived
Jasper, Alberta
Guelph, Ontario
Bolton, Ontario
Toronto, Ontario
Four TV shows I like to watch
Lost
Survivor
Alias
Dead Like Me
Four foods that I like
Cheeseburger
Chicken parm
Popcorn
Bruschetta
Four websites I visit daily
Whedonesque
Action-Figure.com
Newsarama
Coming Soon
Four things I want to do before I die
Sky diving
Publish a written Marvel story (not just a Marvel comic, which I can't believe I've done)
Publish a novel
Make Catherine & Truffle happy
Four places I would rather be right now
Work! (Just kidding, bash my brains in please)
Um... hrm. Home, NYC, Guelph, at Teacher's College
Is that it? Is that good enough? Wow, I sure hope so. Looking at that list makes me feel like a geek with my own little world of geekery. Not that it's a BAD thing, though!
In other news, I went up a level in karate over the weekend. Then, to celebrate, I helped supervise a tournament for little kids, hung out with Molly Johnson, and cleaned the apartment.
Nothing else happened. At all.
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
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9:55 a.m.
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I made this wallpaper at work today because I was bored and didn't have much to do (for once). It's made up of 17 separate images and took the better part of my non-working day. This is a day that gave me a minute to call my mom, who wasn't home, for her birthday (Happy Birthday), and Nathan and I enough time to go to Best Buy so that I could buy the Ultimate Avengers DVD. More on that tomorrow.
So, that's my wallpaper. I like it. I needed a change. If anyone wants it, let me know what size and I'll send it to you. I don't expect to hear from anyone, as you're all jerks and likely making fun of me this very instant.
Good lord, I want to go home already.
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