Illustration

Here’s why only sociopaths cheer at a pro-war rally. And here’s another reason.

Last night

So last night I was in rather a foul mood after a long day at work (work was pleasant enough but the average one-way trip time of 2 hours made me a bit irritated) and some rather upsetting news stories. I think also just being in the US upsets me now also. Despite the fact that it is only maybe 150 km from Toronto, the US is a world away in atmosphere starting with gruff customs officers, continuing with pro-war bumper stickers, and not letting up until I get back over the border and am on my way home.

Maybe it’s the medium Tim Horton’s I pick up in Grimsby but once I get across the border, my mood improves quite a lot. Last night was no exception. After dropping the car off at the airport – getting rid of it as soon as I possibly can, I headed inside to get some change for the bus and picked up a croissant. The women at the kiosk were eating something that looked vaguely like candy and they noticed me looking. One of them held up a pod and in a heavy Jamaican accent asked me if I knew what it was. They all seemed shocked that I knew it was a tamarind pod and they were very curious as to where I’d had it, how I knew about it and where I was from that I would have any idea of what it was. A few minutes later I got on the bus filled with several people who obviously just arrived and were speaking several different languages.

Though I was tired, I was also hungry and I knew that by the time I would get home (9:00 at the earliest), I wouldn’t be up for figuring out dinner. So I took the opportunity to stop for dinner on my way home. I have been reading in many different places about the wonderful Vietnamese food that could be had at the Golden Turtle and seeing as it was something of an auspicious name for more than one reason I chose to go there. And because I was feeling guilty for eating poorly including lots of meat, I chose the veggie pho. With it I decided to try a drink called “iced peenywort (sic) leaves” which was quite tasty but very herb-ey (in a good way). It also wasn’t as sweet as I remember many Vietnamese drinks being(such as Soda Chanh or salted lemon drink). What I really wanted was to have a cafe den da (iced super-strong black coffee) but the last time I had one even as early as 5:00 PM I was wired until 2:00 AM. Anyway – what I’m trying and not being very successful at articulating is to say that while I was very upset in the last entry, I found it very cathartic to be back home in my city in familiar and comfortable sourroundings. Despite the fact that I really like my current client, I have to say that I will be glad when I am back on a Canadian project and don’t have to cross the border several times every week.

This is not a podcast

Podcast implies an end product that is too polished for what this is. This is me at the end of a long day, half way through a 2 1/2 hour drive home from the US on a particularly bad news day when I felt like I really wanted to write an entry but knew my schedule well enough that I was sure that if I waited until I had time to write what I was feeling I wouldn’t articulate it the way I wanted to at that moment. And for those who are wondering, I am in a much better mood than I left it at the end of that entry. Depending on how much time I have I may end up making another entry later talking about last night.

The podcast itself can be downloaded here.

Music by Jim’s Big Ego.

The article that got it started.

An interesting analysis of what Israel might really be up to. Want to read the original document that this page is commenting on? Have a look here.

Oh – and for those who are concerned about such things, the song has some rather strong language in it.

National Film Board Shorts Online

One of the better places for cheap family entertainment in Toronto is the National Film Board Mediatheque. Paul and I have gone there several times on the weekends for the excellent hands-on animation workshops for kids ($5/child). Each weeekend there is a new workshop with a different theme where kids can create their own short animated films with everything from paper to clay to coloured sand. If you’re thinking on your toes you can also bring a video tape and take your child’s work home with you. In addition to the workshops, there are also a number of free viewing stations where you can browse through and watch a number of films. The place is rarely busy and we’ve never had to wait for a viewing station the few times we’ve been.

Now the NFB has put many of their short animated films online. Paul is particularly fond of The Cat Came Back which we watch nearly ever time we go.

Also at the NFB, and at a booth in the Ontario Science Centre, you can watch Le Château de Sable (The Sand Castle) which has become a favourite of mine. There is something so pleasant and comforting about the whole 70’s feel of it. It is particularly welcome after several hours of running around the science centre with all of the people and the general din. It reminds me of some of the shows I would watch on PBS as a kid when I was home sick. Just watching the opening credits for this show nearly made me teary thinking back to a time when I was not much older than Paul, home sick from school, lying on the couch and watching PBS shows (until the grownup shows were on at which point I read Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing twice in a row. The biggest worry I had was if I was going to be able to keep that last bowl of chicken soup down. I miss the days before the world got really complicated and far scarier than I ever remember it being as a kid. I’m reminded of Deirdre Flint’s song I miss the 70s. (Want the whole song? Buy a copy here.)

More border crossing fun

So yesterday I went to NY again to visit my client. Mostly it was the usual questioning. However this time, I was not only asked whose car it was, but when I told him it was a rental, I was questioned as to why I had a rental. Of course the answer is simple – I don’t own a car. What did that answer get me? “You don’t own a car?” (said in the same tone as “You don’t own a toothbrush?”), and then a question as to who paid for it (my company) – “Your company pays for it?” (same tone). And yes, it is paid for since essentially driving as far as I did the mileage reimbursement is about the same cost as a rental so it makes more sense to rent even if I owned one in my opinon. Anyway, I think my lack of car ownership showed that I was suspicious enough – he asked me what I had in the trunk then asked me to turn off the car and give him the keys so he could look in the trunk. I offered to pop the trunk but he said that he’d still take care of it. Thinking a bit about it later I realized he did that so that I would neither take off nor back over him if I were some shady character (well, shadier than someone who doesn’t own a car in North America)

It’s Pavlovian!

Growing up I played a lot of video games. Not all the time, or anything, but enough that if playing video games for hours were equivalent to drinking to excess my friends might worry that while I wasn’t an alcoholic, I was at risk to become one.

Anyway – yesterday, as I was driving home from work (I’m on a remote site so I have to rent a car and commute ) the Gardiner Expressway was backed up and the alternate was Lakeshore Blvd. The difference between the traffic on the roads was quite significant – there were hardly any cars on Lakeshore. However, as the Grand Prix was here last weekend, Lakeshore was still set up with all of the barriers (with ads on them), and bleachers at the side of the road. The funny thing was that after years of playing video games, I found myself wanting to drive really fast to fit the environment as it were. Fortunately, though, I have impulse (and cruise) control and was able to drive like a grownup.

Of course I’m sitting here thinking now that perhaps there is something to those people talking about the detrimental effect of violent video games. After all – if driving in a grand prix track was enough to make part of my brain think speeding was a good idea after “driving” in similar situations in games, what does someone who plays, say, Grand Theft Auto think when they’re wandering in a city? And what do those people who don’t have good impulse control or aren’t terribly stable to begin with do? Is it something like this?

I’ve been tagged – Five Things

Well, I posted a comment before on Andrea’s blog that I wanted to do the 5 things meme but without a purse or a car, I couldn’t do half of it. Well, today, Kim tagged me with that same meme and I actually have a car for the day. SO:

Five things in my fridge:

1. Cauliflower that I need to use for cauliflower & potato curry soon or give up on
2. A few packages of pre-made roti and parathas
3. A container of almond milk (a friend said it was better than soy so I wanted to try it)
4. Homemade carrot pickles from the Indian grocery
5. A lot of the makings for salad that I had darned well better use soon.

Five things in my closet:

1. A large box of unsorted cables and connectors
2. A box of Blake’s 7 episodes and other old videos of ours
3. Lots of clothes (of course)
4. One of Kite’s handmade blankets
5. Sage (she happens to be recording at the moment)

Five things in my Backpack (purse):

1. A booklet describing our company’s benefits plan (needed to double-check dental benefits)
2. Several pages of a marked up document with comments I need to implement from a client.
3. My passport
4. A work permit from Immigration Canada
5. My mp3 player

Five things in my car:
(While it may look like it, I did not go out and specifically rent a car for this meme)

1. A rental agreement
2. A nasty cigarette smell (I could take it back but I’d have to give up a car that gets 40-50 mpg in favour of one that gets 20-25)
3. A radio that is currently tuned to the Air America station for Buffalo, NY.
4. A cup holder that will very soon be filled with a large regular from Tim Hortons
5. This really weird feature that freaked me out the first time I rented this car. I got in, put my backpack down on the passenger’s seat and started off. A few seconds later, the car started beeping worriedly at me. It took me a few minutes to realize that it thought my backpack was a person and they didn’t have their seat belt on.

And as for who I am tagging – most of those who I know who do memes are already participating. Any takers?

Video Mix

Now that a very old friend of mine finally has DSL, I can pass on some things (mix mp3s, videos, podcasts) that I wouldn’t have been able to before. This past weekend I made her a “video mix” – much of the content could have easily been from a mix tape that I made back in 1988. As a result, there are some guilty pleasures (and are therefore rather embarrassing) , some others that are in there as more of a tongue and cheek comment. She may be the only one interested and will certainly be the only one to completely understand. But in the interest of your getting a feel for what I might have been like at about 20, have a watch.

Note: Some content is from rated-R movies, others from videos banned from MTV. Watch carefully if kids are around. Better yet, wait until they go to sleep.

This just about sums it up

Wow – I am surprised that one photo can do such a good job of summing up the current world situation.