| Your Vocabulary Score: B+ |
 You have a zealous love for the English language, and many find your vocabulary edifying. Don't fret that you didn't get every word right, your vocabulary can be easily ameliorated! |
Friday, June 29, 2007
How's Your Vocabulary?
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Five Things You Might Not Have Known About Me
1. My favourite colour is Orange. When I was a wee lad I wanted a favourite colour that was not an obvious choice. I often go for the underdog. So I picked orange which was bright and friendly but not as popular as blue or red.
2. I originally cheered for the Montreal Canadians before I knew what hockey was because my Aunt Jolene cheered for them, and later as a kid I cheered for the Calgary Flames. Yes, I started cheering for them the year before the year they won the cup. Then as a teenager I switched to the Toronto Maple Leafs (sad I know, but I didn't know better and I liked cheering for the underdog... and the Leafs are always the underdogs). Finally, after living in Ottawa as I started university I switched loyalties to the Ottawa Senators where they lie now.
3. I played organized hockey growing up but had to quit because my lower back killed me when I was skating hard. I played organized baseball but found it quite boring and frustrating since I was not an athletic child.
4. As I grew up, I reached an age as a young teenager where I could stay home alone during the summer and after school. But I was terrified of being downstairs for any length of time when I was alone. The house creaked like there was someone upstairs and it quite frankly freaked me out. I had an overactive imagination you see, and the noise from the house settling set my mind racing even though I knew there was no one there. In a similar vein, as an older teenager/young adult I could not stand the idea of swimming alone, my mind convinced something was going to happen even though logically I knew that swimming in the shallow end at 17-18 years of age to cool off was very safe.
5. I was always the second oldest in class when I went to public school at Addison because my birthday in February put me at the edge of the cut off for starting kindergarten and when I was evaluated the educators decided I needed another year off before starting. There was one other student a month and a half older than me but I don't know why she started a year later.
2. I originally cheered for the Montreal Canadians before I knew what hockey was because my Aunt Jolene cheered for them, and later as a kid I cheered for the Calgary Flames. Yes, I started cheering for them the year before the year they won the cup. Then as a teenager I switched to the Toronto Maple Leafs (sad I know, but I didn't know better and I liked cheering for the underdog... and the Leafs are always the underdogs). Finally, after living in Ottawa as I started university I switched loyalties to the Ottawa Senators where they lie now.
3. I played organized hockey growing up but had to quit because my lower back killed me when I was skating hard. I played organized baseball but found it quite boring and frustrating since I was not an athletic child.
4. As I grew up, I reached an age as a young teenager where I could stay home alone during the summer and after school. But I was terrified of being downstairs for any length of time when I was alone. The house creaked like there was someone upstairs and it quite frankly freaked me out. I had an overactive imagination you see, and the noise from the house settling set my mind racing even though I knew there was no one there. In a similar vein, as an older teenager/young adult I could not stand the idea of swimming alone, my mind convinced something was going to happen even though logically I knew that swimming in the shallow end at 17-18 years of age to cool off was very safe.
5. I was always the second oldest in class when I went to public school at Addison because my birthday in February put me at the edge of the cut off for starting kindergarten and when I was evaluated the educators decided I needed another year off before starting. There was one other student a month and a half older than me but I don't know why she started a year later.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
This is Not News
This was the second headline on Canoe.ca. Big fracking whoop-de-do.
This headline was buried near the bottom. Barely even called a headline truth be told, more like a link so that they could pretend to be a news site.
Our culture is so egocentric that some two-bit "celebrity" getting out after a less-than-30 day jail term is a top news story and a natural disaster that sends thousands fleeing for their lives is a footnote.
Disgusting.
This headline was buried near the bottom. Barely even called a headline truth be told, more like a link so that they could pretend to be a news site.
Our culture is so egocentric that some two-bit "celebrity" getting out after a less-than-30 day jail term is a top news story and a natural disaster that sends thousands fleeing for their lives is a footnote.
Disgusting.
My Blog Is Not Dead!
Last post was June 20th? What the heck? Well, let me get you back up to date.
Last week I was very busy at work finishing a feature I was assigned and hence no posting during the day. On the weekend we had Kim's family and the Kids up to celebrate Kim's birthday and on Sunday I was at an event for my warhammer hobby. All in all, very busy. Yesterday I called in sick to recuperate from the event and help clean up a little from the party. That's why there was no post yesterday.
Regular posting will resume today.
BTW, its bloody warm out there and Andrew and I are playing tennis after work when it will be the hottest. We expect to be swimming in our own sweat.
Last week I was very busy at work finishing a feature I was assigned and hence no posting during the day. On the weekend we had Kim's family and the Kids up to celebrate Kim's birthday and on Sunday I was at an event for my warhammer hobby. All in all, very busy. Yesterday I called in sick to recuperate from the event and help clean up a little from the party. That's why there was no post yesterday.
Regular posting will resume today.
BTW, its bloody warm out there and Andrew and I are playing tennis after work when it will be the hottest. We expect to be swimming in our own sweat.
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Book Review: Axis of Time Trilogy
The premise of the Axis of Time Trilogy written by John Birmingham is that a physics experiment sends a 21st century multinational force of warships back in time to the Battle of Midway in 1942 and are stuck there in the middle of World War II. Suddenly as both the Allies and Axis get access to advanced technology from the year 2021 as well as the history of the original timeline, the shape of the war changes.
This was a bold undertaking by the author. In essence he had to simultaneously create a new "world" of the soldiers and sailors from the 21st century task force and re-create faithfully the "world" of the Second World War. Both had to be different yet believable to be accepted in the mind of the reader, and then he had the monumental task of accurately portraying the subsequent clash of cultures when the "worlds" collide.
To add to the magnitude of the task, he challenged himself by writing from the point of view of not only regular characters from both times but also major historical figures such as Roosevelt, Churchill, Himmler, Yamamoto, Beria to name a few.
And all of this had to be done in a way that did not make it feel forced or unnatural. It had to feel like ordinary people in extraordinary situations at the same time as bringing larger than life names into the realm of characters. In this, John Birmingham succeeded. I hardly ever found myself thinking that any character, historical or otherwise, was acting oddly for the purpose of plot development. From the initial event to the trilogy's conclusion, the characters felt real.
My complaint with the books lies in the pacing of the story. At times entire major events happen "off-camera". Huge battles, important character events, significant plot points, many of them occur and you start a new chapter or book catching up to these items. For example, the first book is about the experiment that sent the 21st century fleet back and the initial ripples of that event, and ends on an operation that they participate. The second book opens several months and major events later. For the first chapter I was very confused until I caught up. There are several other incidents.
Now I understand the author was faced with some serious difficulties in writing a story that stretches out over 3 years and has numerous battles and happenings. It felt like he made a list of everything that was going to happen and then picked two thirds of them to write and left the other third to simply play catch up. But I felt it hurt the series overall.
In the end, I enjoyed the trilogy and would suggest it to friends looking for something different.
This was a bold undertaking by the author. In essence he had to simultaneously create a new "world" of the soldiers and sailors from the 21st century task force and re-create faithfully the "world" of the Second World War. Both had to be different yet believable to be accepted in the mind of the reader, and then he had the monumental task of accurately portraying the subsequent clash of cultures when the "worlds" collide.
To add to the magnitude of the task, he challenged himself by writing from the point of view of not only regular characters from both times but also major historical figures such as Roosevelt, Churchill, Himmler, Yamamoto, Beria to name a few.
And all of this had to be done in a way that did not make it feel forced or unnatural. It had to feel like ordinary people in extraordinary situations at the same time as bringing larger than life names into the realm of characters. In this, John Birmingham succeeded. I hardly ever found myself thinking that any character, historical or otherwise, was acting oddly for the purpose of plot development. From the initial event to the trilogy's conclusion, the characters felt real.
My complaint with the books lies in the pacing of the story. At times entire major events happen "off-camera". Huge battles, important character events, significant plot points, many of them occur and you start a new chapter or book catching up to these items. For example, the first book is about the experiment that sent the 21st century fleet back and the initial ripples of that event, and ends on an operation that they participate. The second book opens several months and major events later. For the first chapter I was very confused until I caught up. There are several other incidents.
Now I understand the author was faced with some serious difficulties in writing a story that stretches out over 3 years and has numerous battles and happenings. It felt like he made a list of everything that was going to happen and then picked two thirds of them to write and left the other third to simply play catch up. But I felt it hurt the series overall.
In the end, I enjoyed the trilogy and would suggest it to friends looking for something different.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Male Circumcision: Yea or Nay?
Cruising my blogroll today I stumbled across a link to this post and story:
I know this case was exceptionally rare but the more I learn about this topic, the more I'm convinced its time this practice is abandoned.
(Hap tip Pharyngula)
A Canadian boy, after a routine infant circumcision, developed an infection and died from septic shock.Increasingly research is showing less benefit to male circumcision and more downside, and a story like this only gives me nightmares. To finally have a baby and lose him/her to infection from a cosmetic surgery? I shudder to think.
I know this case was exceptionally rare but the more I learn about this topic, the more I'm convinced its time this practice is abandoned.
(Hap tip Pharyngula)
Monday, June 18, 2007
Happy Birthday Kimmie!!!
Today is the greatest day of the year!
Today is Kim's birthday!
Today is Kim's birthday!
Happy Birthday Baby!
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
How Can People Be So Ignorant?
A little article on Canoe today had me shaking my head.
How can we live in a society with so much knowledge and information at our fingertips through magazines, newspapers, internet, television, and still be so overwhelmingly ignorant?
It boggles the mind.
Alert going to waist - KENNETH JACKSON, SUN MEDSo half of us in Ottawa is overweight. I find that a little hard to believe, but possible. That's not the number that makes me shake my head.When more than half of Ottawa residents are obese, it's not just a problem, it's an epidemic.
So says a local expert responding to a report card issued yesterday that found one in every two Ottawans are carrying around a spare tire -- for a pickup truck.
"It's pretty awful. I would see this as a legitimate survey," said Dr. Bob Dent, director and founder of the Weight Management Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital.
It gets worse.Local residents got a failing grades in six of 11 categories, two of which claimed residents "need improvement," especially regarding their knowledge, or lack of knowledge of obesity.
"The lack of awareness is a problem. The 55% aware that being overweight is a major risk factor for heart disease are very likely not the percentage of the population that is obese," said Dent.
Emphasis mine. The inverse of that statement is that 45% of the people surveyed were not aware that being overweight is a major factor for heart disease. Wow, do these people live under a rock or something?
How can we live in a society with so much knowledge and information at our fingertips through magazines, newspapers, internet, television, and still be so overwhelmingly ignorant?
It boggles the mind.
Good Luck!
My good friend Andrew has hung up the blogging gig and moved on. He got me into blogging in the first place and I enjoyed his posts and insightful topics, so he will be sorely missed.
In related news, while playing tennis last night he had me 40-0 in one game and ended up losing it. I love it when that happens.
In related news, while playing tennis last night he had me 40-0 in one game and ended up losing it. I love it when that happens.
Monday, June 11, 2007
They Are Surrounding Me
For the first time ever, today I received emails from my mother and father. Different emails. About different subjects. From their completely different offices.
Somehow a part of me thinks this can't be a good thing. Its like they are surrounding me or something, preparing for the timed double smack of parenting emails.
I may be paranoid, but that doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
Somehow a part of me thinks this can't be a good thing. Its like they are surrounding me or something, preparing for the timed double smack of parenting emails.
I may be paranoid, but that doesn't mean they aren't out to get me.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Go Sens Go.
(Sorry for the lack of posting. Work has been busier than usual.)
In the end, the Ducks were simply better. Better at getting the puck in their own end, better at keeping the puck in the Senators end. They weren't better by a country mile, but they were better enough to win, especially in those first two one-goal games.
Some might claim the Sens choked in the final, but I think they simply hit a team with speed, size, attitude, and that was firing on all cylinders. The nine day layoff after beating the Sabres probably didn't help either.
In the end, I'm proud of the Ottawa Senators of 2006-2007. Simply getting into the playoffs is harder than ever, requiring over 90 points in a season to qualify. Twenty years ago a .500 record and 80 points would have been enough. Then they faced three good teams and played solid almost every game. Getting to the finals is a mammoth task in of itself, isn't that right Maple Leaf fans? No other sport has such a grueling playoff run required to win the big prize. Basketball has the number of games, but not the physical play. Football has the physical aspect, but not the sheer number of games. Hockey requires at the very minimum 16 games of rushing, checking, bumps, bruises, blood, sweat, and tears.
No, they didn't win. But damn they tried.
Go Sens Go!
In the end, the Ducks were simply better. Better at getting the puck in their own end, better at keeping the puck in the Senators end. They weren't better by a country mile, but they were better enough to win, especially in those first two one-goal games.
Some might claim the Sens choked in the final, but I think they simply hit a team with speed, size, attitude, and that was firing on all cylinders. The nine day layoff after beating the Sabres probably didn't help either.
In the end, I'm proud of the Ottawa Senators of 2006-2007. Simply getting into the playoffs is harder than ever, requiring over 90 points in a season to qualify. Twenty years ago a .500 record and 80 points would have been enough. Then they faced three good teams and played solid almost every game. Getting to the finals is a mammoth task in of itself, isn't that right Maple Leaf fans? No other sport has such a grueling playoff run required to win the big prize. Basketball has the number of games, but not the physical play. Football has the physical aspect, but not the sheer number of games. Hockey requires at the very minimum 16 games of rushing, checking, bumps, bruises, blood, sweat, and tears.
No, they didn't win. But damn they tried.
Go Sens Go!
Monday, June 04, 2007
Aw Bloody Hell!
We had the Kids up on the weekend and it was relatively quiet time. Saturday we stayed in Carleton Place and checked out the Shrek 3rd movie in the afternoon (instant review: decent, but forgettable) and then played some games in the evening after dinner. A fun time.
Sunday we had to go to town so we went out for breakfast and then later in the day we went to the park. And that's when all hell broke loose.
The playground equipment has one part where there is a square metal standing surface that is raised about 8-12 inches off the ground and is about a meter square. Off one side are hanging bars and off another side are more hanging bars that are higher and farther out. Holden was standing on the metal square and decided to show me (I was standing maybe four feet away) how he could jump up and grab the first bar of the smaller set of hanging bars.
He dropped down and got back on the metal square and started to look at the higher bars. They were about 4-6 inches higher and 3 inches farther out then the smaller ones, and I could practically see his mind working out whether he could grab them or not. I must have been a little drowsy from the busy weekend or I would have told him not to try it, it was too far. I could see in my head him jumping, missing, falling down, and then falling backwards and hitting the raised metal platform. But alas, I was too slow.
He jumped. He touched the bar and almost got his fingers around it, but not quite. He fell, landed on his feet but lost his balance, backwards, and WHACK! His head hit that raised metal platform hard. REALLY hard.
He almost immediately started screaming and holding the back of his head as he scrambled up. Kim and I ran over and when we pulled his hand back he was bleeding profusely. We rushed to the car and went over to the hospital as quickly as we could.
Holden is okay, but needed to get five stitches in the back of his head. Poor kid. His mom took him home last night and he was sound asleep from the drugs they gave him to keep him relatively calm during the application of the local anesthetic. Relatively meaning Kim and a nurse had to hold his arms and head down while the doctor used a needle to apply to drug to the site of the cut. I had taken the girls home to get some food so I got to miss out on that fun stuff *sarcasm*.
I need a day at work just to recover from the weekend now. Ah, quiet work.
Sunday we had to go to town so we went out for breakfast and then later in the day we went to the park. And that's when all hell broke loose.
The playground equipment has one part where there is a square metal standing surface that is raised about 8-12 inches off the ground and is about a meter square. Off one side are hanging bars and off another side are more hanging bars that are higher and farther out. Holden was standing on the metal square and decided to show me (I was standing maybe four feet away) how he could jump up and grab the first bar of the smaller set of hanging bars.
He dropped down and got back on the metal square and started to look at the higher bars. They were about 4-6 inches higher and 3 inches farther out then the smaller ones, and I could practically see his mind working out whether he could grab them or not. I must have been a little drowsy from the busy weekend or I would have told him not to try it, it was too far. I could see in my head him jumping, missing, falling down, and then falling backwards and hitting the raised metal platform. But alas, I was too slow.
He jumped. He touched the bar and almost got his fingers around it, but not quite. He fell, landed on his feet but lost his balance, backwards, and WHACK! His head hit that raised metal platform hard. REALLY hard.
He almost immediately started screaming and holding the back of his head as he scrambled up. Kim and I ran over and when we pulled his hand back he was bleeding profusely. We rushed to the car and went over to the hospital as quickly as we could.
Holden is okay, but needed to get five stitches in the back of his head. Poor kid. His mom took him home last night and he was sound asleep from the drugs they gave him to keep him relatively calm during the application of the local anesthetic. Relatively meaning Kim and a nurse had to hold his arms and head down while the doctor used a needle to apply to drug to the site of the cut. I had taken the girls home to get some food so I got to miss out on that fun stuff *sarcasm*.
I need a day at work just to recover from the weekend now. Ah, quiet work.
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