Today I happened upon this article:
http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/39643/113/
This is the ultimate toy, yet practicle too!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
I did it!
I managed to go out for my first run despite a feeble attempt at getting out of it. I managed to buy the shoes, so that wasn't my excuse. My excuse was even better (in my mind) than that. This week I am supposed to run one minute and walk two minutes, alternate that 7 times, and call it a day. Simple. Except that I don't own a watch and could not time myself.
I was proud of my excuse, and the following text chat ensued while I was on the GO Train:
me: not making it out tonight. I don't have a watch that works. I do have new shoes though. I hate them, they are ugly, but apparently they will help me pronate or something.
Taunya: You can run for 100 steps and walk for 200 steps. Repeat 7 times.
me: Ok. But what if I lose count?
Taunya: (Sigh) then start at 1 if you are running or 199 if you are walking.
me: I was only kidding.
Taunya: I know. I just wasn't going to give you any way out.
Taunya and I have been friends since we worked together at an office back in 1994. She and I had many adventures which will be talked about some other day. Taunya learned very quickly how to manipulate me to get me to do things. It was her work avoidance technique. She would say something, I would do all the work, and she would sit at the desk with her feet up singing Garth Brooks songs all day. Ok, well, it didn't QUITE happen like that.
She is, however, an excellent motivator. I believe that one of my text messages that occurred a bit later in the conversation resulted me in nicknaming her "The Evil Motivator". But she got me to go out. And I also realise that there will be very few excuses for me to back out of The Resolution Run, so it is in my best interests to keep this up.
So I got home, changed my clothes, and went out for my first run. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be (ok, I DID use my fingers to count, but I was concentrating on breathing and running, and dodging pets) and I didn't experience any lung burn afterwords. Tomorrow I get to rest. Although I will cherish days like tomorrow, I actually am looking forward to going out again on Wednesday.
I was proud of my excuse, and the following text chat ensued while I was on the GO Train:
me: not making it out tonight. I don't have a watch that works. I do have new shoes though. I hate them, they are ugly, but apparently they will help me pronate or something.
Taunya: You can run for 100 steps and walk for 200 steps. Repeat 7 times.
me: Ok. But what if I lose count?
Taunya: (Sigh) then start at 1 if you are running or 199 if you are walking.
me: I was only kidding.
Taunya: I know. I just wasn't going to give you any way out.
Taunya and I have been friends since we worked together at an office back in 1994. She and I had many adventures which will be talked about some other day. Taunya learned very quickly how to manipulate me to get me to do things. It was her work avoidance technique. She would say something, I would do all the work, and she would sit at the desk with her feet up singing Garth Brooks songs all day. Ok, well, it didn't QUITE happen like that.
She is, however, an excellent motivator. I believe that one of my text messages that occurred a bit later in the conversation resulted me in nicknaming her "The Evil Motivator". But she got me to go out. And I also realise that there will be very few excuses for me to back out of The Resolution Run, so it is in my best interests to keep this up.
So I got home, changed my clothes, and went out for my first run. It was a lot easier than I thought it would be (ok, I DID use my fingers to count, but I was concentrating on breathing and running, and dodging pets) and I didn't experience any lung burn afterwords. Tomorrow I get to rest. Although I will cherish days like tomorrow, I actually am looking forward to going out again on Wednesday.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
What Have I Gone and Gotten Myself Into Now?
Tonight I did the unthinkable. I agreed to go in a 5K run with my friend Taunya on New Year's Day. Doesn't sound so bad, until you realize that I don't run. Yet.
The run I am entering is called the Resolution Run and is offered through the Running Room. When you go to the site, they have a counter that is counting down the days to the race. I have 87 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes and 40 seconds to learn how to run. Tomorrow night will be my first day of training, provided I get shoes. What an adventure this is going to be!
The run I am entering is called the Resolution Run and is offered through the Running Room. When you go to the site, they have a counter that is counting down the days to the race. I have 87 days, 1 hour, 53 minutes and 40 seconds to learn how to run. Tomorrow night will be my first day of training, provided I get shoes. What an adventure this is going to be!
A Sleepless Night of Art in the City
I managed to pick the art I wanted to see for Nuit Blanche yesterday, headed out, and met up with Chunling downtown. We spent the entire time in Zone A and saw 12 different things in this order:
1. Project Blinkenlights
2. Urbanity Humanity
3. Cocoon Garden
4. Euronight 08
5. Concurrence - Emerging Canadian Artists
6. Waterfall
7. Time Piece
8. Dream Home
9. Sitting Ducks
10. House of Leaves
11. 15 Seconds
12. Stock Extravaganza
The night started off with us going to Nathan Phillips Square and observing the world's largest Pong game being played on City Hall. We spent about 3 hours walking around finding the various exhibits and concluded at the corner of Bay and Dundas.
What I enjoyed most about Nuit Blanche was that the evening was beautiful - it was the perfect night to go for a walk around downtown Toronto. My only regret was that I did not have the energy to take in more exhibits. I will be attending next year's Nuit Blanche for sure. I will just make sure I have a really big nap before I go out.
Along the way we saw a historic moment - the Sam the Record Man sign was lit up for the last time on Yonge Street. It will now be moved from its home to somewhere else on the Ryerson campus. I hope whatever Ryerson does with the sign, they will do it justice. That sign is a landmark, an icon, and a fixture in the city. It is almost as famous as the CN Tower. Maybe even more. It was a bitter sweet moment, as I will miss seeing the sign in all its cheesy glory.
If I had to pick a favourite exhibit, it would have been Urbanity Humanity. I understood the art much better there than anywhere else. I also felt that out of the displays I saw, they put the most effort into their display. Although I have no doubt that all artists took pride in their work, I really felt it the most at Urbanity Humanity. Hopefully these artists and the Beaver Hall Artists' Co-Op will have a display there next year. If they do, it will be at the top of my list to see.
Stock Extravaganza was the most bizzaare. I'm not sure if I liked it, or I didn't like it, but it does make for a good story. Chunling and I got to the corner of Dundas and Bay where the exhibit was supposed to be. We saw the Nuit Blanche flag, but could not see any art. We thought it might be inside the Atrium, but no one was going in there. We could hear music playing towards Bay street, and a little crowd was gathered, but all we could see was a garbage can.
Chunling: "People are looking inside the garbage can!"
Me: "Oh yeah, I remember why I picked this now. It is because the exhibit is inside the garbage can."
Chunling gave me a slightly perplexed look. She hasn't known me quite long enough to understand why I chose it. Or she's one of the remaining optimists that keeps hoping my penchant for that which is truly bizzaare will go away.
Chunling: "You want to see this?"
Me: "Yes, but there is a line."
Chunling: "Maybe they will let me just peak inside to see if I want to stand in the line."
Me: "I don't think people will let you do that. We should probably just go to the line or skip the exhibit."
Chunling: "It is getting kind of late. Perhaps I should go home."
Me: "No worries, I'm not sure if I want to stand in line to look inside a garbage can either."
After parting ways, curiosity had the better of me and I just HAD to see what was in the garbage can. Plus, I really wanted bragging rights to say that I stood in line to look inside a garbage can.
So I went back and stood in line. The line moved very fast, I peaked inside, I thought about what I saw for a bit, and then wandered off to see the world's largest pong game displayed on City Hall again. After that, I grabbed a tea, caught my train, and headed home to go to bed.
1. Project Blinkenlights
2. Urbanity Humanity
3. Cocoon Garden
4. Euronight 08
5. Concurrence - Emerging Canadian Artists
6. Waterfall
7. Time Piece
8. Dream Home
9. Sitting Ducks
10. House of Leaves
11. 15 Seconds
12. Stock Extravaganza
The night started off with us going to Nathan Phillips Square and observing the world's largest Pong game being played on City Hall. We spent about 3 hours walking around finding the various exhibits and concluded at the corner of Bay and Dundas.
What I enjoyed most about Nuit Blanche was that the evening was beautiful - it was the perfect night to go for a walk around downtown Toronto. My only regret was that I did not have the energy to take in more exhibits. I will be attending next year's Nuit Blanche for sure. I will just make sure I have a really big nap before I go out.
Along the way we saw a historic moment - the Sam the Record Man sign was lit up for the last time on Yonge Street. It will now be moved from its home to somewhere else on the Ryerson campus. I hope whatever Ryerson does with the sign, they will do it justice. That sign is a landmark, an icon, and a fixture in the city. It is almost as famous as the CN Tower. Maybe even more. It was a bitter sweet moment, as I will miss seeing the sign in all its cheesy glory.
If I had to pick a favourite exhibit, it would have been Urbanity Humanity. I understood the art much better there than anywhere else. I also felt that out of the displays I saw, they put the most effort into their display. Although I have no doubt that all artists took pride in their work, I really felt it the most at Urbanity Humanity. Hopefully these artists and the Beaver Hall Artists' Co-Op will have a display there next year. If they do, it will be at the top of my list to see.
Stock Extravaganza was the most bizzaare. I'm not sure if I liked it, or I didn't like it, but it does make for a good story. Chunling and I got to the corner of Dundas and Bay where the exhibit was supposed to be. We saw the Nuit Blanche flag, but could not see any art. We thought it might be inside the Atrium, but no one was going in there. We could hear music playing towards Bay street, and a little crowd was gathered, but all we could see was a garbage can.
Chunling: "People are looking inside the garbage can!"
Me: "Oh yeah, I remember why I picked this now. It is because the exhibit is inside the garbage can."
Chunling gave me a slightly perplexed look. She hasn't known me quite long enough to understand why I chose it. Or she's one of the remaining optimists that keeps hoping my penchant for that which is truly bizzaare will go away.
Chunling: "You want to see this?"
Me: "Yes, but there is a line."
Chunling: "Maybe they will let me just peak inside to see if I want to stand in the line."
Me: "I don't think people will let you do that. We should probably just go to the line or skip the exhibit."
Chunling: "It is getting kind of late. Perhaps I should go home."
Me: "No worries, I'm not sure if I want to stand in line to look inside a garbage can either."
After parting ways, curiosity had the better of me and I just HAD to see what was in the garbage can. Plus, I really wanted bragging rights to say that I stood in line to look inside a garbage can.
So I went back and stood in line. The line moved very fast, I peaked inside, I thought about what I saw for a bit, and then wandered off to see the world's largest pong game displayed on City Hall again. After that, I grabbed a tea, caught my train, and headed home to go to bed.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Sleepless Night
Tonight I will be meeting Chunling, Paul, and Peter to take in some of Nuit Blanche and to enjoy a fun filled night of art in the city. I am really looking forward to it! There are four different zones, and tonnes of things to do in each zone. I have been put in charge of picking what we are going to see, since I was the one who suggested we all hook up in the first place.
The site says that it is impossible to see everything in just 12 short hours. I'm not even going for the full 12 hours, as I plan on getting some sleep tonight and going ice skating tomorrow afternoon. So I best be cutting my entry short for now and get on with picking what art I want everyone to see.
I hope I choose wisely. And I hope I have enough battery power in my camera to last the evening!
The site says that it is impossible to see everything in just 12 short hours. I'm not even going for the full 12 hours, as I plan on getting some sleep tonight and going ice skating tomorrow afternoon. So I best be cutting my entry short for now and get on with picking what art I want everyone to see.
I hope I choose wisely. And I hope I have enough battery power in my camera to last the evening!
Thursday, October 2, 2008
"Pink M&Ms"
July 2, 1981: I was sleeping in the bedroom with my cousins Chris, Debbie, and Eric at their house near Chatham. The sound of a car engine woke me up. I looked around, and the others heard it, too. We blinked, stared at each other for a bit, then went back to sleep. We were all tired from staying up late the night before to watch the Canada Day fireworks displays that were off in the distance. A little later Chris got up, left the room, then came back in. The rest of us were awake, he sat on the bed. He looked at us and said "Mom and Aunt Barb left for town early this morning. Grandma died last night."
Every weekend for a couple of months before that day Mom and I made the journey from our home just outside of London to my Aunt Joan's house just outside of Chatham. I visited Grandma once or twice in the hospital. She never let on that she was scared or in pain.
I knew Grandma was sick, although my Mom never told me from what. Her hair had fallen out, and she was very weak. No matter what, whenever I walked in the room she still always had energy to flash me a big smile and spend time talking with me. I had no idea those conversations with her would be my last.
It wasn't until months after the funeral I was looking for something on Mom's dresser and found Grandma's obituary. She had died of breast cancer. She had found some lumps, went to her doctor, and he dismissed her concerns by telling her they had always been there. He went on vacation. By the time he came back more lumps had grown, and his vacation had become her death sentence. And my loss.
It wasn't until years later that my cousin Debbie opened up about what went on during the weekdays when I wasn't there. How she would watch Grandma go for chemotherapy, and then would watch her throw up for the next couple of days.
I was 12 years old when she passed away. I grew up more that summer than I ever had in the past. I missed her Irish lilt when she spoke, her laugh, her smile, her warmth, and her love. I can't miss her spirit because it is still alive in those who knew her.
October is breast cancer awareness month. Tonight I had to stop off at the pharmacy to buy some things, and saw the Pink M&M's on the shelf. I bought a bag of them and have been eating them while writing this post. With each M&M I eat I hope that I help someone else's granddaughter to never have to experience what I did.
But more importantly, each M&M I eat is dedicated to you, Grandma. I still miss you and I will always love you.
Every weekend for a couple of months before that day Mom and I made the journey from our home just outside of London to my Aunt Joan's house just outside of Chatham. I visited Grandma once or twice in the hospital. She never let on that she was scared or in pain.
I knew Grandma was sick, although my Mom never told me from what. Her hair had fallen out, and she was very weak. No matter what, whenever I walked in the room she still always had energy to flash me a big smile and spend time talking with me. I had no idea those conversations with her would be my last.
It wasn't until months after the funeral I was looking for something on Mom's dresser and found Grandma's obituary. She had died of breast cancer. She had found some lumps, went to her doctor, and he dismissed her concerns by telling her they had always been there. He went on vacation. By the time he came back more lumps had grown, and his vacation had become her death sentence. And my loss.
It wasn't until years later that my cousin Debbie opened up about what went on during the weekdays when I wasn't there. How she would watch Grandma go for chemotherapy, and then would watch her throw up for the next couple of days.
I was 12 years old when she passed away. I grew up more that summer than I ever had in the past. I missed her Irish lilt when she spoke, her laugh, her smile, her warmth, and her love. I can't miss her spirit because it is still alive in those who knew her.
October is breast cancer awareness month. Tonight I had to stop off at the pharmacy to buy some things, and saw the Pink M&M's on the shelf. I bought a bag of them and have been eating them while writing this post. With each M&M I eat I hope that I help someone else's granddaughter to never have to experience what I did.
But more importantly, each M&M I eat is dedicated to you, Grandma. I still miss you and I will always love you.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Worst Lunch Break Ever
This past Friday morning I spent the morning learning particulars about batch processes on one of the systems I work with, followed by trying to fix some data on it. After a hefty morning of training me, Balram suggested that we grab some curried chicken and roti. I rummaged through my wallet and realised that I had to stop at the bank machine on the way. I popped the card in, punched in some numbers and waited for my cash to appear. I wasn't really paying that much attention to the screen since it usually says "Please take your cash". Friday, however, was different. I looked, thought "no that cannot be right", then I read the message again:
The security on your card has been violated. Your limit has been reduced. blahblahblahblah.......
Ok, we all know the bank machine really did not say blahblahblahblah. Its just that I saw "security...violated....limit....reduced" and stopped reading after that. It could have said "but that's okay cause Ed McMahon is standing behind you ready to give you a big fat cheque" and I really wouldn't have noticed. All I could think of was:
1. All my money has been stolen.
2. My identity is about to be stolen.
3. I have no lunch money. Of course, at that point I also had no appetite, so I wasn't too concerned about lunch.
I turned around, looked at Balram, told him my dilemma and said "I can't make lunch, I have to sort all this out now." He wandered off to the curried chicken place without me and I ran up the escalator to see what I was up against.
A very kind lady behind the desk helped me out. My money was all intact, hopefully my identity is too, and while I was there I asked her to give me some lunch money out of my account. I was sorely disappointed that I was not able to go get the curried chicken, so I had to find somewhere else to go for lunch.
I decided to go to a deli located in the food court of the building that I was in. This particular deli advertises a special where you can get a half a corned beef sandwich and a small salad for a very nice price. So I happily ordered this. The man made my sandwich, and I went to the cash register. This is the conversation that ensued:
deli dude: "What are you having"
me: "I am having the half corned beef and salad special"
deli dude: "what kind of salad"
me: "the Mediterranean salad"
dd: that's not part of the deal. (he starts to ring it in separately)
me: "what do you mean its not part of the deal? I was not informed of this."
dd with a huge attitude: "If you HAVE a problem with this, YOU can call head office."
me: "I do not wish to have the salad anymore."
dd yelling: "Hey, she's not getting the salad anymore. Don't bother with it."
me: "Just for future reference, when the customer places the order for the sandwich and salad deal, then orders the salad, you should tell them at the outset that this particular salad is not part of the deal so that the customer can choose either another salad or choose not to partake in the deal."
dd with an even huger attitude: "I SAID, if YOU HAVE a PROBLEM with this, YOU can call HEAD OFFICE"
me: "No, I would like to speak with your manager."
dd: "I'll get you the phone number to head office."
me: "No, I wish to speak with your manager now."
At this point he walks off in a huff, beats on the door at the back of the deli and then says to me "Wait over there."
So after waiting a couple minutes the manager comes out and the conversation with her went something like this:
manager: "What do you want?"
me: "I ordered the half corned beef sandwich with a small salad. At the time of ordering I was not told that the Mediterranean Salad was not eligible for the offer. I suggested to your cashier that when people first start to place their order, they should explicitly be told which salads are available for selection. When I made the suggestion I got a severe amount of attitude back from your cashier."
manager: "Well, look at the picture. It has lettuce in it, not peppers."
me: "I'm sorry, I am not an expert in hieroglyphics. Just so you know, you have lost me as a customer and I will be telling all my friends about my experience here. You have lost them as customers too."
manager with shocked look on her face: "Would you like the salad?"
me: "no. I just want to go to a place with good service."
I put my sandwich in my purse, made my way back to my desk, and proceeded to eat the sandwich. It tasted like crap and gave me heartburn to boot. I really must start bringing my lunch to work now. I think that will be my next goal to conquer.
The security on your card has been violated. Your limit has been reduced. blahblahblahblah.......
Ok, we all know the bank machine really did not say blahblahblahblah. Its just that I saw "security...violated....limit....reduced" and stopped reading after that. It could have said "but that's okay cause Ed McMahon is standing behind you ready to give you a big fat cheque" and I really wouldn't have noticed. All I could think of was:
1. All my money has been stolen.
2. My identity is about to be stolen.
3. I have no lunch money. Of course, at that point I also had no appetite, so I wasn't too concerned about lunch.
I turned around, looked at Balram, told him my dilemma and said "I can't make lunch, I have to sort all this out now." He wandered off to the curried chicken place without me and I ran up the escalator to see what I was up against.
A very kind lady behind the desk helped me out. My money was all intact, hopefully my identity is too, and while I was there I asked her to give me some lunch money out of my account. I was sorely disappointed that I was not able to go get the curried chicken, so I had to find somewhere else to go for lunch.
I decided to go to a deli located in the food court of the building that I was in. This particular deli advertises a special where you can get a half a corned beef sandwich and a small salad for a very nice price. So I happily ordered this. The man made my sandwich, and I went to the cash register. This is the conversation that ensued:
deli dude: "What are you having"
me: "I am having the half corned beef and salad special"
deli dude: "what kind of salad"
me: "the Mediterranean salad"
dd: that's not part of the deal. (he starts to ring it in separately)
me: "what do you mean its not part of the deal? I was not informed of this."
dd with a huge attitude: "If you HAVE a problem with this, YOU can call head office."
me: "I do not wish to have the salad anymore."
dd yelling: "Hey, she's not getting the salad anymore. Don't bother with it."
me: "Just for future reference, when the customer places the order for the sandwich and salad deal, then orders the salad, you should tell them at the outset that this particular salad is not part of the deal so that the customer can choose either another salad or choose not to partake in the deal."
dd with an even huger attitude: "I SAID, if YOU HAVE a PROBLEM with this, YOU can call HEAD OFFICE"
me: "No, I would like to speak with your manager."
dd: "I'll get you the phone number to head office."
me: "No, I wish to speak with your manager now."
At this point he walks off in a huff, beats on the door at the back of the deli and then says to me "Wait over there."
So after waiting a couple minutes the manager comes out and the conversation with her went something like this:
manager: "What do you want?"
me: "I ordered the half corned beef sandwich with a small salad. At the time of ordering I was not told that the Mediterranean Salad was not eligible for the offer. I suggested to your cashier that when people first start to place their order, they should explicitly be told which salads are available for selection. When I made the suggestion I got a severe amount of attitude back from your cashier."
manager: "Well, look at the picture. It has lettuce in it, not peppers."
me: "I'm sorry, I am not an expert in hieroglyphics. Just so you know, you have lost me as a customer and I will be telling all my friends about my experience here. You have lost them as customers too."
manager with shocked look on her face: "Would you like the salad?"
me: "no. I just want to go to a place with good service."
I put my sandwich in my purse, made my way back to my desk, and proceeded to eat the sandwich. It tasted like crap and gave me heartburn to boot. I really must start bringing my lunch to work now. I think that will be my next goal to conquer.
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