31 kill me now

30 true to form

29 the most unlikely thing...

29 holy dorothy!

29 at last

23 not the best day ever

22 humhumhum

20 gonzo

19 yum! tortured chickens!

19 expulsion / repulsion

17 absent-minded

16 oh, to live in north carolina

15 smiles & sunshine

14 the end of things

13 i miss all the fun

12 war resisters welcome here

11 me?  socialize?

10 who needs water anyway? 

08 ralph

08 small victories, major annoyances

07 ducks, limited

07 as if there were any doubt

05 and the award goes to...

04 illiterati

03 you can never have too much nin

02 sweet

a number of people, apparently, are addicted to porn and -get this- feel bad about it.  "xxxchurch.com - #1 Christian Porn Site" (no, it's not *nearly* as interesting as you might think) has been set up as a kind of anti-porn touchstone.  clever, eh?  ...they used 'xxx' and called it a 'porn site' in an effort to lure in unsuspecting google-ers ... geh.

here's an excerpt from their 'get help' section: 

I guess deep down inside all we want is to know that everything is going to be all right. We ask ourselves the question...is there something wrong with me because I am struggling with pornography? With this issue comes a lot of shame and guilt. It's a dirty little secret that you can't let out and in the mean time you feel like pond scum.

yes ... and if you porn-addicted, pond scum types want, you can 'hang' at the prayer wall:

The Prayer Wall is the official online community of X3church. It is a place for prayer, encouragement, and the discussion of real issues. Go hang, give your thoughts, and meet some cool dudes and dudettes.

who doesn't want to be a cool dude or dudette?

if you suspect you are addicted to porn, know this:  being addicted to guilt is far more dangerous than an addiction to scantily clad, buxom women doing 'things' to ugly, hairy men (or possibly other scantily clad, buxom women).

guilt is a 'real issue' that will cause real problems.  sure, if you're not going to work or can't get it up for your significant other, porn may be a problem for you.  otherwise, who cares?  what makes porn inherently evil?  

making something evil is useful to authority figures.  what better way is there to control people.  inundate people with rules and they'll scramble around trying follow all of them.  porn?  bad.  tithing?  good.  dancing?  bad.  if people don't *really* know why certain things are bad, but know they'll be punished for eternity if they partake of these evil things, they'll look to the people guarding this divine knowledge for everything - out of fear.  create fear, create guilt, create dependence.  

the *real* divine knowledge is that most people try to do as little thinking as possible and will do almost anything to fit into a social group.  we live in the age of reason and authority figures approach us with nothing but cynicism and condescension because we are so easily and efficiently controlled, managed and directed.  there is very little difference between our religious and political leaders - technocrats all.

meh - i have to get to work.  

*sigh*

anyway... since i'm too cheap to subscribe to a newspaper and too lazy to deal with the massive amount of recycling that comes with a subscription, i go to canada.com for my daily dose of the edmonton journal.  i'm supremely annoyed that they've cut back on the online content.  now, us cheap, lazy bastards only get to read a select few articles.  what really annoyed me today was that one of these few articles is devoted to The Most Annoying Hip Hop Artiste of the moment.  (a.k.a. kanye west) 

edmonton journal, i *do not* want to read about kanye west's conversations with god about his lyrics.  not at all.  not a smidge.  not that the journal will care, since i don't give them money.  

speaking of hip hop, whatever happened to the message of social justice of days past?  i'm aware that music videos are essentially advertisements, but you'd think musicians, who are supposedly creative folk, would be able to come up with some kind of video montage that didn't involve women in hot pants and some dork throwing money at the camera.  didn't we already go through this silliness with 80's hair bands?  

i suspect certain artists' declarations of love for jesus (hmm ... jesus walks?) is an attempt to feel better about their *obvious* superficiality.  "hey look!  i can love hos, mad cheddar, cristal, my lincoln navigator with mink fucking carpeting *and* jesus christ, my personal saviour and CEO of my life - it's the best of this world and the next!  love me!  loooove meeee!"  i understand 'mad cheddar' means 'lots of money.'  ...what tripe.

*this* is, by no means, a condemnation of all hip hop.  i love saul williams.  *love* saul williams.  he'll be at the powerplant at the u of a on september 16, courtesy of APIRG.  

oooo ... captain paul watson of the sea shepherd will be at the stanley milner library on september 15!  maybe i'll convince the kat to come with me  :D

i'm going to visit *real* people tonight.  sure, people i met online, but *in person!*  

*woo*

and she's, like, the hottest female in edmonton, so, like, yeah, i'm a happy camper.      :P  

i wonder if i'm going to make an ass out of myself ...as i am wont to do.  ah well.  

(this henna on my arm is itchy as hell...gah!)

oh yeah ... i got a mantra put on my arm at the fringe yesterday ... om mani padme hum ... it's written in hindi.  it looks kinda nifty.  (you see?!  i'm leaving that last bit there so you, loyal reader, can see what my brain does to me.  hmm ... make an ass out of myself, indeed!  i will be without the benefit of a DEL button tonight.)

gods.  i'm leaving now.

oh man ... pat robertson's prayer death squads ... 

which reminds me ... you're all welcome to come to our house this saturday and sunday.  there will be barbequing, drinking and revelry and certainly *no* garage building.  don't worry about a thing.   :D    

this weekend we tabled at the fringe again.  a few people signed up for volunteering, we sold some george bush toilet paper and handed out quite a few handbills.  it was a good time.  

i didn't get to see tina this weekend though - meh.  tina is an old friend that i love to bits.  she lives in vancouver and is much, much too far away.  at least we'll have the nin concert next month in vancouver and we can do evil things then.

hm.  i don't have a lot going on at the moment and i'm feeling far too mellow to rant about anything.  lucky you.

i'm completely fed up with people.  needy, whiny, mini-brains.  geh - leave it to me to look to cnn for diversion.  right ... i'm only more annoyed at this point.

soooo ... what's in the news today ...

i see pat robertson and george bush.  i see rush limbaugh and ann coulter and dick cheney ... *shudder*  

pat robertson:  wants the u.s. to assassinate venezuelan president hugo chavez.  and why not?  isn't that the christian thing to? first venezuelistan, then, canukistan.  damned communists.

george bush:  is nose-diving in the polls and thinks critics of the "global struggle against violent extremism" would put the u.s. in grave danger with their lackadaisical approach to terrorists.  coincidentally, the fbi announced that people should be on the lookout for terrorists disguised as homeless people.  *sigh*  because homeless people are scary and dangerous, right?

rush limbaugh:  said ohio democratic congressional candidate paul hackett, went "to iraq to pad the resume."  apparently, only republicans get to volunteer for duty in iraq without getting attacked for it later.  no one ever accused limbaugh of being tactful.  a junkie, yes, but never a tactful junkie.

ann coulter:  oh my goddess!  look at this!  who buys this crap?  i like the bit about her "unique contributions to america's political discourse."  i wonder if that was intended as a flattering comment...

dick cheney:  is coming to alberta!  lucky us.  i'll let you, my faithful readers, know when and where.  i'm sure there will be some kind of rally.  *purr, purr, purr*

back to that website with the ann coulter action figure for sale ... they also have this for sale.  if only conservatives would read/understand the first three items listed - maybe they'd see why the p.a.t.r.i.o.t. act is a scary beast.  

we sold some 'make poverty history' bracelets and passed out handbills for the mph rally on sept 10 at sir winston churchill square.  it was kind of quiet at our table, but that should be improved next weekend when we'll have our large banners and sandwich boards set up.  if you're feeling adventurous, come to our tent at the northeast corner of Gateway Blvd and 83 Ave.  

we have bracelets, buttons, videos, cd's (tools for troublemakers), and george dubya toilet paper featuring some of fearless leader's more notorious moments of stupidity.  we're also grateful for any donations.  

we also have FREE STUFF.  come to our table, dammit.  if nothing else, you can take a gander at our selection of humourous posters that will be a part of the 'Gorgeous George' exhibit at the Bomb Shelter (10145 104 St, downstairs).

anyway ... a very tired, lovely lady has been working on the Edmonton Small Press Association website.  the revamped site, which will look fantastic, by the way, should be up and running by the 24th or 26th.  

if you want more info ... let me know:  emma.ca79 <at> gmail.com

his funeral is to be held in woody creek, colorado - his home - and it looks like his friends are going to fulfill his wish to have his ashes shot out of a cannon.

*that* is a cool send off.

gah! bill frist announced his support for the teaching of intelligent (ha ha ha) design in schools. bushy said he'd like it taught "so people can understand what the debate is about."

what freaking debate?

there is *no* debate in science. once again, fearless leader thinks that if he says something often enough it will become true. >:| anyone who thinks there exists a debate is delusional. that's it. delusional.

damn it! these guys are lunatics.

what's next? phrenology vs neurology: the great debate of the 21st century. flat vs spherical: scientists debate the earth's shape. alchemy vs chemistry: the year 2005 & we just don't know.

fuck. they must want an extra-maleable population, given to superstition, so they can pass off other lies. hmmm ... *coincidentally,* it appears mr. frist is looking to run for president in 2008...

geh - i need another cup of coffee. i shouldn't post within the first hour of waking up. *grouchy*

mmm ... coffee ...

so, alberta doctors think private health care is a good idea. gee, i wonder why? ( ... $$?)

i understand the idea of alleviating line ups by allowing people to pay for health care in another system ... my concern is where all the extra doctors are coming from.

yeah, it's one thing if all the existing doctors in alberta stay in the public health care system, but i *seriously* doubt they want to do that. an exodus of doctors from the public health care system will do nothing for patient wait times.

ahhh, but albertans are notorious for following along. "oh, yeah? you've gotten rid of the debt? good one! we love you. we don't notice the massive infrastructure debt hanging over our province ... because we're *idiots* and who are we to complain?" grrr.

we complain mightily about the number of americans that believe everything their betters tell them, but we're just as bad about it here.

for once, i'd like to see people say, "no - we don't accept your bullshit, even if you're an m.d./ralph klein/steven harper." these people don't *need* our support, they ought to make some effort to *deserve* it. so, for the love of god, stop standing behind 'your man' because he's a public figure you may have voted for or because he was in school longer than you and can wield a scalpel. believe it or not, they *may* not have your best interest at heart. oooooo ... ulterior motives.

hey, we've all seen how well privitization has worked out in other areas, eh?

it doesn't work. don't do it.

i wrote a letter to the ceo's of yum! brands in the u.s. and canada.  i copied it to their board of directors.  if you're not aware, kfc has refused to follow the recommendations of it's *own* Animal Welfare Advisory Council and continues to buy chickens from suppliers that are treating the chickens in their facilities abhorrently.  there's more info here.  if you have a strong stomach, go ahead and watch the video.

stomping on chickens in the hallways.  scalding chickens alive - they call them 'red birds' because of the way their blood rushes to their skin.  cutting off their beaks without anesthesia.  throwing chickens into walls.  breeding them to be so large that their leg bones break under their own weight. 

i'm not talking about normal stuff here.  this is clearly abuse and it should not be tolerated in a civilized society.  

(you know how when you're eating a drumstick and you discover a broken bone on the inside and darkened flesh all around it?  *that* is a bone that was broken before the chicken died.  think about how often you find those broken bones and what kind of suffering was endured.  think about what kind of suffering is endured by the workers at these plants who have to experience this on a daily basis.  how healthy is that?)

so, if you're going to eat chicken meat, don't get it from kfc.  they are industry leaders and have a responsibility to promote ethical slaughter practices such as controlled atmosphere killing.  the chickens stay in their crates, go into a chamber and are gassed.  they pass out, they die and they're completely removed from the process that terrorizes, maims and eventually kills them.

same goes to you, Lilydale! 

but back to my original issue.  the letter i got back from yum! foods, came from their office in the u.k. and, for whatever reason, spoke about how yum! international follows european union animal welfare standards.  wtf?  i think i got the wrong form letter.  *buggers*

so ... kfc, pizza hut, taco bell, a & w and long john silver's are all part of yum! brands ... avoid them.

... better yet, stop eating flesh.  in mom voice: "it's not good for you."   :D

hmm.  

i suppose i feel conflicted about the whole thing.  obviously, it's awful that these people who have been living in the west bank for 25 or 30 years are being evicted, but, on the other hand, how did the palestinians feel when outside forces decided that their land belonged to other people.  the whole thing is a mess.  

katherine harris is running for the u.s. senate.  you may remember her from the 2000 and 2004 presidential election in florida where people couldn't count and "chad" was suddenly more than a certain loser-ex's name.  at least in my mind.  *sigh*  what else?  the famous felon purge ... terrible make up ... now even the least of you will know who i'm talking about.  anyway, hearing about her involvement in the senate race brought to mind the division in the united states.  by running for senate, harris is opening old wounds and worsening the political problems we're seeing.  i'm annoyed.

hey you!  want some volunteer experience?  want to get involved in an art expo that promotes independent media?  want to do something anti-bush, just 'cause?  let me know.  my email addy is here.  

do we canadians really understand how horribly our ancestors a) treated the indigenous population or b) were treated by europeans?  i'd have to consider both a) and b), being the heinz-57 that i am.  

maybe it's different in other parts of the world where long memories are common.

ahhh ... my brain does like to jump around from thought to thought: i want to see "the aristocrats."  yes, the movie with the filthiest joke ever, told over and over again.  according to the edmonton journal, bob saget "tells an endlessly profane version of The Aristocrats that is almost pathological in its perversity. "  *that* i have to see.

*this* is a good thing.  george bush, born in the rugged ranch town of new haven, connecticut, has an angry neighbour or two ... or several dozen.   :D    ha!

geh.  the dvd even concludes with the sinner's prayer so you're (not) entertained and saved all in one sitting.  hooray for saviors!

here's a review of 'Jesus."  the movie, i mean.  

note to evangelists:  you're not going to convert anyone with a discerning mind if they decide to sign up for jesus after watching a terrible movie.  (oh ... was that the point?)  especially after the multi-million dollar, hollywood carnage found in 'The Passion of The Christ.'  hooray for gore!  

you can read more about the mass mailing of christ here:  Putting Jesus in Every Mailbox. the part about people returning the package to the sender (attached to bricks) was awfully funny.  i don't think i'd return it; the kat uses junk mail cds as coasters.  hooray for recycling!

*sigh*  jill is supposed to bring me a venti double cafe americano this morning.  you wouldn't believe how much i'm looking forward to it.  *sooo sleepy* 

speaking of smiles and sunshine, it appears that commander cuckoo-bananas (thank you, homer) is losing support from his favorite cable network.  bill "fair-and-balanced" o'reilly at fox *actually* had bad things to say about donald rumsfeld.  what could this mean?  is the apocalypse nigh?  are those four guys on horses?  no!  it means the american people, even the ones that watch fox, are displeased with the way the war - oh sorry - the global struggle against violent extremism is going and fox may be more of a ratings-whore than a republican-whore.  awww - so sad for fearless leader and his cohorts.  

frank rich has a good op-ed piece in the new york times here.  (you'll probably have to set up an account to login, but it's free.)

aaaand the cbc has locked out 5500 employees.  i won't be tuning in until that gets sorted out.  cbc has plenty of non-permanent workers (30%, i believe) so i'm not sure why they think they need to increase the amount of work contracted out.  hmmm ... not nice.

do you know what's annoying?  wandering around whyte ave, finding a shiny new pentacle necklace, putting it on and within minutes, running into someone from work who isn't likely to understand *at all.*  geh - trust me, i like shock value, but i'd rather not shock people i have to work with.

it seems an eco-friendly burial is de rigeur.

i've never liked the business of death (although not the death part): families spending thousands of dollars, ridiculously elaborate coffins, grave markers worthy of a minor pharoh, toxic embalming practices ... ehhh - all of it, just a little over the top.

people must have it in their heads that people are actually going to visit their grave for years to come. i would hope that people in my life would be sufficiently well adjusted that they don't feel compelled to pay their respects at my grave or leave silly flowers, presumably for my ... enjoyment.

maybe it's the buddhist in me, but i think it's awfully unhealthy to be so attached to a dead person's memory ... and, especially, to a dead person's remains.

i don't visit my dead grandparents' graves. in fact, i didn't visit them when they resided in my parents' storage room. (yes, they sat there for *years* before being interred.) it's not that i didn't love them while they were alive and it's not that i don't remember them ... i don't know. i just don't see the point in going to their gravesites.

anyway - back to the eco-burial thing.

as nice as it is that people are seeing the silliness in over-the-top funerals ... even a lot of this seems goofy.

when i'm dead, i want to be cremated and ... and ... geh - i don't really care what happens. but i *don't* want a grave. i don't want to take up space when i'm dead. heh ... give bits of me to whoever comes to my memorial service ... *that* might be fun.    :D

whatever. i'm ok knowing that there are, at most, a handful of people who *may* feel obligated to visit me after death. honestly, i can't imagine anyone wanting to visit more than a couple of years after i'm gone.

let go or get dragged.

i'm guessing the whole funeral business is based on people's inability to let go.

to any of you who may be involved in my funeral: don't you dare do anything silly. i'll come back and ... write a ranting blog. that'll teach you.

it seems that last night's chat party involved a fist fight and police intervention. geh - i'm glad the kat and i are wimps and left early.

the president of cn rail has offered his personal apologies for the mess at wabamun lake. i'm glad to hear it, but it's too little, too late.

(by the way, does anyone else find it absurd when premier klein feigns concern for the environment? it just seems ...empty.)

here are some figures from the edmonton journal this morning:

- Date and time of the Wabamun Lake derailment: Aug. 3, 5:20 a.m.

- Number of cars derailed: 45

- Number of cars ruptured: 12

- Amount of bunker C fuel oil and pole-treating oil spilled: 733,000 litres

- Amount sucked up from pools on the ground in the first few days after the spill: 171,000 litres

- Amount potentially in the lake or in the ground: 562,000 litres

- Number of people who were evacuated the morning of the incident: about 20

- Metres of boom that went out on the day of the spill: 2,250

- Metres of boom currently out on the lake: 30,438

- Number of oil-soaked birds collected: 557

- Number of species of birds collected: 21

- Number of birds killed so far: 307

- Number of volunteers helping clean birds: 160

- Number of cleanup employees working on and around the lake: about 300

- Highest number of boats used in the cleanup on a single day so far: 26

hm. -Number of days it took CN Rail to say anything about carcinogenic contamination: 5 ...yeah.

as nice as it is to hear the apology from the corporate figurehead, this is a company with a serious ethical deficit.

thank the gods for those volunteers.

last night, the kat and i went to dewey's at the u of a campus to hear joshua key speak about his experience as a u.s. army soldier in iraq and as a war resister living in canada.  it was *fascinating.*  

there are a number of u.s. servicemen in canada seeking refugee status because they believe the war is illegal and have been denied non-combatant or conscientious objector status in the u.s.

i think i wrote about this before, but i really think canada needs to grant these people asylum.  their view on the war mirrors that of canadians.  certainly, the situation is different than vietnam (there is no draft), but the u.s. seems to be so hard up for new troops that there is a virtual draft.  existing soldiers can't follow their conscience and are being roped into tours of duty far longer than they'd anticipated.  

go to the War Resisters Support Campaign site for more info on how you can help these people.  they aren't just a bunch of guys - they are here with their families and are unable to work in canada.  if you can provide financial support, they'd appreciate it!

ohhhhh - it seems environment canada may press criminal charges on cn rail for the wabamun lake spill and subsequent lies about the chemicals dumped into the water.      :D    

i met up with the people from panfest yesterday.  i had a good time.  i drank soooo much coffee - bleh - i overdosed, i think.  in any case, i like these people and i plan to make an effort to continue seeing them.  i'm also planning to volunteer for the North of Nowhere Expo, an edmonton art expo with an anti-war theme, run by the Edmonton Small Press Association. (by the way, they are looking for volunteers and i can pass along the email address to those interested.  the volunteer orientation is august 17th.) 

now, this might seem silly to some of you, but you might not know how secluded my existence has been these past few years.  i think it's time for me to meet *real* people...  

i'm trying to find courses for my continuing education requirements.  i'm not having much luck finding interesting ones. geh - this sucks.  i need at least another 12 credits and i'd rather not have the company spending a ton of money for these courses.  it seems unlikely at this point that courses will come cheaply.  bleh.  maybe i'll find online courses.  

i golfed yesterday.  i didn't do very well.  we were behind the *slowest* pair of golfers *ever.*  gah.  thank the gods there were only two of them.  we had quite a backup of people behind us.  

sooo ... i should get back to finding courses ...

it seems that mr. klein and his henchmen are out to stop 'the gays' from marrying each other.  some recent polls have shown that most albertans have their heads sufficiently far up their behinds that they think gay marriage is wrong.  whatever that means.

i don't understand these people.  how do they manage to get through daily life ... what with straight couples divorcing ... 14 year old girls showing off their midriffs ... women holding full-time jobs, creating a generation of latch-key kids ... disney world providing benefits to employees' domestic partners ... the liberal media inundating our culture with sarcastic social exegeses, violence and wanton sexuality ... science-loving educators removing god from the creation of the universe ... yadda, yadda, yadda - all of which undermines family values.  supposedly.

is anyone else weary of the never-ending list of things that are out to destroy the family?  i know it's not just a christian thing - it's an evangelical christian / traditional religious / redneck thing, but in canada, it's the christians who are the noisiest.

canada is not a melting pot, where everyone is expected to fall into line with the dominant belief system.  we're a patchwork of belief systems and the role of government is to prevent the tyranny of the majority.

no, the homosexuals will not destroy the 'institution' of marriage.  not all families fit the traditional patriarchal paradigm and *those* are the ones our government should protect.  the nuclear family is in no danger of disappearing.  even if it does, it won't be because of gay marriage.  it will be because women don't *need* a man to take care of them, because people discover they the ability to reproduce without signing a legal document or because people simply don't find meaning in a sacred agreement that can be left relatively easily and replaced with a new one that strikes one's fancy.

the traditionalists want their way and are grasping at flimsy arguments to support their position (a flawed, misinformed one at that). they're preying upon the fear of losing something familiar, something most people can relate to, and the fear of the unknown.  frankly, most rural albertans don't know many gay people, if any, and gay marriage is some alien, decadent thing from The City, a.k.a. Sodom. 

you know what's beautiful?  people who decide to stay together in a marriage (or hand fasting or whatever), for however long, because they have common goals, they're best friends and love each other wholly & completely.  

that's how i feel about the kat.  the combination of genders in our relationship have no bearing on the quality or righteousness of our marriage.  we're not together because we fear the wrath of a god or because divorce would be disagreeable or because it's expected of us.  we're *certainly* not together because we want to support traditional / family values.  

i've said it before:  *leave gay people alone.*  let them live their lives and express their love for each other in whatever way they want.

i'm done rambling for now.

 
Hades

?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

ha!

yes ... a small victory, but one i've been waiting to savour.  

on another note:  i'm sick to death of people who think there is such thing as a free lunch.  *there isn't,* goddamn it.  am i so terrible because i think tenants should keep their end of the lease?  

"aww ... you went on vacation and couldn't give notice on time?  so sad.  unfortunately, you're responsible for the next month's rent even though, you say, you had 'no possible way of delivering notice on time.'"  

also, for the love of the gods, can't people understand that when they behave badly, i'm likely to 

      a) not give them what they want 

      b) get annoyed/condescending in return 

      c) experience some amount of schadenfreude.   

honestly.  i need a job where i'm not required to interact with humans.  they're awful, vile creatures, thus spake emma.

well, it appears that the Leduc Golf & Country Club believes it is above the law.

dean heck, the director of the club told the Edmonton Journal that Club employees removed and transported canada geese from the course to Cold Lake, sans permits and, of course, any bothersome government-types overseeing the transport.

the fish and game department received complaints and now there is an investigation underway - it seems that the complainants say up to *200* geese were removed from the course, not the 30 or 40 mr. heck says were transported. the golf club could be fined as much as $100,000.

*good!*

there is far too much good-ol-boy-ism in leduc. *trust me,* i grew up in that town. if the rednecks start circling the wagons to protect one of their own, who, after all, was only trying to get around big government red tape, i will be angry. very angry.

mr. heck says some golfers are annoyed with the geese droppings and geese are killed by flying golf balls anyway, as if to say, "what's the big deal?"

this is the big deal: some golfers' need for a pristine, sterile golf course is *not* more important than a) the welfare wildlife and b) obeying the fucking law.

i golf. i'm not particularly fond of how hard a golf course is on the environment. i *love* seeing the birds on the course. if there were a large number of them on a hole, i'd be perfectly fine with skipping the hole and drinking a beer. why is the leduc golf club cowtowing to the few assholes who can't get their priorities straight?

maybe mr. heck is one of their own? hmm...

if you're as annoyed about this as me, do the geese a favour and write a little something to the Journal or post a comment in their "Sound Off" section online. i did.

rawr! people ... i sent a message to PETA about it. i'm kind of hoping they'll mention it an Activist Alert. *grumble*

and what's going on with the oil spill at wabamun lake? environment canada is letting CN Rail do the clean up on their own? damnable people! CN was out there repairing their track while the oil slick spread across the lake. it should be obvious that CN is more concerned with getting the trains running on time than they are with preserving the ecosystem at this large freshwater lake.

fox guarding the henhouse, anyone?

i have a little black cloud hanging over my head today - and it's not because it's fashionably gothy.

*angry emma*

i hear Joshua Key will be speaking at Dewey's on the university of alberta campus thursday, August 11, 2005 at 7 pm. he's one of the american war resisters living in canada. i'm going. it should be interesting.

i'm guessing the 2% that score higher than the kat use linux more than windows.

yes.  it was wonderful.

then i get to work and i'm wrenched back to this divisive, disjointed reality.  

you see, there's this tenant.  he figures he can park his cars (all 10 or so of them) *anywhere* he wants:  on the lawn, in other people's stalls etc.  he's incredibly frustrating.  i don't think i've *ever* had a tenant as annoying as this one.  he gets the prize for Most Annoying Fucking Tenant.  

sadly, he thinks he's smart.  ahhhh ... he'll get what he deserves.  (at least he's not living in a filthy one-bedroom apt with his daughter anymore ... there was something not right and icky about that situation.)

i think i'll turn my attention back to work now.

it appears that rae and her buddy might be going to nin as well.  veddy interesting.  i didn't think rae had any interest in them.  :P  

guess what ... i have to interact with these people on a daily basis.  if nothing else, they've made me cleverer.  i'm continually amazed at my ability to remove them from decision-making processes.  *pats self on back*  

i suppose i had an ok day.  i spent the morning driving around to the buildings, picking up paperwork and dropping off forms.  meh.  aside from burning a fair bit of gas, it's not a bad way to spend a morning. 

i think tina wants me to go to the nin show in calgary ... she keeps asking about it.  yes, tina, you *are* evil.  (ohhhh i wanna go)  ... and the prairie tix *are* cheaper than the vancouver show ... hmm.

it's time for me to go home.  i'm leaving. 

but the kat looked at me and shook his head.  i don't think i'll be going to calgary.  (*sad*)

speaking of nin, how's this for sadness.  eeesh.  if i had millions of dollars to throw around ... mhmm.

apparently, i'm golfing this afternoon.  i know rae told me last week, but, as you might know, my brain was mush and i promptly forgot about our plans.  i'll have to run home and change.  golfing in a corset is *no* fun at all.  (trust me ... i've tried.)

this conversation with rae was kind of funny:

emma: so panfest was really fun.  we did a bunch of workshops and whatnot.

rae: oh?  what kind?

emma: well, one workshop was an introduction to druidism.  that was pretty cool.

rae:  druidism?

emma: yes ... as in druids.

rae: like ... robots?

emma: robots ... ?  ohhhh ... droids?  no, no, no.  *druids.*  think stonehenge.

rae: *laugs* ohhh!

rae is a funny girl.  she makes me laugh - and that's what's important.  :D

i'm definitely returning next year.  i'm really happy to have something like that so close to home.  

the best part was meeting pagans of all types.  i'm not wiccan and i was a little worried that i'd meet a bunch of, i don't know, hardcore gardnerian-types who'd shun me and my *very* eclectic approach to spirituality.  *of course,* my assumptions were dashed by these warm, open-minded and generally fantastic people.  oh yes ... we will return.

we did a lot of different workshops and rituals: the gnostic catholic mass, staff making, mead making, the introduction to druidism, the goddess chant circle (which was super-cool, btw), the dark side of magick, sex magick etc...

i learned a lot.  i think i have a lot to think about.  especially that thelemic stuff.  i found that pretty interesting.  hmm.  

oh.  last month's stuff has been moved here.