programming note

so i'm coming up on a SUPER-DUPER long canada day long weekend 'round here... that's a 5 (count 'em 1-2-3-4-5!) day weekend! i'm off friday and then i'm off on monday and tuesday too. i'm not guarenteeing i'm not going to post anything, i'm just saying it a distinct possibility. but you never know, right? something might just come up that MUST be discussed... we'll see what we can do about that.

so everyone have a super canada day and i'll be back wednesday at the latest.

for lauren

"What Audrey would do"
For timeless flair, new tome presents pages from enduring icon's style book

the book: What Would Audrey DO?: Timeless Lessons for Living with Grace and Style
author: Pamela Keogh

my sister, the audrey-ite, this is for you...
but it also sounds interesting for anyone else too.

word of the day - jun 26 08

arthritis
noun
inflamation of a joint, usually accompanied by pain, swelling, and stiffness, and resulting from infection, trauma, degenerative changes, metabolic disturbances, or other causes. it occurs in carious forms, such as bacterial arthritis, osteoarthritis, or rheumatoid arthritis.

the frail elderly lady in my is rearing her ugly head today... must be a change in the weather a'coming - my hip is acting up! i barely rolled out of bed this morning! i didn't do ANYTHING! why am i broken?

rockin' the sock

did you know...?
ed the sock has been on the air since 1992?!

he debuted on cable access in 1992 and moved to citytv in '94...
and after 14 some years the network is giving him the axe.

"Rogers to Ed: Put a sock in it"
Citytv to drop Canada's longest running weekly comedy program

letter writing - jun 25 2008

dear pussy-twats,

i thought this subject was well covered in my last letter to you but maybe you've not yet made it to a first-grade reading level... but maybe you're just dense so allow me to reiterate...

you stink! LITERALLY.

so the weather has warmed up and you're not longer in danger of losing your nuts and berries to frostbite but apparently you are not only afraid of the cold, you are also afraid of water.

i know we've been having some wild weather around here recently but you coming to work sans your rain slicker and puddle jumpers does not give you permission to fag it up indoors.

now, i know you thought you had everyone fooled - closing the door to the print room was a devilishly good idea... that is, it would have been a good idea if no one ever had to go int he print room... sadly, some people around here have work to do (even me occasionally!) and it involves going to the print room. and when one opens the door to the room and the smoke is still hanging thick and smelly in the air, i'm afraid your little secret is out.

so, ass-hats, take it outside. it's just water - you probably won't melt.

ink blots & ice bergs,
jenn

true nature

the engineer nerd in me (my mind went straight to the gutter there but hopefully yours didn't... but now it will so just try to banish that from your mind.) found this story fascinating...

"World's 1st 'building in motion' planned"

in dubai, the 'spinning' floors would give residents a constantly changing view of the city and the persian gulf. the floors would be hung like rings around an immobile cement (ahem... not to get technical but i think they mean concrete... cement is hardly strong enough by itself.) core.

i'm most curious about how you're going to get onto each level from the immobile centre core... there's that revolving resturaunt at the CN tower... anyone ever been there? care to give some insight on how that works? i know it moves so slowly that you can't actaully feel it but still...

anyway... hopefully this david fisher architect guy can make it happen - it would be spectacular to see!

word of the day - jun 25 08

narcolepsy
noun
a condition characterized by frequent and uncontrollable periods of deep sleep.

seriously! i cannot seem to keep my eyes open this afternoon... i can't sleep at night and i can't not sleep during the day! what is UP with that?

[with attitude] girlfriend, puleeze!

you're joking right?

first off, crocs are perhaps the ugliest thing to happen to feet since the ugg boots and fringed penny loafers. i know, i know... they're supposed to be comfortable as hell and if MISTER steven tyler himself is sporting them... how can you "dis" steven tyler?

but this, this is going too far.
this plastic abomination is being called cyprus... and i think, just maybe, it's the final sign of the apocalypse.

i had no idea!

we all know i am the perfect consumer - i see it, i want it, i get it.
that being said, i SO want these!

M&M's Brand Ice Cream Treats
America's #1 candy takes over the ice cream aisle with this fun and delicious new treat. Creamy vanilla ice cream is dipped in a chocolate coating and then covered with a colorful candy shell. Now available as individual treats or in a multi-pack of three popular colours - Red, Blue and Green.

MR. A.C. Slater himself was doling these puppies out for some sort of charity event and the pictures popped up on one the the gossip rags i ready daily.

sidebar: why is this twat famous? yeah, so he won dancing with the stars or something? and that somehow qualified him to host america's best dance crew? and his "hot bod"? please, he looks like he's made out of waxy cheese!

anyway... back to the story! M&M ice cream treats!
i never knew there were SO many M&M ice cream treats!
there are ice cream cones, ice cream sandwiches, ice cream character cakes, and 2 varieties of ice cream! i wonder if they can all "melt in your mouth, not in your hand"?

using the tools we were given

first off, let me tell you a little story... i've always wanted a spy camera! i wanted to be able to take pictures of unsuspecting people without them knowing. creepy, no? but people are so fascinating! the things they do and especially the things they wear. getting out the ol' digital was just plain obvious... and it's not just people... you know those times when you're like, "damn, i wish i had a camera!" but then some clever person out there, bless their inner creep, put a camera IN a cell phone! beautiful! always a camera when you need one! and can be covert if need be! i'm in heaven.

so i was going through some of the old pictures on my phone and i came across this little gem i had taken and forgotten about:

we were at our favourite fast-food noodle place and there was this sizable man having his lunch feast there as well. essential piece of information: the seats at this place are attached to the tables and there is a constant and finite space between the two. dude wedges himself in there and proceeds to use his bulging belly as additional table space... he even put a tablecloth (napkin) on there before dining! even if he wanted to use the actual table, i doubt he could have leaned forward far enough... as much of a visual diet aid that was, i still crammed as many noodles in my mouth as possible.

picture of the week - june 24 08

cumulonimbus!

there's been some seriuosly weird weather going on 'round here lately!

what's with the daily afternoon thunderstorms? the hail? the temperature flux?

isn't it supposed to be, you know, like, summer? clear blue skies and strong sunshine?

climate change? yes. global warming? seems less likely...

from the "what the hell were you thinking" files

"Man hides inside woman's couch"
A New York man is accused of cutting a hole in a woman's couch and hiding in the carved-out space until she came home.

say what?
but...? why...? in the couch? because...? and what...?

to make matters stranger, the woman suspected that he might be there! well, not IN HER COUCH, but in her apartment.

the story on the whole is very vague but i don't think any amount of additional information is going to clear this up for me.

word of the day - jun 24 08

capacious
adjective
able to contain much; roomyl spacious.

now, if i were to call your head capacious, would you take that as a compliment or an insult?

shameless plug

so as i may or may not have told you, i am sort of on a hot little etsy.com buying streak. it's amazingly addictive. seriously, i might actually have a problem... but with the support of my "group" i think i'm going to be able to beat it.

i just recently recieved a shipment from "HomeStudio - Creativity by Mark & Stefani, a collective" (http://www.homestudio.etsy.com/)
these guys take scrabble tiles and turn them into awesome little pendants with all sorts of pictures and designs. (sidebar: when i first ordered my pendants, i went out and bought 2 scrabble games from the local value village with the intent to make my very own but my procrastination kicked in and i have yet to do so...) i already took advantage of the "buy 2 get 1 free" deal they have going but lo and behold, included with my adorable (and free) owl pendant was this:

so this is me blogging about them!
but in all honesty, from my experience, they are a great shop. wonderfully professional and quick to ship. i look forward to buying more in the future.

i'd also like to take this opportunity to flog my own etsy shop!
the addy is http://www.ifferj83.etsy.com/
it's not much to speak about quite yet as i'm just getting started but i just wanted you to know it was there. here's some pictures of my fabulous, fruity, felt pins that i have up now:

it's my party and i'll cry if i want to

so after spending 4+ hours in a car travelling home from a weekend of white water rafting, what's the first thing you want to do when you fall through the door?

if you answered "be thrown a belated surprise birthday party" you'd be wrong... but that's exactly what happened...

thanks to davina and arran for severely rattling my extreme sports addled brain sunday afternoon... and thanks to john for not totally blowing it and giving away the secret... and thanks to everyone who came! it was fun and i totally appreciate it no matter how much a mumble and grumble.

word of the day - jun 23 08

malediction
noun
a curse or execration.

bonus word of the day:
execration
noun
1. the act of execrating. (oh perfect... see my comments on ribald)
2. a curse or imprecation: the execrations of the prophet terrified the sinful multitude.
3. the object execrated; a thing held in abomination.

bonus BONUS word of the day:
imprecation
noun
1. the act of imprecating; cursing. (seriously! what is it with the defining of a word using the actual word?!? so not helpful!)
2. a curse; malediction. (ah, circular definitions... also very helpful.)

vaca leave

alrighty peeps... i'm outtie for today!
tomorow i'm headed off to ottawa for a little white water rafting! don't ask - my possessions have already been divided amoungst my friends if i should not return.
however, i am determined to return! get your hands off my purse collection, biotch!
i'll be back monday, probably with lots of pictures!
have a great weekend!

ego petting

hey now... look at me all official and posting a 'word of the day' everyday since friday! i know, sometimes you caught yourself thinking, "word of the day? is this chick crazy? more like word of the week! or word of the month!" i wonder how long i can keep this up? probably not much longer... don't you feel that 5 days is a milestone so great that it should be left to stand alone as a record? i'm giving myself a congratulatory gold star!

word of the day - jun 19 08

defenestrate
transitive verb
to throw out of a window

now why, WHY would you need a word for that? is it THAT common? i mean it's great for say scrabble or confusing those less liguistically educated as yourself... but, but...

word of the day - jun 18 08

cogent
adjective
having the power to compel conviction; appealing to the mind or to reason; convincing.

i opened my e-mail this morning and i had a new e-mail in one of my old project folders and i was all why is there a new message there?? i went to look at it and here it's my word-of-the-day e-mail sitting there... huh? well, i have an inbox rule that directs everything with the key word "cogen" to that project file and this word got the redirect!

running away to join the circus

"Mischievous mutt uses trampoline to bounce over fence and escape back garden"

hee hee... i can just imagine the little doggie flying over the fence, ears flapping in the breeze, tongue hanging out... i want to get a puppy and teach it to jump on the trampoline!

happily, the bouncy little pup was found and promptly returned to her loving owners.

eep! save the turtles!

the poor turtles!
they just want to cross the road!
i don't want to think about it anymore... it's too distressing!
here, read the story:

"Canada's roadkill hotspot"
Trying to stop carnage of 10,000 animals killed at Long Point each year

eerie much?

ok, this officially gives me the creeps...
just yesterday i was doing a little Singing in the Rain research and i was searching for a picture of cyd charisse's crotch-revealing dress and this morning i'm reading her obit! she died yesterday at the ripe old age of 86 of an apparent heart attack.

interesting facts:
~ had a $5 million insurance policy placed on her legs in 1952
~ appeared in 'singing in the rain' with gene kelly and 'the band wagon' with fred astaire whom she called "the two greatest dancing personalities who were ever on the screen."
~ was born with the name Tula Ellice Finklea

as described by astaire, this "beautiful dynamite" will surely be missed.

"Cyd Charisse, 86: Dancer, actress"

holy eye-opener, batman!

did you know...

the global mascara (yes, i said mascara) market is worth an estimated $3.7 billion??
that's freaking insane! i never knew mascara was THAT popular... personally, i hardly ever use it - it makes my top and bottom eyelashes feel like they're getting stuck together everytime i blink and i can never sem to apply it without applying a good portion to the area all around my lashes... like my cheek and my eyelid and my nose and my wrist? whatever... i'm happy in the thought that it's not my $3.7 billion fueling this market.

"Vibrating mascara aims to pump up volume"

rainy tidbits...

while sniffing out 'singing in the rain' lyrics earlier, i was reading throught the imdb trivia section for the movie and here are some little morsels that i found pretty funny:

~ fliming of the cyd charisse dance number had to be stopped for several hours after it was discovered that her pubic hair was visible through her costume. when the problem was finally fixed, the director said, "it's ok, guys, we've finally got cyd's crotch licked."

~ the rain [in the film's title dance sequence] consisted of a mixture of water and milk so it would show up better on film but it caused gene kelly's wool suit to shrink. it didn't help that he also had a 103-degree fever while he did that sequence.

[in a musical tone] stormy weather...

weird weather!
so yesterday it was all torrential rains, hail, lightning, thunder, and the second coming of jesus... pretty spectacular to watch, especially the rising from the dead part... sadly, i didn't get any pictures of that; i only have pictures of the hail.
take a gander:

word of the day - jun 17 08

dilatory
adjective
1. tending to put off what ought to be done at once; given to procrastination.
2. marked by procrastination or delay; intended to cause delay; -- said of action or measures.

3. ME!
4. every college/university student there ever was.

picture of the week - june 16 08

pelted!
happening now!
first-hand pictures!
wild weather in pickering!
sideways ark-building rain, hail...

bwahahaha... and now there's water leaking into out server room! and bubbling the carpet in the next (thankfully vacant) office over... stinky water... water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink... it's making it's way out into the general office area where i live!

ethically ethical

uh-oh!
perhaps some people in the company have no been acting so ethically lately? we just got an e-mail from those in the company that wipe their asses with $100 bills reminding us about our official company ethics policy...

my favourite part was the section on equal opportunity employment. specifically this part:

... to provide equal opportunities to all employment applicants without regard to race, religion, colour, creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, age, ancestry, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, genetic characteristics, specail disabled veteran, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, provincial, or federal employment discrimination laws.

wow... talk about going above and beyond! i never knew veteran, especially disabled veterans, were discriminated against! and genetic characteristics? huh? mutants? sounds like professor xavier has been working hard to get the rights of his students integrated into governmental policy!

more curious is the 'citizenship status' category... those darn immigrants! think of the riots you would get down in the south if you were to advertise that you were willing to give jobs to those mexicans they are trying so desperately to keep out just because they were ridiculously more qualified that on true red-blooded american!

company togetherness

yeah, like i want to make the hour-long drive (that's with no traffic) in rush hour to go to the company bowling outing and watch people get stupor-ously drunk all the way in mississuaga... it's all well and good to plan a company extracurricular activity within walking distance from your office, but then to expect people from other offices to take the afternoon off work, on a wednesday, to actually make it to your event, that's just silly. you go on and have a great time - pat each other on the back and gripe about how anti-social people from other offices are. say there's an idea... instead of getting my E.I.T. certification to put on my business card, i'll just put "anit-social c*nt" instead!

word of the day - jun 16 08

prink
transitive verb
1. to dress up; to deck for show.
2. to dress or arrange oneself for show; to primp.

what was so wrong with the word 'primp' that they (whoever they are... lords of the english language) had to come up with another word what means the same thing? everytime i try to say it, aloud or in my head, it always comes out 'prick' instead...

style starts young

check out these baby heels from heelarious!
they're so precious! i can get my kid started on her shoe collection that'll rival mine!
they come in a variety of colours and patterns and are all soft so there's no worries about shoe-related injuries.
they're a little pricey at $35 but the novelty is almost worth it! but come on! i have trouble paying that much for shoes for myself! i love a good deal!

friday the 13th cacophony

some things to consider...

• due to the estimated 17 to 21 million people affected by fear of friday the 13th, $800 to $900 million is lost in business each time it occurs;
• a BMJ study showed there was a significant increase in traffic-related accidents on friday the 13th... BUT a dutch study published this week showed that "fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday than on other Fridays." unfortunately, the average values of losses was higher;
• the ontario beach town of port dover is overrun with motorcycle enthusiasts every friday the 13th... i hear you are hard pressed to get into the town on anything but 2 wheels during the event;
• UNIX time will reach 1,234,567,890 decimal seconds on friday feburary 13, 2009 at 23:31:30 GMT;
• born on friday the 13th: margaret thatcher, fidel castro, mary-kate and ashley olsen
• died on friday the 13th: tupac shakur

[source]

word of the day - jun 13 08

paraskavedekatriaphobia
noun
the fear of friday the 13th

[source]

just nod your head and smile

yeah... like i remember how to write a technical memorandum...
but hey, i did something like that in school so let's jump right on into the deep end write one all by myself on a project i am supposedly in charge of and then let's give it to a client... an actual client. not a professor acting in the roll of the client. somehow grades seem so insignificant next to a company's reputation...

non sequitur of the day

"But if you think that's as wack as it gets, just wait, because at the film's premiere she crashed the Wackmobile straight into Lake Crackpot."

if you want to be a buzzkill and make everything make sense, you can sort it out here:
GoFugYourself.com

stuff and junk

so i'm headed out into the field but i didn't want you to have nothing to do today... so i've graciously put together a list of headlines that i would want to comment on if i had the time...

can you spare a minute?
"Top Time-Draining Airports"

saving the environment? rubbish!!
"Mini bins could hold a surprise"

and how did you get this job?
"Interview mess-ups you won't believe"
Call it human nature, Murphy's Law or just plain bad luck, but we all mess up once in a while

it's about freaking time!
"Fraud has TTC set to get rid of tickets"
Tokens would replace adult tickets by fall

freedom of speech - repealed?
"Speakers Corner given the gag"
Rogers pulling the plug on the Citytv show that has let Toronto sing or vent for 20 years

did you know...?

the highway traffic act stipulates that 'legal riding/driving shoes' are those with at least a rear strap to hold them in place? so flip-flops are not 'legal riding/driving shoes' and you can get pulled over charged, fined, possibly even imprisioned if you are caught driving with them on.
but not to worry... there is hope! all you need to do is fashion a strap, be it out of string or elastics or whatever, to affix the sandle firmly to your foot. keep your creation in your glove compartment so when the cops pull you over, you can fasten that seatbelt AND make sure your feet are street legal!

learn more about this bizzare story:
"Biker pulled over for wearing flip-flops"

devastating, i know

so i may or may not be here to entertain you tomorrow...
i'm out on assignment delivering public notices door-to-door... exciting, i know! highlight of my week actually! but it'll get me up off my ass and doing something rather than falling asleep here at the office. yeah, and as for yesterday, put away your medals and gold stars - turns out i wussed out and went home in the afternoon to sleep. maybe i can still have a bronze medal for lasting the WHOLE morning?

broaden your mind

the setup: here's the story that gets it all started...

"I'm no Nazi, says mom of 7-year-old with swastika"
Manitoba mother now fighting to get kids back after seizure by province

long story short (well, not that short) - the kid went to school with a swastika drawn on her arm and people freaked out leading child services to removed the children (the 7-year-old as well as a 2-year-old) from the home. there are allegation of poor "behavious and associations" as well as drug/alcohol use in the home but that infor came out after the children had been removed due to the swastika incident. the woman did confess herself to have a personal belief in white pride... i'm not condoning white pride but, since when does the government have sway on how you raise your kids? and when did political beliefs become cause for taking children into protective custody?

the real point: the swastika has bad publicity
the nazis in WWII ruined it for everybody. well, at least everyone in the western world... it is still used all over asia (and in many other societies and cultures) as a symbol of good luck. the meaning of the word swastika comes from the sanskrit svastik, meaning any lucky or auspicious object. [source]

check out this buddhist temple in korea:

d'oh! moment of the day

"Streetcar crash closes Bay, Dundas intersection"

shit's going down in the city today... frustrated commuters abound!

best. birthday present. EVER.

why are these 2 hos still famous...? i mean, yeah, they were cute back in the day on full house and their marketing team was dynamite when they were younger but now are they even famous for anything but being insanely rich? and what's with people worshiping their "cool", "laid-back", "awesome" fashion sense? they look like something you might have pulled from your shower drain.
anyway, PETA has suggested that the public send the twat twins the most awesome birthday present ever:

The twins are still sporting as much fur as ever. Since they seem to be in such dire need of extra hair on their bodies, let's give them some of ours - and send a strong message while we're at it... Save that hair in a bag and mail it to the twins with a note that says, "Please, use my hair instead of the animals'. Happy Birthday."

that's super wicked! i'm actually half considering doing it!
remember when they turned 21 and no one actually cared?

[source]

intergalactic missionaries?

"Are space aliens ready to accept the Good Word?"

whoever this guy jim slotek is, he's pretty darned funny... at least to my sleep-deprived mind.
go on, click the link and read... if anything, it'll at least give you something of substance to ponder on for the day.

here's my a sample paragraph for the unconvinced:

For starters, if Aquinas reasoned that even animals have no souls by dint of not being created in God's image, what are we supposed to tell a race of intelligent insects? Yes, you've mastered space and time and have created rock operas that use the Cosmic Background Noise as a percussion section, but you're really inferior to us for the reasons stated above, everything you need to know is in this fat book in my hand, and you should listen to what we have to say about the Creator of the Universe for the sake of your souls... damn, I forgot you don't have one. No offence. Hey, put that thing down! Why is it glowing like that?

wink blink blink

i am so tired today it's not even funny...
last night's raging thunderstorm paired with my continuing pseudo-insomnia made for a rather sleepless night. although, i've been told i fall asleep quickly but it never feels like it. when i'm trying to get to sleep, it feels like i'm rolling over every 10 minutes... sleeping in those 10 minutes? maybe. but spurts of sleep are anything but restful.
my eyeballs hurt... they don't even want to be closed - they would much rather be open and looking straight ahead because anything elese is just uncomfortable.
but despite all my complaining, here i am, toughing it out. and yes, i would like a medal or something for that.

fauntleroy?

happy birthday goes out to donald fauntleroy duck today on this, the day of my daughter's wedding... no wait! on his 74th birthday!

"Donald's birthday is officially recognized as June 9, 1934, the day his debut film, The Wise Little Hen, was released."

[source]

picture of the week - june 9 08

check out the stunning feat of engineering that won the blue ribbon at the [company name removed] new graduate weekend... pretty amazing if you ask me... not to miss: excellent suspension support technique, sturdy bridge piers, truss bridge deck, approach ramps, posted speed limit (safety first!), and company promotion...

kind of a moot point to have [company name removed] up there and then to have the company name plastered all over the place, eh?

false advertising

you know what i hate?
chinese drivers? well, yes (and i'm allowed to say that because it isn't racism if you're hating on your own kind) but that's really besides the point.

i hate those commercials for those 2X concentrated laundry detergents.
specifically, i hate the part where they say "smaller so it uses less plastic and therefore is better for then environment"... and it annoys me to no end that the general public is dumb enough to buy that line! you know what uses less plastic? putting the 2X concentrated stuff in the regular-sized bottle. you know what else is better for the environment? making detergents with fewer sulphates... sulphates are the stuff in detergents that make it 'sudsy' and people generally associate 'sudsiness' with cleanliness. not necessarily true.

but back to the packaging problem...
2 of those smaller bottles uses more material and more processing time than the original container. not to mention the time/money/materials they used to make up the mold for the new, smaller bottle. wouldn't it have been better just to make a new label?

aurg! so frustrating!

update from joy-zee

howdy!
so my big 'adventure' down in milburn, new jersey just finished up and i had a blast! i'll tell you oh so much more about it when i'm back in the office on monday with nothing to do! actually, that might not be the case... some work (real, honest to goodness work!) finally came in just before i left so i'll probably have to tend to that first... but then again, i AM one of the world's foremost procrastinators... but which task will i procrastinate at?? THAT is the question, my friends. that is the question.
but i digress...
i'm just right now printing my boarding pass for my return flight so here's wish for a smooth flight... much smoother than the trip down here... but that's a whole other story which i'll get to in time.

fallen off the face of the earth

"Small Minn. community tells Google to blow it our their asses"

no, no... that's not true... here's the real headline:
"Small Minn. community tells Google to remove its images"
This small, private community north of St. Paul enforces its trespassing ordinance, and Google Maps is no exception.

these peeps seriously must have something to hide...
let us all descend on the community of North Oaks and see what all the fuss is about!
don't forget to bring your cameras!

ample incentive

"Ohio city approves jail time for failing to mow lawn"

warning: if you do not like to mow the lawn (and really, who does?) do not move to canton, ohio.

they just raised the maximum fine for 'failing to cut the grass' from a measly $150 to a 'stiff fine' of $250... and if you're particularly bad (what does that even mean?) you could face up to 30 days in jail!

now, i really don't consider a $250 fine very 'stiff' - more like a slap on the wrist. a stiff fine to me would be more like $1000. and to jump from a mere $250 fine to jail time seems like quite the "leap from the lion's head" if you know what i'm saying.

i wonder how bad the grass cutting situation is in canton to warrant this type of action?

thumb-twiddlingly good

i have a dirty little secret and i'm going to let you in on it...
i haven't done a lick of work-related anything all morning!
i'm completely idle... idleized...
kinda like idolized but way better for lazy people!

word of the day - jun 4 08

bagatelle
noun
1. a trifle; a thing of little or no importance.
2. a short, light musical or literary piece.
3. a game played with a cue and balls on an oblong table having cups or arches at one end.

bringing new meaning to the phrase "say what you mean and mean what you say"...

gang still at large...

for the second time in less than a week, a gang member was apprehended by durham region authorities for wreaking havoc on communities in pickering and now, most recently, in whitby.

the unwanted attraction is rare in this area... says o.p.p. constable jeffery brittan: "I've been an officer for about 33 years, it's the first time...that I've seen it."

for more details see the link below:
"Bear Cub Captured After Whitby Traffic Accident"

well duh! the return!

well duh! it's raining today but you know, just kind of sorta raining... like just enough to be inconvenient but not enough to call everything off...
and well duh! because it's raining here today, the price of crude oil in the middle east went up and the gas stations are more than justified in raising the price almost 3 cents to 129.7 cents per litre... just in case you didn't like getting gas in the rain enough, now we're going to shove this stick up your butt too so just bend over...

well duh!

so i'm going surveying tomorrow and guess what???
it's going to rain! hurrah!
back when we were surveying in the winter (that's right in the winter) we always managed to pick a day that was the coldest that week or a day where snow flurries decided reign supreme!
we`ll see how productive we are...
there may be posts tomorrow and there may not... you`ll have to wait and see!

so long, farewell...

fashion design legend yves saint laurent passed away this past weekend at the age of 71...

so sad! the fashion world will definitely miss him.

"Yves Saint Laurent defined fashion"
One of 20th-century's greatest designers was tortured by depression, loneliness and drugs

the real meaning of freedom

as summer tourist season begins to heat up, so does the price of doing stuff.
toboggining at your neighbourhood park? free.
building a fort and hurling snowballs in your backyard? free.
roasting chestnuts on open fire? free!
so to help out your summer budget, canoe.ca has come up with a list of the Top 10 Free Attractions across Canada...
you know when you're browsing the sale rack at a store and you get the feeling that certain items are on sale for a reason? yeah... these "top attractions" are free for a reason... *yawn!*

B.C. Legislature
Victoria, BC
not to miss: opened in 1897, was the first building in Canada to have electric lights!

Rideau Canal
Ottawa, ON
not to miss: world's largest skating rink in winter (a fat lot of good that is in the summer!), structures from 1832 still intact

Parliament Hill
Ottawa, ON
not to miss: free daily guided tours of the 'political heart of Canada'

Saskatchewan Military Museum
Regina, SK
not to miss: artifacts, materials showcase units, communities, and individual struggles

Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, ON
not to miss: popular 'honeymoon' destination... skip the waterworks and head straight on over to the casino! or for a real thrill, do some cross-border shopping at the many outlets!

National Gallery of Canada
Ottawa, ON
not to miss: free viewings of the permanent collection... only on thursdays... only after 5... i'm not kidding.

Saint Boniface Cathedral
Saint Boniface, MB
not to miss: 2 previous churches on the grounds were destroyed by fire and the remaining walls were incorporated as an atrium to the existing cathedral

Harbourfront Centre
Toronto, ON
not to miss: 10 acre site with 12 million visitors each year... you know where else is free to visit? a mall. you can spend your money just as easily there but the difference is, the mall has parking.

St. Lawrence Market & Market Gallery
Toronto, ON
not to miss: fruit! fish! cheese! antiques! see my above comment about the sintilating excitement that is THE MALL!

Fundy National Park
Alma, NB
not to miss: family fun and adventure in the wilderness... woohoo?

picture of the week - june 2 08

money might not grow on trees but it does fall from the sky!

A light airplane drops banknotes over a soccer field in Serang, Indonesia [...]. An Indonesian motovational speaker Tung Desem Waringin threw 100 million rupiah (US $10,600; euro 6,700) out of an airplane Sunday as a publicity stunt to promote his new book.

from canoe.ca's photo of the day for june 1, 2008

father of the year

being a parent, sometimes you need to use all your cunning wiles to coerce your children into doing something that's ultimately good for them but that they absolutely hate. lying and bribery are common tools of the trade... let us take a page from gordon ramsey's parenting book...

on getting his daughter to eat up her vegetable, yum yum!

"You've get to eat your lettuce, otherwise your boobies aren't going to grow."
"It works - she's eating whole heads of lettuce, saying, 'Dad, look!'"

[source]