Are WE really innocent in this?

Taking a break from packing - pics to come...

Found this on Wimp.com and though it's obviously a 1 sided argument it does point out many of the foreign policy 'blunders', mind you I think a blunder wouldn't happen if you left well enough alone.
Why interfere with democratically elected governments when you consider yourself the world "example" of democracy?

How about 'US'? And by US I mean Canadians who enjoy a 'subtle snobbery' towards Americans in general. It's on TV, in coffee shops and yes, we north of the 49th enjoy cracking jokes and hurling 'innocent barbs' at our neighbour. BUT, what are we EVER doing about it? Paul Martin is bitching and moaning about US not meeting Kyoto standards, but we're doing worse in Canada.
Sure, we didn't go to Iraq, after France lipped off and took most of the bad press.
Sure we got a raw deal on trade disputes (softwood lumber and beef ban), but do you see Canada sucking it up for a few years and finding new markets?

Seems to me if Canadians want the right to play the 'innocent little brother' to the bigger, meaner older brother, we should look at shaking some of these ties. Stop selling natural resources, start developing infrastructure, and sell actual products... not just cheap labour and natural resources. YES, it'll be a HUGE change needing to actually calculate mathematics to graduate high school and get in to university, but if Germany and Japan can turn COMPLETELY around in 40 years or so.. we should be able to leverage our existing use of natural resources to develop infrastructure (tech, manufacturing (including food), industrial goods) so we can let the big brother stand on his own and not legitimize him by being so dependant on him.

Question now is..... do we care enough?

Crap! I have too much Crap!

Well - I'm moving to a larger apartment down the hall in a couple days. Not too far, not too much stuff to move.. I figure it shouldn't take too long.

2 things I didn't count on...
1 - I have more crap than I thought.
2 - You really have to pack nearly everything everything even if you're only moving 13 steps (yes, I counted them just now) down the hall.

Anyway.. I figure since I have my camera now - I'll give everyone a look at before and after pics of my little move.

Here is the current state of my apartment as of 2:30 this AM.

Here's my Kitchen - you can barely make it out, but there is my table in there.


Here's my Living Room - this is all the junk from my closet spread out on the floor. Hopefully most of this will go to garbage, Sally Anne, etc before tomorrow is done.


So the plan from here.
I work everyday this week, and tomorrow night I'll be sorting and boxing this all up. If I'm lucky, I'll be able to start moving in Wednedsay and do a good cleaning of this apartment Thursday for my buddy to move in to a clean place Friday.

Fingers are crossed. On top of this headache I need to find a party for New Year's, nail down some work stuff / employment stuff for the New Year, and get my orthotics fitted properly. I'll keep y'all up to date on the move though, simply cuz I'm certain many (or most) will be entertained by images of my piece of bachelor paradise being turned upside down.

Enjoy.

How can......

you become governor of California after starring in 'Jingle All the Way'?

an elected school board believe they have the right to alter science curricilum based on creationism theory?

I still be intrigued by the same Beachcombers remake each Christmas?

anyone waste their time watching the 'Apprentice: Martha Stewart'?

you have Christmas decorations without having a Nativity Scene, or some other reference to the birth of Christ?

you expect people to buy computers, cars, or other major purchases based on the info shown in television commercials?

you possibly explain to your boss why you're reading this at work?

you incorporate the game of Context into an office setting where no one else knows you're playing? (fear not, I am working on this)

I can find nothing better on tv than 'Jingle All the Way'?... sigh

anyone not consider Willow a movie classic?

can I finish this post and leave you with a smile? look over your shoulder beofre clicking

Introducing... 'Context'

You can play with your friends... with your family... anyone!
It's called 'Context'.

No board, no dice... depending on the level of play, perhaps some physical violence, it has everything.
you can play anywhere, anytime. Introduce as many people to the game.

This game proves you are quick thinking, are a good listener.

The game is best explained in a scenario:

The scene: You and a couple of buds are enjoying your burgers and clotting your arteries over the lunch hour.
The characters: Huma, Gazoo and introducing Specs.

Huma: Man this burger is good.
Gazoo: Yeah, I'm finding mine pretty tasty.
Specs: My kids eat way too much.. putting in to the poor house.
Huma: Hey! You didn't get a Whopper! What is that?
Gazoo: Pretty good. (chew chew chew.. swallow). I just finished an egg nog latte before lunch. I wonder how this is going to 'turn out'?
Huma: CONTEXT! Describe a scene or situation and repeat what you just said.
Gazoo: Why the hell would I? Is this going on that stupid blog? Eat your food.
Huma:Specs, shouldn't he play?
Specs: Yes he should, now let me eat.. I'm not sure this'll ever happen again... having food in front of me.
Gazoo: Fine.. Ok.... Uhhhh. An artist is in a studio about to start painting agin after having a latte. "I just finished an egg nog latte before lunch. I wonder how this is going to turn out?"

In this case - point Gazoo. He gave a context in which his phrase made sense.
If however he couldn't come up with one, or started chuckling, then point to me.

I'm kinda beat right now, and need to nap and get up in a bit to check on a work thing. I'll update this blog with more rules, and strategies to 'Context'.

My photography career is now underway...

Well, as some of you may have read.. I now have a digital camera, and the memory stick to go with it.
Tonight I played ultimate with my rec team, and here are some pics. Yes, I will pretend as though you really care; humour me.
And though I am in only one of these photos, you'll easily spot me... I'm friggin hot! :)

click on the pics for a better look


needless to say - still learning some of the features of this camera... and yes, she usually stands around in this 'Betty Boop' pose



here's the team capatain, Gazoo.. in his uber-masculin power stance... watching the disc he just threw "soar"...... into the ground. But hey! With this pose you'd think he just finished wrestling a grizzly or something.



here's about the only action shot that worked out.. and since I'm the one holding the disc, I'm wondering who the photographer is? Notice the girl with the pony tail sticking out, her hair is like that even when she isn't running... how much hairspray dose that take?


Thanks!
If you care to check out some real photo's, here are the Canadian Nationals from this summer in Winnipeg

Ths is MY pain

I try being a well rounded person and not spend my free time droning on about the frustrations at work, etc. I think I'm a good person, have decent interesting thoughts and opinions worth sharing, and if you're still reading this far, I suppose you must agree (at least agree a little bit anyway).

I got the linked article emailed to me from a propellerhead colleague of mine.... and after reading items 1 - 3 ... I knew I was sharing this with all of you.

I hope you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, I hope you at least gain some insight as to why I may be in a foul mood and have little faith in people my mid-week.

I just want to add my two cents to this (yes Gazoo, I 'm sharing an opinion): Although most of my training in this field is specific to computer products and supporting them (i.e. computer hardware, using software, supporting software), I think nearly 50% of the time, I fall back on the psych courses I took at U of Winnipeg.

Sorry for this weak post folks... but it's gotta be done.

My reordering of the peeves (from most to least irritating):

1 - HUGE!!!! DRIVES ME NUTS.... Makes me want to ask, well if you know what the PROBLEM is, how about you show me how to fix it?!

3 - Deny, Deny, Deny... trust me, by mid-day I'm pretty burnt out and already suspect something stupid happened... and YES, I could have caused the problem... but if you KNOW you did something unusual, please save me and the company some time and let me know I'm off the hook.

7 - I LIKE helping people. I LIKE people. But it does get to be an overdose, especially when you treat your home computer problems likeitems 1 and 3

2 - If you can learn what happened, you can learn to avoid the problem.. but yeah, it takes me sometimes more than 8.6 seconds to find teh cause of the problem and pardon my ego if I suggest it's best to let me, the guy who does this for a living, deal with it and then turn around and explain what I found.... and if you aren't clear on my explanation, PLEASE, don't replace the terms you're uncertain about with buzz words you recall from a Futureshop commercial

10 - Depending on the size and scope of the company, IT suport is an after-thought that someone has to manage.

6 - Annoying because people hoarde emails on our little, old, mail server we aren't yet able to replace. Sorry, but the mailbox limit is there for a reason, and please stop phoning for help with a large email thatt's a picture of your childs soccer team... should the company be paying for you to store and edit personal photos?

9 - Well - not much of an issue - so long as after arriving 2 minutes after the and waiting 30 minutes to help I'm not hauled on to the carpet for taking 33 minutes to fix the problem

8 - Frankly I think most people complaining are just too lazy to read what's in front of them, even if they do have the time

5 - Purchasing screw ups don't really happen to me personally

4 - I don't mind this one at all... I do it to people and expect to go through the same 'step 1, 2,3' approach to troubleshooting if I'm calling you for help. If I'm needing your help, who the hell am I to complain about how you go about providing it

Art Show / Eviction party

Well, it finally happened. Another business swallowed yet another floor of artists in the exchange.
The Exchange is for yuppies..not artists (as it seems, not bitter though.)
Regardless, things happen for a reason so The Albert Hub Gallery will be having its last show for this year & last show at this venue. We will be looking for a new venue for the new year. Any suggestions?
Here are the details for the show:
December 15th. early bird viewing at 5pm and WILL go until the alcohol consumes us all.
Theres no cover and its located on the 2nd floor.
We will be showcasing brand new work from Ameer Kashmiri, Shouresh Jalili, Patricia Nieto, Andres Nieto, Chris Procaylo & me. We hope you can come down, party, check out the work, oh and bring your wallet...you have to buy something.

no cover , come as you are, bring your friends .. i mean c' mon, what else are you doing on a thursday.

see you guys there, and if you want to be on the email list, leave me yours.
can't believe i did this but i did put some work up for sale on ebay & artbyus.com. check it out.just do a search for my name.

Rodrigo

Bad music at company xmas party

On a break at my p/t job waiting tables. Just typing this up since the conversation in here is kinda weak and I figure you may want to know...... One of the DJ's for a smaller function is playing 'Do you believe' by Cher...... Of course, only drunken middle-aged cougars staggering around and having a good time and the just as drunk creepy old men are standing around the bar admiring them..... Ughhhh.....

Picked up from where we left off....

You have any of those friends or acquaintances you can meet up with after a few months, and pick up from your last conversation as though it was yesterday? It's great, isn't it?
No worrying about getting caught up on everything that happened over the past year.... just sit down, relax, enjoy a couple drinks, get in a couple digs and laugh.

I got the call near the end of my day at work yesterday, met See-Saw and his buddy at Elephant & Castle, had a burger, a couple drinks and then he buggered off to Aerosmith. A nice way to wind down the week (BTW - burning my last vacation day today).

What I like about meeting See-Saw as opposed to others, is he just relaxes... we try spiking eachothers food with whatever is handy, and he LOVES reliving the story of the most heinous office prank ever exacted.

Long story short... This SOB spiked my lunch (chicken wings from the previous night at Smitty's) with this Uberspicy paste called Da-Bomb.... So I'm eating my lunch, bite in to the wing he spiked and flames burst forth from my mouth! EVERY fluid in my body came flushing out my nose and eyes... I scoured the lunch room for ANYTHING to soothe, and stole someone's yogurt from the fridge.

Anyway, that's about it... I suppose the fun of See-Saw is that he and I enjoy the story so much while everyone else just sits and stares... Then they try changing the conversation, fail and then sit quietly as our laughter and loud banter subsides......

Time Well Wasted...

Thinking of music to add to Rawbeans Mix CD, and wasting away a vacation day... I discovered this outlet for my creative energies (KINDA LOUD, SO DON'T CLICK IF YOU NEED QUIET!!!). I'm not a very good composer... (and yes, to those of you reading this at work, I know you're dying to knowing what is beyond that link... booowoohahahaha).

How else did I waste the day?
Well....
Went to physio for an 8 AM appt to have my foot cast for custom orthotics.
Went to the mall for a bit to get inspired for gift shopping.. didn't happen, so instead I hit the diner at Grant Park Zellers for the breakfast special. It was seniors day, I was the only customer under the age 65.

Went home, checked out status of my digital camera order on Futureshop.ca - it's ready for pick up... but then my cold hit me.
So I had a nap, followed by a super hot shower, followed by a hot cup of ginger-honey drink I picked up at Youngs' Trading a couple weeks ago (pretty good).
Watched some vids on wimp.com (that's a real time suck), did some flash cards / practice exams for a certification exam I WAS planning to challenge next week (I AM SOOOOO NOT READY YET).

Make a note - I didn't leave home after I got in from my appt.

Then I had another quick nap.
I watched Disc 3 of the Family guy volume 3. Read a bit more of Vanity Fair (there's an upcoming post on this), saw that MODS put out the rest of the schedule for the next round of games, read some more Dogs of War by Frederick Forsythe, then I had another nap as I did the whole bleary eyed, read 4 pages and not remember them.

I have woken up again, my buddy picked up a set of rollers I'm not using.

By now I've realised that because I've slept a whole load of the day away, I can't sleep. And thus my blog posting at midnite, which is when I usually go to bed.

A neat thing though is this article I found when I googled Forsythe and Dogs of War. Now I have something kinda neat to search the web for, though the time I spend following up on this article may not be as well spent as this this.

'Gazooisms'

I just had lunch with Gazoo. Gazoo's eyesight is quite piss poor. He was telling me how glad he is since he's getting 2 week at a time contact lenses.


Gazoo:"I couldn't more happier than to be able to read the clock when I wake up first thing in the morning."
Huma:"MORE HAPPIER!?.. You soooooo made my blog."
Gazoo:"Oh man, I read the one about that guy on the news.... what did he put IRR in front of?"
Huma:"He said Ir-regardless, that's not a word... and adding 'more' to 'happier' is redundant. Didn't you go to school? Didn't they make you read something before handing you a diploma?!"
Gazoo:"Ha Ha Ha.... What, you don't like the way I talk? It's not good enough for you?"
Huma:"No I don't! Hey Look! They just put a fat kid on the lane... They're going to bowl around him!"

The pub we went to for lunch had bowling on TV; they were doing trick shots. The conversation I was having with Gazoo was interrupted by the sight of a large teenager on a chair, in the middle of the lane.... By the way, they bowled a strike by curling the ball around him.

To finish, these are other Gazooisms (yes I created this word, and you will see it used with greater frequency as I hear others spew this verbal diarrhea they call english) I recall cringing upon hearng:

"Tazuhniki sauce please." Tzatziki

"I'll documentate that and get it out to you." I'll create a document and get it to you.

"You'll need to get orientated..." oriented

Family Guy volume 3!!!

My order was shipped Tuesday.
But darn it - Canada Post Tracking hasn't been updated.... Life is sooooooo rough!

Hhmmmmm - what will I do this wknd if it arrives in time?
Kinda sad, ain't I?