What a gorgeous day today!

When I was heading out to SIAST today, I was absolutely stunned at how unseasonably warm and sunny it is today. It feels more like spring. For the first time in months I have all my windows wide open. I love the fresh air. I know it won't last, but I will take it where I can get it.

Back to work...

First installment of Vegas photos are up!

This may take me a while to do, but here is the first bunch.



Watch for future installments. In the meantime, I am going to hope that when I wake up in the morning, a Conservative minority government was just a bad dream.

Hello again

I must hang my head in shame for not maintaining my blog more regularly. As you can probably notice, besides the lack of posts, most of my graphics are non-existant, which is the result of the their host site being closed because I haven't visited it enough. I am going to have to fix all this eventually.

I have to put up all my photos from my trip to Las Vegas over Christmas. Apparently I took 198 of them! Who knew I could be so camera happy? Getting them all up may take a while, which is probably why I procrastinated on putting them up for 3 weeks.

Well, I am off to do some work before the election coverage starts. I did my civic duty today, did you do yours?

Grammar rules :o)

1. Verbs has to agree with their subjects.

2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.

3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.

4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.

5. Avoid clichés like the plague. (They're old hat.)

6. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.

7. Be more or less specific.

8. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary.

9. Also too, never, ever use repetitive redundancies.

10. No sentence fragments.

11. Contractions aren't necessary and shouldn't be used.

12. Foreign words and phrases are not apropos.

13. Do not be redundant; do not use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.

14. One should NEVER generalize.

15. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.

16. Don't use no double negatives.

17. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.

18. One-word sentences? Eliminate.

19. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.

20. The passive voice is to be ignored.

21. Eliminate commas, that are, not necessary. Parenthetical words however should be enclosed in commas.

22. Never use a big word when a diminutive one would suffice.

23. Kill all exclamation points!!!

24. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.

25. Understatement is always the absolute best way to put forth earth-shaking ideas.

26. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.

27. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."

28. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.

29. Puns are for children, not groan readers.

30. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.

31. Even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.

32. Who needs rhetorical questions?

33. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.

34. Ewe can knot bee two careful wren using homonyms.

35. Edit for mispellings.

My marking is all done now! Yay! Now on to the thesis and the remaining Christmas preparations. Seven days until Las Vegas...

It never ends...

Well it will end, my marking that is, when I am done marking the last 14 reports of 34 and sections C and D of 34 exams. Tomorrow. I want it done tomorrow, so I can work on my thesis. To bed now.

Tooth troubles

Over the last month, I have been in the process of getting a crown on one of my back teeth. This same tooth has had an internal cavity filled when I was a child, a root canal done when I was 12, and has been cracked for 6 years and needing this crown. I didn't know what kind of a rigamorole this was going to be. By the time I am finished with the process (next Monday hopefully) I will have spent more time in the dentist chair in just over a month than I have in the past 4 years combined.

The most frustrating part is living with a temporary tooth while waiting for the permanent tooth to be ready. Monday the temporary popped off while I was eating a Halloween-sized Oh Henry bar. Damn nugat! So that afternoon, I went back to the College of Dentistry to get it glued on again. Then Tuesday night the stupid thing popped off again during dinner. I had to pawn a piece of gum off of someone to temporarily adhere my temporary back in my mouth again. So it is back to the dentist's office again with me this afternoon. I can think of a billion ways I would rather spend my time. Strangely enough, marking is one of them.

My pre-Halloween weekend...

I have been busy lately, and lately most of it has been fun stuff. Thursday I had a highly anticipated lunch with her at Louis, then that night (after my students wrote their midterm) I ended up at Gracie's Off Broadway again for Tina's birthday bash and then to the Black Duck Freehouse for a nightcap. It was a ton of fun.

Friday night was the opening night for Saw II, a gory horror movie sequel to the surprise hit Saw of last year. I have been looking forward to this movie and apparently it blew away the box office this weekend opening up at $30.5 million, twice what the big-budget Legend of Zorro opened with. It was pretty good too, and did justice to the twists and turns of the first movie. Rumour has it that after this successful weekend at the box office there may be a Saw 3 in the works. I am such a sucker for a horror movie.

Saturday evening, a friend and I went out for sushi then to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of Dracula at the Centennial Auditorium. It was a breathtaking performance with sumptuous costumes, elegant scenery, and lithe dancers doing stunning jettes and plies all over the place. I was quite impressed.

Tomorrow night, I get to go to Brennan's house to hand out candy to all the little kids out Trick-or-Treating. That is my favourite part of Halloween. But for now, it is time to get back to the world of marking job packages and midterms.

If Saskatoon ever became zombified, I would be an...

Official Survivor Congratulations! You scored 83%!

Whether through ferocity or quickness, you made it out. You made the right choice most of the time, but you probably screwed up somewhere. Nobody's perfect, at least you're alive.

My test tracked 1 variable How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 68% on survivalpoints

Link: The Zombie Scenario Survivor Test written by ci8db4uok on OkCupid Free Online Dating, home of the 32-Type Dating Test

The loss of a great mind

Wayne Booth, one of the greatest rhetoricians of this century, passed away on October 10th. Here is the article about him in the New York Times. Rest in peace.

My life since my last post...

teach mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark teach teach mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark mark...

I am sensing a pattern here. Back to, you guessed it, marking :o)

So tired

I am absolutely wiped today and it isn't even 3pm. Myrah is continuing her early morning (before 4:30am) wake-up calls. Getting to bed isn't the problem is is her tearing around, meowing, chewing on plastic, batting tv antennas, knocking everything off my bedside table, and such that interrupts my sleep. I need an apartment with a bedroom door so I can sleep in peace and she can still have access to her food and litter.

My class looks good today. They were responsive and intelligent, which is appreciated. Thesis work is going so slow as I am practically sleeping on my desk. I grabbed a coffee from Tim's to jump start the system, but I think I may be a lost cause until the morning. I am going to bed earrrrrrrrrrly tonight so I can compensate for being woken up well before I need to be. I sense this term is going to be a tiring one.

It isn't the beginning of term without a little panic

My oh my... tomorrow marks the first day of the new school year. This term I am teaching 2 classes instead of one, which is super exciting. I had originally thought that both of these classes were to be scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I found out about an hour ago that in fact I am teaching one class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. This should be exciting and difficult as it is much different trying to teach material in 2 80 minute classes versus 3 50 minute classes. I am interested to see how it all plays out. I am prepared for tomorrow though, as far as I understand it, no one has had a chance to register for the class as PAWS (the campus wide computer system) is down right now. So I may go to class tomorrow morning to discover an empty room. This will be interesting.

In the meantime, I need to get back to my thesis...

Distractions

I have to confess that I am addicted to only one reality show right now (crosses fingers that this doesn't change when the new fall line up comes out). It is Rock Star INXS. VOTE FOR SUZIE! There. Now my loserdom has been revealed to all. I will hang my head in shame just as soon as the season is over.

Anyhow, while browsing for spoilers on Television Without Pity I came across another fasinating musical distraction The Truck Driver's Gear Change Hall Of Shame. Here is their description of what this musical device is and does:

Many writers and arrangers feel that when their song is in risk of getting a bit tired, it can be given a fresh lease of life by shifting the whole song up a key, usually in between choruses, towards the beginning of a "repeat-till-fade" section. You may have heard this technique informally referred to as "modulation", but the correct ethnomusicological term for the phenomenon is the truck driver's gear change. This reflects the utterly predictable and laboured nature of the transition, evoking a tired and over-worked trucker ramming the gearstick into the new position with his – or, to be fair, her – fist.

Contrary to what many people seem to think, the truck driver's gear change is in no way inventive, interesting or acceptable: it is in fact an utterly appalling and unimaginative admission that you've run out of inspiration and the song should have ended one minute ago; but you're under pressure to make something which can be stretched out to the length of a single.


I find this site and the sample snipets hilarious, but I think I may find myself unconciously listening for the gear shift in all music. I may have ruined some of my favourite cheesy tunes forever.

New Pants!

I lurve the lady who does my nails! She was cleaning out her closets and because I am one of her favourite clients and about the same size, she gave me 4 pairs of jeans, a pair of PINK cords, and a cute skirt and shirt outfit. They are so comfy and in great condition. I can't wait to wear them all. Hooray for cheap as free clothes!!

This just seems like a strange result

Woody Allen Your film will be 74% romantic, 37% comedy, 26% complex plot, and a $ 30 million budget.

Be prepared to have your life story shot entirely in New York City -- though lately Woody's been loving shooting in London. Also, your music soundtrack is all jazz from before 1949. Filmography: Annie Hall, Manhattan, Stardust Memories, Everyone Says I Love You, etc. Woody has released one film per year consistently for the past 35 years. For the past 15 years he's been trying to make films like his older, funnier ones, just like characters in his Stardust Memories film suggest throughout. Regardless of his personal life (btw, his current wife was never *his* daughter), his films are American classics.

My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender: You scored higher than 99% on action-romance You scored higher than 99% on humor You scored higher than 99% on complexity You scored higher than 99% on budget

Link: The Director Who Films Your Life Test written by bingomosquito on Ok Cupid

More photos

I put pictures up on my Photo page from some of the things that have been going on a while back like my birthday dinner...



And a luxurious evening at home...

I love audiobooks

I just finished listening to Stephen King's The Green Mile on audiobook tonight. I have always loved audiobooks since my Dad introduced me to them when I was in my midteens. He would go away on business trips and always had a good mystery or two to pass the time on the same stretch of highway he often travelled. When he would get back, I would snag the tapes and listen to them in my room for hours while I did mindless chores like folding clothes and organizing papers. I still like to do that. I like to read a good book now and then, but sometimes nothing beats having someone else read you a story :o)

A lovely evening...

It has been a rough week for me already and it is now only a half hour into Wednesday. Tonight, though, was a nice excursion to take a break from the ongoing stress of thesis writing. I went for a belated birthday dinner which was absolutely amazing (salmon, pesto and pepper linguini, mixed green salad, asparagus, and kaluha chocolate cake... YUM), complete with an anti-stress bath package which was just what I needed. When I came home I still felt a wee bit down, and within 5 minutes of setting down my purse, a great friend of mine called to see if I wanted to go for a glass of wine at the best new restaurant in Saskatoon, Gracie's Off Broadway. It was lovely. We are going there for dinner on Saturday and I already know what I am having, in fact, the chef is saving some ingredients especially for my risotto that night. It should be wonderful. I am going to curl up in bed with Myrah for a peaceful night's sleep.

By popular demand

More pictures are on my photo site, including my birthday toes :o) Thanks for the pedicure, Brennan!

Still working

Well the deadline has come and gone and I am still working on my thesis. I had grandiose plans of getting work done today and they went out the window when the building that houses my office was evacuated before I got there. It would make for a nice quiet work day except for the poisonous gasses wafting through the halls.

My kitchen looks lovely right now. All my dishes are done and I installed a couple of little lights underneath my cupboards to shine on my counter. It really makes my kitchen more inviting.

Well, back to work I suppose...