31 it came from outer space

31 we gave you a damn list

30 come one, come all

29 barbary

29 sometimes

28 ehh...

28 heavens!

28 retardation

26 continuing the chicken theme:

24 chickens

23 no rest for the wicked

23 saw it on tv, bought it on the phone ...

22 a fierce, bad rabbit

21 a vexing day

19 days that end in stupid

18 frozen body parts (not the ones in my freezer)

18 hotness

16 's' is for supercilious

16 mmmm ... converted rice (bleh)

15 family

14 more about friends

11 friends, real & otherwise

10 driving

09 what's that called?

08 mmm ... wheat thins

08 simplicity

07 a prophet, indeed

04 fun times at fred johns park

03 sickness

Feb 28, 2005 this website sucks

i don't share my art with anyone.  frankly, the idea terrifies me.  ... i can usually tell that i *should* do something when it frightens me.

i did some readings yesterday ... strange things are afoot ...

everyone thinks their housekeeping skills fall somewhere between great and satisfactory.  ahhh ... a fool's paradise.

when a tenant is moving out, i get this: "oh, it's SO MUCH cleaner than it was when i moved in."  this actually being the case is a rare occurrence.  why?  i don't want to rent to someone ok with moving into someone else's filth. 

you see, there's this list.  a comprehensive cleaning list that tells people what we're going to be looking for during the walkthrough.  they also have their in report -  ours has a 15 - 25 item checklist for each room.  there's really no excuse.  

i just got back from the first out report.  it was blessedly painless.  it's always nice when people bring in their moms to clean.  

i'm at work right now.  i'm extraordinarily bored.  there's always a few days at the end of the month where i've finished reports and reconciled all my accounts and i'm left to do ... whatever. i try to look busy and that can be a challenge itself.

i suppose i could organize my desk.

i read the edmonton journal this morning.  there was an article on the front page: "Former Alberta man charged in plot to wage worldwide jihad.  Accused ran movie theatres in Ponoka, Leduc."

holy freaking crap.  and who should the accused be, but my old boss from the leduc theatre ... damn.

i'd heard that he was jailed in beirut a few years ago, but i didn't know any details.  apparently, he was released and, now, is nowhere to be found.  

now, i have no idea what the deal is with the jihadism.  all i can say is that he was a great boss.  one of those bosses that you *knew* would stand up for you if some jerk of a customer gave you any grief.  he was very good to us.  

... i feel awful for his family.  all of the employees got to know his wife and kids at the theatre.  they were lovely people who were obviously devoted to their religion and somewhat old fashioned.  this kind of thing happening would have *never* occurred to me.  i don't know what to think.  the whole situation is bizarre.  

hrm. 

seals will be clubbed or speared or shot and left to die in bloody heaps on the ice floes. according to our government, that's ok because coastal communities will make money. money makes it ok to inflict suffering. what gives humans the right to do this? we're animals just like any other beast.

our planet will kill us all and we'll fucking deserve it.

sometimes, i feel like helping out the planet in that regard. *rawr!*

i was watching some show on t.v. 'the fabulous life of,' or someething. evidently, nelly has a vehicle with mink carpeting. mink carpeting. how sick is that? it's almost as sick as that other self-absorbed hedonist, jennifer lopaz, with her mink eyelashes.

so much fur comes from china. given how they treat their people, is it any surprise that they allow abhorrently cruel practices on their fur farms? they give the animal a good beating, string them up by the rear feet and skin them ... alive or not. an animal can live for several minutes without fur. if you don't believe me, go to www.peta.org . there's video. i don't want to watch, but it's there. someone needs to point star jones to that url. gah! that woman!

take last night's rant session. i was pretty angry. i felt the urge to delete that post this morning, but then i thought, "no, it's good for emma to see that side of herself." *sigh*

it's not that i think my opinions are *wrong,* i just know i can better elucidate my position when i'm not caught up in an emotional frenzy.

meh. sorry for posting dumbness. in the future, i'll try to think before i write.

i feel awful for those people who knew terri schiavo. i can't imagine how i'd behave if i were in their shoes. even though i think i came across like an ass, suggesting that they were part of that mob, behaving inappropriately, that wasn't my intention. my problem is with the vultures who claim to be supporting the parents, while really creating more pain for everyone involved.

it's difficult to empathize and love other people. it is for me, anyway. blah. *not a nice person*

i'm not sure why i'm thinking about this schiavo thing so much. it might have something to do with my existential 'issues.'

why is it that *nobody* seems to catch that part of matthew 6:5-6? you see, they (and by they, i mean evangelicals, people for whom i have a personal and genuine dislike.) get the bit about spreading the good news, but then you see them displaying their religiosity and piety on the 'terri schiavo show.' the 't.s.s.' being broadcast on every news show around.

maybe you've seen that news clip with the pastor outside her hospice who announces, "there will be hell to pay" if politicians don't tow the line set by the christian right. well, it was nice of him to outline their true objective: lawmaking.

nevermind that pesky constitution and its checks and balances, its separation of church and state and its separation of powers. evil, worldly secularism. the right is right and, boy, even if you disagree they'll make sure your precious life is preserved to keep up christian apprearances, even if your cerebral cortex has liquefied and you told your husband that you wouldn't want to live like that. they'll even spread rumours about your husband and equate his desire for your wishes to be honoured with spousal abuse. i wonder if you could get the support of the christian fundamentalists if you stoned your wife for having tarot cards, but then quoted leviticus 20:27. sure, legally, you aren't allowed to kill your wife for being a medium, but god says you can. terri schiavo, legally, is allowed to die, but god says she can't. hmm.

i want to talk to god. his followers are being stupid again.

voters are *asking* to be lied to when they demand televised piety. why? because politicians have been known to lie for votes and money. terribly shocking, i know.

i think it's time to turn off cnn.

well, i'm off to see bean's townhouse with her and ruthie.  i think they're going to like their new house.  it's probably going to be finished in august.  i'm going to have one sister really close by and another just 10 minutes away.  :D      *happy*  

it appears that more people are coming here than i'd anticipated.  hello strangers!  

maybe i should shell out the big bucks and get a *real* site up and running.  (thanks to the kat for the suggestion.)  i have no idea what my url would be ... oh, the pressure!

we had fun with rae.  some woman felt up her behind.  we laughed.  i saw some girl trying to pick a fight in the bathroom - it was rather funny.  it was especially funny because i was kind of inebriated.  allow me to paraphrase:

   'straightgirl' You know, I'm here at the Roost, but I'M STRAIGHT.  NOT GAY.  Babble, babble.

   Other woman, notstraightgirl, exits from stall into *very* crowded bathroom.  

   'straightgirl' People can tell that I'm straight.  I don't look like *that!*

   Points finger at notstraightgirl.

   'notstraightgirl' What are you looking at?

   'straightgirl' Well, you TOTALLY look like a stereotype!

   'notstraightgirl' What? Fuck you.

   'straightgirl' What are you getting mad about?  YOU look like a LESBIAN!

   'notstraightgirl' Fuck you.  (again)

   emma stopped paying attention at this point, but heard more cursing and saw more finger pointing.

why does she go to a gay bar and pick a fight in the bathroom with someone that could break her in half?  no sense of self-preservation?  pretentious open-mindedness that deteriorates into prejudice after a couple of drinks?  it's hard to say.  rae went to the bathroom ten minutes later and said straightgirl was still in there talking about how some *lesbian* tried to pick a fight with her.  heh.  that's one way to spin it.

that girl that works at the deli is cute.

ahem.  anyway.

i was reading a time magazine at my parent's place last night.  there was something i wanted to comment on ... what was it?

terri schiavo!

bloody hell.  bloody congress.  they can't get their act together to ensure proper health care for everyone, but they can sure put on a good show when *one* person's life is in jeopardy.  bah! 

if those rightwing nuts were really pro-life, and not simply parading family values and pandering for votes, they'd make damned sure *every* person in america had access to health care. "err on the side of life," my foot!

bah.  Politicians are not born; they are excreted. (Cicero)

yes, the same place we go to every weekend.

i like the roost. i don't know why. it's dingy and sticky and they play a *lot* of michael jackson songs ... downstairs anyway. (upstairs is techno, in all its varieties.) i think i like the roost because i don't see many people putting on a performance. well, at least, you won't see performances that aren't heart-felt.

i think that's my problem with the burbs. new city suburbs is edmonton's goth spot. they play really good music ... i just can't stand a lot of the people. *[email protected]* (thank you, russ) *i wear black wings because i think black things*

rawr! cheese! bad!

anyway, we're going with rae and, possibly, two of her friends. i don't think i'll drink much. tomorrow is easter and my parents will celebrate a dead thing coming back to life by sponsoring the killing of some other thing. it will probably be a pig. eeech ... the smell of ham makes me ill. being hungover in addition to that would kind of suck.

that was kind of mean. sorry.

no. nevermind. i'm not sorry.

ha! :P

i would know. my mother had a pair of them for a couple of days. henny and penny were rescued from a farm where they'd been abandoned by some of our less-than-kind tenants. the chickies and charlie, a farm kitty, were packed into my mom's car and driven from thorsby to leduc.

the chickies ended up in my mom's backyard. one laid an egg, which my mom used in muffins so we could all share. they were picked up later that day by a friend with a farm. i think they eventually became his dinner. :( charlie, being of a favoured companion species was spared the indignity of being cordon bleu-ed.

a report on canada a.m. today showed thousands of chicks being crated so that *complete* jackasses can give them away as easter presents. henny and penny left an unholy mess in my mom's car. i can't imagine *anyone* wanting to care for chickens as pets. maybe some people would, but not joe suburbia. and i'm reasonably sure it's joe suburbia who's giving away chicks as easter presents. who else is *that* self-absorbed and cruel?

since bill and ruth have been out of town this week, ruth told me to use her bmw x5 (because my saturn doesn't like snow). i've been driving this tank and i feel a little ridiculous. it's a nice vehicle ... but geez ... it sucks down premium gas like you wouldn't believe. $80 for a fill up makes me a sad emma. ehhh ... i'm going to use it tonight to move a t.v. so, i guess i ought to quit complaining. i'm benefiting from it.

i should eat something. however, since i polished off that can of green beans yesterday, i think i'm left with rice crackers. bleh.

does anyone out there really like green beans? how could it be possible. for me, they're tolerable, but not a legume i'd ever deliberately seek out. phaseolus vulgaris ... ehh ... they sound awful in latin

i only mention this because i don't have the time to find food outside of the office today. the only edible thing in the cupboard was a can of green beans. how sad is that? how sad is it that i'm eating them? what exactly am i complaining about? there are plenty of starving people who'd be happy for a can of beans.

i've had that song stuck in my head *all* day. i don't know why. i rarely listen to neil young. by rarely, i mean only when his music happens to be played on the radio.

it's probably stuck in my head because of my awful mood.

i just got back to the office after finishing a move in report with a retarded tenant. he's moving into a brand new house and *surprise* the builder couldn't get it together and things have yet to be finished in the house. *minor* things. things that would *never* be a reason to get *freaking-out-angry* about.

rather than accepting that not everything in life is *perfect,* he rails on about how unhappy he is. for all of his inconvenience, i gave him $300. woop de do. i might as well have not given him anything.

i cannot *stand* people that have no idea how to regulate their reactions. it's like they're fucking children. (note: emma isn't extraordinarily fond of most children)

do people like that think to themselves, "oh, this hasn't worked out *exactly* the way i imagined it would. i'm going to be an asshole to this person because somebody *else,* someone with no connection to her or her company, fucked up. yes, that's how i should approach things." do they even think? i suspect not.

so buddy is getting the paint touched up in the living room and he's getting the sheetrock bits removed from the garage. oh ... and we're *paying* someone to plug in his stove and fridge for him because he decided after i left that operating an electrical cord is beyond his abilities. gahhhh! *i* could have done that and i'm far from mechanically inclined.

my job wouldn't suck if i didn't have to deal with people.

bah.

please don't take my idiocy to heart.  i mean no offence.  generally speaking, if i mean to offend, you'll be quite sure.

back to stuff...

melissa's back!  :D  happy days, baby!  

i went to a fashion show with rae yesterday.  the show was a fund-raising event for the breast cancer foundation.  lots of people turned out.  the clothes were cute, if not quite my style.  i probably would have had fun ... if there was some semblance of temperature control, a coat check or adequate seating.  any one of the three would have improved things dramatically.  meh.

ooo ... plus, i got to meet rae's acquaintances.  there was one guy who was a bit of an ass - or maybe that was because of the amount of alcohol he'd consumed.  *whatever*  

before the show, one woman poured out her heart on stage.  she talked about being a cancer survivor and what gave her hope and courage.  it was very touching.  meanwhile, behind us, there was a clutch of women loudly grousing, "oh, they're never going to find a cure.  it's big business.  i heard there's a cure in europe, but it isn't approved here because our politicians are in bed with pharmaceutical companies ... blah, blah, blah."  

now, all of this *may* be true.  what do i know?  but, seriously, even *i* know when it's appropriate to start in on skepticism and conspiracy theories.  rae wanted to hit them.   :D    ahhhhh, violence at a charity event.  

now, i have to go find lunch.  this means i have to get through the snow dumped on our fair city last night and this morning.  spring is here.  

so, those tenants who experienced the sewer backup this weekend?  they all want to talk to me.  the guy who got evicted and figures we should refund him some rent?  he wants to talk to me.  anyone with a problem wants to talk to me.  yay.  you *know* how i like people.

this weekend (aside from the sewer backup) was pretty good.  the kat and i went out to the roost (again) where we watched beautiful (and not so beautiful) people, drank over-priced alcohol and danced to 80's songs.  all in all, i had fun.  *i must remember to call david this week*  he keeps giving me his phone number and i keep forgetting to call.  i'm a *terrible* friend.

gods! i'm hungry.  i haven't had a chance to eat today.  blah.

*my head hurts*

enough of this!  i have things to do.  

i'm contemplating going shopping today. the kat and i are going out tonight and i think i'd like something new, something pretty, something scary. something pretty scary? yes. maybe i'll finish sewing that dress i never finished. hmm ... i may have to get myself to fabricland to find perfect sewing notions. (i love saying sewing notions. sewing notions, sewing notions, sewing notions.)

i'll also need to find food. my cupboards are bare!

bah. no, i'm feeling lazy. i'll eat a banana and buy some article of clothing.

i bought halo 17 this week. dude, that is a cool dvd. (every nine inch nails release has a halo number) now, i think i'm just missing a few halos. 1, 3 & 4. i think. i don't really like "down in it' (halo 1), but i'll buy it anyway. i'm compelled to complete the series.

speaking of nin, as i am wont to do, i saw an interview with trent reznor on much more music. *that* was a good start to my morning, indeed!

for once, i'm not updating the page while i'm supposed to be working. good for me.

earlier, i posted a little bit about 'the hand that feeds.' it *has* grown on me. once i got home and had the opportunity to listen to the song in surround sound (and really loud), i found new appreciation for it. it's good. nin gets my stamp of approval once again. as if there was any doubt about that eventuality.

yesterday evening was spent with rae, for the most part. we waited and waited for a.m.a. sure, we're independent, resourceful women, but we don't like getting our hands mucky with car dirt. *girl power*

so during our hour and a half in the sobey's parking lot, we reminisced about things. i recalled one particularly funny event from when i was still driving the hundai stellar. it was getting on in years and had started burning oil. well, it was winter and damnably cold and i was sitting in my car warming it up before going to school. a lady walking past saw the pillar of smoke and steam and sidled up to my car looking rather (very) worried. she yelps out, "omg! your car is on fire!" maybe you had to be there to really understand how funny that was. me and rae had a good laugh about that.

then we went out for sushi. mmm ... avocado maki *drool*

i'm going to go chat now. surely, there will be someone who isn't completely stupid and has at least a rudimentary command of the english language. hahahahaha. right. well, maybe. sometimes i luck out, but usually i end up lurking.

now i'm hungry. i think i'll make some couscous and asparagus tonight...

ok - if you've watched the movie i linked to, then you'll understand the following:

i don't know how i feel about this song.   as much as i (obviously) like nine inch nails, i'm feeling *meh* about 'the hand that feeds.'   maybe it will grow on me.  what am i saying? of course it will grow on me.

anyway...  

today is another day of preparing statements.   mumsy and dadsy are gone all next week and it will be up to me to guard the fort.   i'd like to have all this account reconciling done before then.  

the kat is gaming tonight ... :(   i am a shadowrun widow.   *displeased*  

ehhh ... back to work.

you know, i � huckabees is a super-cool movie.  i watched it with the kat this weekend.  it was, to use movie reviewer jargon, off beat ... a laugh-a-minute romp.  pft.  the movie was good and i was happy. 

i like that actor, jason schwartzman. i don't think i've seen many of his movies though.  actually, all the actors were good ... dustin hoffman, lily tomlin, marky mark (sans funky bunch), jude law ... and two women who's names escape me.

of course, it might not be everyone's cup of tea.  the kat thought it was silly.  i can't figure out which one of my parents bought the dvd.  i can't imagine either of them wanting to see it.  

i don't have much time to write today.  i need to get those statements off today.  meh.

(did anyone else catch my reference to "l'�tranger?"  ehhh ... it's a little obscure, i guess, but it was something that stuck with me after reading it.  if you get it, i'll give you a prize.)

that certainly isn't the case with the other place we went.  i couldn't even eat their vegetarian burger, which is made with cheese.  bah.  i ended up ordering veggies on converted rice.  (converted rice is ... ugh.)  oh - and there was something wrong with the water; it was sweet and generally undrinkable.  i presume the taste was the result of their water treatment process.  i don't think i'll return to that restaurant.

aside from the food, the company was great and i think everyone had a good time.  

tonight i'm taking minutes at an agm.  i've been warned that this condo is full of dirty old men.  what 55+ condo isn't?  

speaking of condos, i have to say, i will never, ever buy a condo.  in fact, i'd only recommend a person buy a condo if they're adverse to yard work or if they plan to spend a lot of time away from home.  otherwise, for the love of god, don't buy a condo.  

condo builders sell this idea of carefree living to an unsuspecting public.  there's no way i'd want to be putting money into a reserve fund to help pay for repairs 20 years down the road.  nor would i want to deal with the little napoleons drawn to service on the board of directors, the neighbours who slip and fall on common property, the ever increasing condominium fees, incompetent boards who can't plan ahead and issue special assessments etc.  bah.  dumbness.  like any of you care about the details.  

here's something more succinct: condo = bad.

since i'm ranting about work-related things, here's another one for you.  i got a call from our answering service.  the lady tells me that a tenant has an emergency.  apparently, an exterior light was burnt out.  for crying out loud, this tenant was apoplectic!  an electrician would go out the next day, but that wasn't acceptable.  can you imagine going through life with over-the-top reactions to everything?  gah!

(warning: rant ahead)

i'm guessing that maybe 5% of our emergency calls are actually emergencies.  (emergencies are floods & fires ... not much else)  a tenant once called because he locked himself out of his house on an acreage near thorsby.  this being his own fault, i helped by giving him a locksmith's phone number.  i think he wanted to persuade me to drive, for an hour, alone, to the middle of nowhere, but yelling threats was not the best approach.  another one called the emergency line because he needed an apartment.  to him, this was an emergency, as he was being evicted from his apartment the next day.  awww.  *no!*  then there's the woman who's car wouldn't start and she needed a boost.  ?  good one,  mini-brain - try a.m.a.  gah.  i feel better now.

oh, hey: there are new pictures here.  

other family members are annoying me.  i had a crap-load of crap to do for crappy coworkers this morning.  then i get an email whining that the leduc office is 'busy' and that i need to get back to the office now.  weh weh weh.  between buying supplies at staples, picking up important (yet apparantly non-existent or invisible) paperwork and preparing for an agm tomorrow i was a little busy too.  then there's our client who wants financial statements this thursday, instead of monday, when they'd normally get statements.  (this particular client is absolutely bat-shit crazy and our office's primary stressor.)  what a fucking day.

gah.  i'm swearing.  i don't do that very often.  

we're short-staffed at the office right now.  i'll be better when things go back to normal here.

now i have to the olive garden.  they have nice salad and minestrone.  and wine.

maybe the servers will debase themselves and sing 'happy birthday.'  that would be ... awful.  those poor bastards.  

have you ever found yourself in this position?  you think you're pretty good friends with someone else and then it turns out, they don't actually give a shit?  yeah.  that really sucks.  

moving on ...

i've just been passed an armload of things to deliver.  i guess this means i'll be driving most of the afternoon.  *sigh*

the kat and i went to the roost this saturday.  fun times, baby - it's always good for the ego.  i must say, i was looking good that night too.  good enough that gay men thought i was 'banging.'  is it good that gay men think so?  i'm going to go with, "yes, obviously, i'm as fabulous as i think."  

stupid drink prices seem to have gone up again.  bah.

the kat has this dream to open a pub - not a kitschy london knockoff, but an actual public house.  i like that idea.  i don't know about the insecurity of owing one, but it might be cool.  you know, i'd have to have my own space in there where my pretentious friends could sip absinthe all night whilst listening to bauhaus and london after midnight.  not that there's anything wrong with that.  a little pastiche is good for the soul.  (that's great, emma - you just trashed wanna-be pubs.)  

now, to the car ...

i may lose the kat to an evening of gaming tonight and again tomorrow afternoon. on one hand, i genuinely like seeing him with his friends doing their d&d or shadowrun or whatever.  on the other hand, i'm miserable and lonely when he's gone.  i need friends - i don't mean internet friends or friends i'm related to and are, consequently, impelled to tolerate my presence.  i don't need (or want) many 'real life' friends, but one or two would be nice.  maybe three.  

i've never been one of those domineering wives who refuse to allow their husbands out for the night.  i don't think i'll start now.  i think i should be proactive ... or something.  how *do* people make friends?  gods!  i'm pathetic!  

anyway, i don't want the kat to feel like he can't go out just because i'm anti-social.  

rawr!

this weekend we should go out when he's done gaming.  i need to socialize.  we were going to last weekend, but he got home late and i knew he wasn't feeling up to going out.  meh.  

tonight, i will dye my hair.  that will be fun. 

it wouldn't be so tiresome if all the buildings were in one area of the city, but, no, i find myself in the far-flung reaches of edmonton.  the whole experience would be improved if i were able to travel anywhere without encountering scary drivers. i swear, it's a miracle more people aren't lying bleeding and dying in the streets.   sometimes i miss southern california driving.   even though driving there could get a little intimidating, i could at least expect people to use their heads on the road.   here, i almost expect people to do stupid things.   actually, it reminds me of driving in eureka, ca.   (eureka is in northern california.)

i miss california.   actually, i miss california more than i thought i would.   maybe someday we'll end up back in san diego.   we'll see.  

Fortune brings in some boats that are not steer'd.  

by the way, i've added another bit here.  

my job isn't that difficult.  well, no, i deal with a lot of people.  my job would be fairly easy if not for people.  i try to give people some leeway.  i know not everyone is 'business wise,' but i suspect a lot of people don't even *try* to use their minds.  

i'm not *that* smart, and yet, somehow, i'm able to function.  now, this next conversation (excerpts taken from several days-worth of emails) is with, admittedly, one of my dimmer acquaintances, but it's representative of what i deal with on a regular basis:

  "DimmerThanWhat?" - Its 5 days past when my rent was supposed to come out my account and it isnt out yet. Whats the problem here??  (ed. see here) I checked it on the web and I can see that nothing has happened yet. Were paying a lot of money to your company and I expect things to smoothly. Im very concerned.  (blah, blah, blah ... your company sucks ... et cetera) Pls respond ASAP!

  "emma" - I've checked with the bank that handles our Pre-Authorized Payments.  They've confirmed that the rent has been withdrawn from your account and deposited into our account.  We have not received any returned items.  You may want to ask your bank if the appearance of the withdrawal on your online statement has been delayed.  (blah, blah, blah ... this must be frustrating ... let me know if you need any more help ... et cetera)

  "DimmerThanWhat?" - I already talked to my bank!  They said NOTHING HAS COME OUT!  Like I told you beofre!

  "emma" - I can understand how this could be awfully irritating, but this situation is very strange.  Is it possible that you have another bank account?  This one is under the name (Blah Blah Blah) and that account number starts with ####.  

  "DimmerThanWhat?" - Im sorry!!! It was coming out fo the other account! Thx All is Well!

ok ... although she apparently lacks an apostrophe on her keyboard (who am i to talk anyway - i seem to lack a shift key), my friend also lacks something else: some kind of thought process.  how did her brain not ask, "hey, did i give them a voided cheque for my other account?" mhmm.  at least she apologized for her mistake.  

i think i've set my expectations too high.  

i can't imagine trying to get through life with such a limited capacity.  i hope these people have some kind of diminished awareness ... knowing that you're not quite like everyone else would be worse.  i can attest to that!  (in a different way)

hmm.  i'm supposed to be working right now.  i have a $12.89 discrepancy in my bank reconciliation (the first of, ohhhh, 40 account recs).  my eyes hurt, but i ought to get back to it.  *sigh*    

i watched muchmusic this morning and i saw that lindsay lohan video.  all i have to say is, "why?"  what did lindsay lohan have to say?  apparantly, she wanted to tell the world that paparazzi are bad.  bad, bad, bad.  she just wants to be herself guys.  leave the poor girl alone!  or something.  i don't understand the appeal of this drivel.  

speaking of music, the new nine inch nails album is to be released soon.  since this is such a momentous occasion, my countdown is above. 

back to lindsay lohan and her ilk.  there are so many of these artists/bands, putting out what are essentially different versions of the same song and making scads of money.  it makes me question the thoughtfulness of my fellow humans.  i suppose not everyone is interested in a contemplative approach to music.  this polished, packaged, plastic music can't possibly be useful for anything other than a moment of entertainment.  maybe there's value in this music as an indicator for the lowest-common-denominator-entertainment of this time.  i don't know.  maybe it will be hailed as historically important in 200 years.  

since i've ranted about top-40 cattle feed, i will now make a remark some people would find incredible.  there are a couple of nin lyrics i cannot freaking tolerate.  am i completely crazy, thinking that "the destiny i've chose" should be "the destiny i chose?"  i've chosen, i chose, right?  right?  it annoys me every time i hear it.  unfortunately, i really like "the great below."  i think nin has this strange conjugation in a couple of songs.  rawr!

yeah.  my favorite band is imperfect.  

as anticipated, the skating party was not fun.  maybe it was more fun for the 50 and older set, but i wouldn't know.  i was sent downstairs with the 'young people' to watch the simpsons and play pool.  

one fellow young person was particularly knowledgeable about 'family guy' and amused himself by testing everyone else.  "do you know what stewie's middle name is?  hmm?  i bet you don't.  but i do.  because i know everything about 'family guy.'"  

things only - eh - improved when mr. kat mentioned 'Battlestar Galactica.'  that bit went something like this:

  "mr. kat" - Hmm.  Battlestar Galactica is on t.v.  They're making new episodes?

  "family guy dude" - Oh yeah.  They're remaking all of the Star Wars.

  "mr. kat" - Um.  Ok.

  "family guy dude" - Yeah.  They're redoing all of them.

  "mr. kat" - You know, Battlestar Galactica is something completely different, right?

  "family guy dude" - I know that.

  "mr. kat" - Ok ...

*sigh* not cool.  of course, it is hard for any conversation to be cool when it starts off with Battlestar Galactica-anything.  

i'm glad there was beer.

oooo - did i mention i was spared the humiliation of ice skating?  that was nice.  it made up for the complete lack of emma-appropriate food at the party.  except for the pickles.  they were some mighty fine pickles.  dill pickles, sweet pickles, pickled onions, black AND green olives.  a veritable smorgasbord of pickles.  and to think - i complained about not having any food.  mhmmm.

pow! i'm reminded that this weekend is my mom's skating party. her house backs onto a naturalized reservoir in leduc. although i'm reasonably certain i'll have a good time, i also know that i'm going to be forced to interact with strangers. when one is as naturally antisocial as i am, this can be tiresome. to boot, i'm going to be encouraged (*forced*) to participate in actual ice skating. apparantly, there will be chili and hot chocolate for all. oh yeah.

i sincerely hope the hand-eye coordination gods will look upon me with favour. bah.

i think i will wear something pointy. 

i suppose i should go back to work now.

interestingly, i didn't end up with bronchitis.  whether it's correlated to my lungs' health or not, i'm going to assign credit for this miracle to my diet.  (no meat, no eggs, no dairy since december for those not in the know.) i haven't needed to use my inhaler since i stopped consuming dairy, even throughout the worst of the sickness.  that's awesome, man!

i've been listening to a lot of nine inch nails recently.  i'm *so* excited about the upcoming release.  (i have an unnatural love for nin)  i admit, i listened to the leaked songs - once each.  i kind of wish i hadn't, but i'm impulsive and it's been terribly difficult waiting for May 3 to come around.  

i was supposed to go to toronto this month for a seminar. the seminar has been cancelled.  in a way, i was looking forward to the trip.  i haven't been on a long distance trip alone since my adventure to california.

enjoy!