After a solid day of data testing, I came home to do my taxes. Oh, what fun...although I am pleased to see that I'm getting a refund this year. This is the first year that we can deduct transit passes. It was disconcerting to see how little it counted for, though - five months' worth (I lost my July pass - darn it!) only came out to about forty dollars or so.
It's better than a kick in the pants, though!
Meanwhile, it's still snowing out. A lot. A chinook is due any day now (it should really take hold on Saturday, while we'll be in the office, working).
I also finished Adam Gopnik's Paris to the Moon, and I've started his second book, Through the Children's Gate. He's quite a good writer...Paris to the Moon is written with a friendly, conversational tone, and I enjoyed his reflections on life in Paris. It's not really a travel account, but you still get the happy sense that you've been somewhere after reading his descriptions.
Paris sounds like a nice place. But could you get catnip tea there? Inquiring minds want to know.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
My name is Heather, and I have a catnip problem.
My name is Heather, and I have a catnip problem.
It started as a bit of a joke. Things are tense at work, and stressful, so mom and dad got me a box of Tension Tamer tea - one of those herbal blends. We had a good chuckle over it, but it's a week later, and I've gone through the entire box. It's really nice, it tastes good, and I have to admit...I feel pretty happy to sit with my cup of tea. It was nice. Relaxing, even.
But the cats...the cats would come around every time I made a cup. They'd be sniffing the air and meowing. And then, when I put the teabag on the little holder on the counter, they'd start fighting over it. I couldn't figure it out. I know there's mint in the tea, but I couldn't figure out why two cats would be so excited over minty herbal tea.
Until last night, that is...when I read the side of the box.
Catnip. My lovely herbal tea has catnip in it.
And the cats want it.
My name is Heather. I do catnip.
But the cats...the cats would come around every time I made a cup. They'd be sniffing the air and meowing. And then, when I put the teabag on the little holder on the counter, they'd start fighting over it. I couldn't figure it out. I know there's mint in the tea, but I couldn't figure out why two cats would be so excited over minty herbal tea.
Until last night, that is...when I read the side of the box.
Catnip. My lovely herbal tea has catnip in it.
And the cats want it.
My name is Heather. I do catnip.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday.
Monday.
One batch of data testing down. Four more to go. Hurray!
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Sunday.
Sunday.
I'm still working away on the yellow baby sweater. I thought I'd have it done by the end of the weekend, but I took a break - a few. But I'm almost finished the first sleeve. With any luck, the sweater will be done by the end of the week.
This top down sweater knitting business - it's not slow going, but it's methodical. Rows and rows of stockinette, and about a gazillion stitches on the needles. But it's nice to know that the sleeves are being knit up (thus escaping the horror of sleeve island), and it's even nicer to think that there won't be any seaming to do, either. None. No seaming!
I'm using Cabin Fever's Tasia pattern. No mistakes so far, and the instructions are well written. I don't agree with their philosophy on buttonholes, though - this pattern has you putting them on both sides, and then using a shank button secured with a regular button on the side you want to use. Blech. I made an executive decision: buttons on the left. This whole boy/girl button positioning thing is just silly. We live in modern times. I can't say that I know anybody who has a maid to dress them. Surely we could all agree on one side for buttons. The same side.
Just the same, I put the buttons on the side for boys on this sweater. And yes, I hated myself a little bit for doing it.
Yup - this is Heather...kickin' it old school.
This top down sweater knitting business - it's not slow going, but it's methodical. Rows and rows of stockinette, and about a gazillion stitches on the needles. But it's nice to know that the sleeves are being knit up (thus escaping the horror of sleeve island), and it's even nicer to think that there won't be any seaming to do, either. None. No seaming!
I'm using Cabin Fever's Tasia pattern. No mistakes so far, and the instructions are well written. I don't agree with their philosophy on buttonholes, though - this pattern has you putting them on both sides, and then using a shank button secured with a regular button on the side you want to use. Blech. I made an executive decision: buttons on the left. This whole boy/girl button positioning thing is just silly. We live in modern times. I can't say that I know anybody who has a maid to dress them. Surely we could all agree on one side for buttons. The same side.
Just the same, I put the buttons on the side for boys on this sweater. And yes, I hated myself a little bit for doing it.
Yup - this is Heather...kickin' it old school.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Saturday.
Saturday.
It's been a lazy Saturday here. We ordered takeout from our favourite Chinese restaurant. I've finally figured out the best way to handle the delivery: wait for the call from the lobby and then meet the driver at the elevator. It saves him time, since he's not trekking down the hallway to our door and then waiting for a return elevator, and it saves us from having the cats escape. I have to say, though, that the exchange at the elevator feels a little like we're conducting some kind of dead drop. The delivery guy for the Chinese food loves it, but the pizza man is very suspicious...as though I'm some kind of troublemaker, lurking in the hallway and waiting to pay for somebody's food and steal it.
Strange.
Meanwhile, the books I ordered with that gift card have started to arrive. I went with the free shipping option, thinking that it would take a couple of weeks for them to get here...but the books have been appearing, one or two at a time. Today's delivery saw the arrival of 'Victorian Lace Today.'
I'm pretty excited to get it, too. The patterns are really nice, and it looks like a lot of research went into it. Now I have to decide what to make first! I've got a baby sweater on the go at the moment - one of the developers I've been working with has a new baby. When he told me, I suddenly understood why he looks so tired all the time. I thought he was just weary of having to deal with me and my questions about the software and data loads. So I'm making a top down cardigan in a cheerful yellow acrylic.
I haven't tried top down sweater knitting before, but I hear it's quite handy...so this is a good learning experience for me. It's too dark to take a good in progress picture, so I'll have to remember to do it tomorrow.
Strange.
Meanwhile, the books I ordered with that gift card have started to arrive. I went with the free shipping option, thinking that it would take a couple of weeks for them to get here...but the books have been appearing, one or two at a time. Today's delivery saw the arrival of 'Victorian Lace Today.'
I'm pretty excited to get it, too. The patterns are really nice, and it looks like a lot of research went into it. Now I have to decide what to make first! I've got a baby sweater on the go at the moment - one of the developers I've been working with has a new baby. When he told me, I suddenly understood why he looks so tired all the time. I thought he was just weary of having to deal with me and my questions about the software and data loads. So I'm making a top down cardigan in a cheerful yellow acrylic.
I haven't tried top down sweater knitting before, but I hear it's quite handy...so this is a good learning experience for me. It's too dark to take a good in progress picture, so I'll have to remember to do it tomorrow.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Friday.
Friday.
My day: test data. Check data. Check data against source data. Load data. Check again. Load and check for duplication. Check. Test. Check. Load. Test. Load. Test, test, load. Describing it is like talking in some kind of cryptic Morse code.
I felt...well, I'm not sure how to describe it. I was yearning to get up and find a ball pit. No, I don't know why I think of these things as I'm checking, testing, and checking data.
So I was ever so thrilled to come home and discover that my Etsy orders had arrived!
A necklace and several bracelets - all very chunky, very pretty, and beautifully crafted. They're from Charlene at CS Designs - handmade, and fantastic quality.
I'd hesitate to call it glitzy. It's more earthy - which is much more my style. And when I wear the bracelets on the same arm, they make a very satisfying noise. It's hard to explain. If I'd been wearing these while I tested my data, I would have had a nicer day. I'm sure of it.
Definitely recommended! Charlene is a real artist when it comes to design, and I'm so happy with these pieces. And they were very affordable!
I felt...well, I'm not sure how to describe it. I was yearning to get up and find a ball pit. No, I don't know why I think of these things as I'm checking, testing, and checking data.
So I was ever so thrilled to come home and discover that my Etsy orders had arrived!
A necklace and several bracelets - all very chunky, very pretty, and beautifully crafted. They're from Charlene at CS Designs - handmade, and fantastic quality.
I'd hesitate to call it glitzy. It's more earthy - which is much more my style. And when I wear the bracelets on the same arm, they make a very satisfying noise. It's hard to explain. If I'd been wearing these while I tested my data, I would have had a nicer day. I'm sure of it.
Definitely recommended! Charlene is a real artist when it comes to design, and I'm so happy with these pieces. And they were very affordable!
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Thursday.
Thursday.
I shouldn't have said anything yesterday...because today, instead of leaving work thirty minutes after goin' home time, it was forty-five! Gack!
Why does this always happen when I take a day off? It's like the universe conspires to make the rest of the week hellish. Oh, well. At least tomorrow is Friday...and I am wearing my domo-kun t-shirt. I am determined!
Why does this always happen when I take a day off? It's like the universe conspires to make the rest of the week hellish. Oh, well. At least tomorrow is Friday...and I am wearing my domo-kun t-shirt. I am determined!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Monday. Er. Um. Wednesday.
Monday. Er. Um. Wednesday.
Thanks for the comments on the sweater. I'm going to leave the buttons as they are...personally, I like them, and this is baby number four for my cousin, and the kids are all fairly young, so I don't think they're going to be too worried about coordinating outfits.
Today was one of those days when I wish I could talk about everything that happened, but can't, so I won't. Darn it all. All I can say is that when I got home, I immediately stopped to buy a lottery ticket. And a chocolate bar. And licorice. I love my job, but I do not love coming home with a stress headache and thirty minutes after goin' home time.
So, here I am, eating my licorice, blogging, and looking worriedly at the diminishing levels of licroice in the bag. I'm going to need a bigger bag.
Today was one of those days when I wish I could talk about everything that happened, but can't, so I won't. Darn it all. All I can say is that when I got home, I immediately stopped to buy a lottery ticket. And a chocolate bar. And licorice. I love my job, but I do not love coming home with a stress headache and thirty minutes after goin' home time.
So, here I am, eating my licorice, blogging, and looking worriedly at the diminishing levels of licroice in the bag. I'm going to need a bigger bag.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Tuesday.
Tuesday.
Well, the four day weekend is drawing to a close. How I wish it were a five day weekend. It was really nice to be off...and to sleep in!
I finished the sweater I've been knitting for my cousin's new baby.
It's the Trellis pattern from Knitty.com. This is the fourth Trellis I've made. This is the 3 month size, and I used two skeins of Patons Canadiana yarn, in the 'pink' colourway.
I went with ladybug buttons...I've always liked them, and these buttons are a pretty hefty plastic. I don't think they'll chip or break, and the red goes well with the pink.
I think they'll like the sweater. I do!
I finished the sweater I've been knitting for my cousin's new baby.
It's the Trellis pattern from Knitty.com. This is the fourth Trellis I've made. This is the 3 month size, and I used two skeins of Patons Canadiana yarn, in the 'pink' colourway.
I went with ladybug buttons...I've always liked them, and these buttons are a pretty hefty plastic. I don't think they'll chip or break, and the red goes well with the pink.
I think they'll like the sweater. I do!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Monday.
Monday.
It's a public holiday in the province - the rest of the country is stuck at work, but not us!
I just got my next book to review from Random House - The Cubicle Survival Guide: Keeping Your Cool in the Least Hospitable Environment on Earth by James F. Thompson. There's a chapter called 'Illness, Bodily Functions, and Injuries' and another called 'Entertaining Guests and Unannounced Visitors.' I opened the book and read this:
'Red eye and other symptoms can be the amateur doctor's toughest diagnosis, and a challenge that tempts cubicle inhabitants across the nation into breaching the unwritten Don't ask, don't tell corporate policy regarding obvious ailments, injuries, and conspicuous wounds.'
Or this little gem:
'On the cubicle farm, nothing furrows eyebrows, wrinkles noses, or twists faces more than food that stinks. In a stale and colorless environment such as the workplace, smells take on added dimensions. They are more defined, ambulant, and ghostly. Chicken a la king becomes a poltergeist that haunts the accounting department.'
I think I'm going to have fun with this one.
And the gift card arrived!
It took a while to finally decide what to order...but I managed to decide, and I've got about thirty dollars left over and sitting on account. That'll put a dent in my Harry Potter pre-order.
Nothing like shopping for free.
Except, perhaps, hiding out in a shopping bag. Apparently, that never gets old.
I just got my next book to review from Random House - The Cubicle Survival Guide: Keeping Your Cool in the Least Hospitable Environment on Earth by James F. Thompson. There's a chapter called 'Illness, Bodily Functions, and Injuries' and another called 'Entertaining Guests and Unannounced Visitors.' I opened the book and read this:
'Red eye and other symptoms can be the amateur doctor's toughest diagnosis, and a challenge that tempts cubicle inhabitants across the nation into breaching the unwritten Don't ask, don't tell corporate policy regarding obvious ailments, injuries, and conspicuous wounds.'
Or this little gem:
'On the cubicle farm, nothing furrows eyebrows, wrinkles noses, or twists faces more than food that stinks. In a stale and colorless environment such as the workplace, smells take on added dimensions. They are more defined, ambulant, and ghostly. Chicken a la king becomes a poltergeist that haunts the accounting department.'
I think I'm going to have fun with this one.
And the gift card arrived!
It took a while to finally decide what to order...but I managed to decide, and I've got about thirty dollars left over and sitting on account. That'll put a dent in my Harry Potter pre-order.
Nothing like shopping for free.
Except, perhaps, hiding out in a shopping bag. Apparently, that never gets old.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Sunday.
Sunday.
So, Sunday. It came, and it went. My back is still sore, but not as bad as it was. I did laundry, caught up on 24 and Battlestar Galactica, and forgot to set the dvr up to record Amazing Race. That last one isn't such a tragedy - I can get the repeat tomorrow on OLN. Good thing, too, because I'm recording it for a friend.
I watched a documentary on storm chasers this afternoon. It aired on the CBC a couple of weeks ago (I get a bit behind - thankfully, the dvr has a 100 gig hard drive, which gives me about forty-five hours of high quality recording). It was strange...the story is about the people that like to chase tornadoes in the American midwest. It sounds awfully exciting. I know I enjoy watching the big storms sweep through Calgary. But the odd thing was a moment when you hear somebody exclaiming, off camera, that a house just went up. He was gleeful.
I suppose it was the excitement of the moment, but it really got me thinking. And now I think there might be a story in it. Just a short one, but a story nonetheless.
Book review: Enter the Babylon System.
I watched a documentary on storm chasers this afternoon. It aired on the CBC a couple of weeks ago (I get a bit behind - thankfully, the dvr has a 100 gig hard drive, which gives me about forty-five hours of high quality recording). It was strange...the story is about the people that like to chase tornadoes in the American midwest. It sounds awfully exciting. I know I enjoy watching the big storms sweep through Calgary. But the odd thing was a moment when you hear somebody exclaiming, off camera, that a house just went up. He was gleeful.
I suppose it was the excitement of the moment, but it really got me thinking. And now I think there might be a story in it. Just a short one, but a story nonetheless.
Book review: Enter the Babylon System.
Book Review: Enter the Babylon System: Unpacking Gun Culture From Samuel Colt to 50 Cent by Rodrigo Bascuñán and Christian Pearce.
Published by Random House Canada (2007).
Notable: quite possibly the only book known to contain quotes from Noam Chomsky, 50 Cent, and Mikhail Kalashnikov.
I don't know much about guns; I don't know much about rap. Quite frankly, I'm more than a little mystified by the lyrics and the names rap artists choose for themselves...and the gun culture that is spreading so rapidly through our society scares me. I don't agree with the right to bear arms, unless you're a cop, a soldier, or a farmer with livestock to protect from coyotes. Nobody else needs to have a gun.
I remember driving to Jane and Finch with my parents to visit my grandmother and my uncle's family. It was a relief when we stopped going. Even then, it was a scary neighbourhood. That kind of fear, though, does little to help in the understanding of how to neutralize and combat gun culture, much less how to keep our children safe. You hear about shootings in the big cities, and you hear about how popular music is glorifying 'thug' culture and a violent life that seems to spit in the face of any kind of peaceful and productive life. This is not a book, I think, that disputes that gun culture and hip hop culture is contributing to that. This is a book, however, that tries to trace where it's coming from, and how it is affecting communities.
As you read the book, though, you begin to understand the bigger picture: just how entrenched gun culture is within a North American context, and just how much money goes into the industry. Not the hip-hop industry. The arms industry. It's horrifying.
I had a hard time deciding how to characterize the book. It's incredibly well-written, with a conversational tone that keeps pace with the reader. I liked it. The writers struck me as friendly, thoughtful people, and it shows as they discuss issues like guns in media and the movies, and how children are exposed to gun violence at an early age, and how films carrying a PG rating depict guns, but not the consequences of their use.
It's hard to tell, at times, whether the book is a defense of hip-hop culture's seeming glorification of gun violence, or a condemnation of it. The more I read, the more I thought I was being invited to draw my own conclusion. Bascuñán and Pearce are co-owners of a magazine dedicated to hip-hop music, though, and their interest, I think, is in promoting it.
The book's language can, at times, be disturbing and graphic. I didn't enjoy it, nor was I terribly thrilled with the rap lyrics that sprinkle the text. But...I don't like rap to begin with.
It is, I suppose, something of an oddity. I don't know who the book is targeted towards...because there are aspects of it that appeal to somebody like me, but there are sections that I know would be appealing to others. The context is very Canadian, but includes a great deal of American content. I can see how a book like this would be very useful to social workers and youth workers...really anybody who is involved in advocacy and social justice work.
I admit: I put off writing the review, because I couldn't decide how I felt about the book. I did learn a lot. I enjoyed some of it, but not all of it. It's well written, but it's not a subject I would tend to seek out. One of the best ways to sum up the book, I think, is a quote from the final chapter, 'Unloading.'
When some of the world's most powerful people are so absolutely corrupt, so ready to go wild with their guns in order to fatten their pockets, it's really hard to convince intelligent youth that hip-hop is a serious threat to our collective safety. The effect of drive-by shootings is worrisome, but what about the effect of drive-by headlines: CORRUPTION, MILITARIZATION, DECEPTION, INVASION? When we speak of Babylon, we are not referring to a skin colour, nor are we pointing to any place on a map; we speak instead of a blinding and destructive greed as visible in the grimiest street as it is in the squeakiest-clean office.
My advice? Pick it up and try it, because chances are you'll learn something. Also, the cover scares people away from the empty seat next to you on the bus. There's an excerpt available here. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on the book. There's a contest to win a free copy this week, too.
Note: the publisher sent me a free copy of the book for review purposes. No other compensation was received.
Published by Random House Canada (2007).
Notable: quite possibly the only book known to contain quotes from Noam Chomsky, 50 Cent, and Mikhail Kalashnikov.
I don't know much about guns; I don't know much about rap. Quite frankly, I'm more than a little mystified by the lyrics and the names rap artists choose for themselves...and the gun culture that is spreading so rapidly through our society scares me. I don't agree with the right to bear arms, unless you're a cop, a soldier, or a farmer with livestock to protect from coyotes. Nobody else needs to have a gun.
I remember driving to Jane and Finch with my parents to visit my grandmother and my uncle's family. It was a relief when we stopped going. Even then, it was a scary neighbourhood. That kind of fear, though, does little to help in the understanding of how to neutralize and combat gun culture, much less how to keep our children safe. You hear about shootings in the big cities, and you hear about how popular music is glorifying 'thug' culture and a violent life that seems to spit in the face of any kind of peaceful and productive life. This is not a book, I think, that disputes that gun culture and hip hop culture is contributing to that. This is a book, however, that tries to trace where it's coming from, and how it is affecting communities.
As you read the book, though, you begin to understand the bigger picture: just how entrenched gun culture is within a North American context, and just how much money goes into the industry. Not the hip-hop industry. The arms industry. It's horrifying.
I had a hard time deciding how to characterize the book. It's incredibly well-written, with a conversational tone that keeps pace with the reader. I liked it. The writers struck me as friendly, thoughtful people, and it shows as they discuss issues like guns in media and the movies, and how children are exposed to gun violence at an early age, and how films carrying a PG rating depict guns, but not the consequences of their use.
It's hard to tell, at times, whether the book is a defense of hip-hop culture's seeming glorification of gun violence, or a condemnation of it. The more I read, the more I thought I was being invited to draw my own conclusion. Bascuñán and Pearce are co-owners of a magazine dedicated to hip-hop music, though, and their interest, I think, is in promoting it.
The book's language can, at times, be disturbing and graphic. I didn't enjoy it, nor was I terribly thrilled with the rap lyrics that sprinkle the text. But...I don't like rap to begin with.
It is, I suppose, something of an oddity. I don't know who the book is targeted towards...because there are aspects of it that appeal to somebody like me, but there are sections that I know would be appealing to others. The context is very Canadian, but includes a great deal of American content. I can see how a book like this would be very useful to social workers and youth workers...really anybody who is involved in advocacy and social justice work.
I admit: I put off writing the review, because I couldn't decide how I felt about the book. I did learn a lot. I enjoyed some of it, but not all of it. It's well written, but it's not a subject I would tend to seek out. One of the best ways to sum up the book, I think, is a quote from the final chapter, 'Unloading.'
When some of the world's most powerful people are so absolutely corrupt, so ready to go wild with their guns in order to fatten their pockets, it's really hard to convince intelligent youth that hip-hop is a serious threat to our collective safety. The effect of drive-by shootings is worrisome, but what about the effect of drive-by headlines: CORRUPTION, MILITARIZATION, DECEPTION, INVASION? When we speak of Babylon, we are not referring to a skin colour, nor are we pointing to any place on a map; we speak instead of a blinding and destructive greed as visible in the grimiest street as it is in the squeakiest-clean office.
My advice? Pick it up and try it, because chances are you'll learn something. Also, the cover scares people away from the empty seat next to you on the bus. There's an excerpt available here. I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts on the book. There's a contest to win a free copy this week, too.
Note: the publisher sent me a free copy of the book for review purposes. No other compensation was received.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Saturday.
Saturday.
It was a middling day. Not a bad one, and a nice one. I slept in and my back is less sore today than it was yesterday. Still a bit funny, though. A friend called just after lunch and we went to Make One Yarns to buy her birthday present (can you guess what we got?!) and to sit and knit.
I've been too sore to really sit and knit this week, but I was able to sit on the comfy couch at the store and cast on for a sock. I ripped it out when I got home, though - the gauge was a little off. I'm using Colinette Jitterbug, and it's a lovely flaming red. I also picked up this pattern and some ArtYarns silk mohair to make it.
I'm still feeling tired and dizzy - I think it's the accumulating effect of the last few weeks. I won't start to worry until the cats start following me around and watching me. All they seem to do right now is sit around and yawn.
I've been too sore to really sit and knit this week, but I was able to sit on the comfy couch at the store and cast on for a sock. I ripped it out when I got home, though - the gauge was a little off. I'm using Colinette Jitterbug, and it's a lovely flaming red. I also picked up this pattern and some ArtYarns silk mohair to make it.
I'm still feeling tired and dizzy - I think it's the accumulating effect of the last few weeks. I won't start to worry until the cats start following me around and watching me. All they seem to do right now is sit around and yawn.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Friday!
Friday!
Friday here, and I couldn't be happier. Monday is a holiday in the province, and I took Tuesday off, too. Four day weekend! I predict much knitting, writing, and viewing of 1940s era war movies.
The karma truck seems to have dropped off a delivery for me. I got an email from a marketing firm, and I won a $200 gift certificate to Chapters (a Canadian big box book store) after filling out a survey. I put my name in for the draw, and it's a good thing I did! Now I have the delightful task of filling a shopping cart and thinking about my book choices while I wait for the envelope to arrive from Toronto.
Proof that the universe seeks to equalize the damage done by jerks and idiots everywhere.
But what to order? So far, I have:
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago
The Annotated Waste Land with Eliot's Contemporary Prose: Second Edition by T. S. Eliot and Lawrence Rainey
Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
World War Z by Max Brooks (I already have a copy of the zombie survival guide)
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 edited by Laura Furman
Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith (part of a myth retelling series)
The Helmet Of Horror by Victor Pelevin (also part of the myth series)
That takes me to the two-thirds point.
Recommendations?
from last week
The karma truck seems to have dropped off a delivery for me. I got an email from a marketing firm, and I won a $200 gift certificate to Chapters (a Canadian big box book store) after filling out a survey. I put my name in for the draw, and it's a good thing I did! Now I have the delightful task of filling a shopping cart and thinking about my book choices while I wait for the envelope to arrive from Toronto.
Proof that the universe seeks to equalize the damage done by jerks and idiots everywhere.
But what to order? So far, I have:
The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis by Jose Saramago
The Annotated Waste Land with Eliot's Contemporary Prose: Second Edition by T. S. Eliot and Lawrence Rainey
Victorian Lace Today by Jane Sowerby
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
World War Z by Max Brooks (I already have a copy of the zombie survival guide)
The O. Henry Prize Stories 2007 edited by Laura Furman
Dream Angus by Alexander McCall Smith (part of a myth retelling series)
The Helmet Of Horror by Victor Pelevin (also part of the myth series)
That takes me to the two-thirds point.
Recommendations?
from last week
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Thursday.
Thursday.
Gasp! Is it...could it be...?
Yes!
The sun!
At five o'clock!
Granted, it didn't stay bright for long, but that's more late afternoon sunshine than I've seen in a long time.
Yes!
The sun!
At five o'clock!
Granted, it didn't stay bright for long, but that's more late afternoon sunshine than I've seen in a long time.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Wednesday.
Wednesday.
Well, yes, I do feel better today. I'm stiff and sore, and hobbling around like a little old lady. I think I broke my sitting bones. It sure feels that way. I toyed with the idea of walking to the same intersection this evening and waiting around for the jerk in the mini, but decided, wisely, to walk home by the river instead. Less chance of me disemboweling somebody.
And probably more soothing to see the river valley, too.
The temperature should be rising sometime tomorrow morning. I'll believe it when I see it.
The river hasn't completely still - you can see little channels of rushing water.
Most of it, though, is frozen.
Thanks for the concern. And mini driver horn honker man? You suck.
And probably more soothing to see the river valley, too.
The temperature should be rising sometime tomorrow morning. I'll believe it when I see it.
The river hasn't completely still - you can see little channels of rushing water.
Most of it, though, is frozen.
Thanks for the concern. And mini driver horn honker man? You suck.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Stupid f*&@ing drivers, stupid f*&@ing city, stupid f*&@ing city hall.
Stupid f*&@ing drivers, stupid f*&@ing city, stupid f*&@ing city hall.
Dear stupid f*&@ing driver in the red and white mini cooper at the intersection of Bowness and 37 St NW. You are, perhaps, the stupidest, most arrogant dumb f*&@ alive in the world and sitting at the intersection. The green light means I have the right of way. The white pedestrian signal means I get to cross. Because I know how inconvenient it is for you, you stupid dumb f*&@ picking up your kid from school in your yuppy car, looking for all the world like a man who couldn't pay a hooker all the money in the world to take pity on him, to have to wait thirty seconds for me to get across the world.
I understand that the weight of the world is on your pathetic little shoulders. I get that it's hard to be a jerk and an a#$hole all the time. I can understand that you felt the need to honk your horn - you're such a big man, aren't you? - at me as I tried to cross the road, even though I was being careful to make sure you saw me.
Of course you saw me. But what right do I have to cross the road, when you've got important things to do?
Thanks so much for laughing at me when I slipped and fell. I, of course, love to fall in the middle of the road and hurt myself, and yes, I'll do it again if you ask.
Of course, it's a good thing you sped away. Because, motherf*&@er, if I'd managed to get your license plate, I'd be on the phone with the police right now.
I can only hope something equally painful and humiliating happens to you tonight.
Oh, and the city? Mayor Bronconnier? Alderman? Thanks for making sure that the roads weren't properly plowed or cleared. I had a great time.
Edit: now on second cup of 'tension tamer' tea. Back and neck hurt. Soak in bathtub planned. Not crying anymore. Still wishing I had the license plate. And superhero powers of legendary proportions. Melting metal with mind would have been useful.
I understand that the weight of the world is on your pathetic little shoulders. I get that it's hard to be a jerk and an a#$hole all the time. I can understand that you felt the need to honk your horn - you're such a big man, aren't you? - at me as I tried to cross the road, even though I was being careful to make sure you saw me.
Of course you saw me. But what right do I have to cross the road, when you've got important things to do?
Thanks so much for laughing at me when I slipped and fell. I, of course, love to fall in the middle of the road and hurt myself, and yes, I'll do it again if you ask.
Of course, it's a good thing you sped away. Because, motherf*&@er, if I'd managed to get your license plate, I'd be on the phone with the police right now.
I can only hope something equally painful and humiliating happens to you tonight.
Oh, and the city? Mayor Bronconnier? Alderman? Thanks for making sure that the roads weren't properly plowed or cleared. I had a great time.
Edit: now on second cup of 'tension tamer' tea. Back and neck hurt. Soak in bathtub planned. Not crying anymore. Still wishing I had the license plate. And superhero powers of legendary proportions. Melting metal with mind would have been useful.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Monday.
Monday.
I rarely have good things to say about Mondays. It doesn't help when the commute to work takes so long that a person has to get off the bus and walk to make the next bus connection. Or that a person passed both her bus and another bus of the same route on her way to meet the connection.
Nor does getting into the office with one minute to spare and then discovering that said office has implemented meetings on Monday mornings. If I was a cartoon character, I would have had a thought bubble with a black scribble in it.
I'm just not a morning person.
The river is freezing over. This point was mostly open water last week.
It is terribly scenic, though.
I expect that the freezing in our section will take place completely if the weather stays cold for the rest of the week. The slushy top coat is the first stage to ice.
We do have a chinook forecast for Wednesday, but I'm curious to see whether or not the prediction holds. It's not unusual for these things to change, and quickly.
Not quite picnic weather yet, I think.
The snow just keeps on falling. I know that there's been some worried discussion about the weather around here, and the amount of snow we're getting, but snowfalls like these do happen. We get days and days of it, and it's fine, small flakes that sift down and gather in little cold dunes and piles. The piles grow, and before you know it, you can cut across the grass to move from the bike path to the walk path without getting snow down the sides of your sneakers.
I still don't mind. This weather hasn't been as destructive as the flooding and never-ending rain we had a couple years ago (I enjoyed that, too), and it's pretty to watch. Particularly on a Sunday, when you know you don't have to leave the apartment for anything.
The light changes when it snows. The afternoons are blinding and bright, but the nighttime brings a sky that's almost pink. It's the colours I remember from the days when I used to look out my bedroom window late at night, hoping for a snow day.
Okay, okay. I still look out my window and hope for snow days.
Nor does getting into the office with one minute to spare and then discovering that said office has implemented meetings on Monday mornings. If I was a cartoon character, I would have had a thought bubble with a black scribble in it.
I'm just not a morning person.
The river is freezing over. This point was mostly open water last week.
It is terribly scenic, though.
I expect that the freezing in our section will take place completely if the weather stays cold for the rest of the week. The slushy top coat is the first stage to ice.
We do have a chinook forecast for Wednesday, but I'm curious to see whether or not the prediction holds. It's not unusual for these things to change, and quickly.
Not quite picnic weather yet, I think.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
And still it snows.
And still it snows.
The snow just keeps on falling. I know that there's been some worried discussion about the weather around here, and the amount of snow we're getting, but snowfalls like these do happen. We get days and days of it, and it's fine, small flakes that sift down and gather in little cold dunes and piles. The piles grow, and before you know it, you can cut across the grass to move from the bike path to the walk path without getting snow down the sides of your sneakers.
I still don't mind. This weather hasn't been as destructive as the flooding and never-ending rain we had a couple years ago (I enjoyed that, too), and it's pretty to watch. Particularly on a Sunday, when you know you don't have to leave the apartment for anything.
The light changes when it snows. The afternoons are blinding and bright, but the nighttime brings a sky that's almost pink. It's the colours I remember from the days when I used to look out my bedroom window late at night, hoping for a snow day.
Okay, okay. I still look out my window and hope for snow days.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Saturday and the pimped out pencil case.
Saturday and the pimped out pencil case.
I'm feeling much better, thank you. I suspect that it was a combination of the stress and overtiredness of the last week and the evil that is edible oil product. What a waste of a vacation day.
I did, however, finish my sock.
The yarn is Lang Super Soxx, in colour 630.0053 (sometimes billed as 6353). I knit the sock on 2.75mm needles, with 48 stitches cast on and a gauge of 7 stitches per inch. The heel flap was 24 stitches, and the heel was twelve stitches.
I've been making myself socks that I can wear to work, which is why the number of stitches is less than you'd usually use. The sock isn't tight - after washing, at least - but it fits a lot closer, and more like a commercial sock...so it's easier to wear with work shoes. It's something I haven't quite figured out: you see people taking pictures of handknit socks in nice shoes, and I always wonder if they just go up a size in the shoe, or down a size in the sock.
Taking sock pictures is not without an element of risk.
Meanwhile, I'm slowly working away on the writing thing. A while ago, I ordered a gadget case from the Organized Knitter. I already have one, and they're just about the handiest things going.
This one, however, has been subverted.
From left to right: a fancy eraser, my sensa pen, fancy Japanese fine point pen that a friend sent me. In pocket: regular uniball on top, and an Itoya Xenon pen (cheaper Japanese pen that I got for myself - about five dollars for the body, and it's refillable with gel ballpoint ink cartridges). Two artist's quality HB pens (because they're mostly smudgeproof, so good for writing), the second fancy pen that the friend sent me. A pocket of paperclips, and a mini vivid green gel pen and small art book that a beloved colleague sent me.
So, while the writing may be a bit slow, I have completely pimped out my pencil case. When it's all folded up, it's about the same size as my large moleksine, so it's a tidy parcel.
I'm also in the process of changing my residency dates at the Banff Centre. I found out that a friend from Mexico was approved for a music residency later in the year, so I'm moving my dates around so that we overlap. That means that this residency will see the return of midnight chess madness and the notorious after-dinner indoor soccer. It'll be good for my work schedule as well, because we're very limited with the time we can take in the summer. If I move my dates, it'll open up the last week of August for somebody else (hopefully somebody with kids). I'll push my vacation time into September...which is good, too, since it'll be a bit cooler by then.
Speaking of which - it's a balmy -15oC outside.
I love this weather.
I did, however, finish my sock.
The yarn is Lang Super Soxx, in colour 630.0053 (sometimes billed as 6353). I knit the sock on 2.75mm needles, with 48 stitches cast on and a gauge of 7 stitches per inch. The heel flap was 24 stitches, and the heel was twelve stitches.
I've been making myself socks that I can wear to work, which is why the number of stitches is less than you'd usually use. The sock isn't tight - after washing, at least - but it fits a lot closer, and more like a commercial sock...so it's easier to wear with work shoes. It's something I haven't quite figured out: you see people taking pictures of handknit socks in nice shoes, and I always wonder if they just go up a size in the shoe, or down a size in the sock.
Taking sock pictures is not without an element of risk.
Meanwhile, I'm slowly working away on the writing thing. A while ago, I ordered a gadget case from the Organized Knitter. I already have one, and they're just about the handiest things going.
This one, however, has been subverted.
From left to right: a fancy eraser, my sensa pen, fancy Japanese fine point pen that a friend sent me. In pocket: regular uniball on top, and an Itoya Xenon pen (cheaper Japanese pen that I got for myself - about five dollars for the body, and it's refillable with gel ballpoint ink cartridges). Two artist's quality HB pens (because they're mostly smudgeproof, so good for writing), the second fancy pen that the friend sent me. A pocket of paperclips, and a mini vivid green gel pen and small art book that a beloved colleague sent me.
So, while the writing may be a bit slow, I have completely pimped out my pencil case. When it's all folded up, it's about the same size as my large moleksine, so it's a tidy parcel.
I'm also in the process of changing my residency dates at the Banff Centre. I found out that a friend from Mexico was approved for a music residency later in the year, so I'm moving my dates around so that we overlap. That means that this residency will see the return of midnight chess madness and the notorious after-dinner indoor soccer. It'll be good for my work schedule as well, because we're very limited with the time we can take in the summer. If I move my dates, it'll open up the last week of August for somebody else (hopefully somebody with kids). I'll push my vacation time into September...which is good, too, since it'll be a bit cooler by then.
Speaking of which - it's a balmy -15oC outside.
I love this weather.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Friday.
Friday.
Not much to report here. A quiet day, more or less, but I have just this one thing to say:
I will never, upon my life, eat Cool Whip again.
Signed,
up at 4am.
I will never, upon my life, eat Cool Whip again.
Signed,
up at 4am.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Thursday.
Thursday.
This is mostly a knit blog, and not a weather blog. So, as proof, I produce exhibit a.
Stripey socks. I might finish the second sock this weekend...and then I'll start another pair right away. I am slowly building my sock wardrobe up to a respectable level.
It's still snowing outside. I don't think the snow has stopped all week, but the flakes are really small...so it's just incredibly pretty. The roads are a mess, and the bus this morning looked like one of the scenes on Amazing Race when they're in India and forced to - horrors - get on a train crammed full of people. Lucky for me, though - I can wait for a different route and get a seat. I was tempted to whip out my camera and take a picture, but I wasn't fast enough.
The river is freezing, too.
I took tomorrow off, so this is my Friday. Hurray! We've been busily implementing new parts of components and processes (many of them), and stuff that wasn't working for me a few days ago is finally starting to work now. It's a little frightening to be the one handling some of this stuff (not alone - I have a crack team of fellow techies to work with), but it seems to be making sense. Strange things happen at times, but I'm beginning to expect and predict the weirdness, and we've been able to maneuver around a lot of it.
Things are looking up. Enough that I am starting to insert jokey remarks into my procedure emails. So much so, in fact, that I wrote 'escaped! back monday!' on our in/out board. I feel a little like I'm playing hooky, but I really need a day to goof off and not think about Janice. She'll be waiting for me when I get back.
I still need to figure out the night time settings on my for-walking-around camera.
The pony hasn't arrived yet, either. I'm still waiting.
Stripey socks. I might finish the second sock this weekend...and then I'll start another pair right away. I am slowly building my sock wardrobe up to a respectable level.
It's still snowing outside. I don't think the snow has stopped all week, but the flakes are really small...so it's just incredibly pretty. The roads are a mess, and the bus this morning looked like one of the scenes on Amazing Race when they're in India and forced to - horrors - get on a train crammed full of people. Lucky for me, though - I can wait for a different route and get a seat. I was tempted to whip out my camera and take a picture, but I wasn't fast enough.
The river is freezing, too.
I took tomorrow off, so this is my Friday. Hurray! We've been busily implementing new parts of components and processes (many of them), and stuff that wasn't working for me a few days ago is finally starting to work now. It's a little frightening to be the one handling some of this stuff (not alone - I have a crack team of fellow techies to work with), but it seems to be making sense. Strange things happen at times, but I'm beginning to expect and predict the weirdness, and we've been able to maneuver around a lot of it.
Things are looking up. Enough that I am starting to insert jokey remarks into my procedure emails. So much so, in fact, that I wrote 'escaped! back monday!' on our in/out board. I feel a little like I'm playing hooky, but I really need a day to goof off and not think about Janice. She'll be waiting for me when I get back.
I still need to figure out the night time settings on my for-walking-around camera.
The pony hasn't arrived yet, either. I'm still waiting.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Wednesday.
Wednesday.
We're getting lots of snow, and I couldn't be happier. It's beautiful outside...it's been snowing all day long, and it's lovely. My only regret is that the light is fading by the time I'm on my way home, and the pictures aren't brighter.
It's been chilly, but my snow pants are up to the job.
Nor am I worried about the buses being late in the morning. I had another client email a supervisor with nice things to say about me, so I'm not going to fret over it. I'm inching ever closer to getting a pony as a reward. I just know it.
That's not to say that a gift certificate wouldn't be nice. It would. But I'd rather have a pony.
Or a llama.
When I mentioned this, my boss said that we'd have to discuss it.
Apparently, having a pony in the office necessitates conversations about where it will be kept, who will feed it, whose office it sleeps in...
So we'll see.
It's been chilly, but my snow pants are up to the job.
Nor am I worried about the buses being late in the morning. I had another client email a supervisor with nice things to say about me, so I'm not going to fret over it. I'm inching ever closer to getting a pony as a reward. I just know it.
That's not to say that a gift certificate wouldn't be nice. It would. But I'd rather have a pony.
Or a llama.
When I mentioned this, my boss said that we'd have to discuss it.
Apparently, having a pony in the office necessitates conversations about where it will be kept, who will feed it, whose office it sleeps in...
So we'll see.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Tuesday.
Tuesday.
I'm afraid the pictures I take on my way home are becoming a bit dreary.
It's that time of year, I'm afraid. Things look kind of bleak and cold in the late afternoon, and there's not much to see except slush, trees without leaves, and oh...snow. I'm not sure that Photoshop filters can do much to help.
If my walk home were a movie, it'd be one of those strange black and white ones. It wouldn't be in English, and the subtitles would be cryptic. You'd be left wondering what the heck you'd just seen, and if it was appropriate to eat popcorn while you're watching.
Sorry. Spring is coming...or so I hear. Hard to know how accurate things are when you're relying on a gopher instead of a groundhog to tell you about the coming year!
It's that time of year, I'm afraid. Things look kind of bleak and cold in the late afternoon, and there's not much to see except slush, trees without leaves, and oh...snow. I'm not sure that Photoshop filters can do much to help.
If my walk home were a movie, it'd be one of those strange black and white ones. It wouldn't be in English, and the subtitles would be cryptic. You'd be left wondering what the heck you'd just seen, and if it was appropriate to eat popcorn while you're watching.
Sorry. Spring is coming...or so I hear. Hard to know how accurate things are when you're relying on a gopher instead of a groundhog to tell you about the coming year!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Monday.
Monday.
As I'm writing this, it's +3oC outside. Here's the forecast for this evening and the rest of the week:
Dear me.
I greatly enjoyed my Lord of the Rings marathon - watching all of the movies in a weekend isn't overkill, and you get a feel for the movie as one long story instead of three smaller ones. I'm tempted to try all three in one day (the extended versions, of course), but I'll save that for when I'm on vacation...six months away.
Kristie posted a link to this article, where Cary Tennis describes why he writes. I especially like this line:
Here is the big main thing I learned: My writing is not here to support me. I am here to support my writing.
I agree...although I will argue that writing supports me. It sustains me with plot ideas and thoughts of characters and scenes during all manner of insufferable things. Long bus rides, boring conversations, line ups...
...and yes, I'm working on a new story right now. w00t!
Dear me.
I greatly enjoyed my Lord of the Rings marathon - watching all of the movies in a weekend isn't overkill, and you get a feel for the movie as one long story instead of three smaller ones. I'm tempted to try all three in one day (the extended versions, of course), but I'll save that for when I'm on vacation...six months away.
Kristie posted a link to this article, where Cary Tennis describes why he writes. I especially like this line:
Here is the big main thing I learned: My writing is not here to support me. I am here to support my writing.
I agree...although I will argue that writing supports me. It sustains me with plot ideas and thoughts of characters and scenes during all manner of insufferable things. Long bus rides, boring conversations, line ups...
...and yes, I'm working on a new story right now. w00t!
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Sunday.
Sunday.
I'm about to start The Two Towers. I'd almost forgotten how much I love the movies - the opening scene with the Shire is so pretty that it brings tears to my eyes. I'm looking forward to seeing the battle for Helm's Deep again.
I had a good sleep last night, and I'm feeling more rested. I think the week has caught up with me, though, because I'm feeling dizzy and tippy again. Good times courtesy of vertigo, I guess!
So the plan for today: movies. Knit. Write. Rinse and repeat.
A picture of Christ Church in the UK, taken by a friend.
I don't have much to add today - just too tired!
Yes, indeedy! Almost the same bench, a few days later. There's been a very fine snow falling pretty much non-stop for a day and a half - give or take - and it's starting to add up. I don't mind...it's nice to walk home in.
And let me also say how nice it is to be walking home on a Friday. No plans for the weekend. Nothing. It may sound like I'm a planless singleton - and, well, yes...I am. But this planless singleton is going to have herself a Lord of the Rings marathon.
And knitting. What weekend would be complete without knitting?
The power of yarn compels me.
I had a good sleep last night, and I'm feeling more rested. I think the week has caught up with me, though, because I'm feeling dizzy and tippy again. Good times courtesy of vertigo, I guess!
So the plan for today: movies. Knit. Write. Rinse and repeat.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Saturday.
Saturday.
A picture of Christ Church in the UK, taken by a friend.
I don't have much to add today - just too tired!
Friday, February 02, 2007
Why yes, it's cold and snowy here.
Why yes, it's cold and snowy here.
Yes, indeedy! Almost the same bench, a few days later. There's been a very fine snow falling pretty much non-stop for a day and a half - give or take - and it's starting to add up. I don't mind...it's nice to walk home in.
And let me also say how nice it is to be walking home on a Friday. No plans for the weekend. Nothing. It may sound like I'm a planless singleton - and, well, yes...I am. But this planless singleton is going to have herself a Lord of the Rings marathon.
And knitting. What weekend would be complete without knitting?
The power of yarn compels me.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Thursday.
Thursday.
The old system is down, and for good.
We had a small wake for it. The new system finishes the last of its implementation over the next few days.
Tired? Me? Yes. And I'm only involved with a fraction of the setup for the new system. I can't imagine what it must be like to do this for a living all the time.
Can you believe it's already February? Where is the time going?
We had a small wake for it. The new system finishes the last of its implementation over the next few days.
Tired? Me? Yes. And I'm only involved with a fraction of the setup for the new system. I can't imagine what it must be like to do this for a living all the time.
Can you believe it's already February? Where is the time going?