Snow Day?

So today is a... snow day. That never happens here. Theoretically, anyway.

Infrastructure here is all but non-existant. The electricity is out in many areas, and the city doesn't have a budget for snowploughs. At least we don't have the turbidity warnings here, like they do in Vancouver. Or as Uncyclopedia calls it, the "Drink Beer" advisory.

I think what has surprised me the most is how much people are complaing. They should spend a winter east of the Rockies and see what they think then. I keep thinking to myself, "Suck it up, you're Canadian!" whenever I hear someone complaining about the snow.

So not long after we got our electricity back, Werner calls and wants to set up a game of Risk at my house. So after some negotiations, the deal is done and he shows up with his rag-tag bunch of Risk enthusiests.

After our game finished [we decided that Werner was the winner, we never actually finished] we went to Jon's, picked up a copy of Civilizations IV, then went back to my house and started a game. Tommy even dropped by briefly.

Well, now I'm out of blogging material....

Starbucks and the Button a Week Challenge Continues...

I spent way too much money today. I don't have the reciepts with me, but I figure I spent somewhere in the neighbourhood of 50~70 dollars. I guess it's hard to resist the temptation the day after you get your paycheck. The problem is, I need to save so I can pay for my trip to England and France this June.

Here's a rundown of what I bought, if memory serves:

Issue of PC Gamer [with CD]
Teach Yourself Visually Guide to Knitting
A day-by-day calendar for 2007 [with discount]
Benighted by Kit Whitfield [with discount]
Coffee at Ralph's
Latte at Starbucks

Not paying for any of it with a Mastercard: Priceless.


After my shopping spree, I went over to a Kyle E 's house and to Starbucks in the evening to meet with Werner and Matthew P. I had intended to discuss Stephen Harper's recognition of Quebec as "a nation within Canada." However, we quickly moved on to other topics, notably Werner's vintage Soviet longcoat.

After, we went to Tanner's Books and had a fun time browsing. One notable find was "The Worst Case Scenario Survival Guide to History." It included such gems as how to win a bayonet fight, defend a medieval castle, and how to defect from the USSR.

Until next time,

-JarJar_Head

This Week's Button: Never apologize for your art.

Knitting, you say?

Here I am, sitting at my computer desk, knitting of all things. Knitting. But that doesn't make me feel strange. It's listening to Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica while I'm knitting that makes me feel strange.

For those who don't know, a knitting bee was held at the church last night to make scarves for the homeless. I'm sorry, I mean residentially challenged. That's much more politically correct. It's been a while since I tried knitting last, probably about eight months. I actually learned how to 'cast on' this time. It was something I had tried to learn before, but I forgot how to do it after every stitch I started. At the time, it had just been easier for someone else to start it for me.

Of course, we all make mistakes, and I'm no exception, if not a prime example. I drop stitches, gain stitches, some of my stitches are too tight, and some of them are too loose. But it's only my first project, and I'm content with my progress.

As the sweater says, "Cool kids knit." Of course there's also the less often seen "It's hip to knit."

The Button a Week Challenge

First, a little background. For quite some time, I've imagined myself as an activist or philantropist. Seems I imagine things a lot. Between the time I spend at school, work, and my social life, I'm left with little time to be a fairly active activist and I have little unused funds to be a decent philanthropist. Additionally, I'm very quiet about my beliefs for fear of critisizm. I suppose you could say that I have a weak self-esteem. But enough on this.

While browsing the products at http://www.evolvefish.com, it occurred to me that many of the buttons that they sell (mostly activist oriented) are also available at a local music store. Convienent for me, seeing as I don't have a credit card and I want to avoid international shipping fees. The one downside to this is that the music store's selection is somewhat limited.

This foray into Internet window shopping (Did I just make a pun?) gave me an idea: wear a button every day, every week, for a year; with a different button each week.

52 buttons. 117.54 dollars. (Tax incl.)

What have I gotten myself into?


This Week's Button: "Coffee is God."