A Variety of Entertainment

So here is a one pane comic.

This is plain heart breaking, it's an article about James Kim (the man who left his stranded family in search of help) from where he worked.

Some of the best photography I've seen in a long, long time.


First exam tomorrow and I can't really study for it.

Not being consistent

I know I've been slacking here lately, what with the possible once a week posting but things were busy the last few weeks...and I've finally handed in my thesis, not that there is any sense of relief in that, but I had to let everyone know. I am rather proud of myself for actually getting it done.

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/ is a good website for us politically inclined folk.

Also, my new camera broke and I am not impressed - what with the upcoming trip. I saw a pretty good play last night, but that was it's last performance. It was quite well put together and was ridiculous enough.

That is about the extent of the news I have to share right now.

What am I complaining about?

Compared to this. Life seems easy now.

----------------------------------------

On a side note, this just became a movie.

If by the slim chance you're not a moron...

J. found her bike covered in mud and the seat all twisted around. This note was under her seat:































I hope I don't get into trouble for this.

Big Deal...

This article is about a female lawyer in England who refused to remove her niqab (veil that Muslim women wear) in the courtroom when the judge said he couldn't hear her. OK what? Why is this such controversy? Get her a microphone or something. Really people. I can't believe they would ask her to remove it, it is a clear sign of her religious beliefs, you wouldn't ask an orthodox Jewish man to take his kippa/yamulka off, now would you? I actually don't know if that comparison is a fair one to make, but why is this a huge deal? It's her right to wear it and there are simple solutions for the matter. Did I miss something?

Well that was interesting.

Where have I been?

In case you were wondering where I disappeared to, I was visiting a certain park.

Just Breathe it All In.

Capture other people's moments.

Fourth year is serious business. I don't have time...except for nothing, there's always time for nothing.


Albums:
The Replacements - All Shook Down
Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife

Little Things

I'm a big nerd who is going to to give this up.

good advice.

I want to do something exciting and original and I don't want to wait. Yes, it's clear, I've done a lot of it before but I want to do more.

Everyone doing OK?

Beauty

Links and fun!

THIS WEEK ONLY
because I love stories.

If you've ever wondered about Kevin Bacon separation

Do eco-friendly products harm the environment after all? I don't think they do

Oh yeah...this weekend is the festival!
p.s. I translated most of the website, but not all of it, so mistakes, like "expositions" -and not exhibitions=not me. Bummer that I can't go. Looking on the French side, there's lots of things I did (aside from translate everything that is part of the Danish retrospective and a bunch more)

Some songs to consider:
Architecture in Helsinki - "Do the Whirlwind"
Belle&Sebastian - "The Life Pursuit" (the whole album)
Adam Green - "Friends of Mine"

More Garbage to Fill Your Head

Couch in river. My roommate recalls this being in a student film.

Neato clock.

A very interesting idea.

One, two, three.

Here smile.


People are genius and innovative.

Tap, tap, tap.

When bugs attack.

Insulting.
So the above link, I've mentioned to a few people. That's where my brother lives...he was one of the people who refused (he's actually in the photo background), but ended up having to sign just for convience. He's jetting though come January. How stupid is that? My whole family is outraged, mostly because we've visited him and it's just this magical place that no one should have to leave.

And continuing on the sad news...an end of an era?

P.S. I got the Pentax. Expect photos sometime.

Another PS: Check out Vice this month, it's very entertaining.

Homes, yo.

This is the first post from my computer in over three months. How exciting. Actually it had a slight malfunction when I tried to turn it on last week and only got it back on Thursday, however now it yet again boasts more harddrive space (not my fault, I didn't ask for it, I swear!). Enough about that...so remember how I busted my camera in Montreal? Well, my folks felt bad for me and offered to buy me a new one (actually, I was going to sell my old one and put that money towards a new camera they were going to buy for me). Anyhoo. Special K also needs a camera but it appears her brother gave her his, which was nice of him, the most my brother ever gave me was a pile of someone else's clothes. I actually appreciated it though. OK back to the camera issue. My family is a Pentax family, just a series of coincidences really. My dad got a Pentax digi, then he got one for my brother too, and I have a Pentax SLR (well, my dad used to have a Pentax SLR)...so naturally I lean towards Pentax vs. Canon. Special K and I have been half-assedly researching digis for months.

This is the best I have come up with. Comments, concerns, suggestions? Post them or email: illustratedhana-chronicles@yahoo.ca or whereever else you want to comment.

Sorry about the boring post. This is the mother of all lamps:

Catching Up

Here are some articles new and old. A lot of you have probably heard about this already. Sorry for the thrown together post but I have new and more entertaining hobbies.

Horribly Offensive.

Functional Art.

Chew on this.

Not so contraversial.

You Can Never Go Back Home

Leaving a place is always hard because you know when you return it will never be the same. It makes me so sad. I hope we meet again.

Having returned to a place once so familiar, I find myself homesick.

Talking about it does not change anything. Does it make me feel better though?

Think about it. Leave for a long time, see what happens.

Possibly Published.

Here is an article I wrote that might be published in September in the local independent newspaper. The English will be followed by the original French, if you want to challenge yourself.

A Maple Flavoured Exchange
An anglophone intern 1200 km from home, how did she end up in Rimouski and what exactly is a rimouskois? The answer, her experiences and opinions after spending two months in Rimouski.
Opening my email that morning, I got two new emails, one rejected me as a peer guide for international students, but the second was a job offer with a language exchange. The irony. I read my job description and googled Rimouski to try and find this unknown city. Then, I opened an atlas of North America. My eyes scanned it towards the east for a while and there it was. Rimouski actually exists. All right. I re-read the job description. Official translator for the Carrousel international du film de Rimouski (a film festival).
A quick call to my dad, “Are you sure that Rimouski is in Canada? It sounds more like Poland to me.” To me, it seemed just as far.
During the following month, I tried not to think about the job. Between the offer and my flight, there were still 3 essays, 4 final exams and a move. Hours and hours of organization later, the big day came. After a night of not-so-light partying, I boarded a plane at 6:00am towards Quebec City. A series of naps brought me to Rimouski.
Two months later, I can tell you that this city is nothing like I could have imagined. From the first day at work, my coworkers reassured me, Rimouski may be small, but it’s cultural and dynamic. I was sure that I was hearing the spiel that they give all the interns. Nope. We (the other interns on exchange and I) are never bored, unlike what happens back home in the lowly suburb of Toronto!
The people of Rimouski are very nice, which I like. Everyone is ready and willing to help me out. My coworkers at the Carrousel are always happy to invite us somewhere to live out Rimouski and the Lower Saint Lawerence any which way, that is, when they are not too busy organizing the Carrousel (September 23-October 1).
In terms of improving my French, I finally got used to the Quebecois accent and I even learned some useful words and expressions, for example, “nodding off” and “happy hour” that have nothing to do with work, I promise. Anyway, I enjoy the work, I get to see movies that I won’t get to see anywhere else and they are great. The film selection this year is, without question, excellent. I advise you to go to the festival and don’t worry about bad subtitling or dubbing, I took care of it and I assure you that it’s great!
Life in Rimouski isn’t like that in Toronto, or London for that matter, where I go to school. My friends ask me lots of questions about this far away city. I tell them stories of lions (a cat that wandered into my room) and incredible parties in the woods (the party for St. Jean Baptiste Day).
I think that the biggest difference that I noticed between Rimouski and home is the population. Sure, it’s smaller here, but people are Canadian, as are their parents, etc. That is something rather foreign to me, a bit of a foreigner myself. Just as foreign is that everything that I could possibly imagine comes maple flavoured, even couscous. My roommate in London has made requests for maplesque products, something somewhat rare at home.
In retrospective, I can say that if I had the choice, I wouldn’t choose another city to spend my summer or another festival for which to work.

Un exchange à l’erable

Une stagiaire anglophone est 1200 kilomètres de chez elle, comment est-ce qu’elle s’est retrouvée à Rimouski, et qu’est-ce que c’est un rimouskois exactement ? La réponse, ses expériences et opinions après passer deux mois à Rimouski.
En ouvrant mes couriel ce matin là, j’ai reçu 2 nouvelles, on me refusait comme accueillante d’étudiants étrangers, mais on m’envoyait occuper un emploi dans le cadre d’un échange linguistique. C’était plutôt ironique. J’ai d’abord lu la description de mon poste, puis j’ai tapé Rimouski sur google pour essayer de découvrir cette ville inconnue. J’ai ensuite ouvert un atlas de l’Amérique du nord. Mes yeux ont balayé l’Est quelques instants et puis voilà. Rimouski existait bel et bien. Bon. J’ai relu la description du poste. Traductrice officielle du Carrousel international du film de Rimouski. Ça souvenait bien.
Un coup de fil à mon père : « T’es sûre que Rimouski c’est au Canada ? Ça ne serait pas plutôt en Pologne ? » D’après moi, ça semblait m’en aussi loin.
Pendant le mois qui suivait, j’essayai de ne pas penser à ce job. Entre la nouvelle de mon départ et mon avion, il me restait 3 dissertations, 4 examens finaux et un déménagement. Des heures et des heures d’organisation plus tard, le grand jour est arrivé. Après une nuit d’adieux bien arrosée, je me suis embarquée à 6h00 du matin dans un avion en direction de Québec. Une succession de siestes m’a emmenée à Rimouski.
Deux mois plus tard, je peux vous dire que cette ville ne ressemble en rien à tout ce que j’avais pu imaginer. Dès le premier jour au travail, mes collègues ont tenu à me rassurer. Rimouski, ce n’est peut être pas gros, mais c’est culturel et dynamique. J’étais sûre d’entendre le baratin de service offert à tous les stagiaires. Faux. Nous (les autres stagiaires du programme et moi) ne nous ennuyons jamais, contrairement à ce que je vis chez moi en banlieue de Toronto !
Les rimouskois sont très gentils, ce qui me plaît. Tout le monde est prêt à m’aider. Mes collègues au Carrousel sont toujours contents de nous inviter quelque part pour vivre Rimouski et le Bas St.-Laurent n’importe comment, c’est-à-dire, quand ils ne sont pas trop occupés par le travail d’organisation du Carrousel (de 23^e septembre au 1^er octobre) jusqu’à présent.
Au niveau de l’amélioration de mon français, je me suis finalement habituée à l’accent québécois et j’ai même appris quelques mots et expressions utiles, par exemple, «cogner des clous » et «5 à 7 », qui n’ont rien à voir avec le travail, je vous promets. De toute façon, le travail me plaît bien, j’écoute des films que je ne pourrais pas voir autrement, et ils sont géniaux. La sélection cette année est, sans questions, excellente. Je vous conseille de passer au festival et ne vous inquiétez pas du problème de mauvais sous-titrage/doublage, je m’en suis occupée et je vous assure qu’il est excellent !
La vie à Rimouski n’est pas pareille de celle que j’ai à Toronto ni même à London, où j’étudie. Mes amis me posent plein des questions à propos de cette ville lointaine. Je leurs raconte de grosses histoires des lions (un chat qui est entré dans ma chambre par hasard) et des fêtes incroyables dans la forêt (la fête au parc pour la St.-Jean-Baptiste).
Je pense que la différence la plus grande que j’ai remarqué entre Rimouski et chez moi, c’est la population. Oui elle est plus petite ici, mais des gens sont canadiens et pur laine. C’est quelque chose complètement étrange pour moi, un peu étrangère moi-même. Autant étrange est que tout que j’imagine arrive avec un petit goût d’érable, même le couscous. Ma colocataire à London, m’a fait plusieurs demandes pour les produits érablesques, quelque chose assez rare chez nous.
En rétrospective, je peux dire que si j’avais le choix, je ne choisirais aucune autre ville pour passer mon été et aucun autre festival du film pour travailler.

Movie Stars

Most of you have heard me say random things about movies I've watched and translated at work, so this entry is to tell you about some of them...

The other day I noticed that two characters looked rather similar and hey both are Swedish, check it out.

Graveyard Island (Kyrkogårdsön) - Sweden, 2004
This is an action movie set in the 80s and these kids try to figure out what is going on the island, in the abandoned fort across the lake. There's Russians, spies and secrets...


This is Henrik and Oskar. Sorry it's so small, it's the biggest photo I could find. Visit their website and watch the trailer and look at photos, you might need to learn some Swedish first though.

Franz and the Maestro (BLAND TISTLAR) - Sweden, 2006
Not one of my favourite movies, watching it, I almost fell asleep...at work.. Anyway, the animation is hilarious and it's in Swedish, which automatically makes it funny. It's about Franz who wants to play an instrument but his dad, the Maestro at a band camp. Things sort of happen.
This is Franz.

Doesn't he look like Oskar?

And just for the sake of animation:


Other movies...Der Raeuber Hotzenplotz



Just finished this one this morning. It's about 2 kids getting back Grandmother's coffee grinder.

That's all for now. When I remember some more movies I'll share them with you. Perhaps next week will feature some Danish movies.

The Lives We Lead Always Find Us

I'm not sure where that link goes but follow it, it can't be anywhere bad.
http://www.vitaminliving.com/shop/iv.php

So it's been a while since I've posted...lost of not sleeping happening, what with the arriving back here at 6:00 am Monday morning and having to go work that morning (not right for 8:00 though, thanks again Paule!) it was still somewhat brutal.

Everyone is probably aware that the world is slowly crumbling and it's slightly scary. Someone asked my dad if his family is anywhere near that crazy comotion and he said they're all his family. It's true, we're all family and this is a huge family fight. I really don't know what else to say other than I can't believe there's just this sudden war. War. I didn't think I'd have to say that about two pretty much western nations.

On the weekend, I saw a comedian and he said that the States getting involved in a war is good for at least thing, it teaches Americans some geography. That's me trying to make light of the situation which is suddenly not so far away from home. I am damn happy, now more than ever, that we left. Whenever I leave home, I am always less Canadian than when I am there. This is one of those times I want to support my fellow nationals and I am not ashamed at all. They are fighting for us all, the fight that not many understand. They care about each and every individual, everybody counts.

At least, I can still talk about other things. I am far enough away that I can ignore it, though I don't want to. The thought of people I know and love wearing gas masks and hiding out. The thought, "one more week of being haunted" is a hope going through my head.

For the moment

An interesting article.

Posting will be delayed. The last week was spent planning for the big road trip. Then the road trip which did not include much sleep. Work was rough and there were many post-work social activities: baseball and theatre (more on that eventually).

A few weeks ago I began an entry, but uhh I kept getting distracted and it never seemed right. It was called Broken Hearts and Diamond Rings.

Here is what I salvaged. Not much substance however.

#100 for the year. My fears are confirmed. This happened outside my apartment building and was the third accident that day. Roommate J actually witnessed the aftermath of this for a long time from her bedroom window.

This is new.

Oldest spider web found in amber

Actually, I didn't get through the entire article, but it's probably interesting. There is something better I want to post, but I lost it. NL please send it again. I'm sorry I lost it.

UPDATE:

Thanks Nelson for a) resending it b) putting that together. Two of my favourite things: lego and offensive.

The world's oldest spider web – complete with captured prey - has been discovered, preserved in 110-million-year-old amber.

The web was trapped in the early Cretaceous period as sticky sap seeped from a tree in what is now Spain. It had hung from a tree so that it would catch insects on the wing.

The sap may have dripped onto the web, or the web may have blown onto its surface, says David Grimaldi of the American Museum of Natural History in New York, US. Then more sap covered it, forming a small amber "stalactite" 18 millimetres long and 7.5 millimetres wide.

Palaeontologists who found the amber sliced it into three thin sections, revealing at least 26 silk strands, some interconnected. The web is not complete enough to be firmly identified as an orb web, with a spiral strand wound on radial spokes. But Grimaldi says the fragments are consistent with orb webs. "It's a geometrically complex web, certainly not a random assortment of strands like a cobweb. It was certainly in one plane," he told New Scientist.

Ancient spinners

Spiders are far more likely to be fossilised than their silk and such finds have shown that spiders have had spinnerets for extruding silk for at least 400 million years. The oldest known spider silk was found in 2003 in 130-million-year-old amber from Lebanon, but it was only a single 4-millimetre strand (see Silken clue to ancient spider's mastery), revealing very little about the web it came from.

The new fossil is by far the oldest web fragment. It contains a group of five strands in the same plane, at least three of which are connected to a perpendicular incomplete strand in the same way as in modern orb webs.

The amber also contains bits of prey stuck to the web, including a mite, a fly, a beetle and a wasp. "They are basically the type and size of prey you expect in a web several centimetres in size" today, although the fossil species are all extinct, Grimaldi said.

That means similar webs have shaped the evolution of flying insects for over a hundred million years. For example, moths and butterflies, which evolved at the same time as flowering plants about 130 million years ago, have scaly bodies that allow them to escape from sticky webs.

Journal reference: Science (vol 312, p 1761)

Weak Moments

Nobur Watanbe
Where have you gone?
Didn't the wind-up bird
Wind your spring?
(33 Haruki Murakami "The Elephant Vanishes")


If you've wondered how to spell this: tchotckes.

Moment of the (last) week:
Characters: Me, France (thirtysomething -this is relevant -coworker who is in the office 2 days a week), various other coworkers
(by the way this has been translated)

There is a wasabi packet on the conference/lunch table.
France: Does anyone want any wasabi?
Me: Huh?
France: Wasabi, there's some wasabi on the table do you want it?
Me: I'm good.
France: Do you know the show jackass? One of those guys snorted it.
Me (in awe): And then he threw it up.
France: Yeah!

WHOA! Someone around here watches jackass. I've yet to talk to her about it though, I went to go get something and then lost my chance. Next week.

All right so I wrote that in the morning before the greatest day ever at work. Let me tell you about it. Just after 9:30 am, the mail arrives and first pay day, finally, after a month.

Right before lunch I tell my boss, Paule, that I almost done translating the (cool) full length Swedish film ("Graveyard Island") I'd been working on for the last 2 full days. I tell her that I will take off early tomorrow (Friday) because my parents are coming tonight. She says that's fine and she'll give me some work to do at home so I don't have to come in at all! What? Sorry, what was that Paule? When Audrey brings in the movie tomorrow morning I just have to come by and pick it up and then watch it over the weekend. You are positively the most amazing boss there is. Hands down. Coworker Kit got lots of work to do and her boss being annoying and asking her to do things she actually can't do, as in, they are not possible. I'm sorry Kit. My day was super exciting...and we had to stop for ice cream on the way home from work to cheer her up. On the way to the bank, we ran into Kollene who had also just returned from the bank and was on the way to the bakery we were going to visit.

Then my parents came and we all went out to dinner. Folks were impressed with my French skillz. Skillz, yes. They don't know the difference, they also think I have a French (vs. Quebecois) accent. The photoside will be updated soon. The next few weeks are going to be ridiculous weekend-wise, so no promises.

Crunch, Crunch, Crunch.

Some time to kill til I have to leave for work. Here is a very thrown together post. By the way, I remember the story from the last entry.

Thursday afternoon, my boss and I sit down to watch "The Eye of the Bear" which is an Austrian movie about a metorite that awakens a neanderthal boy who befriends a girl who is wandering down the mountain he has been frozen in for the past 10,000 years.

Boss: I heard this was good, but uhh... this is so unrealistic, he's [neanderthal boy] wearing pants!

Me: You mean this isn't a true story?

Boss: Hahah. Like there's neanderthals in Austria.

Me: Arnold Schwarznegger is from Austria...

Boss: Haha.

Coworker's boss: What are you watching?

Boss: Arnold Schwarnegger: The True Story.

Sweet, I have mastered being funny in French. That's all I needed. I would have written my boss' name, but it's longer than boss, but in case you were curious, her name is Paule (the 'e' makes it a girl's name) and she is by far coolest boss ever. I didn't have any work to do Friday afternoon, so she gave me the afternoon off.

Wait that wasn't even the story!! So we're watching this movie for a while and suddenly we hear this banging and it keeps going for a while...we finally look out the window (which looks out into a hallway between the office part and the grocery store in the building) and there's some kid (17ish) banging the hand piece of the payphone. By the time we looked, he'd already taken off and broken the hand piece in HALF!!! it was nuts. I wish I'd taken a pic but Ididn't have my camera with me. And by Monday morning it was fixed. 6' , shaggy brown hair, camoflauged pants, khaki t-shirt boy breaks phone.


1. Bad timing to find out about this, still fun though. These are some other people made. Why are there so many with my name? Weird.

2. People are always trying to get rid of young people, Barry Manilow is the answer. Here is the article (linked on his name):

Is "daggy" Manilow the answer to loud cars?

Reuters

SYDNEY - Sick and tired of souped-up cars with loud engines and pulsing music? Barry Manilow may be the answer.

Officials in one Sydney district have decided to pipe the American crooner's music over loudspeakers in an attempt to rid streets and car parks of hooligans whose anti-social cars and loud music annoy residents and drive customers from businesses.

Following a successful experiment where Bing Crosby music was used to drive teenage loiterers out of an Australian shopping center several years ago, Rockdale councilors believe Manilow is so uncool it might just work.

Councilor Bill Saravinovski said local authorities plan to install a loudspeaker and pipe in Manilow music, interspersed with classical pieces, over a car park favored by car "hoons," or hooligans.

"There are restaurants nearby and people can't park in the car park because they're intimidated by these hoons," Saravinovski told The Daily Telegraph newspaper Monday.

"Daggy music is one way to make the hoons leave an area because they can't stand the music," he said.

The Oxford Concise Australian Dictionary defines "daggy" as unfashionable, or lacking style, even eccentric or stupid.

Copyright 2006 Reuters News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Copyright © 2006 ABC News Internet Ventures

shout out

Excerpt from "The Bogeyman" Denmark, 1995.

Granny: You'd better beware or the bogeyman will get you.

Ida: There's no such thing.

Granny: I bet your pardon? The bogeyman is everywhere. He sees and hears everything. You can't hide anything from him. He lives in the chimney.

Ida: He can't see anything in there.

Granny: He sees everything that goes on.

Granny: All the way from down in the cellar to the very top of the chimney.

Granny: He eats naughty children.

Ida: But it was Chubby [her brother who unwrapped the presents]

* * *

By the way, Nelson, thanks for all the ridiculous emails. Hope work sucks less and you can email more soon.

****

I had another story, but I can't remember. How about the time I fell asleep watching a movie at work - I was actually working - and got caught but didn't get in trouble because it was a bad movie! Woo. Internet connecting is not constant so we'll see what I can do about posting.

French skills - improving. I can now be funny in French...which is more than I can say for English.

Quebec is supposedly smoke free now. Thank you.

Blurbs...

This is a double header, I updated the photo blog today too. Go me! I am learning more and more what crap the real world is. Yesterday I got an email from my mom about how Igot a call and a letter asking me to come in for an interview for a job I didn't apply for with the government. What the jazz? I already have a job. Who's in charge of stuff here?! Bah!

Anyway... it's finally nice weather and as of about an hour ago, I have my first personal ridiculous story. Check it:

I was sewing up my jeans - I actually tore the bottom off a pair of jeans that there was material dragging. As I'm sitting there, I am enjoying the breeze because I finally managed to get my window open. A side note here: There are no screens on windows because well.. umm not too many bugs I guess. Also, I am in the basement, so my window is on ground level. Anyway, so as I'm sitting there listening to the Kinks and sewing up my pants, a cat walks into my room and sits on my window sill! Soo I kind of freak out, naturally. But the cat just looks at me, gets bored and leaves. What the hell?!

This can only mean.... no class or more class or more drunkards?

Distant Thoughts

The thought of not posting something for so long scares me...I am currently somewhat without home and definitely without a constant source of internet, it's almost inhumane (note sarcasm). Everything is moving along slowly right now, but maybe the pace will pick up soon. Then I also remembered that I can email my blog (and hope it posts).

Movies viewed to date: 4
Bogeyman (Denmark) - super cool, 8/10
Zlydni (Ukraine) - good moral, bonus for claymation, 9/10 (translated this one)
The Danish Poet (Denmark) - good humour, animated, 8.5/10 (will translate)
The Peace Tree (Canada/Toronto) - educational and lame, 7/10 (will translate)

Characters for the summer:
Alix, Kit, Kollene and yours truly...among others to be announced.

I am leaving the seminary tonight, I think/hope for yet another temporary room, but I think this time it's in the house. Maybe. I was really distracted by the landlord's uniform (he's in the army) and I'd just been watching that terrible Peace Tree (I keep thinking Peace Frog, thanks Doors!).

Only one story of note so far which is when we went to talk to the admin guy at the seminary - which we still have no idea what it's for - about meals - Alix and I both are at the seminary this week. Meeting Alix is a whole other series of coincidences. Anyway, so I asked about vegetarian food and he kind of laughed at me, a while and a conversation with some girl on the phone later, he took us down to the kitchen to ask the chef about dinner.
"Vegetarian? which one?" (presumably to pelt with rotten tomatoes)
"That one"
"Well uhh... HON HON HON!" (French laughter) Thanks guys.

I suppose there will be more to come, unfortunately it will be photo-free.

Talk to you soon...perhaps.
Ah-nah (that being my French name)

insert filler entry

things are soo busy here and I keep getting locked out of the house, which entirely not my fault. On the up side, check out what my digi did!















That beat out any of the ones the SLR took. Here is a brief update as to why I have been so busy, since I am sure I have been vague. For 'interesting' updates, check out my photoblog (shameless plug).

All right so this all begins way back in January where I was looking for summer jobs. I ended getting accepted to this program in Quebec. On Saturday morning, I am leaving for Rimouski, Quebec, a solid 1000 kilometres from Toronto. Let me explain how far that is, you know where Quebec City is? Well keep going. I'm sure I'll be mega bored, so I will chronicle it...oh yeah I got a laptop for the trip (read that as, expect many typos), my dad lent me one. I just uncovered that it doesn't fit into the bag I got for it. crap. Right now I am trying not to forget anything at all, which is hard. Also, the program people are really slow about things, so I got an email today with suggestions on how to arrive, work starts Monday morning. AHH! ok I should start on that packing thing. So let me know if there is something I will forget or about anything I should know about. You knowme, always wanting to know things.

Moving from one apartment to another was bad...this is becoming worse.

All right, so far what I know about my job is that I get 5 days paid vacation and a weekend in Quebec City with the others. I am also subtitling movies...which hopefully is as wicked as it sounds. I'll keep you posted. ha! get it?
Address and phone number for further contact will arrive soon.

Adieu for now my dear friends.

Letter to the editor

Mrs. E. Assael,
7, Hillview Gardens,
London, N.W.4.

London, June 11^th, 1962.

To the Editor of
“Observer”,
22, Tudor Street,
London, E.C.4.

Sir,

For a second, it had stirred up a feeling of pity in me, when I have read about Vera Eichmann’s plea begging for mercy as a mother of four children.

I quite forgot for a second that in 1944, when Eichmann so “carefully and efficiently” worked out the plan of extermination of the Hungarian Jewry, my mother’s only sin was that she had had two children under the age of 15. According to Eichmann’s well-organised plans she herself was to lead the children to the gas-chambers. Had she not had any children she might have worked in the camp – since she was not old for that – and perhaps survived.

I myself was 15 years old at that time and had the honour to see Eichmann himself when I worked near the Crematorium. My job was to sort out the belongings of those exterminated. I am also the mother of four lovely children and often fear that the terrible disappointment in civilized humanity I experienced might be passed on to them unwillingly by me. I try to carry on my Father’s message (he was also killed in Auschwitz) to trust God and humanity. However, I do not think anybody will condemn me for having now doubts in the latter.

But this seems to be all irrelevant to many. Some persons, who are apt to inquire naïvely whether my tattoo mark on my arm is a “souvenir from the Navy”…find themselves experts enough to cast a better verdict in Eichmann’s case than the judges of Israel.

Since my job at a time linked with social-service it left the influence on me of seeing the social and the psychological background of a crime. But this attitude applies to crime committed under impulse and not carefully and efficiently set up time-table of murder. To be humane, is doubtlessly, not uncharacteristic of Jews and every Jew will be most considerate and soft, especially where family sentiments are involved, however, let us not confuse justice with sentiments. Humane consideration was present all through the trial towards him. Nevertheless, Eichmann, after not having denied the organization of the slaughter of six millions and after having seen those that he sentenced to life, (few people realize how many of the survivors fill the mental and general hospitals in Israel and elsewhere in the world) has had no remorse feelings up to the end…

Mr. Richard Crossman, M.P. while agreeing to the fair and just procedure of the trial throughout, points out well-meaningly and scrupulously that Eichmann’s hanging was not a prudent act on behalf of World Jewry. Some people do not realize that unless one is given a chance to live an honourable life, mere dragging along in fear and surrounded by hatred from birth to death, is hardly a treasure to be prudent about.

Would it not be advisable, for a change, to call upon some other quarters to be somewhat prudent in the future?

I shall be most grateful to you, Sir, for publishing this letter. Thanking you in advance,

Yours faithfully,

(Mrs.) E. Assael

[This letter was written by my father's aunt. I hope that one day I will meet her, now that I am an adult and can have a conversation with her. Last time I spoke to her, I really enjoyed it, she is clearly a very intelligent person. I tried to track down the article this was in response to or whether or not it was at all published, but had no luck.]

updater

Everyone should know by now that I am a fan of This American Life but this is the most depressing episode ever. Hands down. However, the intro is pretty uhhh 'good'. They talk about mouse traps. The president of the world's number 1 mouse trap company talks about what it means to design mouse traps. He is asked what the worst invention and most inventive idea that he has been presented with. One answer involved something about a mouse climbing into a dome of sorts, where he sets off a pill falling into a pail of water. The pill is some chemical, which when combined with water results in Carbon Monoxide, in essence, this is a gas chamber. The host asks if this was ever made, the president of the company says: Germany. Fuck. He is speechless.

My folks recently returned from 'the holy land' and a quick stop over in Poland. Yes people willingly go to Poland. They had a good time and also took about 3000 photos. 3000. I have not yet looked at them, but I look forward to seeing my family photographically. My plan is to go there next summer...this plan came up while brushing my teeth a few days ago. After I graduate, I will go there for a month or so and finally learn to read. If all goes well, my cousin will not get married until next summer, though they are planning for October right now. Right! My little cousin got engaged! She just turned 21! (ok so not that young) She's getting married! Whoooaaaaa.

Anyway, after coming home from a week that dragged on forever due to exams and moving, then on the drive home we had to stop on the way, got lost and Trace had to drive because lack of sleep catching up with me... I came home, moved boxes AGAIN into the house and fell asleep for about 10 minutes, when my mom came home and asked me if I'd seen what she got me. I went to my room to find:


















PRESENTS!!!!

issued

DISCLAIMER:
NO PHOTOS: there are no photos because I don't have time to edit them, I just uploaded a whole whack of photos that will be up on the other site sometime next week at the earliest. I really shouldn't have started this right during finals.

My first exam begins in about an hour and a half. I've spent about 5 hours at the library total, which is much less than usual for me. However, I was moving and the new place is telephone and internet free which leads to super successful studying. You get up to go use the internet and turn right back around and sit your keister down and study. And presto, effective studying!

Anyway, so I think I am at 80% capacity, I could have studied harder but at this point it makes little difference. Directly after my exam I am heading to a study sesh for tomorrow morning's exam which will either be a breeze or the worst thing to ever happen to me. At least I don't have to take that course again, or the one I'm writing tonight either. Then Saturday is Phonology, which might be a pleasure to study for. Then essay/studying for my last exam. Then moving the rest of the stuff to the new place (photos coming soon), followed by unpacking/finding stuff and repacking and heading home for about 2 weeks, before packing it up again for the summer and returning to work at the office for the last 2 weeks of summer (this will become clearier soon). Oh yes and before work at regular home starts, there is one full day of guaranteed ridiculous frivolous fun that has been promised. By the sound of this entry, it seems that I haven't had a conversation in 2 weeks. That's probably true, most of my conversations have been "was your nap good?" "good studying?" or "when are you going to ____ to study?"

Here is an issue for you to be informed about. I thought this was common knowledge but I mentioned it to someone and they got out right offended that I would accuse the friendly nestle corporation of such an act. So, apparently this isn't common knowledge and the word needs to be spread. I think I might begin to do my part. I already avoid Kraft products like the plague. Kraft being owned my Philip Morris, the cigarette tycoon. This is a list of all the products that are owned by the company formerly known as Philip Morris.

Passover and passing out

For once I will not write a vague entry (do I hear procrastination?) and will tell you about my day yesterday because it was jam packed and photo-free. It was unlike every other day of my life. In case you weren't aware, Passover started last night.

10:22 am - left the apartment to go pick up Natalie (or some other spelling) and then headed to the T. dot.

1:00 pm - pull up to her empty house and head back to my place in the R.dot.

1:47 pm - realise what a bummer it is that the folks are out of town and begin to wonder what time I am supposed to arrive tonight.

2:00 pm - 5:00 pm - I'm not sure what happened, but I definitely had a nap and an apple in that time. oh and I ironed a shirt for the first time ever. I don't want to do that again.

5:15 pm, approximately - begin to get ready at a ridiculously slow rate for the evening festivities, jamming out to some CDs from one of many amazing tupperware containers of CD greatness. (something inherent to my brother and I is to store our mounds of CDs in tupperware, you know, just so they can spill all over the car when you're on the highway)

6:45 - Depart for destination. At this point, I'm sure I'm going to be late, because it was really 6:55 when I left.

7:13 - after a few detours, I make it to the house, my dad's cousin's house. When I arrive, there are very few people there, mostly old. No one has any idea who I am. My guess is that without my parents, they have no context. In the family room where I was hanging out, there was this amazing old lady with great glasses and a great attitude.

I'm not sure what time it was when a lot more people showed up; Most of whom I knew and a lot that I didn't. I counted 28 people plus the baby. Everyone who knew me, came in and greeted me and followed up with "where are your parents?" in a very confused tone and looked around. "Israel" "Really?" "Yeah, they took my brother with them."

To the basement! We all piled downstairs and tried to find our seats, yes there were labels and someone made a switch which almost caused chaos. I sat next to my cousins Jon and Shona and across from the two old ladies who had earlier been discussing how ugly Oprah is (and how great her make up people are) and arguing about whether tons of money is good or bad. My cousin Dave was next to them.

The evening seemed to be strangely planned out. There were quite a few instances of "read the next 3 pages to yourself...ok now we're in the middle of page 15" No one actually read them. Also, everyone seemed to be annoyed whenever questions were asked. In the past, it was not unusual to start dinner around midnight due to questions and discussions. Thankfully, I didn't get called on to answer questions or anything.

An evening with any relative of mine is apparently incomplete until someone makes a Simpsons reference, Jon was the perpetuator this time, during a song he called out "mono" after every chorus. Usually I don't get to talk to Jon much, but I did this time. He told me all about his teaching gig at the university. I asked him if he ever messes with his students:
"You mean that if they come and ask me for advice and I give them advice and then they come back after they've done the procedure and I ask them what they did and they tell me. Then I'd say, 'what the hell did you do?! I can't believe you did that!' ?"
"yeah"
"sometimes."
Jon is awesome.

Dave compared Judaism to the Matrix. We called him neo for a while after that and oh yeah, we laughed at him too. You know a comment is heading in a good direction when it starts, "I guess the only way this will make sense is if you've seen the Matrix." After dinner, he told me about his baby and what it's like to be responsible for another human being, while the baby passed out in her great-grandma's arms, after everyone else tried to get her to sleep, that was pretty awesome. There are like 400 photos of that, none of which are mine. Dave also cheered me up about the whole getting ditched by my family, his entire family went to Costa Rica once without him. I asked him why and he said that they didn't want him there. He also had exams.

My cousin Rob left pretty early, so I didn't get to talk to him much. My conversation with Andrea was pretty short too, as was with Josh. Andrea and Dave's wife were talking about names and I have a very limited knowledge of names, I offered "Jonas." Josh asked me about an assignment we had gotten back the day before. He definitely thinks that I'm a lot smarter than him, which I guess I am, at least in that class.

Shona's boyfriend showed up at some point. I've known him for about 10 years now (yikes!), but don't see him much these days. He used to be best friends with my brother - to the point that they were roommates in first year. They've definitely gone separate ways. All he could say to me was "it's nice to see you." Andrea pointed that out.

In any case, the evening was a lot better than I had expected it to be. I wasn't as uncomfortable as I would have thought...Then again I was with family and I've known them for a while. Also being on my own forced me to represent properly. Anyone who knows me, knows that if I'm by myself, I tend to not be social at all, so I've really socialed myself out. Also, my dad's cousin gave me a whole whack of food and a ton of "tzimus" or something, which she insisted is the greatest thing ever. I don't know if I agree with her.

Today, I woke up and eventually headed back to London Town and stopped off in Mississauga to meet up with Ker. She had to drive something to Guelph, so I picked her up, we went to the parking lot and switched cars and headed half way to London from Mississauga. It was cool to see her since I keep missing her and we'll be sooo far away from each other this summer (mostly my fault). Then it was on to London, where I almost got smushed by a truck, but I made it alive.

I hope you enjoyed this intimate look into my life and my crazy enormous family.

This is the Question.

Right now I am pretty compulsively reading photoblogs. I want to make this a photoblog now (which was totally not my original intention that fall day when I started this jazz) and perhaps throw in some articles. Although a photo blog will be difficult because I don't do the fun things that these people (owners of popular photoblogs) do and I don't remember to take photos all that much and umm...I don't do "people shots" all that well (though this would be a great opportunity to improve). Did I just talk myself out of my own idea? Oh dear. In any case such a change in content will call for major overhaul of my blog. I don't know if my html skills are up for the challenge, I mean 2 side bars? Two? My brain might break down or I might spend my days figuring out that instead of studying my brains out.

Andy Warhol Filmmaker

I really want some coffee right now but my coffee mate in the apartment isn't online (and neither am I, apparently) and I really don't want to get up. Oh idea! I could make one side bar blog entries and the other photo blog but how to make them still part of the same blog? Should I start a second blog? Is that too much commitment? Does this call for a reader survey? Are you guys actually interested in my photos? The first entry could be the great move, which means it'll happen by Monday or Tuesday of next week. So many questions, so little point. Umm..Yeah so let me know which format you the reader would prefer, because I wouldn't want to inconvenience you and make people lose all interest in my blog. If you visit regularly I'm sure you've noticed the slight overhaul I've made, i.e. colours and reorganizing links. So if you're up for the change to photo and not just regular blog, let me know. Though it might just be a temp. change.

I need to pick up a non-text book before my brain entirely stops functioning. Good day, reader(s), good day.

I'm a Cuckoo

This weekend was at home and I rushed around with my mother to find last minute gifts for random family members and close friends. That was so depressing, realising that I don't get to go with them and my brother. As much as I used to hate going - which is why I never insisted on going and have only been 3 times - this time would have been something different. The last time I went was such a life altering experience, that I want to reinforce that feeling. It was weird to go somewhere you had few memories of and feel so at home. Suddenly all those weird habits your family has aren't so weird after all. I guess it's not something I want to experience regularly because then the novelty wears off.

Now that I have a cold, I pulled out a tissue box and you know what I discovered? Blowing your nose becomes rather pleasant when your tissues spend 3 months next to dryer sheets.

This is what my weekend looked like, slightly edited.

Human Behavior (Bjork)

If you ever get close to a human
And human behaviour
Be ready to get confused
There's definitely no logic
To human behaviour
But yet so irresistible
There's no map
To human behaviour
They're terribly moody
Then all of a sudden turn happy
But, oh, to get involved in the exchange
Of human emotions is ever so satisfying
There's no map
And a compass
Wouldn't help at all
Human behaviour

Along the dirty walls I saw it.

All right so something that is pretty freaking neat, is this. Tell me if the link doesn't work, while I still remember where I got it from.

My mind has never been so unfocused. I am tired and bored and have lots of things I need to shove into my brain. I need to start now...right now.

I just thought you guys needed a picture, so I thought I'd post this.

Super depressing episode?

I ask you, do you buy it?

The last few days have been nerve wracking...and the end is nowhere in sight, it appears. I am finding some comfort in the Entourage. If I haven't told you about this, it's the new show that I seem to be watching lots of. It is actually making progress now and how. Though I'm not enjoying where it's going. We both know I'll keep watching and you should too.

Does anyone have a book recommendation? I just finished reading this and it really made me look at humanity with a whole new light. Moral issues shouldn't be judged relative to humans. Picture the stares I got while reading that on the bus, it was so much worse than they could possibly imagine. That was a very humbling book...My parents are going there in a few weeks. Whenever I picture a place like that, it's always cloudy. The weather doesn't care about what happened in the past.

Time flies when you're having fun

I love when middle aged white women (I think) describe the new hip fad, as one did here

The new site that I am going to all the time now is this and here is a good entry, I'm sure we've all had those moments. It is for entertainment only, it is no source of anything particularly enlightening. The plan is to become friends with the owner of the site.

Check out the face cookies! (I found this on digi from way back when)

The Signs are Clear

It's that time of the week again... time for a new entry, that is.

If you look to your right, there should be a new link called, painfully long. If you have a lot of time to kill, you should check it out. Which leads me to the next link, if you're lacking creativity but want to create something great, click here.

I will do you a favour and not include any photos today...but expect lots soon, my camera is now back in the game.

Here is some music...some of which is old but better late than never.

The Virgins - "Fight to Survive" (the others are good)
Belle & Sebastian - "Life Pursuit" - I am liking the album, though it's not my favourite B&S, but has led to a B&S binge.
Final Fantasy - not from the video game. he's just cool. I saw him a few years back, he plays barefoot.
The Decemberists - "In the Kingdom of Spain" (a b-side! and will require a few listens)

I've been given some music which is currently on my mp3 player but I am hesistant to listen to it because I'm pretty sure I won't like it

Thanks to IR(848) for posting and editing, among other things.

One Thousand Words

There was a request for SLR shots (comment on last post), which I just got, because they are photographs, remember those? They're made with cameras...and those are filled with film and film takes a a few days to be developed. I can't wait to have to explain this to kids, they'll think I made it all up, like how I used to walk 15 kilometres to school uphill, both ways, in the snow everyday, even in the summer. Don't kid yourselves, my parents tried to pull that on me.

Come along with me,
Take a look around,
and tell me what you see.
Is it hard to see?
I did my best, but it's not as magical,
Things like this cannot be captured.

The world is up in arms and I have to analyse a poem, it seems trivial. There was an article I wanted to share, but I have no idea what it was. I have to start posting good things again, soon I hope. Look at this in the meantime.

Coasted!

That title reminds me of an embarrassing situation involving me, my dad, and 2 friends, during the "my parents are so lame" phase of my life.

The trip was truly a vacation. I slept waaaay too much but I did some intense sightseeing and had some intense experiences...

I crossed an intersection that lonely planet sites as "should be avoided, especially at night" thinking it was the safest route to go...I definitely darted through there though. I ate fresh tofu though, and it was really good.

We saw the Animal Collective and had to leave early, it just wasn't good, no other way of explaining it, well the reason they weren't good is that they weren't playing any album songs. At one point, I can only describe the sounds I heard as a train going through an aquarium. Speaking of which, we went to the aquarium in Vancouver and it was pretty neat. They had lots of freshwater fish, which is rather unusual for aquariums. We deemed one fish "PoMo" fish and it was super, turns out it was this and it looks far nicer in person.

We were hipsters for the week.

There is a certain charm in traveling an unfamiliar city alone. I think my favourite part of the trip was sitting on the beach and reading. It was cold and windy and I was wearing mittens, but I sat there for a long time, the water was soothing.

Here are some photos, they aren't great, but it's mostly because it wasn't my camera and I didn't want to lose it.

My accommodations...the beach is down below.

The beach downtown...

where I sat and read for a while

I followed the path around the nearby park.

Chinatown in the distance. I took this from Science World, where children run wild.

Wait for the SLR shots, I hope they're better.

*UPDATE*
Since there have been two requests to hear what that reference to the embarassing story was, I'll share since I'm quite over it and today was far more embarassing. Anyway, I must have been 14 or 15 and my dad was giving me and two friends* a ride home from some place. Now one of those friend's dad is a professional pilot and with that information, my dad somehow figured out that he was friends with the pilot's uncle. Upon figuring this out, he points to my friend in the back seat and says "toasted!" Many years later, I think what he meant was, "gotcha."

(for those who remember, Shabs and Beer)

Some more Scattered Thoughts

Has anyone found any use for empty film cannisters? This drives me crazy. It seems like they should have some other function, I just have yet to uncover it.

I was just thinking about a conversation I had with a woman a few months back and how significant that conversation was. Sure, I thought that the woman was ridiculous, in every sense of the word, because she was telling me these details about her and her family's lives (and I'd met her about an hour earlier, before dinner), but at the same time, it kind of gave me another understanding of what the world at large is really like. It's true that I'm still in a somewhat idealist place where I think that everyone can have their own views and live peacefully, but I mean, some differences are just too large to overcome. If that woman was my mother, I would never come home, but I'm sure her children love her and there are probably lots of other people out there with her exact belief system. Has anyone had some sort of brief experience that just sticks out in their mind because they learned so much from it? (that's an invitation to share)

I'm sorry for the lack of educational, entertaining or general 'goodness' of this post. I am breaths away from vacation, yet again. There are some new links (or one..) on your right. There are some decisions I have been grappling with but mostly I have been out of my mind. It's been a long time since I haven't had time to do something or get something done when I wanted to. There might be photos soon, maybe, if you're good.

Question 3: Does anyone have an in-flight activity that does not involve tunes, books, cameras or drugs/sedation? That's right folks, I might do this one drug-free, but probably not.

Ok here's a gif I stole from some place.

washed up and dried out

I recently found out about how a band I used to love is coming to down a few times over the next few weeks. I wrote a friend about this. This friend and I independently saw this band in the summer and realised how much they suck now. This was my friend's actual response. The name of the band and its members have been erased to avoid awkward situations. Replacement names have been put between quotation marks.

>>Hey Hana
The "Coughdrops" make me sad... In my mind they were pure and noble...everything that ska should be, but seeing them play that last time in the summer was like looking 10 years into the future. I had a vision of "Chip" with a pot-belly and dirty clothes standing at the subway station, plucking "I enjoy songs" on a tiny weathered ukelalie, looking mournfully into the faces of the passers by, hoping that maybe-just maybe, someone will throw him some change or a major record deal...Another band member walks by, sights "Chip" and quickly glances away and quickens his pace, for everyone esle in the band has moved on, "Chip" is only a reminder of their fall from glory. <<

Don't let this happen to you. Friends don't let friends wash up... That's one crappy moral. *cough*filler entry*cough*

A walk briskly through the woods.

All right so you're all wrong! It is Spain (some monastary up in the mountains) and that chimney was by Gaudi. I should check my blog more often for comments, I had no idea anyone actually answered that.

Who says that children no longer have imagination? Look at these pictures. They are artists, all of them. And while you're at it, check out this guy. Watch his video too, it is amazing.

It will be a short one today, evidently.

The Title is a mystery, the book has been read.

Yesterday I went home for the weekend and a result will miss a prof's house warming party. Ahem. On the subway, on the way home, there was a man with a vacuum, an old vacuum nonetheless and a green garbage back, which I could only assume was full of vacuum accessories. He seemed to be really offended when the woman next to him, without saying a word, stepped over him in order to move seats. (there were plenty of empty seats, he just happened to sit right next to her) I mean his eyes teared up a little, though the woman seemed like a very unhappy person to me and the man seemed like a hard working honest man who just had some bad luck in his day. Though I have to admit, I was really wondering where he was going with the vacuum at that time of night.

In three weeks, reading week begins and I am off to the coast...you couldn't stop me. Unless you offered me Belle & Sebastian tickets, then I'd consider it. This is going to be a very independent trip, seeing as I will have 4-5 days to travel the city alone and 2-3 with company. More to come... ?

My camera is still out, but I am home, which is full of lovely photographs, most of which are not mine, but I will share them anyway. If you can tell me what country this comes from, I will honestly send you something. Or, let's say if you can figure out what this is.











Here's a hint, same country as this:

An international conspiracy couldn't stop me

I guess it's that time of the week again. It has been quite the week in news, I'm sure all of you know that. The older I get, the less certain the future seems...which scares me sometimes, but sometimes gives hope, I suppose.

A lot of amazing things come out Japan, like this. This is how robots will take over the world, they will get their way into our hearts by offering us refreshing beverages and then wham! Turn their backs on us and force us to be their slaves. I feel like this won't happen until long after we're gone, so there is no need to worry, dear friends.

Summer job hunting has begun and this time it's gone not only national, kind of, but international. I hope that means I'll get a good job this summer. Anyone want to hire me? I know you do.

Boring Postcards. They are sadly deceiving and quite interesting.

Sorry no photos today. The corporate machine is not cooperating.

Everything must be in shambles, it seems all right

I was all set to write an entry and find some article or something to share, but I just bashed my elbow into a door and by bash, I mean that I had my arm up and walked into the side of a door and made such a sound that my roommate came out to here what the commotion was about. Ow.

My digital camera won't charge the batteries anymore and naturally as of October 1, 2005, Konica Minolta no longer operates in Canada. Crappers.

Anyway, that really isn't a huge deal, I'm sure that something can be arranged and my arm already feels much better, sure good thing I hit pure bone.

On an entirely different note, this is an interesting article about sex in England, it's poll based and showed some surprising results.

Here is another article from the Guardian about make up: natural vs. chemical.

I got a sword-tail fish and it's awesome, it looks something like this:



This is the birthday cake I made for my dad a few weeks ago. It took me longer to do that writing than to make the cake, including baking time, it's made out of grated unsweetened chocolate, which melts really easily. And no, that's not his real name, in case you were wondering...and it also doesn't mean dad. It's something else entirely.

Greeaaat on toast.

The habit of posting has slipped through my fingers... I am also trying to replace it with reading books.

If all you listen to is music on your mp3 player, New Scientist now has podcasts which are about 15 minutes worth of science news, which I find pretty cool. Yes, I would find that cool. For me it's a walk to and from class, which is perfect.

Photo

Triumphant Return

January: "Melancoly, Atomic, Uranic Idyll"

This is my mediocre comeback to the life of blogging. It was a short break, I was fed up with where my blog was going.

The reason for my return: " Strangers in a Strange Land" Act II

Until we meet again.