2003 - Happy New Year

Wherever and however you celebrate ... enjoy and be safe.

Herb Ritts

You will be missed. An early gem here.

Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Merry - Merry times? Hey, did you have a Merry Christmas? How did things turn out for you and yours after all the work and time you put in preparing for the big day?

I had a great Christmas, thanks for asking. Lots of food, family and friends. My absolute favorite present ... here.

Twosome: Christmas - Christmas presents? Did you get what you wanted from Santa? ... or are you headed back to the stores with the rejects on 'Reverse Shopping Day'?

Yup, I did (see Onesome). In Canada, December 26 is Boxing Day, a national holiday. In recent years, it's become one of the busiest retail shopping days of the year. Or as Iike to refer to it, the day to go buy 'everything you wanted but didn't get for Christmas'.

Threesome: Everyone! - Is everyone back to the normal routine today, like work and homemaking and such. ... or are you still entertaining? ... or maybe just taking a well deserved break from it all?

I'm still trying to recover from all the pushing and shoving at the Boxing Day sales yesterday. My biggest coup was the pair of Kenneth Cole Reaction mules, regularly priced at C$220, snagged for C$80.

Seasons Greetings

Happy Holidays to those that are celebrating the season.

I know it's been two weeks since my last entry and I'm hoping that I haven't lost any regular viewers ... heh. There have been four, count them, technicians from the cable company in to try and figure out why my cable signal has been intermittent in the last two weeks. Of course, that's four different explanations as to why it's happening. My favorite is the one about a possible Nintendo game running interference somewhere nearby. My question was then, do you think it's Mario or Zelda?

The Scibble Pad records it's 1000th visitor today!

> Insert shameless self-promotion here <

Thanks :)

What to throw out and when?

Table of condiments that periodically go bad.

If you're like me and throw out things only when it becomes unrecognizable, print the table and stick it on the fridge. Thanks to ||| trr ||| for the link.

Careers Section

To the person in charge of exciting new adventures ... I'm ready for my next one.

The pig farm - preliminary hearing update

Judge David Stone rejects the need for a complete publication ban on pretrial hearings.

"Under Canadian law, reporters are allowed to attend the hearings but cannot publish details of the evidence until it is presented to a jury at a trial.

Defense attorney Peter Ritchie had complained the court's standard publication ban was inadequate because this case was getting international media coverage and the law cannot cover foreign journalists, whose material would be available in Canada via the Internet and other means."

Pretrial hearing scheduled to begin January 13, 2003.

Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Free - Do you watch the ads for "Buy this and get this trinket free" just so you can get that second gift? ... and then wonder what to do with the first one?

Not guilty unless you count the fries at Mickey D's during the hockey card promotions.

Twosome: Gift - How the heck do you figure out how to buy gifts for family members? You know, the ones with no list who say, "Oh, whatever ... "

Well, my favorite place to shop for 'whatever' has been Crate & Barrel. Even for myself, heh.

Threesome: Wrapping - Are you a wrapping maven? ... or are are you wrappingly challenged? Who does the gift wrapping around your place anyway?

Wrappingly challenged. My mother would die if she ever saw some of the packages I've had to wrap on my own. She's the wrapping maven -- crisp corners, tape used sparingly and hidden, of course, plus her ribbons and bows are impeccable -- help!

The pig farm - freedom of speach at risk?

The defendant's lawyers are in court asking for a complete ban on proceedings at the preliminary hearing, because "it was the only way to ensure a free trial in the age of the Internet".

"News organizations in U.S. cities along the border have clashed before with Canadian courts over the ban, and a lawyer representing several Seattle television stations said Ritchie's sweeping request was "trying to shut down ideas.""

Stay tuned.

Where did they come from?

I was reviewing my blog stats over at Servustats and was surprised to see that this page registered 127 hits on November 27, 2002. Now, it didn't matter that I wasn't in town, so to speak, but other than the counter, there was no trace evidence of that traffic -- no comment(s), no guestmap mark. So, I did some more digging and found the magnet -- the YSL M7 ad. Does sex sell? I don't know the answer to that, but it seems to help increase blog traffic. If any of you November 27th visitors return, let me know somehow.

Thank you ... now back to your regular programming.

Back in town

This week's Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Game - What's your favorite game?

Now that you mention it, I am a fairly competitive tennis player or at least I like to think so.

Twosome: Set - Do you collect anything? Is there anything you've worked to get a full set of?

I've collected various things over the years. Most recently Beanie Babies. I have the complete Salvino's NHL Hockey Bammers ('99) as well as a couple collections of the McDonald's teeny beanie sets.

Threesome: and Match - Have you ever broken something belonging to someone else and tried to replace it with a perfect match?

Uh, yea.

A catch up blog

First up is this week's Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Through - What torments (or pleasures) do you have to go through to get to your Thanksgiving Day destination? ... or are you one of those who stays home? ... or perhaps someone who works on this holiday?

Thankfully, I haven't had to travel 'home' on Thanksgiving as my family would have already celebrated Thanksgiving in October. If you're confused, see this entry. For the record though, I absolutely love this Thursday holiday. It's a given that the Friday is a write off.

Twosome: Thick - Who are you looking forward to seeing this weekend? ... and is this a special gathering with friends and family from far away or more of a routine get together?

Ok, now I might start to confuse myself. I'll pretend it's the family Thanksgiving. I'm looking forward to seeing the new additions, my nieces (3) and nephew. Other than turkey on the dinner table, it's fairly routine.

Threesome: and Thin - Are you going to thin your wallet or purse down a bit on Friday? ... or is it time to do some decorating? ...or are you just glad it's over?

There is a time and place for Christmas shopping. Thanksgiving weekend isn't it.


Friday Five - on hiatus until December 2002, in case you were wondering


Fantasy Hockey Pools - an update (week7)

faceoff.com team - 7,825 place

Y! Sports - rotisserie league - 1 of 12

Y! Sports - head to head league - 6 of 12

On the whole, an improvement over week2.

Spooky

Ok, granted I'm not a parent, but more than just Michael Jackson's parental skills creep me out. If a picture is truly worth a thousand words, this site speaks volumes, and is recently updated too I might add.

The guestmap watch is finally over

I did have to resort to a little begging, but Helquin came through. A little background, in case you've just joined me here. H is the man behind the current Scribble Pad template and one of my early blogger inspirations. I don't want to jinx anything, but he's knowingly or unknowingly helped me through a couple of trial runs for commenting scripts. You could be sending Journal #936 to one of my brother's neighbours, small world.

Thusday Threesome

Onesome: Shake - Is there anything that makes you shake in your shoes? Any phobias you'd like to share?

I'm not sure if I would classify any of my fears in the phobia category. At one time, I thought it might be spiders or snakes, but after a 1998 trip to Puerto Vallarta, I managed to put that to rest. And while not a phobia, per se, I do get light headed at the thought of blood flowing.

Twosome: Rattle - What's rattling around in your mental trunk that you need to take care of?

I should decide what I'm going to do when I grow up.

Threesome: and Roll - When you run up against an unexpected challenge, do you adapt and roll with it or scrap your original plan and go with Plan B?

I do love a challenge and usually stick with it through thick and thin. I don't usually give much thought to a so-called Plan B, since I rarely think of it as an option or resort to it.

"Out Damned Spot!"

I've been keeping an eye on a municipal government race in Vancouver. Apparently, it's also caught the attention of the NYTimes (pw required), but their focus is on what has seemingly become the leading issue, that being safe (drug) injection sites. My curiousity has been triggered more by the cast of characters contesting the mayor's office. There's Lady Macbeth, Jennifer Clarke and the real life inspiration of Canada's Emmy-winning series, Da Vinci's Inquest, Larry Campbell. To be fair, the Lady Macbeth moniker is a little unwarranted but politics being what it is these days. I love political intrigue.

Be cautious; Be aware

I'm not sure if the 'inevitable' can be prevented. But, in light of these latest releases and analysis of 'increased chatter', immobilizing ouselves out of fear is probably the worst thing we as a people can do. Go about your daily business - work, shop, eat, play, blog even.

The Disneyland I remember

I found this Yesterland link from another blogger, Sciatica ... thanks. Okay, so maybe I've had more than my fair share of visits to the Magic Kingdom (8), but I've been convinced that I wasn't alone when I've tried to describe an attraction that has long since been moth-balled for whatever reason. So, the next time somone rolls their eyes at you because they have no blinking idea what you're talking about when describing how cutting edge you thought America Sings was, send them to Yesterland. No E ticket required.

Mainstream media too prudish?

Scribble Pad readers decide.

The YSL M7 ad controversy here.

"I wanted to subtly remind people that the house of Yves Saint Laurent has always been a front-runner in presenting provocative images," he said.

(Tom) Ford, who took over the design of YSL's ready-to-wear and perfume divisions in 2000, is offering mainstream media a toned-down version showing de Cubber from the waist up.

The ad as originally intended here.

Friday Five - an observation

I'm not always on time with my weekly posting, but I do eventually make a post and like a 'good boy' blogger I report in. Even when I am 'on time', so to speak, I'm always amazed at how many bloggers respond and post before I do. That is until this week. Not only was I two days late, but there were less than five hundred bloggers in front of me, down from the usual six hundred plus. I'll discount those that are not of age, but please exercise your democratic right to vote. Not everyone in the world has this right.

Friday Five - Election time

1. Did you vote in your last elections?

Yes, I have voted whenever and wherever I have been eligible to vote.

2. Do you know who your elected representatives are?

I do my homework before election day.

3. Have you ever contacted an elected representative? If so, what was it about?

I contacted my Member of Parliament prior to a week long study tour at the Terry Fox Canadian Youth Centre in Ottawa. Unfortunately, the honourable member was not in Ottawa at the same time as my visit.

4. Have you ever participated in a demonstration?

The occasional one here and there.

5. Have you ever volunteered in an election? What was the result?

I campaigned for a local candidate in the 1993 federal election, the year the federal Progressive Conservative party essentially got annilihated. Enough said.

The week's Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Starbucks - Are you a coffee drinker? Yeah? What's your favorite brew?

Starbuck's french roast.

Twosome: Christmas - Are you ready? ... or is it still a little early?

Are you kidding me?

Threesome: Blend - Is autumn blending into winter for you? ... or are you already there?

I enjoy seasonal changes and this year has been no exception.

Express - 15 items or less

To the woman in front of me at the checkout line, who said, "I hope I'm not over", because, "Yes, you're over the limit and your hair is a fricken mess too."

Uh, excuse me?

The ever loquacious Pat Buchanan on Canada -

The latest attack to come from the failed Republican presidential candidate followed his televised comment that Canada is a "Soviet Canuckistan" - a term frequently used by an American Holocaust-denier.

"And to hear this kind of carping criticism from north of the border, from folks whom we give a $50-billion trade surplus each year and whom we defend while they have been in some ways freeloading off the United States, got a little bit into my craw."

In 1990, Buchanan wrote that if Canada shattered following the failure of the Meech Lake constitutional accord, "America would pick up the pieces."

Two years later, he said: "For most Americans, Canada is sort of like a case of latent arthritis. We really don't think about it, unless it acts up."

Pardon my french, but I'll tell you what you can stick up your craw, dork!

Scribble Pad maintenance

Comments
I'm disappointed that there hasn't been any indication that Netcomments is gonna make a come back. For the time being I've set up an account with Haloscan.

Archives
If my archives are NOT working, let me know.

Links
Some of these will change periodically to reflect what I'm reading or following.

Guest map
Someone sign this ... please. Be the first and I'll mention you in this space.

Friday Five

1. Were you raised in a particular religious faith?

I had a christian upbringing. My family attended an Alliance church during my grade school years and I attended a Mennonite church during my high school years.

2. Do you still practice that faith? Why or why not?

I still observe the faith, however, I haven't been attending church on anything resembling a regular schedule. No particular reason comes to mind.

3. What do you think happens after death?

I think in some capacity, your spirit does live on. I'm not completely convinced, however, that anyone in this realm has it all figured out though. I think that that's part of the game.

4. What is your favorite religious ritual (participating in or just observing)?

It's not a ritual, per se, but the Pentecostal church near my high school holds seasonal 'singing Christmas tree' concerts that sell out every year.

5. Do you believe people are basically good?

Yes. I think there is good in everyone and that most are governed and behave in accordance to that nature.

No More Hiding

Not to downplay the significance of this event, but haven't we heard this story before. The names are different, but the sentiments are the same, the reasons are the same, even the jokes are the same.

“The whole ordeal about (Tuaolo) coming out shouldn’t even be as publicized as it is. Millions of people make that decision every day and don’t get glamorized for it. It becomes a problem when you focus on it or when it becomes an issue or the media get involved.”

Thank you, Vonnie Holliday.

In honor of Hallowe'en, this week's Thursday Threesome

Onesome: Goblins - Do you do Halloween? ...or is it all too much?

Sure, whenever I can. One night a year, or two if you include the leading up Saturday, you can be whoever or whatever you want. If you're ever in San Francisco on Hallowe'en, the Castro Street party is a must.

Twosome: Ghouls (and guys) - What ghoulish dishes do you serve up at Halloween?

I'm offended you'd think I'd serve something scary.

Threesome: Bats - Where are you flying to this evening? Any plans?

No elaborate costume this year, just my leather mask. I will likely grab refreshments at a bar or two before the evening's festivities are over.

When the US sneezes, Canada catches cold

If upset is all the official government of Canada can muster in this case, how does it ever expect to command the international respectibility that it so deeply craves? The people are polite, they're laid back, there's a lot of wide open spaces there, they like their hockey, other than hockey, nothing much really happens there. Grumble, grumble.

Fun with Google

Well, you're not likely to have heard it here first, but here ya go. Googlism.com will find out what Google.com thinks of you, your friends or anything!

Result for 'SFCanuck':
SFCanuck is going to Mars - Hey, this thing works!

Result for 'my real name':
'my real name' is a first year student studying molecular and cell biology - Wtf?

What happens to the people we show it to ... ?

Went to see The Ring on Friday night since it is Hallowe'en week afterall. Now, when I go to see a scary movie, I want to have the daylights scared out of me. The Ring didn't quite do that. I was intrigued by the concept of the movie, which is actually based on a Japanese blockbuster film, and found myself wanting more depth to this by the end. The Naomi Watts character does a good job of discovering the meaning of the 'scary' issue, but only the why and not the how, if that makes any sense. I don't know if the movie being in it's second 'hit' week had anything to do with it, but many of the suspenseful moments were pre-empted by the audience. I usually like things that go bump in the dark, but I'm not sure that loud noises are a good substitute for that. I'm hoping the original is available for a comparison.

Blogger hacked

Apparently, I slept through this burp. What happened, what was done about it and who zoomed who, here.

Bozo of the week

No charges will be laid against the man who tried to sell dirt from the pig farm on eBay. Apparently, it was a hoax. If you've been following this blog, I've mentioned this pig farm a couple of times, most recently here.

Thursday Threesome

This week, in honor of Hallowe'en ...

Onesome: Bubble, bubble - What's your favorite way to relax?

A couple hours in a day spa, including a deep tissue massage and a facial.

Twosome: Toil - What's your least favorite chore, and why?

Vacuuming the carpets. I'm not sure why I am so opposed, but I put it off for as long as I possibly can.

Threesome: and, Trouble - What do you get into trouble for around the house?

Friday Five

1. What is your favorite scary movie?

Nightmare on Elm Street ... the very first one.

2. What is your favorite Halloween treat?

Jolly Rancher style hard candies or anything sour.

3. Do you dress up for Halloween? If so, describe your best Halloween costume.

I do if there is a party to attend. Back in college, I was the 'grape' in a 'Fruit of the Loom' contingent.

4. Do you enjoy going to haunted houses or other spooky events?

Yes, haunted houses, murder mystery evenings and treasure hunts especially if they are well planned and executed.

5. Will you dress up for Halloween this year?

If I'm out wandering the street this Hallowe'en, it will be with my leather mask. It's painted purple, has horns and is crafted to look like a gargoyle.

This cracked me up.

"Most of us can walk and chew at the same time ... if they don't do their work I'll replace them," he said.

The 'he' being Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien, commenting on whether his Liberal cabinet ministers are capable of fulfilling their duties in light of the upcoming leadership race. Note to those Canadians who haven't mastered the art of multi-tasking, try running for a federal seat in the next election. It would seem that you'd be in some good company. Worst case scenario would be sitting in the back benches until you could walk and chew.


Stick a fork in it!

Boy am I glad week2 of the NHL season is over. My pool results suck. At Faceoff.com, I went from 5,367 after week1 to 9,154. I've revised my season ending target accordingly. At Yahoo! Sports, my rotisserie team fell from 2nd to 4th and my head-to-head team went from 2nd to 7th.

I should get out more often.





Take the What High School
Stereotype Are You? quiz, by Angel.

Friday Five

1. How many TVs do you have in your home?

One.

2. On average, how much TV do you watch in a week?

Maybe fifteen give or take a couple.

3. Do you feel that television is bad for young children?

As a blanket statement, no. Although, I do think that parents should regulate and monitor what their children watch and when. There's just too much junk on network tv.

4. What TV shows do you absolutely HAVE to watch, and if you miss them, you're heartbroken?

While I do have my favorites, there isn't anything that would break my heart if I happen to miss an episode.

5. If you had the power to create your own television network, what would your line-up look like?

Since Dick Wolf might already have the Law & Order channel in the works, I'd like to throw in the X-files, Sex and the City, ABFAB, A&E's Biography, VH1's Behind the Music, maybe the occasional Pop-up Video with the Discovery Channel programming filling the gaps.

Thursday Threesome

Onesome: New - It's been a few weeks; what's new with you?

Nothing too dramatically different in the past couple of weeks. The leaves have begun to fall and overnight temperatures are into the single digits (celsius) in these parts. My hayfever spiked, which it usually does at some point in autumn.

Twosome: Fall - Do you fall all over yourself getting bulbs in the ground for winter and spring blooms?

I can't say I've ever been guilty of that. How about stumbling around raking leaves and causing other ruckus?

Threesome: Colors - Which do you prefer, the bright jewel colors of fall, the white snow of winter, the pastels of new life in spring, the greens of summer?

I'm not at all adverse to white, but in general, tend towards the darker colors of the spectrum. The first sweater I pulled out of my dresser this week was a hunter green cable knit.

SFCanuck is going to Mars

According to this site, a dvd full of names will be left behind on the red planet as part of the 2003 Mars Rover mission. Click here to see my certificate or here to add your name to the list. Thanks to this blogger for the link. SFCanuck could be waving, 'Bye, Bye, Bye' before Lance Bass.

Joke of the day

Who else but a dictator would get 100%? Voting no in 'that' referendum would essentially be saying, "Please tie me to the chain link fence at the nearest weapons facility."

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Turkey day in Canada and I am thankful for this website, which is aimed at a much younger audience, to help explain why Canadians have Thanksgiving at a different time than their American neighbours to the south.

Games People Play

Interesting article here about how to successfully pull off a casino heist, of sorts. Apparently, I've been going about it the wrong way. I mean, I do understand the mathematics behind the game, and how it is to your advantage to have a general idea of the 'running count' of the deck, but I hadn't imagined how many players would be needed. Who wants to be my mule?

"What we're doing when we blog"

This is my public service announcement for those who have no idea what a blog is or cannot figure out what exactly I'm doing when I say, "I'm blogging".

Friday Five

1. If you could only choose 1 cd to ever listen to again, what would it be?

B-tribe's Suave Suave.

2. If you could only choose 2 movies to watch ever again, what would they be?

Bernardo Bertolucci's The Last Emperor (Director's cut) and Magnolia.

3. If you could only choose 3 books to read ever again, what would they be?

J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club.

4. If you could only choose 4 things to eat or drink ever again, what would they be?

Green tea, Cheerios, bananas and sunflower seeds.

5. If you could only choose 5 people to ever be/talk/associate/whatever with ever again, who would they be?

I'd like to thank the ... Oh :) Initialized to protect the not so innocent - TFL, AJA, DJD, GSP and JWD.

Game On!

The NHL opens its 2002/03 season tomorrow night, with 3 games. I am participating in three (3) separate 'fantasy' hockey pools. One at Faceoff.com, where I select a 'dream team' from the same pool of players that every other participant selects from. And two at Yahoo! Sports - Fantasy Hockey, both public leagues, one a rotisserie points structure and the other a head-to-head league. Both of my Yahoo! teams completed their respective drafts earlier today. After my selections and the draft process, I have ended up with three players that appear on all three of my teams:

Markus Naslund - the Canuck's captain (LW);
Bates Battaglia - Carolina Hurricane forward (LW); and
Scott Gomez - New Jersey Devils' forward (RW)

I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing or whether there was some underlying statistical significance. Or why I even chose to enter this into my blog, but there it is.

She gingerly dropped the puck ...

"We talked more about what happened at Salt Lake City this year and winning the gold meal at the Olympic Games," Gretzky said. "And she was really excited about that and thrilled about meeting Ed. Him getting the first goal, that really perked her up."

I thought she could have left her purse in the car or with her hubby, but other than that, her ceremonial puck drop was fine. To the US magazine reporter that wanted to know what color and size the Queen's skates were, uh, no skates on the red carpet. To ESPN, who thought it would be 'cool' to spend a few minutes with her majesty before the puck drop, a link.

But, can I fly?

You're most like the ArchAngel of Communication, Gabriel, in charge of things like telephones, libraries, internet, and the 411 phone menu. You're organised and are not shy about inflicting that organisation on others.


Which ArchAngel are you most like?
brought to you by Quizilla

Thanks to ...tokenramblings... for the link.

Whoa, this week's Friday Five, something near and dear to my heart ...

1. What size shoe do you wear?

I have a men's size 7.5 (US) feet, or a men's size 41 (EU).

2. How many pairs of shoes do you own?

I haven't counted recently, but including the pairs I have in storage the total should be in the high twenties.

3. What type of shoe do you prefer (boots, sneakers, pumps, etc.)?

A leather soled loafer.

4. Describe your favorite pair of shoes. Why are they your favorite?

A pair of Brown's loafers. Black leather upper, rubber nubbed sole in a one piece construction shoe. The only decoration on the shoe is a single metal bar on each shoe. I was given replacement metal bars, but unfortunately there is no replacing the sole because of the way it was built.

5. What's the most you've spent on one pair of shoes?

I've paid over $200 (usd) twice, the last time on a pair of Bruno Magli loafers. I'd probably not have too much post purchase anxiety doing that again if there either Manolo or Jimmy Choo had men's lines.

Dorothy ... this week's Thursday Threesome.

Onesome: Follow - Do you see yourself as a leader or a follower or somewhere in between?

A leader. I pretty much chart my own course even if it means taking the road less travelled at times.

Twosome: the yellow brick - what's the wildest colored structure you've ever seen? Give us a mind picture!

The Pearl TV tower in Shanghai is colored, not wildly colored, but it's a strange enough looking structure. It's basically a radio/tv signal reception tower, but has round pearl like spheres attached to or built into the tower.

Threesome: road - traffic problems? Tell us about the busiest road in your neck of the woods!

It is probably quicker to walk the distance between Candlestick Park and the 9th Street exit ramp off the US-101N on a friday afternoon than to be sitting in a car on that stretch of highway making a call on your cellphone explaining why you are going to be late.

The pig farm - an update

Four more murder charges were laid today against Robert Picton. This brings the total to fifteen, making this the largest serial killer investigation in Canadian history. I first mentioned the pig farm a couple of weeks ago. There's a background file on the case here, which includes a chronology of events and discoveries.

The CBC and Ron MacLean - an update

Talks are on again. A good sign.

MS IE 6.0 - Service Pack 1

If the justice department thing is finished, can you send someone over to fix whatever went wrong with my browser after I downloaded this *%^#& service pack.


The CBC and Hockey Night in Canada

Can 17 years of being the 'voice' of HNIC be replaced in under 2 weeks? I'll miss Ron MacLean's insightful analysis particularly as I embark on my first fantasy hockey season. The research I can handle, but who's gonna neutralize 'Rock 'em, Sock 'em' Don Cherry?

I rode the Hellevator this weekend.

The Hellevator is a hair-raising rush of a ride, which differs from other tower rides in that riders experience an incredible accelerated rush from the ground up and then they are accelerated down towards the ground. Experience G forces of +4.5 G.

The "beyond free-fall" floating negative "G" experience is one which riders do not expect and is one which is totally unlike any other ride or attraction.

G forces of +4.5 ... I'm still smokin :)

Have you ever had crappy coffee?

Kopi Luwak

"It's not a fine coffee. That's not the point. The point is to experience the world's rarest and most exotically processed coffee."

Henderson has scored for Canada!

This is the 30th anniversary of that series winning goal. A defining moment that rocked a nation.

The nuts are running the psycho ward.

What on earth were 'they' thinking?

Friday Five

1. What are your favorite ways to relax and unwind?

I am unwound when I'm nestled in my favorite chair with a good book and a mug of herbal tea. A jacuzzi with decent powered jets can relax me in minutes.

2. What do you do the moment you get home from work/school/errands?

Get out of my monkey suit and into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

3. What are your favorite aromatherapeutic smells?

I didn't really have one in particular until last month when I purchased Escents Lemon Lift shaving cream. It's perky stuff, first thing in the morning.

4. Do you feel more relaxed with a group of friends or hanging out by yourself?

On balance, I'm probably more relaxed hanging out by myself.

5. What is something that you feel is relaxing but most people don't?

An intense cardio workout actually relaxes me mentally.

A&F Quarterly

See? It's the articles (and content).

Dear A&F,
My friend told me that if you’re 500 miles away from your boyfriend and you fool around with someone, it’s not really cheating. Can I get a confirmation of this rule?
Kendra, Berkeley, CA

Hey Kendra,
If you just saw your boyfriend yesterday, then you’re a bad girl. If you haven’t seen him in six months, then PLEASE be a bad girl.

This week's Thursday Threesome entry, in honor of the new Fanny Flagg novel, Standing in the Rainbow.

Onesome: Standing - Any particular issue you feeling like standing up on your soap box and discussing?

The impending attack on Iraq. The only question in my mind now, is when? Within the last couple of weeks, we have had President Bush's speech to the UN, Iraq's agreement to allow the 'unconditional' return of UN weapons inspectors, the US essentially calling that move a bluff, Prime Minister Blair's Iraq 'dossier', and now, US Administration officials linking Al-Qaida to Iraq. Most countries are not 'on board' officially but I don't see anyone offering to step in from the sidelines should the US decide to 'shoot first and ask questions later'.

Twosome: in the - Finish the phrase "in the ...". Now, what made you go there?

In the midst of it all. Isn't that usually where all the excitement is?

Threesome: Rainbow - What's at the end of your rainbow?

A lemon drop martini.

You Go Girl!

Congratulations to Nicola Wright, who jockeyed Cruising Kat to victory in Saturday's 57th running of the British Columbia Derby. At 40-1, Cruising Kat was the longest shot on the board. Over twenty years ago, in this very same race, my grandparents owned the 'longest shot' on the board. Lee's Craig Seven didn't make the winner's circle that day, but he did set the first two fractions. It was enough to make us proud and earn himself an extra bucket of oats.

Homestead's Site Builder

I spent more time than I had planned or expected to spend using this program. I'm more than aware that most of the formerly 'free' Net services are converting into pay-for-use ones. That was part of the reason, I migrated my homepage over to Geocities, annoying ads and all. I am still however, taking advantage of the storage space provided by Homestead, without which, there would not be the neato little buttons you find in and around this blog. The project today was to create a redirect page for my Homestead site and clear out the remnant files off the server there. In theory, that sounded simple enough. I had already drafted the page I had planned on using and thought all I'd have to do was simply upload the file and be done. Well, not at Homestead, unfortunately. In order to get anything into the root directory there, you have to create the the page using Site Builder. And for that, you have to download the program to your own system. At this point, Site Builder has already earned it's one and only star, for aesthetics. I didn't expect that the program to be the resource hog that it turned out to be and be anywhere as unstable as it was. For such a simple page, I think I had to reboot my system twice and restart the program itself at least a half a dozen times. Frustrating enough for me to rule out recommending this to anyone looking for a simple place to create a homepage. The end result, I created a page that links to the redirect page that I originally thought I could just upload.

(out of a possible 5)

"Shoes are like a piece of theater!"

Alright, I'm a shoe man and after watching some clips from NYC's fashion week runways and the red carpet at the Emmy's this past weekend, I was curious to see if I could find the male equivalent to, "I'm wearing Jimmy Choo" or "They're Manolos (as in Blahnik)". I had no problem finding men's shoes as expensive, if not more, at Gucci, Prada, Salvatore Ferragamo and Cole Haan, but there just didn't seem to be that cachet, that certain 'je ne sais quoi' attached to any one collection. Maybe I'm still trying to live down the fact that I own Bruno Maglis, though not the same style as that used in the 'getaway', and wouldn't be all that jazzed if I was asked what I was wearing that day.

A few blog projects that I am currently working on offline, so to speak.

(1) the Mirror Project submission - I meant to snap something in Las Vegas but it's just too easy to get sidetracked in that town

(2) the 100 things list - thanks to J Dub at this ain't no freak show, whose list I first read

(3) the Coffee Cup Project - thanks to Coffee Corner for the link

(4) 101 things in 1001 days - this blogger made a list of 101 things 'to do' in the next 1001 days; thanks to Painfully Cool - Vertigo, who is jumping on the bandwagon

I'll report my progress here from time to time.

I found myself in one of the very same moods as the one that led to the creation of this blog, tonight. It was like a walk in the woods with no destination or goal in mind, come what may. I started by running through my list of daily reads, following a link here and there, into another, back tracking a bit, with only the occasional pause to ponder. Most of what I discovered to be interesting, enlightening or outright bizzare, may or may not be to you, and that's okay with me. You may not care to see the acorn, fern or clover that so captivated me on my cyber walk, and that's okay too. But, in an effort to keep my bookmarks under control, I will be rotating some links through the side panel as a reminder to myself of a recent 'walk in the woods'. Maybe you can find an acorn or two of your own, and that would be okay.

I will finish 'LOTR: The Two Towers' and 'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets' before watching any internet trailers.

More disturbing finds at the pig farm in Port Coquitlam, Canada. My parents live across town from that site and while it is generally considered a fairly sleepy suburb community, it's also the hometown to a true Canadian hero, Terry Fox.

All in a day's work

Yesterday, I typed 'SFCanuck' into the Yahoo! search engine just for kicks. Guess what, Blog? It came back with three hits:

(1) SFCanuck's Scribble Pad (ahem);
(2) Thursday Threesome entry for September 9, 2002, Autumn Soap Sale, and;
(3) Helquin: Chillicothe, Ohio 45601

And today, I found out that my rather innocent comment on the aka cooties site was a milestone, 1000th comment. Mike is the man behind the Pepys Project. Thanks again, for the link.

Friday Five

1. Would you say that you're good at keeping in touch with people?

Yes, in fact some friends might say I go overboard in that department.

2. Which communication method do you usually prefer/use: e-mail, telephone, snail mail, blog comments, or meeting in person? Why?

PDA reminders, then a combination of e-mail, telephone and snail mail for cards, mostly. I rely on the telephone to compensate for distance, time zone differences and the sometimes impersonal nature of e-mail.

3. Do you have an instant messenger program? How many? Why/why not? How often do you use it?

Uh yea, you can contact me on Y! Messenger, MSN Messenger or ICQ (see CHAT section for details). It all started at work, ironically enough. It's in use constantly, I'm afraid.

4. Do most of your close friends live nearby or far away?

My closest friends live in time zones different from my own.

5. Are you an "out of sight, out of mind" person, or do you believe that "distance makes the heart grow fonder"?

There used to be an inside joke about "distance making the heart go wander", so either way, I'm not an "out of sight, out of mind"person.

In case you were wondering ...

	You are Kermit! Though you're technically the star, you're pretty mellow and don't mind letting others share the spotlight. You are also something of a dreamer.
Take the What Muppet Are You? Quiz!

:-)

For anyone that is following my 'commenting' saga, my replacement for Netcomments has soured as well. The support board for Netcomments has not sounded a death knell so far, which I read as a positive development. Stay tuned.

Less clutch and grab

"A handful of attempts have been made at this before, some at the beginning of the season and some after the All-Star break. But every time, the good intentions only went so far. The playoffs deteriorated so much at times that there was more clutching, grabbing and tackling than on a Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field."

If applied consistently, this rule should benefit the Canucks, particularly the top line of Naslund, Bertuzzi, Morrison. The 'Nucks were the league's top scoring team last season and the first line has both speed and puck handling ability. The rule change won't likely compensate for the departures of some key players to free agency over the summer, but hopefully someone in the current system will step up to the proverbial plate.

Out of town this past week, so here are my 'catch-up' blog entries for the Thursday Threesome and the Friday Five.

Thursday Threesome - In memory of September 11th - a prayer of sorts. No matter what your religion or beliefs, though, this is a sentiment we can all share ...

Instrument of Your Peace (The full prayer can be seen here.)

Onesome: Instrument - What is your favorite instrument to play or listen to?

I took organ lessons when I was child, but it didn't amount to anything, certainly nothing to blog about. My favorite symphonic/orchestral instrument is the violin. One of the musical highlights of my time in San Francisco, was attending Bugs Bunny on Broadway at the Davies Symphony Hall.

Twosome: of your - Time of your life? A moment? An age? An event?

Living and working in China was an experience that will fill an entire website (one day). The sights, the sounds, the smells and a different approach to life and work.

Threesome: Peace - Though we may wish for Peace on Earth, what gives you inner peace?

Knowing that I have done a good job and have accomplished something gives me inner peace. Over the years, I've relied less on the 'glory seeking' and attention grabbing. It's enough for me to know.


Friday Five

1. What was/is your favorite subject in school? Why?

Chemistry because I was fascinated with learning about nature's building blocks.

2. Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

My English literature instructor, Mr. Temlett, whom I credit with planting the seeds for rational thought and critical thinking.

3. What is your favorite memory of school?

My high school graduation ceremony at the Orpheum Theatre, where I made the welcoming speech.

4. What was your favorite recess game?

Tether ball.

5. What did you hate most about school?

Homework.

The Queen to drop the puck at a Canuck's game

"It took a visit to Vancouver's GM Place by a skeptical delegation of royal advisers, and some reassurances from Canadian officials that it could be done with dignity, grace and immeasurable public delight."

Liz taking in the game was announced over a week ago, but dropping the puck at centre ice, now that's big news.

I saw a billboard announcing a new intimate (read topless) Cirque de Soleil production opening July 2003, at the New York New York Hotel and Casino. Although Las Vegas is a city about excess, this may be stretching it. By 2004, there will be a total of six Cirque or Cirque-like productions in Las Vegas. Mystere at Treasure Island and O at the Bellagio have been playing for years, Celine Dion opens at Caesars Palace next March, this new one at NYNY, a new production for Le Reve when it opens and a production is in the works for the MGM to replace EFX. If you haven't seen a Cirque production and are visiting Las Vegas, you will have plenty of options.

9/11

Take a moment to reflect ... lest we forget.

Noam Chomsky answers a three questions on Iraq at zmag.

"He is as evil as they come, ranking with Suharto and other monsters of the modern era. No one would want to be within his reach. But fortunately, his reach does not extend very far."

"Saddam's worst crimes, by far, have been domestic, including the use of chemical weapons against Kurds and a huge slaughter of Kurds in the late 80s, barbaric torture, and every other ugly crime you can imagine."

"It's useful to ask how frequently the impassioned denunciations and eloquent expressions of outrage are accompanied by three little words: 'with our help.'"

"Suppressing the facts was an important service to the cause of state violence."

Mons pays, le Quebec

Quebec Premier, Bernard Landry issues this battle cry over the weekend, "1,000 days to sovereignty". This being conditional on the PQ being re-elected and the support for sovereignty ratcheting up. Neither of these seem likely, so anything for a round of applause. What I question is how different are these conditions from Bouchard's "Winning conditions"? Play to win, and if we can't win, then we're not gonna play. Ok boys, now's the time to take your ball home.

Surfing for dinner

A couple of years back I remember a website where you could key in what happened to be in your fridge at the time and the engine would return you a suitable recipe. I've since last track of that site but here's someone that puts a slightly different spin on that idea.

"...shortly before supper time I look around for some combination of foods I've got on hand and which seem like they might go together. Then I 'google' them and browse through the results until I find a recipe that appeals to me."

It's been two weeks now, and I am still holding out hope that Netcomments will somehow be resurrected. In the meantime, though, I have done some scouting around for an alternative. As far as another 'freebie' service goes, it was odd that each of the others had either some sort of service interruption or were not open to new accounts. Was this Murphy's Law in play or just an everyday occurence?

This week's Friday Five ...

1. What is your biggest pet peeve? Why?

Ring-around-the-Customer-Service. I hate being passed from one incompetent dolt to another, assuming you actually get through to a live person. Just last week, I went from two agents to a non-accepting e-mail address and then back to another agent who then directed me to another e-mail address. Let's put the 'customer' back in customer service.

2. What irritating habits do you have?

Uh, besides smoking, I'm a well adjusted person. :)

3. Have you tried to change the irritating habits or just let them be?

I haven't actually attempted to eliminate the nasty habit, yet.

4. What grosses you out more than anything else? Why?

Eggplant parmesan. I tend to eat with my eyes first and the sight of that usually makes my appetite go away.

5. What one thing can you never see yourself doing that other people do?

I've watched those bungee-like attractions up close a few times and there is still no desire on my part to have a go.

US Open finals wishlist

Andre Agassi versus Pete Sampras in a repeat of last year's quarter-final, a 'take no prisoners' slugfest, where Sampras prevailed in four sets 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6.

On the womens side, Venus Williams versus Lindsay Davenport, just for a change.

This week's Thursday Threesome, Autumn Soap Sale.

Onesome: Autumn - As the season changes, what changes for you? Your Daily Routine? Weekend Schedules? Your Mood?

Nothing too drastic with the summer into fall change for me. There is a slight modification to my gym workouts to gear up for the ski season. Sweaters, sweatshirts and long sleeve tops reappear in the dresser drawers. The book on the coffee table gets changed.

Twosome: Soap - Come now, fess up. Are you a squeaky clean kind of person - or are there dark secrets hidden in your closets???

I'm embarassed to say how much my bathroom is cluttered with personal hygiene products. As for the dark secrets, stay tuned as this blog unfolds ... heh.

Threesome: Sale - Have you ever bought something absolutely ridiculous or unnecessary, simply because it was on sale and "such a good deal"? Is it tucked away in the attic or a closet - or did you find it really useful?

In general, I'm a practical person, except maybe when it comes to shoes. Oddly enough, it was 'sale season' in Hong Kong where I picked up pair of loafers at Lane Crawford. It's been almost two years since that day and although I haven't worn them out of the house just yet, that day will come.

Ded kitty

Napster signs off.

An excerpt of my horoscope today from astrocenter.com:

This is a perfect day for organizing your home, dear Cancer. It would do you some real good to totally revise your system of organizing your paperwork, investing in new notebooks, folders, and color-coded files. You know how much you enjoy buying office supplies!

Color-coded files, ok, who blabbed?

Eight more 'sleeps' until I set myself loose in Sin City. Flights confirmed, hotel booked, car booked and the rest of the itinerary is starting to gel. I can border a bit on the anal side when it comes to scheduling. So, rather than bore you with an endless list of activities, most of which I won't have time to accomplish, I present my blog with a list of things I will try 'not' to do:

1) Do not get arrested
2) Do not puke in public
3) Do not eat at the Circus Circus buffet
4) Do NOT split 10's
5) Do not roll a 7 after the point
6) Do not forget my room number

Do you see what I see?

The answer would be no, at least for now. Add Google to the list of 'forbidden' sites when in China. According to the article,

"The government openly attempts to control Web content in China, where the Internet threatens Communist Party control over the media. It blocks several foreign news sites and frequently forces domestic sites to expunge content deemed unwholesome."

The Internet as the big, bad, scary monster, so unlike cable where a seven second delay can weed out all the bad stuff. I know, I was there.

Uh yea, I take it the 'racy' pics on my website were deemed unwholesome and therefore blocked. I've since migrated my site to a different server, so if anyone in 'that' country can confirm the page comes up, it would be appreciated.

"One ring to rule them all"

Add this to my wish list. And make sure it arrives before the Two Towers premiere.

I should have archives now and I did add a ring last week, not that 'they' noticed, but I'm still enjoying the ride. Unfortunately, I don't have an update on my commenting thing yet, and it's been a week so I may have to look into a 'Plan B'.

For those that think that it 'always' rains in Vancouver, this is now the third driest summer on record.

Since summer doesn't officially end for another three weeks, you'll still have some time to enjoy this.

"Do not fade, do not wither, do not grow old."

Saw Orlando last night. I quite enjoyed it. It was part history lesson, part out-of-body experience, an element of 'time travel' and it certainly provides a new angle to looking at both sides of an issue. I thought the 'party on ice' was breathtaking, this coming from someone who has skated since before I can remember. Throw in some fabulous costumes (and wigs), Tilda Swinton, Quentin Crisp as a 'old queen' and Jimmy Sommerville to cap things off. File this under pleasant surprises.

Here are my responses to this week's Friday Five.

1. What's your favorite piece of clothing that you currently own?

A ballcap I got from a street market in Shanghai. It started with a slightly battered look to it, which was the 'in style' and has weathered very nicely.

2. What piece of clothing do you most want to acquire?

I have been coveting this navy blue Hermes tie that has yellow duckies on it. I couldn't provide a link as it doesn't appear in their current collection.

3. What piece of clothing can you not bring yourself to get rid of? Why?

A pair of jeans that I have not worn in years. Why? Because I will get back into them one day *wink*.

4. What piece of clothing do you look your best in?

My Hugo Boss slacks fit, fall, sit and everything else just right.

5. What has been your biggest fashion accident?

I arrived at work one day without a belt. Promptly sent myself home to remedy that fiasco.

Onesome: Double - If you could have a clone of yourself, what thing would you most want that clone to do so you don't have to?

My clone would work and I would play all day.

Twosome: Bubble - Anyone you know live life in a bubble? Who? And do you wish they'd snap back to reality?

My first niece* lived in sort of a bubble her first year or so. The lives of my brother and his wife suddenly centered around her and their resulting actions were almost slave-like in order to accomodate and cater to their newborn's every whim. I'm glad to report, though, that the arrival of their second child (another niece for me) snapped the bubble that had been created for the first child.

* Caitlin, yesterday was your 4th brithday. Blue and Magenta said to say, "Happy birthday!"

Threesome: Bubblegum - Willy Wonka talks about chewing gum to be a nasty habit. What's your worst habit? Do you wish you could give it up?

This one's a 'give me'. I'm a smoker and yes, I wish I could give up this nasty, evil habit.

What took ya so long? I still remember when my family got that Sony Betamax, thinking how ahead of the curve we were then. All told, it probably spent more time in the basement alongside the rest of the 'near famous' gadgets we picked up along the way ... pizza maker, sandwich maker, ice cream maker and the numerous 'all you'll ever need' food processors. Ironically, though, the sturdy case it arrived in now transports my vcr when needed.

This Madonna tidbit from across the pond, in Ananova.

(Adriano) Giannini told the Sunday Express: "It didn't come easy for me to slap a woman, especially someone I had grown up listening to. When I first slapped her, she thought it wasn't violent enough and told me to hit her harder."

"On another occasion, I was asked to humiliate her by making her bark like a dog. It got a bit masochistic but she's good. She's very professional."

M'kay, no surprise there.

I am 'excited' about ...

• setting up my imood account and having the indicator display properly on my blog
  
• my upcoming trip to Las Vegas
  
• having an all access pass to the PGA stop this week

I am disappointed about ...

• not bumping into Sir Elton John at the Virgin Megastore yesterday
  
• not running into Armistead Maupin last weekend at a local bar

More excited than disappointed overall.

I love my Palm Vx pda, but as Palm tries to desperately maintain it's Nasdaq listing, an admission this week which could hamper those prospects. Hang in there, I want an M515 for Christmas.

No update on the commenting thing as of now, but word has it the folks are working on it. In the meantime, I think I will tinker a bit, my previous post notwithstanding. :P

Blog Rambling
I'm using this post to ramble a bit about what this blog means to me and where I see it going. It's been almost two weeks now since I started my Scribble Pad and in general, I'm quite pleased with my efforts to date. Oh, I got caught up the the whirlwind excitement of it all ... looking for a template that would be what I had envisioned, setting up the 'high' profile links, surfing for the right goodies, buttons, gadgets ... installing a commenting system ... a stats counter ... creating a folder of blogs to watch ... surfing for quizzes, polls and other net oddities. I can see how one can get caught up in the 'star' aspect of it all and I have, admittedly, gone to my blog just to check for comments and to check out the hit anaylzer. Have I brushed up on my html, yes. Have I been a little more critical in watching, reading and observing life in general, yes. Have I stepped outside of my comfort zone online, venturing to sites previously not bookmarked, yes. Do I want my blog to end up here? No. Do I want linkbacks? No, well they would be nice I guess but unimportant in my overall blog scheme. Do I want to be the best blog, the worst blog? No and No. I just want this blog to be for me, about me, for the most part. Yes, confirmation and validation is fine along the way, but ultimately, this is something for me. A chronology of my life, my thoughts, my rants and some of the mundane things that are my life. This is something that won't get lost in a box in the next move. I won't set parameters on which topics I will and will not post about, nor promise to be like clockwork on anything else. Is this starting to sound like Baz Luhrmann? It wasn't meant to be. My blog is just developing and I hope that that development both documents and mirrors my personal development in this journey we call life.

The commenting feature on my blog will be temporarily out of service. I'll keep my fingers crossed that the Netcomments folks, Jonty in particular, will be able to find a cost effective solution in the next few days.

Use e-mail for fan mail and other pressing concerns, heh.

I do not like green eggs and SPAM

I guess we could call this poetic justice. I could never quite figure haiku out, but if this works I'll dig out those college texts.

To those that know me ... does this surprise you?





You are Schroeder. You are brilliant, ambitious, and brooding; you tackle tasks with extreme focus. People don't always interest you as much as other pursuits, though, so you can come off as aloof.
Which Peanuts Character Are You Quiz

Here's my Friday Five for this week, officially.

1. What is your current occupation? Is this what you chose to be doing at this point in your life? Why or why not?

The expensive piece of paper says that I'm a Chartered Accountant. The American equivalent would be a CPA. This is what I chose to study at school, and although I haven't spent my entire career in accoutning/finance, I am currently back in this industry.

2. If time/talent/money were no object, what would your dream occupation be?

I think I would like Mr. Roarke's job for a few years, granting wishes and making fantasies come true on my own private island.

3. What did/do your parents do for a living? Has this had any influence on your career choices?

Both of my parents are retired now. Dad worked most of his life in a shingle mill and Mom worked for Canada Post. Not really, no.

4. Have you ever had to choose between having a career and having a family?

Nope.

5. In your opinion, what is the easiest job in the world? What is the hardest? Why?

I've always thought that professional golfers have had a fairly easy ride. Hitting a ball with a stick and walking lush fairways week in and week out, how tough is that? Now, medical professionals OTOH, have both high stress and the unenviable task of having to deliver bad news from time to time.

Well, since school really is just around the corner in these parts, I'm listing some highlights from Beloit College's Class of 2005 Mindset List.

• Most students starting college this fall were born in 1983.
  
• The British Royal family has always behaved badly.
  
• They were born the same year as the PC and the Mac.
  
• They have probably never used carbon paper and do not know what cc and bcc mean.
  
• Major newspapers have always been printed in color.
  
• They are the first generation to prefer tanning indoors.
  
• They have never known exactly what to call the rock star formerly and presently known as Prince.

This week's Thursday Threesome. Back to school, already?

Onesome: Small - Is it a small world? In how many miles of space do you live your life?

I've lived and worked in three different countries, but ultimately family and friends were only a click or a phone call away. Once settled, I rarely find myself travelling outside of a 50 miles radius of my home.

Twosome: Spiral - Ever felt as if you were on a downward spiral? How did you pull out of it?

I've had down periods, but probably nothing that would be classified as a spiral. I'm usually optimistic or maybe just oblivious.

Threesome: Notebook - Notebooks and pens and crayons and glue...when you think about school supplies, what do you most remember?

And I have a 'thing' for stationery, only now it's called 'office supplies'. Finger painting and colored construction paper.

A new D.A. is in the house. I'm a big fan of L&O and am sorry to see Dianne Wiest leaving. I'm not sure of the circumstances behind her decision to leave but hopefully it wasn't one of creative differences. Nora had potential but I don't think she was developed to the extent that the L&O fans have come to expect.

Check this out. The Mirror Project. There's probably a picture or two sitting in that 'junk' drawer that would qualify. I will be reserving a couple of exposures in my next roll, possibly even the Las Vegas trip, for a submission.

Smiles everyone

Nothing too important today, just some tinkering to bring to a close the first full week of this blog ... kinda like the spit Mom used to use to keep my hair in place.

Hopefully, that Y! chat button is working now. I'm gonna pretend that I didn't see that the Blog Chalking site has been updated or revised, for now anyway.

Blog Chalking: Google! DayPop! This is my blogchalk: English, Canada, British Columbia, Vancouver, SFCanuck, Male, 36-40!

Sunday Driver (Where did the day go? I completed this on Sunday, honest, but I guess I didn't hit the right buttons.)

1. What is one of your favorite childhood memories?

It was the Christmas that I was on my favourite aunt's gift list as a solo recipient. My mother and her siblings had devised a fairly elaborate gift giving scheme to take into account the varying number of offspring in each of their families. I have two brothers and way it worked out each year was that each of us would receive one gift and that there would be a gift that the three of us would share. For the life of me, I can't actually remember what I got that year, but I do remember the anticipation in the weeks leading up to that Christmas Eve's gift exchange.

2. What is the source or significance of your given name? Is this the name by which you were called, or did your family have a "pet name" for you?

I've never actually found out about the significance of my given anglo name, which was not used formally until I started college. Prior to grade school, I was usually referred to or called by, the last part (third of three - the first being the family name, the second a portion of my father's name) of my chinese name, which was chosen by my paternal grandfather according to tradition. If I ever heard the entire chinese name, it usually meant big trouble. In the family, it's now the familiar short form of my given anglo name.

3. Other than your parents, which adults figured prominently in your childhood?

First grade teacher - Mrs. Phillips ... for the simple things.
Third grade teacher - Miss Martell ... for establishing a sense of style.
Fourth grade teacher - Mr. McGuiness ... for fostering intrigue.

4. Which childhood toy was the hardest for you to give up?

My receiving blanket which became a security blanket over the years.

5. How are you still childlike?

"Does not play well with others."

Big Bucks, No Whammies

I'm booked for a mid-September trip to Las Vegas, more on this to follow. Woo hoo.

I noticed that my Y! chat button is not functioning properly so I've taken it offline temporarily while I sort it out. Heh, it was indicating that I was online all the time ... uh, not quite.

I've been filing away some records I just got back from the taxation auditors, yea I was audited. But, good news, I got a clean bill of health. Which got me to thinking about Enron and it's 'creative accounting' fiasco. Admittedly, there is an element of creative accounting on my part, whether it be in my own personal or client files, but that's the beauty of existing in a self-regulated industry. Broadly based principles, some guidelines open to interpretation and the exercise of 'professional' judgement'. Being in this industry as long as I have been, one can start, or should start to sense, how far that envelope can be pushed. In Enron's case, I think the envelope was pushed right off the desk and sailed on out the window. How though? Corporate greed -- money being the root of all evil? Defense mechanism or survival instinct from the Enron brass -- people are watching, sweep everything under the carpet? Chaos theory -- a tiny change in initial conditions and omigod?

Mark Simpson in an article at Salon.com 'outs' David Beckham as a get this, Metrosexual. These lines cracked me up ...

" ... he sucks corporate cock with no gag reflex."

" ... while Beckham is now officially a gay icon, he's probably someone that gays would rather be than fuck ... "

"He (Eminem) bitches and moans about all the attention he gets, but succeeds in turning that bitching and moaning into another album."

Oh and that line about Spiderman swinging around is classic. Now, back to our regular programming.

As a relative newcomer, hmm this is day three, I was so looking forward to posting my first Friday Five. I get to the site only to learn that it is on hiatus this week. Oh well, best wishes to them as they take care of their personal business. As for this blog, hmm what would MacGyver do? Probably improvise something with a rock, some lint, and a day old newspaper. To coincide with my initiation, I went and dredged up the first Friday Five I could find in their archives.

1. Where were you born (city or state or just country)?

A suburb of Vancouver, Canada.

2. What is your favorite number?

2.

3. Vanilla or chocolate?

Vanilla.

4. What section of a bookstore would I find you in?

The best sellers, biographies, games, personal investing and bargains in that order.

5. What kind of mattress do you have on your bed? soft? firm? water?

It's a firm Sealy pillow-top.

Here's my Thursday Threesome. I'll get the hang of this eventually.

Onesome: Here - When you are in, where do you hang out? Not your favorite room necessarily, but where you always seem to end up.

I'll have to go with my desk, which is where my computer sits and where I can be within reach of most of the tools and gadgets I use to get my 'stuff' done.

Twosome: There - When you go out somewhere to relax, where do you head off to?

Any coffee shop that bakes on their own premises, if not for the coffee, then for the aroma of fresh baked bread.

Threesome: Everywhere - If you could choose, where would you like to be able to go for a week to relax?

Phuket, Thailand, where I once felt the sand beneath my feet and the ocean breeze in my face.

Stop pawing me!

Let us now pause to contemplate the mistakes made by Anne & Ellen and Billy Bob & Angelina so that we might learn from them: Whether you're gay or straight, necking in front of the president of the United States during the infatuation stage, getting someone's name tattooed on your ass or arm during the infatuation stage and blathering on and on to Oprah during the infatuation stage does NOT prove that your love is real and deep and everlasting. What it proves is that you are shallow and stupid and soon to be single.

-- Dan Savage, Savage Love

Cautious words to JLo and Ben ... knock it off.

Am I a geek?

On and off all day today, I have been tinkering, adjusting, moving, slashing and trying to fine tune the look of this blog. Am I being a little too obsessed? Or merely tumbling headlong into 'geekdom'. Because I really was starting to scare myself, I took the test below. It turns out, I'm not even close. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

I am a Poser (geek)


Take the geek test at innergeek.us

Another thanks to H. for dropping me my first comment, even before I had finished setting the whole commenting thing up. I'm glad to see it works.

This is starting to take on a life of it's own, which I guess is alright. It's been under 24 hours since my weblog was brought into existence. I have already tinkered with the first template that I chose and then changed it altogether. But, I should give credit to that person, Martijn ten Napel. Thanks, Martijn, I inaugurated my weblog with your 'Simple Serif' template. Moving right along now, I've adopted another template that is more along the lines of what I was hoping my weblog would look like. This one was created by Helquin. I beg forgiveness in advance in the likely event that I mangle your masterpiece while I attempt to tinker with it. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, don't touch the archives, lord knows where you will end up. :)

In the beginning ...

Ok, I've registered and starting what I hope to be is the first post to my very own blog :) In all honesty, I have no idea how this is gonna turn out, but I can say that I do have a few ideas about how I'd like it to eventually evolve. I'm not completely foreign to this online biz, but it's been awhile :P My first attempt at getting myself noticed on the world wide web was this web page I created to let the masses get to know me a little better. That would be here.

I just about fell off my chair ... it actually worked. I think I might have known a bit more about html (blah) back when I did my page, but since then, I've basically faked it. How am I doing? :) Ok, is there a bio thing to fill out? I'll get back to you on that after I check out the rest of the features. Over and out.