... life as I know it ...

Bored

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 12:13:22 GMT

Well, I haven't posted in here in ages! But since my friend Dara is still doing the LJ thing and I've been haunting the communities still I thought I would revive the poor sucker. Which of course means I get to play with layouts! woot!

Hmm... I'm now going into my fourth year of University with an double major in History and English. Loving both subjects of course. Thinking about doing my Masters and PhD with a focus on literature as a form of social history. More than that and I'm like most Undergrads and have NO FREAKIN' clue! lol.

TV: Shark, CSI (the original), Eureka, Dr. Quinn (on DVD). I've dropped Atlantis because I just can't take it without Lizzie. Maybe I'll watch the entire thing in one fell swoop when I know what finally happens to her. But, can't do it now. Shark is absolutely fantastic and I love the chemistry between James Woods and Jeri Ryan. Haven't seen Eureka in a little while but as long as they keep Debrah Farentino on the show I'm happy. As for Dr. Quinn, who doesn't love Jane Seymour. 'Nuff said.

Books: Currently reading Northanger Abbey. I just can't get enough of Jane Austen. And to make that painfully obvious the next book on my list is The Jane Austen Book Club. Which has been turned into a fabulous movie which I think everyone should see.

Guess that's it. Toodles.

Thoughts on Simon Wallace

Thu, 28 Dec 2006 03:07:07 GMT

Starting up randomly with some questions about Simon and Atlantis fan fiction.

Why on Earth do people feel the need to make Simon into an abusive SOB? The only reason seems to be his rather sudden change of heart in Intruder (to which I did think Elizabeth was mistreated), but to go as far as saying he is abusive? Being abused or being the abuser is a serious offence and sometimes I wish people would not throw it around so lightly in fan fiction.

To me Simon seemed to be a loving, supportive, partner who Elizabeth genuinely loved, but had to leave behind because their lives were diverging. However, when she got the chance she did try and bring him with her; it was just too little, too late. When Elizabeth and Old Elizabeth talk about the Balkans negotiations in "Before I Sleep", I thought Simon was her protector and comforter during that period. Simon was the first person she went to see in "Home" and it was the feelings she got from him that told her something wasn't right. So, logically, she needs some basis as to what feels right if she can instantly tell that something is off.

It seems to me that it is being used as a plot device to get Elizabeth and John together and that just annoys me. (Like rape as a plot device... equally bad if not handled with extreme caution.) I think it is quite possible for a woman to love a man, but to realize their lives are not going in the same direction. That doesn't mean she loves him any less, but the nature of their relationship will fundamentally change. Can't that be enough of a reason for Simon and Elizabeth to part? Can we PLEASE stop writing Simon as abusive?

Thanks.

Missing Children

Thu, 27 Jul 2006 14:54:15 GMT

Please, this isn't a joke - pass it on!

Plaster this all over the net! The web is a powerful tool. When I get a link to the website, I'll post that too.

Unthrottled Ports for Rogers Canada

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 14:15:45 GMT

I'm doing some research on Net Neutrality for my job and I found out something interesting. If you are using Rogers High-Speed Internet they do throttle some of the ports that Bittorrent needs. However, Rogers leaves port 1720 unthrottled at the moment because it is the port that VoIP uses. So, that should let you use your high-speed internet to its full ability. I'm going to try it next time I download Stargate and we'll see if it works.

Oops...

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:04:43 GMT

I feel like I'm back in school when I don't update forever. Sorry.

Update of RL ahead: Well, I'm almost through with my co-op and it's been an interesting experience. I thoroughly recommend it for anyone going through their first university degree. It definitely gives you a different work experience. Actually, I'm really enjoying how much more relaxed my work environment is to my prior retail jobs. And the fact that I am a lot more respected in my co-op job.

Off work I'm still running nightly and it feels great! My legs aren't hurting any more and today I felt like I was flying. (I didn't mean for that to sound so cheesy, but it's true!) I think everyone should take up some form of exercise in their daily routine.

Cheers!

American Presidents Blog

Mon, 10 Jul 2006 13:15:25 GMT

Found an interesting blog on blogspot that I thought I would share with all my history/social sciences inclined friends. (And those who just want to learn interesting tidbits.) American Presidents Blog was created by Michael Lorenzen who is a librarian at Central Michigan University. It really interesting to check out.

For example: did you know that the largest currency denomination ever printed in the United States (but never generally circulated) was a 100,000 dollar note with Wilson's portrait on it. Now, considering American ideals for life, liberty and freedom doesn't that just make so much sense?

No-Junk-Diet

Sun, 09 Jul 2006 23:17:52 GMT

So, I'm self-imposing myself to a no-junk-diet (not because I think I'm fat but because I'm eating way to much of it) and I'm heading to Silvercity today to see X-Men 3 again.

The problem: Silvercity is like one of the only places where you can get Taco Bell in Ottawa! And I can't have it! This is so very unfair. But I will be true to my promise. NO MacDonalds, Taco Bell, Burger King... any of the sort. Shit.

Jogging Conundrum

Sat, 08 Jul 2006 03:56:28 GMT

Okay, so I've been jogging daily for almost three weeks now and in the last week my calf muscles, shins, ankles, and knees have really started to hurt. Got to the point this week that I had to stop after about 6-8 minutes into a 20 minute run. I had to walk the rest of the way and it HURT! Of course this left me feeling bummed because I don't really feel like I got the exercise I wanted.

I've been talking to a few people and all seem to have different reasons why I'm feeling so much pain in the last week. Some say it's because I'm running on pavement, some say it's because my running shoes don't have enough cushioning, and some say I'm not stretching properly. I think it may be all of the above.

Anyway, my question is can someone suggest anything to me to help improve the situation? I really want to keep jogging as it makes me feel terrific when I get back in, but right now it is getting physically painful making me stop. So, suggestions on better shoes? Ways to run? How long I should be stretching for a 20 minute run on pavement? Stretching techniques?

Thanks

To All My Fellow Canadians

Sat, 01 Jul 2006 14:09:15 GMT

Happy Canada Day!!!

And to those in Ottawa: Go to the Hill and Go Crazy!

Was This It?

Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:49:31 GMT

So, I think I got caught up in this.

Nine arrested in debit card fraud ring
One hundred officers bust multimillion dollar fraud ring

The Canadian Press
Tuesday, June 20, 2006

MONTREAL -- Nine people have been arrested after 100 police officers busted a multimillion dollar debit and credit card fraud ring that involved convenience stores and small grocery stores.

Quebec provincial police said Tuesday that some 18,000 people were defrauded in the scam, which rang up several million in fraudulent transactions.

Cloning debt cards is a growing problem because the technology is becoming more sophisticated, a news conference was told.

The debit and credit cards were cloned at more than 40 stores in the Montreal area with modified Interac keypads, police said.

Capt. Michel Forget called it an "evolution in crime.''

These criminals have grown up with technology,'' he said.

The police investigation began after a complaint from a Desjardins credit union about a possible case of fraud.

Police displayed the scanning units used to clone the cards in effort to make the public more aware of how debit-card fraud is committed.

The Canadian Press

I got this really scary phone message yesterday saying that my debit card information had been taken and that my bank had cancelled my debit card. The really scary thing happened when I got to work the next morning. My other two co-workers had the exact same thing happen to them. That means whatever scam we got caught in is around our work. Now, I have to go get a new debit card. Damn. But at least no money was taken from my account.

Oh, but wait! We aren't in Montreal. We are in Ottawa. Guess the nation's capital got hit also.

I'm Ireland

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:23:17 GMT

Snagged from irony_rocks

You're Ireland! Mystical and rain-soaked, you remain mysterious to many people, and this makes you intriguing. You also like a good night at the pub, though many are just as worried that you will blow up the pub as drink your beverage of choice. You're good with words, remarkably lucky, and know and enjoy at least fifteen ways of eating a potato. You really don't like snakes. Take the Country Quiz at the Blue Pyramid

Allergies caused by Women's Lib

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 17:14:00 GMT

Oh Boy, this was was amusing to say the least.

ponders

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 13:26:12 GMT

Even though I like reading fanfic, unless the story is bad!fic, and deliberately satirical, I don't like tv characters reading fanfic. Don't know why, but it bugs me to have the entire story revolving around a character reading ff. Am I being hypocritical?

Animator vs Animation

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 12:29:49 GMT

One thing I love about my office is that we get weird little links in email. Basically, sites people have found and thought interesting enough to pass on. (Welcome to your bored public service! lol. Seriously, we do work sometimes.)

Anyway, here is another link I'm passing on. The flash clip is called Animator vs Animation! It is really well done and after you watch it we can try and figure out how he did it. My guess is lots and lots of print screens and Macromedia Fireworks. I recognize that toolbar! lol.

Here's the link: Animator vs Animation

OMG! Taking up Jogging

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 02:10:19 GMT

So, after deciding that sitting around all day in an office (and eating too much crap) is making me gain weight, I decided to do something about it. And I refuse to diet. I will cut out the fast food cheeseburgers, but that isn't really dieting. That is just eaiting sensibly.

What I decided to do is take up a morning jog. Which means getting up at the ungodly hour of 6am to run around the block for 30minutes before I need to come back in, have a shower, and be off for the day. So, I'm going to need all the encouragement I can get to keep this up. Believe me, waking up in the morning is not something I like to do. Sigh. But it will make me feel better in the long run.

So, cheer me on!

Need to Squee!

Tue, 13 Jun 2006 02:16:08 GMT

I got on the Dean's Honour List this semester! Happy Dance!

I'm done, promise.

Pass It On: Cool Website

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 02:37:44 GMT

I was shown an interesting website that must be shown to everyone and there mother. Someone has built a program that tracks the popularity of websites on the net. This is a quote from the site:

Swarm shows you what websites people are visiting, right now.

Swarm is a graphical map of hundreds of websites, all connecting to each other. It updates itself every second with where people are going and coming from. As sites become more popular, they move towards the center of the swarm and grow larger. Conversely, sites that lose traffic move away from the center and grow smaller.

Website traffic is symbolized with thin lines. Each time you see a line appear, it means someone has moved from one site to the other. You can gauge how many people are swarming around based on the number of lines.

Check it out at www.swarmthe.com/go/swarm

RL Rant

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 18:13:50 GMT

Okay, this is a RL rant, so feel free to skip.

I don't know why but for some reason my coworker feels the need to type out text (that has been given to her in a word document) instead of just pasting the text into a HTML doc. She creates HOURS worth of work for herself to do leaving the rest of us to do other pressing tasks. Then she has the audacity to complain that the task she has to complete will take her hooouurss. Arg!

Sorry, had to get that off my chest.

(P.S: I need another rant icon! lol.)

Xena/Ares Fan Fiction

Mon, 05 Jun 2006 19:17:37 GMT

Does anyone know where I can find some really good Xena/Ares fan fiction... short of digging through piles and piles of fics at ff.net? Is there an author you read or a story you recommend. Doesn't necessarily have to be shippy, but it would be nice.

I've found massive Xena/Gab arrives (and there is a couple Uber [no relation to Nietzsche] stories that I will rec later - keep an eye out) and I've been content with that so far.

However, I'm half-way through season six of X:WP and I think S6 is the ultimate X/A season. Makes me want fic! So, if you can throw some my way I'd be in your debt!

X-Men 3: The Last Stand

Thu, 01 Jun 2006 02:47:48 GMT

All I can say is wow. Simply wow.

I can't believe that they killed off Jean Grey, Professor Xavier and Scott all in one movie! But out of the three I was seriously bummed when they couldn't redeem JG. Mind you, after Phoenix killed Xavier I knew she was done for. The only one who could possibly put the genie back in the bottle (pardon the cliche) was Xavier, and even he was obviously having trouble or Phoenix would never have reappeared in the first place.

Finally, did anyone else think that Famke Janssen was extremely hot in this movie? The scene between her and Logan at the beginning of the movie was sizzling!

Where Everyone Eventually Comes

Mon, 29 May 2006 02:43:38 GMT

Has anyone else wandered into LJ communities and discovered old fan fiction writers you used to follow YEARS ago (on a different forum or website) or online people you used to talk to? I swear LJ is great! Blogs and communities are breathing life back into some semi-defunct fandoms.

Parliament Hill

Mon, 29 May 2006 02:36:29 GMT

I've always wondered why people go and lounge on the grass in front of Parliament... that is until I did it myself this weekend. You know, it's really comfortable. And with the beautiful weather we had this weekend it was the perfect place to waste away the afternoon. Plus, the tourists mingling on the Greens with me kept me amused. Oh, tourists!

Xena Marathons

Thu, 25 May 2006 02:31:44 GMT

So, during the month of May I have managed to go through S1-S4 (all episodes) and half of S5. I'm completely addicted and totally unrepentant. I'm sorry to all you poo-pooers of Xena, but the show is bloody fantastic! Or at least it is to me.

Once I finish the fifth and sixth seasons I intend to write up my thoughts on the entire series. I can tell you right now that I didn't like S4 as much as I did other seasons, but my reasons for not liking it are sound. Has a lot to do with the break-down of Xena and Gabrielle's friendship/relationship during that season. Anyway, rant for another time.

So, yeah, if any of my LJ friends are Xena fans (past or present) give me a shout. I would love to hear what you think of the show. Even if it's only a fuzzy memory. (However, if that is the case you realize I will do EVERYTHING in my power to make you remember! )

Wed, 17 May 2006 12:22:10 GMT

I was walking by Fairweathers and there was a sign in the window that made me giggle. It said:

These suits and ties are like politicians. Totally interchangeable.

Considering I was walking through the business/government sector of Ottawa it was totally appropriate!

Tue, 16 May 2006 13:04:29 GMT

So, I was reading sunny_serenity fic Proof (which must be read) and she said something that just made me laugh so hard.

...and there’s a little bit of Spanky too cos Pebbles and BammBamm are just to hot to ignore.

Couldn't figure out what she was talking about until I started reading the fic and realized Teyla and Ronan were also semi-featured in the story. Okay, Teyla as Pebbles and Ronan as BammBamm! Too priceless!