December 2008
11 posts
3 tags
Powerless
I spent my Boxing Day in the dark. Literally. Here’s the deal: My apartment is a shithole. Oh it looks nice enough and I try to keep it fairly clean. But, there’s the spot under the kitchen faucet that’s completely rotted, the inexplicable flaking paint in the bathroom and the places where the floor is separating from the joists that just scream “shithole apartment”....
2 tags
A Not Very Valentino Christmas
The usual trip to Windsor forgone this year (or, at least, postponed) Christmas was a very different beast this year. With all the usual Valentino traditions abandoned, the day didn’t feel much like Christmas. For one, I spent most of the day in a darkened movie theatre watching Bolt (cute and entertaining, though John Travolta is not a good voice actor) and The Curious Case of Benjamin...
2 tags
Bell gets what it deserves...
The following is a response, edited only to protect the identity of the sender, to Bell Canada upon their sending the 8th to 12th automatically generated “Thank you for your support request” email. These emails, for those that have not received one, are little more than spam as they come in both official languages and are filled with almost entirely useless links to different things to...
2 tags
Movie fest, Christmas style
I love watching movies. I’ll watch three, four, sometimes more in a sitting if given half a chance. This is especially true around the Christmas holidays when both free time and lack of will to leave the house frequently converge. When the weather outside is frightful, a glowing TV set, to me, is delightful.
I have two movie watching traditions around the holidays. Those who know me...
3 tags
Walking one's dog in winter
Toronto in winter is never as beautiful as when walking my dog immediately after a big snowfall. Trudging through piles of snow, leash in hand, bundled against the cold wind, snowflakes collecting on the brim of my hat and on Husker’s fur, I all but lose my usual disdain for winter in the city.
I, generally, find winters in Toronto, like winters in Ottawa and Windsor when I lived in those...
1 tag
On having two weeks off for the first time ever
[Note: this post was started on Friday, December 19.]
Working for a university has its perks.
Today, I started my first two week vacation in my working life. In fact, it’s really the first time I’ve ever had two whole weeks off in a row. I had longer stints without classes or exams in university, but there were always readings and papers to be done. Thus, that time off was spent...
2 tags
All I want this holiday season... →
I’m all for ousting Stephen Harper if (when) he doesn’t adequately respond to our current financial crisis. But, I really doubt that anyone would appreciate getting one of these e-cards… and not just because it’s the most prolix Flash animation ever made.
1 tag
These band names are taken
The following are actual names of actual bands. At least, that’s what I was told. My favourites in bold:
Alcoholocaust
Alcoholics Unanimous
Armageddon Dildos
Biff Hitler and the Violent Mood Swings
The Band Formerly Known As Sausage
Band Over
Barbara’s Bush
The Bourbon Tabernacle Choir
The Boxing Ghandis
Brady Bunch Lawnmower Massacre
Bulimia Banquet
Buster Hymen...
1 tag
This is not me... *sigh* →
So, does this mean that I’ll have to publish under a pseudonym?
2 tags
Always look on the bright side
I was tempted to write, after reading how the Governor General agreed to prorogue the current session of parliament in the Canadian House of Commons, to perform the written-word equivalent of jumping up and down screaming blue murder. But, in the seconds it took to log into this blog, I was able to calm myself down a little and look at the situation from a more Zen-like perspective. So, instead of...
1 tag
"... a betrayal of the voters of this country..."
This post’s title quotes some strong words from our illustrious Prime Minister, Stephen Harper. Yet, the only word that comes to mind when I hear anything from him these past few days is “hyperbole”. Mr. Harper is panicking because the targets of his political bullying have finally done the parlimentary equivalent of standing up and punching him in the nose. And, now, we watch as...
