a fellow vegetarian wrote an article for the Ed Magazine portion of the Edmonton Journal and quoted me. me! i can share it with you, if you'd like. jason, the writer, is pretty funny.

speaking of that article, since it ran on saturday, i've had another 6 people join the group. i now have 14 people coming to dinner in august and there's still another 3 weeks to go. if this continues, i'm going to have to figure something out for future meetups because there aren't many veg restaurants in edmonton that can accommodate large groups.

we saw clerks 2 yesterday. it was an alright movie ... our fellow movie goers (virtually all of them men) were far more appreciative than me though. especially the guy sitting behind me, chewing popcorn with his mouth open and who couldn't (or wouldn't) control the various gasses escaping his person. 

guys are disgusting - particularly when they're surrounded by other guys. bah. 

on saturday, we went to wedding number three. apparently, the time was moved up an hour so we got there in time to see the receiving line. then there was food and wine. and, behold, it was good. we hustled out of there as soon as the speeches were done (props to bean on a job well done) so we could get to the 'burbs. we went with a swedish friend of mine from myspace (see, mom, i was neither murdered nor molested). they played some pretty good music. they even played the song i railed about in my last post. there were a number of drag queens and a table of 'tourists.'

if you were unaware, non-goths/other alternative types in a bar like that are often called tourists. i think that's kind of cute. "The More You Know!"

ugh. i've been off work for a week and this is the first day back. it sucks. i had a *pile* of security deposits waiting for processing. i'm about halfway through ... i should get back at it.

here's a panic button for you: OMG! HIDE!

but don't click on this one, 'cause they'll just think you're weird.

anyway, back to ogre. nivek ogre that is. (kevin ogilvie, brother of dave "rave" ogilvie, for those still in the dark.) 

his hotness has (had?) a side project called ohGr and they made a song called craCKer back in 2001. i can't honestly say i paid any attention to this project ... it's only just recently annoyed me. 

(i'm suffering through my hatred of misused caps ONLY because of my love for skinny puppy.)

the video for craCKer makes fun of eminem (whatever) and trent reznor (but not the stupid use of capital letters, curiously enough). 

making fun of our lord and savior, trent, isn't necessarily a bad thing - meathead does a great job of that (watch meathead's Every Day is Exactly the Same video if you have a few minutes to kill). 

so, here's my review: the irony that he's slamming reznor in ohGr's very own version of Starfuckers Inc. (minus the self-deprecating humor at the end) is the only bright spot in a dour video for a medioCre soNg. 

that was a little anticlimactic, n'est pas?

c'mon man - there's enough stage-evil for everyone. alice cooper shared with you, so play nice. 

it's 1 am. why am i inspired to pillory a five year old music video? beh. 

speaking of stage-evil, it's nice to see that ohGr gave tim skold a job after manson wound down. 

by the way, i'm on vacation this week. i've been mush-i-fying my brain with daytime television and extra loud music. even music made that mainstream, sell out, corporate whore trent reznor.  *sigh* 

is it just me or is the whole "mainstream sell out" versus "indie principled rocker" thing a heap of horseshit? 

woo - eee

hmm - that's probably in violation of a copyright.

i had three voicemails waiting for me today. all from this one person who can't seem to stop talking. why, in the name of all that is holy, do you have to repeat yourself over and over again ... on VOICEMAIL? 

i listened to the first two or three minutes of each one then smashed the delete key whilst hissing, "shut up shut up shut up," at my phone, which only added to my coworkers' terror, i'm sure.

*sigh*

ok, folks! it's time for another episode of: 

*~*~*Conversations Overheard at Emma's Office!*~*~*

in today's episode, someone who's seemingly incapable of solving a problem (that has *nothing* to do with emma) looks to emma's guiding hand for assistance. little does this person know, emma's hand is more likely to slap her than anything else.

random woman: hi ... i'm looking for XYZ Co.?

emma: yep - their office is upstairs. go up the stairs and follow the hallway to your right.

random woman: now, my husband works in nisku and he sent me over here and i have this envelope with a cheque and i need to pay XYZ for supplying us with equipment for this job we did up north for some oil company and we called them several times but no one answered and i think someone is supposed to be there because ... *emma tunes out* ... so i know they're upstairs in this building, but no one's answering the phone. 

emma: *sigh* ok... 

random woman: well, can you go find out about this for me? i need to get this to them right away!

emma: *thinks: seriously?* you know, we don't keep track of people or what they do with their businesses, we just rent out office space. i'm not sure what you want me to do for you.

random woman: hey! all i need to know is which office they're in.

emma: *squints* ...then, why don't we go upstairs and follow the hallway to the right together? *gives random woman a toothy smile* 

emma and the random woman go upstairs. emma points at door with large XYZ Co. sign.

random woman: well, it doesn't look like anyone's there! the lights are off! 

emma: mhmm. *already walking back downstairs*

no, sweetness, i don't own this problem, no matter how many details you give me.

it is my anniversary today. i'm going home. the kat is making food and i intend to enjoy a bottle of wine. 

oh yeah...

one other thing: all the turmoil described below is, of course, resolved. 

i know i'm not *supposed* to say anything disparaging about the bride, but that's a stupid rule. i think i remember bean, herself, telling a bride friend of hers that she was out of line just last week. 

yeah, i'm annoyed with her, but this is the nature of our relationship. we have these explosions and then everything is fine the next day. for whatever reason, this is how all the women in our family operate: scream obscenities, silent treatment, everything back to normal. geh. 

i'm not nearly as pissed off as i was an hour ago when i last posted and i even regret my worrying-in-text about financing everything. 

whatever. this is stupid. 

if i can go, i'll go and i'll enjoy some vacation time. if she doesn't like it, that's her problem - i'm not out to destroy her honeymoon. (obviously.)

fuck that.

i'm going to have a vacation while i'm there. if being as far away from family as possible makes a "real" honeymoon, then she can have her wedding *here* and go to mexico by herself. 

jesus - i don't even know that i'm able to go anyway. $3000 in three months is kind of hard for me to pull off. never mind the wedding present, shower and stag that are supposed to happen. gods. what can i do? i'll go, but ... whatever. 

oh, maybe i didn't mention this before: bean's decided that she doesn't want to wait a year for her wedding, so it's happening mid-october. 

also, this is day 2 of *no smoking* so i'm extra grouchy. 

alexa mcdonough of the ndp, that is. she wrote a letter to peter mackay that i thought i'd share here: 

July 14, 2006

Hon. Peter MacKay
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Lester B. Pearson Bldg., A-10
125 Sussex Dr.
Ottawa, ON K1A 0G2

Dear Minister,

I write to express outrage at your government's response to the destruction levelled by Israel on the innocent civilians in Gaza and Lebanon.

The world has rightly condemned the killings and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers, however Israel's response has been illegal, brutal and disproportionate.

It is more apparent than ever that your government's desire to appease George Bush is so all-consuming, that you are prepared to turn a blind eye to the massive destruction in Gaza and in Lebanon, going so far as to deem these Israeli government assaults as 'measured'.

Even George Bush has been compelled to bow to international pressure and caution Israel to "limit as much as possible so-called collateral damage not only to facilities but also to human lives."

Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah must all assume responsibility for their actions. However, it is impossible to ignore Israel's disproportionate response:

* Bombing of the Palestinian Interior Ministry and other government offices:
* Arrest of duly elected Palestinian parliamentarians;
* Bombings of Palestinian infrastructure including a power station that was the sole generator of electricity and running water for hundreds of thousands of Gazans;
* Destruction of the Lebanese airport;
* Air and sea blockade of Lebanon preventing Lebanese as well as Canadian citizens, including many of my constituents, from returning to or leaving Lebanon; and
* Killing of scores of Palestinian and Lebanese civilians, including children.

Canadians expect their government to reflect our strongly held values of fairness, and justice and to uphold our obligations to international law. They also expect their government to defend and protect their citizens overseas. Your inability to reach out to the families in Canada whose relatives are trapped in Lebanon, or to put in place any evacuation plan to bring those citizens home, is irresponsible and unacceptable.

I urge you to set in motion an immediate plan to bring Canadian citizens home, to call on Israel to halt its assault on Lebanon and to negotiate in good faith a resolution to this latest crisis which has already cost too many innocent lives.

Sincerely,

ORIGINAL SIGNED BY

Alexa McDonough, MP Halifax
NDP Foreign Affairs and International Development Critic
*******************************************************
V. Anthony Salloum
Legislative and Communications Assistant
Adjoint Législatif; Adjoint aux communications

Alexa McDonough, MP/ Députée Halifax
Foreign Affairs and International Development Critic;
Porte-parole pour les affaires étrangères et le développement international.

Tel: (613)995-4492 Fax/Télécopier: (613)992-8569 www.alexahfx.ca CEP 232

alexa mcdonough gets my stamp of approval.

heck yeah!

why would i say such an awful thing? read this. it's not that i had any love for the woman before, but it seemed like she was doing her own thing, being cute and whatnot. *enter jimmy iovine,* a guy i liked for allowing my beloved trent reznor to make nice sounds and who i hated for the pointless horror that is the pussycat dolls. now she's just another sexed up, big haired, no brained waste of talent.  

weren't the pussycat dolls burlesque dancers or something before? that's something i could appreciate, but to hear someone call them a "band" makes my skin crawl.

back to nelly furtado. is she really so stupid that she thinks feminism equals man-hating? is she trying to make herself appealing to men who are so stupid that they think feminism equals man-hating? what the hell? i have a feeling that she didn't actually read any "philosophical stuff," or at least didn't comprehend it. 

damn, damn, damn. the internet connection is down, just when i was about to send her an unflattering comment on myspace. if i weren't lazy, i'd try to send it again.

snakes on a plane: the upcoming samuel l. jackson film about snakes on a plane. really. literally. couldn't someone come up with a title that didn't give away the movie's entire premise? let me guess: samuel l. jackson is going to play a bad ass who saves passengers on a plane filled with *dangerous* snakes, presumably, brought on the plane by TERRORISTS. i'm just terror-fied thinking about it. 

the only way that title could be better is if it was something like "Terrorists And Snakes on a Plane" or "Plane Hijacked By Terrorists Armed With Snakes Because Snakes Are Waaay More Plausible Than Box Cutters." 

speaking of movies, Ghostrider AND Transformers are coming next year. *drool* so happy...

i was one of the weird girls (the other being tinapants) in elementary school who had Transformers and My Little Ponies frolicking/shooting stuff together. 

between that and watching a Star Wars movie *every day,* how could anyone deny our awesome-ness? (the x! complete with crossed arms. oh, sigh.)  

a few days ago, i asked, "what the fuck is going on in lebanon?" from what i gather ... israel is mad at hezbollah for bombing israel and lebanon is reluctant to get involved because they've only just recovered from their last civil war so they're willing to let israel go in and do the dirty work. meanwhile, civilians die. nice job guys. these fuckers just can't get over themselves.

i'm still offline. it has been one and a half hours since i could last check my email. oh, the humanity! so i'm typing ... and waiting until i'm connected once again. 

basically, i'm going to babble here until i can actually post to my stupid blog. i recommend that you stop reading now.

i finished doing my pile of reports for the month. we have a meeting with our largest client this friday so i had to cram them all in a little early. oh, by we, i mean not me. friday is my 5th year wedding anniversary and i plan to spend time with the kat.   :D   i wonder if that kat is going to make a nice dinner for his emma...

:D  connectivity! holy smokes ... 15 emails ... ok - i'm gone!

i just noticed that this post reeks of geek. *sigh*  

the naked in the hallways tenant has given her notice - thank the gods. what a piece of work. 

i threw out my back a couple of days ago while working on the patio. i've been on robaxacet and i feel very drugged - bleh.

so, what the fuck is going on in lebanon? what a steaming pile of insanity! boys with big guns = stupid. stupid! 

speaking of stupid, read this. "Our northern neighbor thinks being all multicultural and sucking up to the United Nations will keep the terrorists away. Think again." i don't really expect all that much from the LA Times, but this is one of the silliest pieces of 'journalism' i've ever come across. (except for bill o'reilly's verbal diarrhea.)

no, jonah goldberg, it's not our multiculturalism and our desire for interfaith understanding, which you obviously hold in contempt, that's fomented pockets of jihadism in canada. how about the years and years of western imperialism that's caused untold suffering around the world? americans (and canadians and europeans) think they can consume the world's resources with impunity and use cheap foreign labour without consequences - hah! 

you'd think that after september 11, 2001 when americans asked, "why do they hate us?" they could have come up with a better answer than, "i dunno, but we're going to bomb the hell outta them." 

...humans. 

which reminds me: yesterday, i received yet another piece of christian-centric, xenophobic nonsense from that coworker of mine. according to the email, it was an editorial in either the toronto sun or the star. i wouldn't be surprised if it was the sun. (i think someone else added in the superfluous punctuation marks for emphasis.)

the email:

Will we still be the Country of choice and still be Canada if we continue to make the changes forced on us by the people from other countries that came to live in Canada because it is the Country of Choice??????

Think about it! All we have to say is, when will they do something about MY RIGHTS? I celebrate  Christmas...........but because it isn't celebrated by everyone..............we can no longer say Merry Christmas. Now it has to be Season's Greetings. It's not Christmas vacation, it's Winter Break. Isn't it amazing how this winter break ALWAYS occurs over the Christmas holiday? 

We've gone so far the other way, bent over backwards to not offend anyone, that I am now being offended. But it seems that no one has a problem with that. This says it all!

This is an editorial written by an Toronto newspaper Reporter. He did quite a job; didn't he? Read on, please!

IMMIGRANTS, NOT Canadians MUST ADAPT.

I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Canadians. However...... the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the "politically correct! " crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others.

I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Canada. Our population is almost entirely made up of descendants of immigrants.

However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand. This idea of Canada being a multicultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. As Canadians.......we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle. This culture has been developed over centuries of struggles, trials, and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom.

We speak ENGLISH/FRENCH, not Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society, learn the language!

"We Stand On Guard For Thee" is our national motto. This is not some Christian, right wing, political slogan.. We adopted this motto because Christian men and women.......on Christian principles............ founded this nation..... and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home.........because God is part of our culture.

We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. This is OUR COUNTRY, our land, and our lifestyle. But once you are done complaining....... whining...... and griping....... about our flag.......our pledge...... our national motto........or our way of life....I highly encourage you to take advantage of one other Great Canadian Freedom.......

THE RIGHT TO LEAVE.

*shudder* 

that has to be the worst kind of racism - the kind that hides behind religion, fallen soldier imagery and jingoism. 

so, being hopped up on pain killers, i forgot myself and decided to reply to the email: 

i think immigrants were the ones who, only a few hundred years ago, imposed their languages and their religion on canadians who were not christian and who spoke neither english nor french. maybe people are afraid that someone else is trying to do the same to us.

that didn't go over very well, but it felt really good. 

i need a nap.

by the way: who reads the sun, anyway? that has got to be the worst newspaper chain ever. 

does anyone want to give me $5138.00? 

it's nice to see that my order qualifies for free delivery. 

i like the 'mighty mouse.'

a building manager came in last week and supposedly handed me a closed tenant file ready for a security refund. i don't have it. it's nowhere to be found. the manager got offended that i asked her to look at her place. so, this lucky tenant is getting a full refund because, right now, i do not have the wherewithal to debate the issue with this manager. 

i'll deal with her later. (when i'm not feeling quite so insane.)

last night's sleep was ... ok. i took a couple of sleeping pills which knocked me out, but i don't feel very rested. those dead sleeps never feel very good. maybe tonight will be better; it's supposed to cool off a bit. 

*sigh* i miss my little buddies. i have one sister on each coast right now. bean is in seattle this week (and got engaged! holy smokes!) and rae is in moncton doing a french immersion thing for the next month. you see, i don't have many friends so when two are gone, i'm a sad, pathetic creature. thank goodness for the kat!

i'm so hungry. i tried eating one of those top ramen noodle packages (minus the little package of mechanically separated chicken parts & seasonings, of course) and it's not sitting well at all.  bah!

ok. i'm going to try to do some work now. 

i'm also not cut out to tolerate the phrase, "hot enough for ya?" more than twice per day. i refuse to interact with any more jovial rednecks today. two nights of crappy, crappy sleep have made me grouchy. stupid weather.

so, i'm annoyed about how this whole panfest thing is going. not the festival itself, because i think it's a great event, but the way it's being run. they've done no advertising, the board is pretty much closed to outsiders, there's petty bullshit happening between different factions ... no wonder new people are far and few between. no wonder existing people aren't interested in getting involved. 

they don't realize what kind of potential this thing has. there should be posters everywhere, they should take advantage of the *free* community events announcements in local media, they've *got* to purge some of the old guard from the board (all seemingly from the same circle) ... 

but, no. the control freaks are content to dominate their little fiefdom, rather than allow it to serve the greater pagan community.

of course, this is what happens when the super-religious types  (traditional wiccans - whatever that means) get their paws on something that's intended to serve all pagans.

...see? grouchy++

i'm going to stop bitching now.