Men & Cars

I'm posting pictures on my photo site of the Show&Shine that was in town this July. (The pictures I'm posting here are just illustrative shots, not the ones I'm really proud of.) I love any event that closes the street to traffic. In our town, they close blocks and blocks and blocks! All very exciting. [This picture sh ows less than one half of the blocked off area.]

I really enjoy the Show&Shine...and I don't even really like cars. I'm not a guy about it, that's for sure. Of course, there are lots of women who love cars, can fix cars, know everything about cars...but I ain't one of them.


At one point, I went off in search of a restroom, and left the camera with my man.

To the right is the picture he took.

[long pause]

He's such a guy.

For those who understand what I'm saying, check out the pictures I took. For those who don't, check out the pictures anyway, you'll like them too.

Lori

BAKING SODA!!!

Somewhere in the last couple of weeks, I heard/read/was told that a paste of baking soda and water, left for awhile on the crud in the oven, will clean it. IT DOES!!

Here's a bit of an article on this non-toxic oven cleaner:

Most people can hardly believe that all I use for cleaning the oven is baking soda and water, and that the project requires no scrubbing. I suppose we have all been so brainwashed by household products companies that we mistakenly believe we require powerful chemicals for cleaning.

She does it a different way...I may try it next week.

It is awful the way we've all been conditioned to buy buy buy the latest product to make our lives easier. I've never cleaned anything so easily, and with less health risk, than I just did with the old tried-and-true baking soda.

It's not just for deodorizing your cat box anymore...

Lori

Too Much Paper

I googled the phrase 'too much paper', looking for an image to encapsulate the way I feel about my/our office space. And I found this picture:

Underneath it, on the Flikr page, someone had commented (in a quiet voice, I'm sure): "This is a joke, right?" It's from the October 2004 archives of Cold Desert's blog -- which I took a gander at. He's an eclectic IT guy in Lebanon, and his current posts seem to be a little stressed about the amount of work he needs to do (interspersed with some really fun stuff)....I decided that he may not want to be reminded of this picture, so go visit his blog, but don't tell him I sent you!

I am not going to take a picture of my office, badly organized rattrap that it is. I have one cat who shreds any cardboard box that happens to be trying to store something, and the other helps to spread the little bits of brown paper...all...over...the...house.

Ack.

So I'm checking out FlyLady.net....We're cleaning the office this weekend, so wish us luck!

Lori

Fraugs and the like...

Recently, I posted a blog and suddenly got a spate of comments. Wow! So exciting! People were reading my blog! Then I looked more closely, and realized that they were essentially bull: "Good blog! Why don't you come and see mine? www dot buysatellitetv dot blogspot dot com" Yeah, whatever.

I then got the advice from someone real who commented (Firestarter, who writes quite thoughtfully about the things that are meaningful to him: his kids, his wife, his God -- check him out) that I could delete the comment-spam, and change my settings to not allow anonymous comments. Then (am I boring you yet?), I got spam from people who actually signed in (their profile pages are unsurprisingly devoid of any content!). I could change my settings so that everyone would have to sign in and type in an authorization code...but I'll just delete them.

Then, I was reading another blog (now that he's outted himself, I can say that my man writes this corporate blog), where he mentioned Fraugs. From my understanding, there are essentially three types of corporate blogs: people who work in the company who write about their work in personal blogs (and who may or may not get in trouble for it!); PR blogs that are honest about who or what they are; and PR blogs that don't let on their ties to the company. (My guy writes the second!)

But here's something he brought to my attention (he linked to it in his entry on Fraugs above): a blog called blogoriented. Read it carefully, and you realize it is a little scary. It is a company that is currently in China, hiring people to write fraudulent blogs (hence "fraugs")...not that they call them that. From one of their posts:

I can tell you that the top 5 blogs we are currently developing are:

• A blog written from the perspective of a stray cat in NYC.
• A blog written from a 14 year old depressed Iowa girl.
• A blog about life as a math professor in a southern community college.
• A blog about being a plus sized model in Kentucky.
• A blog about being a weatherman in California.

Okay...looks funny, right? But let's go a little deeper: a blog written by an adult in the point of view of a 14-year-old depressed girl in Iowa could become very popular. Now the blog owner goes to a music company for advertising money, and then the 'girl' writes: "The only song that makes me feel better is..." or worse, they go to a pharmaceutical company, and the 'girl' writes: "Oh, my shrink increased my dose of ... and I feel so good!" Hundreds of real 14-year-olds, searching on the Internet for some help, see this and are manipulated. Disturbing.

What's absurd is that maybe this idea is itself a fraug...(But I doubt it.)

Lori

Dealing with a digital backlog

Check it out! I have created yet another site: this time to showcase the photos that I have been taking with my digital camera. There's even a bit of a blog there, where I will write about things photographic.

Just ask my man -- he's the one that bought me my Minolta DiMage A1. He got tired of watching the piles of photos grow, most of them experimental and useless. I then had the same problem on my computer -- folder upon folder of photos that nobody was ever going to see. And, to top it off, I am always taking pictures at events, and never sending the pictures on to the people. Those are going up as well, at least until all interested parties have had a look.

So, be patient, check this new site every so often, and I'll keep adding more photos.



And what would be a blog entry about photography without a photo? Here's one that is a lovely absurdity: the juxtaposition of Scottish bagpipes at the Richmond Asian Night Market...how Canadian can you get?


Lori

A technical break

I'm so proud of myself...I added a section for links in the sidebar. But, notice that the font of "Links" doesn't match the "Recent Posts" or "Archives"...those are a .gif file imbedded in the template. I won't care if you don't.

Unless someone out there knows a trick or two to change it...?

Lori

...since sliced bread

Oh, my! I was going to blog today about the trendiness of having babies...but everyone must try Google Earth, if you haven't tried it already. Go anywhere, see anything, all from space! So cool.

Okay, back to babies. I find it almost heartening that those arbiters of trendy, today's celebrities, are racing to have babies. Headlines in the gossip section of one of our local rags: Hurley turns to baby food ("I found all I wanted to do was give him perfect, unadulterated food."); Tara admits to boob job ("Meanwhile, the American Pie actress has revealed she is desperate to fall in love and start a family."); and J. Lo pregnant? ("A source told the New York Post: 'Her freinds and family members have told us she is pregnant.' But representatives for the 34-year-old star continue to deny the claims.") Not to mention Ms. Spears constantly in the news about her upcoming baby...

What annoys me about this? Sex, drugs and alcohol were the trend of the up-and-coming stars in my generation (ie. when I was in my 20s). And when I was in my 20s, I was like everyone else, assuming I'd invented drunken promiscuity. (An attitude which is still alive and well in the cornucopia of dating TV shows: Blind Date, Elimidate, Fifth Wheel) What annoys me is that now these women, and the media surrounding them, act as if they are the first women in the world to have babies. And it's coming at a time when so many (normal) women are delaying it until they are more secure in their financial lives, or even deciding not to, because of career/lifestyle priorities.

The upside? Being pregnant is suddenly sexy. Women all over Canada and the United States are showing off their pregnant bellies, navel rings and all. It's quite a celebration of motherhood.

The downside? Gads, where do I start? Having a child is an expensive proposition, especially if you are not a millionaire pop icon. And the marketing -- it is becoming so 'important' to have the right 'stuff' for your kid. Rubenesque women were the trend when the poor couldn't afford to eat. Aerobicized asses when the poor couldn't afford to go to hire a trainer. Anemic scrawniness is the trend now, as it is an expensive alternative to eat organic/vegan. I'm a litle worried about the cost of having a child -- what ways will 'They' find to make it rise, and rise, and rise?

I'm going back to my Google Earth...far more fun.

Lori

Wow...so busy.

Well, the deed has been done. He asked me. What's odd about it is how meaningful it turned out to be. I knew he was 'It' and the one I was going to be with the rest of my life...we'd even talked about marriage. But actually being asked was...big.



...under the stars...after having watched a guy give a presentation about bats in the campground we were in. [Hmm. Ambiguous sentence: did he give the presentation in the campground, or about the bats in the campground? As there is only small brown bats in the area, and the picture projected is of a vampire bat, I'd say it was the first interpretation.]

"But it's been so long since you last blogged!" I can hear my hordes of fans now...Okay, you're right! Being asked to marry someone on a one night camping trip isn't that time-consuming. I was taking a very intensive course...the one I mentioned a few entries ago...SFU's Book Publishing Immersion Workshop. Days of lectures by the top people in the field...nights of working in our breakout rooms to 10:30 p.m. deadlines (a couple of nights, the university stayed open so we could meet our 11:30 p.m. or midnight finishes!). My cats didn't recognize me anymore.

But I'm back.

Lori

Things I take for granted

I live in Western Canada, and, like most Canadians, live near the US border. I must admit, I've described my Canadian identity to foreigners as a 'negative space' of the United States. "For the most part," I've said, "we are what they aren't."

But I've often doubted that as a valid description...Being Canadian is more than that, but how to describe it? We can laugh at ourselves more, we wouldn't really care if our Prime Minister got a blowjob from an intern, and we have better beer.

Here's a blog that answers part of it for me: Atheist Exposed. [Go back to the beginning, and read from there...don't skip anything. It's powerful stuff.] I can't imagine living in a place (in this case, Texas) where coming out as an atheist after 30 years in the spiritual closet is akin to coming out as a Lesbian 20 years ago in Vancouver (or today, in Korea).

I want to point at this brave woman (and she is brave, if the reactions of those around her are to be believed) and say "There! This is the difference between Canada and the United States...or at least one state." Fellow Canadians -- do we have anything comparable?

Lori

Do You Know Where Your Towel Is?

Less than a year away is Towel Day, a tribute to Douglas Adams (1952-2001). So, this is a reminder to all to carry your towel on May 25th, 2006 in honour of one of the funniest people who ever lived.

If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend going. It's not perfect, it's not British, but it is fun. (In the movie, Ford Prefect uses his towel to great advantage...)

Lori

ROFLMAO

Don't eat this! But you must read it! I'm adding this guy to my daily read...

Lori

Have you Played with Ze yet?

Ze's Page is just a whole bunch of fun (why don't I find/write about serious stuff? That's a good question. If you find me frivolous, visit my SO's page -- he's a much better writer than I am, and addresses more heady subjects.). The picture here is a sentence I wrote in the 'words' section of the site. And the cryptic "dtoyvsbyokal" is a diy kaleidescope...


I'm leaving you with this site to play with and keep you occupied for a couple of weeks, as I'm going to be out of the loop until Monday, August 15th. This weekend I've got a wedding and the next-day BBQ to go to -- they are lucky, lucky, lucky...as it's a glorious day for a wedding in the park (touch wood).

Then, I'm going to be 2 long, full, intensive weeks in a course at SFU: the Book Publishing Immersion Workshop. THEN, I'll be looking for a job.

Don't forget to wear sunscreen.

Lori

On Being Creative

At gapingvoid, there is a really good list of life lessons on creativity...I like this one:

6. Everyone is born creative; everyone is given a box of crayons in kindergarten.Then when you hit puberty they take the crayons away and replace them with books on algebra etc. Being suddenly hit years later with the creative bug is just a wee voice telling you, "I’d like my crayons back, please."

I ran a workshop at a conference once on tools to enhance one's creativity...I was a teacher, and used a lot of these things in my classes, to open my students' minds a bit more -- a gentle crowbar, to allow more independent thought.

I enjoy lateral thinking puzzles...when the SO was on the road, driving truck, I went with him for a week, and had him solving these suckers at 3 a.m., driving down the I5.

(a little more practice:)
ID LIEK MAH CRAYONS BAK PLZ

Lori

A little bit of surfing...

A fellow countrywoman I met in Chartres and I still keep in email contact. Not too heavy -- I'm on her email mass-mailing list. "Oh, no!" I can hear you say...but this woman is different: she really only sends the very interesting of websites. No angels, sick kids, virus warnings, nor chain letters from her! Instead, every once in awhile she sends something really cool: like StumbleUpon: a time killing (wasting?) toolbar for your browser.

Today it sent me to a fabulous, interactive Edgar A. Poe site. Hear his poetry read with either a male or female voice, with or without emotion, music, or sound effects. Read "The Tell-Tale Heart" and make your own annotations.

Another site I 'stumbled upon' was the AOLer Translator -- as someone who's relatively new to instant messaging, I actually need this!

IL TOK 2 U L8R OKAY
?!???!!!! LOL

Lori

Just funny....

Here's a nicely organized collection of Things People Said. I have no commentary to add...it is just funny.

Lori

I wanted a Castle Grayskull!

Someone out there either had great foresight to collect TV commercials from the 80s...or else is a major packrat and has a pile of VCR tapes in storage. My sister was the TV junkie, but I definitely remember most of these, especially the talking McDonalds Chicken McNuggets, the Atari Pitfall ad and the rather wacky Rolo commercial.

I was just hitting my teens when the 80s rolled around, but I did want a Castle Grayskull -- even though it was a boy's toy. Amazing how the girl toy/boy toy distinction has changed very little...there are still pastel toys for girls and dark toys for boys -- although, the transformation of the phrase "boy toy" into its new meaning is telling in itself.

Lori

Si fractum non sit, noli id reficere.

Some people really have too much time -- here at the Fun Latin website.

I mean, seriously, when do you think you'll need to call the Seven Dwarves in Latin?

• Fatuus
  Dopey
• Medicullus
  Doc
• Severus
  Grumpy
• Beatus
  Happy
• Somniculosus
  Sleepy
• Verecundus
  Bashful
• Sternuens
  Sneezy

Die dulci fruimini.

Lori

"Withdraw O. Tomcat"

...is one of the senders names in my inbox spam, along with "Spinoza C. Horizontals" and "Arroyos Q. Reamed". I'm not making this up. I wish I had that kind of imagination. Spam generators (the people or the computer programs?) are getting more and more...what? Interesting? Do they think the average person is more likely to open a suspicious email from one "Jupiter C. Misty" than s/he is from "Julie"?

[enter sweeping statement about state of email technology and gullibility here]

Lori

Found Poetry

Here's something I've been carrying around in my wallet for a couple of years: it's time it was immortalized on the web.

How many times have I pulled it and handed it to whomever I was with...and how many times have I received a "Huh?" Some people just don't get it.

For me, it's become a test of who does, and does not, appreciate the weirder things in life.


And yes, it's a real Pictionary card. I was playing with a class of adult ESL students, and pulled the card, read it and started laughing. Naturally, I laminated it, and have been pulling it out for people to laugh at ever since.

I hope you appreciate it.

Lori

Tower of Babel

I have a Brazilian friend who lives in Germany, speaks I-don't-know-how-many languages, and who works as a translator. Maybe she would appreciate this "Lost in Translation" site, which has been making the rounds for years.

Translating a phrase from English, into German, back to English, then into Portuguese, back to English again, then into Korean...and so on...does create some really fun stuff.

I tried it, with one of my favourite lines from Bladerunner...

I have from the things, those you, in the order of the ordered
popolano not to believe. The attack transfers ulteriorly to the fogos
to the shoulder of Orion. I observed marks we of the ordered C-light
to ignite to me in the loop that following dark the door to Tannhauser
at all these moments if one becomes the time, because it destroys
ruptures under rain. Decree to die the hour.

The original sounds better...listen to Roy Batty at the bottom of this page (scroll down, scroll WAAY down!)

Lori