February 2008
46 posts
“Oh, and no image altering mister graphics company owner.”
– Email from my best friend with attached ultrasounds. It seems like I’ve developed a reputation…
Is there a standard practice for dealing with websites who steal your bandwidth? A graphic I made for Canadian Literature showed up, hotlinked from us, on someone else’s website. I changed the filename and fixed up our site’s links, but am I supposed to send an angry email now?
I’ve been noticing that if you append your request with “it’s for a project I’m working on” and then trail into vague details, people will pretty much let you film them doing anything.
Super Health
tylerriewer:
I don’t get sick. At all. My immune system is like a steel fortress surrounded by a moat of cough medicine. It’s incredible. And I’ll tell you my secret… germs. Starting at an early age. I really believe that. While other kids were worrying about washing their hands and covering their mouths when they coughed, I was eating food off the floor and sharing A.B.C. gum. And it made me...
The new iMac
I got a new iMac at work this week and it’s pretty fantastic. I’ve upgraded from a 17” G5 to the new 20” model and the difference is like night and day. As often as I’ve seen and drooled over them, actually using one for work really shows how well-thought the design and functionality is.
The only problems are as follows:
I currently have a black desktop background...
MSN Conversation with Greg →
Travis has stopped publishing ours, so here’s my friend/former roommate Greg.
Goodbye Rock Star Jeans
I started my yearly purge/donation of clothes I haven’t worn in the past 12 months today. I’m getting rid of my first and only pair of 501s. My friend Jason always called them my “rock star jeans.” They’re so faded that there’s little blue left, the subtle rips are PERFECT, and the bottoms are sufficiently frayed without ruining any actual pant-ness.
I remember...
Goodbye Porkpie Hat
I’ve been reading this story, “Goodbye Porkpie Hat” by Mike Christie, in a recent issue of sub-Terrain. It’s about Hank, a crack addict, and J. Robert Oppenheimer, a deceased theoretical physicist who was instrumental in the creation of nuclear weapons.
The concept is that Oppenheimer comes to visit Hank with the intent to try and study crack: “In my humble opinion...
I got a letter from the bank...
…it said that my student debt has doubled since I started repaying it a year ago. A week later, I got another letter saying that it was normal; so I inquired at the bank:
Teller: Oh, that was a mistake on personal loan accounts. We’re supposed to correct the error [hence the second letter] and apologize.
Me: [silence]
Teller: We’re sorry for the mistake and have fixed it with...
I had my first morning off in a long, long time today. It was only a matter of time before I became an American Idol: Karaoke Revolution champion.
Gene Simmons Sex Tape Leaked →
I like to be informed on the veracity of celebrity sex tapes, but there is nothing that will convince me to watch this. While he seems like a cool guy, Gene Simmons (Chaim Witz) = ew.
Today I found out that I'm not allergic to...
…and the first thing I thought was “hooray! Now I can get an SDT!” Then I talked to a kid about the green wax his doctor gave him, and the first thing I thought was “wow, I’ll bet that’s what an SDT’s discharge looks like.” Than I may or may not (I did) have relayed that information to my boss.
In other SDT news, I was telling the dictionary people...
The Smartboard Strikes Again...
Me: I need some dirt on you immediately or the rest of our interactions are going to be awkward, cringe-worthy, and blush-inducing.
Dreamy: I bit a girl in kindergarten.
Me: I would prefer dirt from the past 20 years, though I’m tempted to start a biting rumor…
Dreamy: I have received 5+ speeding tickets.
Me: That certainly dents your wholesome image. Under normal circumstances, a dent in your wholesome image would make me blush more, but I’m feeling rather non-awkward today. Where did you bite the girl?
Dreamy: On the arm... she was a brat.
Me: That sounds like flirting. Did you also pull her hair and chase her around the playground?
Dreamy: I was big into flirting in kindergarten.
Me: I guess I’ll know you’re flirting with me if you ever bite me on the arm.
Dreamy: I am pretty sure you would overheat and pass out from awkwardness if I ever did that.... which makes me really tempted.
Me: Are you rabid?
Dreamy: Only on Thursdays.
Me: Reasons you should not bite me: 1) I think I forgot to put on deodorant this morning. 2) I am not a brat. 3) I am not socially awkward today, so there would be no blushing (unless you are wearing a white button-down).
Dreamy: I think I had the most awkward moment of my life today... I realized I was emailing you.... and kids could see all the things we were emailing about, during last block.... I started sweating and turned pretty red. It was awful.
Me: Liar! You are just trying to make me awkward! Besides, this email exchange has been completely wholesome.
Dreamy: I wish I was lying... and I am not sure that talking about biting you is completely wholesome.... could just be me though.
I get INCREDIBLE amusement out of these email exchanges. I hope to hear about the awkward student who approaches you to ask about biting and its role in dating next.
Listening to the Juno Soundtrack
The Konami code is a lyric in the Moldy Peaches’ “Anyone Else But You”!
An Acrostic Poem
jjake:
Jawesome.
Ais my best frend.
Kalways wants me to call him even if he acts like he doesn’t like it. Wha-eva. Jake.
EJake.
That Amir’s character knows what an acrostic is, but doesn’t know how to do it properly, is AMAZING.
Work emails a vegetarian will disregard
Ones that have “New Book Release, Children’s book about Hunting endorsed by Mark Kayser and Ted Nugent” in the subject line. In fact, you can add “endorsed by Ted Nugent” to just about anything and get the same results.
Sometimes you write an email, and it’s to a blogger, so they put it on their website. Other times, you write an email to a dictionary editor, and they stick one of your language quirks into their citations queue.
Arachnophobia is...
…actively calming yourself down while you work with scans of woodcut prints of spiders.
“Scrubs will always be my favourite, but wow, this is really good! I don’t...”
– My Mom (I sent her the first season of Flight of the Conchords on DVD)
Things I learned from the new Trading Spaces
Saying “it’s fabulicious” doesn’t quell the nerves of women with mullets.
Lingering Question
Do chefs attract people looking for a great morning-after breakfast the same way rich folk attract gold diggers?
I’m watching Cat Cora on “Iron Chef” and can’t stop thinking how delicious that would be.
Explosion in Vancouver
“There was this big, huge bang and boom,” Stewart Ross, who was aboard a passing bus when the blast occurred, told Citytv.
There was an explosion in Vancouver this morning. At the Taco Del Mar (I’m told it’s a “classier version of Taco Bell”). Apparently, there was “this big, huge bang and boom.”
Luckily, no one was injured, so I can continue to...
“A sad time for a web designer: when something works, perfectly, on the first try...”
– Nicole Guinta (via simko)
Database Design
Things didn’t work out with an assistant so I’m spending today doing catch-up database design and mapping. It’s really about as exciting as it sounds; ugh.
jPod Fans?
Following up their awesome website for the new show, CBC has gone head and made a playable Defendoid.
This is how major media SHOULD work.
The Black Rider
“Six are yours and hit the mark, one is mine and hits the dark.”
-PegLeg
I saw “The Black Rider” (see video clips at the site) at Arts Club Theatre in Vancouver, BC yesterday. It’s playing until February 9th, and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes live theatre.
The words are by William S. Burrough, the music by Tom Waits, and the original staging was Robert...
Canadian Teacher or Librarian?
We’re conducting a survey at Canadian Literature until February 29th to get some feedback before moving forward with some high school-geared projects (the exciting kind that local teachers have already jumped at and used in class as a prototype).
If you are involved in Canadian high schools, please do the survey and/or forward it along to anyone who is. It will only take a few minutes and...
The Black Rider
I’m going to see the Tom Waits / William S. Burroughs musical, “The Black Rider”, tonight at the Arts Club Theatre. This is funny because the last time I was at Arts Club, I ended up in an argument with the front of house manager (the conversation started with her telling me that the guy who played Will from Will and Grace wasn’t very good when he did Dracula a couple years...
zoya:
if I post more graphic font porn, will more of you unfollow me? cause I’ve got a whole Didot series in the works
This easily goes on my list of “questions I want to ask someday.”
Eye Weekly Short Story Contest
My friend Grace was a runner-up in the EYE WEEKLY Short Story Contest (it’s a weekly called EYE WEEKLY; not a weekly contest) and got to sit on the panel answering questions about the story and the world of literature (she’s the girl in the picture). In her words:
they did a dramatic reading of each of our stories last night and then asked us some questions on stage. i was extremely...
UBC Threats
There was a security threat made at the University of British Columbia last week that was handled REALLY badly. There’s been some great spinning by the media relations at UBC to make it look like their new alert system was a success (only 38% of students signed up, and it’s only now open to staff. I didn’t know there was police presence, or any trouble, until one of our editors...
“Q: Isn’t it Fe-ic?*
Q: Don’t you think?”
– *Will only get if you are a recovering chemistry nerd. (via shittyjokes)
In my adult life, the only benefits I’ve had from Chem class is laughing at nerd puns.
Of Bands and Relationships
I started a new band yesterday. Like a new relationship, I feel that nervous excitement, but have also started a mental list of break-up excuses if it doesn’t go well. Unlike a new relationship, I explicitly gave a maximum weekly time commitment. I think that last part is the most important for success.
(Capitalist) Happiness Is...
…finding out that the jacket you’re buying, formerly $88 and on sale for $30, rings up at $19.95.
…treating yourself to a nice meal alone at a nice restaurant and getting the more expensive entrée because it works better with the appetizer you want (verdict: while both were delicious, the appetizer was a moreso and made the entrée slightly disappointing in comparison).
...