Discovering Perspective
Friday, July 30, 2004
More socializing
While giving Ben and Josh a ride home last night, Ben noted with a great deal of surprise that I've been uncharacteristically outgoing recently, almost as much surprise as when the realization hit me about two weeks ago.
At least one summer goal achieved.
I've always been super obsessed with school and never really took time to socialize. On top of that, I was the smart kid and became self-conscious about speaking around other people. The usual high school oddities. Then there was architecture and who has time for a life with architecture? This summer is the first time I've ever had the free time or initiative to actually be social. It's been really good for me.
Part of it is also Italy. Three weeks away from everything familiar, non of my friends were on the trip, it was a very big confidence boost. The sixteen of us on the trip got very close, at least for the duration of the trip. Make friends fast or survive on your own. I did a good job of the survive on your own. I picked up enough Italian to get by. But certain things are better enjoyed with others. I really enjoyed the group dinners and art galleries require someone to make comments to. It was also interesting to see that these people that I'd spent the past three years with all day, everyday learned more about me the first night in Rome than ever before. I completely inverted their perception of who I was.
To clarify, I am a huge oddity in the architecture community. I don't get drunk and I don't do drugs and I am eccentric in much quieter ways than most. So, the first night in Rome, we went out to dinner and the three other people at my table wanted to split a pitcher of wine (never drink Italian wine, please). They asked if I drank (assuming I didn't). I agreed to share the wine (never again). After dinner, we decided to go back to one of the rooms which had an amazing balcony overlooking the city to play euchre. First, was a stop to the wine store. Let me point out that I am a very good euchre player, though I'm not as good at teams. However, I am a euchre god when the people playing are drunk from trying to keep up with my drinking. Picture two guys, roughly football player size, chugging back their glass of wine because they noticed that I was already done mine. We went through four bottles among the four of us (1 euro bottles of Italian wine do have quite the kick) and I earned the nickname chugmeister. I'm not a cheap drunk which is something many guys discovered during engfrosh once they got their VISA bills.
There were a lot of moments like that on the trip but I think that is one that I will tell over and over. It broke the ice and people who didn't know how they should act around me realized that I was human and though I don't get drunk or do drugs, I'm not offended if they do.
So, that's one social group broken into.
As for this summer... I assume my sudden increase in outgoingness has had to do with practice just from the shear amount of regularly scheduled outings and blogging. I've found blogging has been a non-confrontational way of expressing my opinions and then finding out people are actually interested in what I have to say. I am often out of my element in our circle of friends, though not as much as I believe. I still often get stuck in the mindset that I am computer illiterate because up until recently I was. Same with gaming. Also, through many conversations with Mekki, we've discovered how much our fields have to offer each other.
At least one summer goal achieved.
I've always been super obsessed with school and never really took time to socialize. On top of that, I was the smart kid and became self-conscious about speaking around other people. The usual high school oddities. Then there was architecture and who has time for a life with architecture? This summer is the first time I've ever had the free time or initiative to actually be social. It's been really good for me.
Part of it is also Italy. Three weeks away from everything familiar, non of my friends were on the trip, it was a very big confidence boost. The sixteen of us on the trip got very close, at least for the duration of the trip. Make friends fast or survive on your own. I did a good job of the survive on your own. I picked up enough Italian to get by. But certain things are better enjoyed with others. I really enjoyed the group dinners and art galleries require someone to make comments to. It was also interesting to see that these people that I'd spent the past three years with all day, everyday learned more about me the first night in Rome than ever before. I completely inverted their perception of who I was.
To clarify, I am a huge oddity in the architecture community. I don't get drunk and I don't do drugs and I am eccentric in much quieter ways than most. So, the first night in Rome, we went out to dinner and the three other people at my table wanted to split a pitcher of wine (never drink Italian wine, please). They asked if I drank (assuming I didn't). I agreed to share the wine (never again). After dinner, we decided to go back to one of the rooms which had an amazing balcony overlooking the city to play euchre. First, was a stop to the wine store. Let me point out that I am a very good euchre player, though I'm not as good at teams. However, I am a euchre god when the people playing are drunk from trying to keep up with my drinking. Picture two guys, roughly football player size, chugging back their glass of wine because they noticed that I was already done mine. We went through four bottles among the four of us (1 euro bottles of Italian wine do have quite the kick) and I earned the nickname chugmeister. I'm not a cheap drunk which is something many guys discovered during engfrosh once they got their VISA bills.
There were a lot of moments like that on the trip but I think that is one that I will tell over and over. It broke the ice and people who didn't know how they should act around me realized that I was human and though I don't get drunk or do drugs, I'm not offended if they do.
So, that's one social group broken into.
As for this summer... I assume my sudden increase in outgoingness has had to do with practice just from the shear amount of regularly scheduled outings and blogging. I've found blogging has been a non-confrontational way of expressing my opinions and then finding out people are actually interested in what I have to say. I am often out of my element in our circle of friends, though not as much as I believe. I still often get stuck in the mindset that I am computer illiterate because up until recently I was. Same with gaming. Also, through many conversations with Mekki, we've discovered how much our fields have to offer each other.
Thursday, July 29, 2004
Commenting
I was just informed that the commenting was only allowing comments from other blogger users, so I've switched that.
I guess that might explain the lack of comments.
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Thanks to everyone for passing on their sympathies about Goldie.
I guess that might explain the lack of comments.
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Thanks to everyone for passing on their sympathies about Goldie.
Tuesday, July 27, 2004
A Rough Day but Slowly Recovering
I've had my ten or so hours of on and off bursts of tears and having to resort to toilet paper because I ran out of Kleenex but I'm managing to at least think of it without automatically crying. I'm at the deep breath and hold back tears stage. It's going to take some time though. I've never dealt well with death, probably because I was relatively old before ever having to face it.
I'm fine with goodbyes and perfectly fine with the thought of my own mortality (I'll be dead, so what do I care) but I can't handle the thought that someone or something is really gone with no way of returning. For the last three years I've been okay with not having my dog around because I knew that if I ever really wanted to be with her, she was waiting for me back home.
It's a matter of that strange belief you can't avoid that the people and things in your life exist for you and that when you're not around them, they sit there waiting for you. It's not easy getting that smack in the face every so often that, no, life does go on without you. I suppose with a dog, it seems all the more true that they just sit waiting for you so its all the more difficult when that inevitable slap hits.
From what I've noticed in the people I know, change is what is hard to deal with. So saying goodbye to your high school friends at grad, moving out, break-ups, etc. are almost as big a deal as death. Those other things don't phase me much. I've never had to deal with a break-up but I can't see that it would hit me all that hard.
I'm okay with doors closing, its only when they are locked and someone eats the key that it really hurts.
I'm fine with goodbyes and perfectly fine with the thought of my own mortality (I'll be dead, so what do I care) but I can't handle the thought that someone or something is really gone with no way of returning. For the last three years I've been okay with not having my dog around because I knew that if I ever really wanted to be with her, she was waiting for me back home.
It's a matter of that strange belief you can't avoid that the people and things in your life exist for you and that when you're not around them, they sit there waiting for you. It's not easy getting that smack in the face every so often that, no, life does go on without you. I suppose with a dog, it seems all the more true that they just sit waiting for you so its all the more difficult when that inevitable slap hits.
From what I've noticed in the people I know, change is what is hard to deal with. So saying goodbye to your high school friends at grad, moving out, break-ups, etc. are almost as big a deal as death. Those other things don't phase me much. I've never had to deal with a break-up but I can't see that it would hit me all that hard.
I'm okay with doors closing, its only when they are locked and someone eats the key that it really hurts.
Goodbye Buddy
*This is going to be a sad one*
My mom just called to pass on the bad news that my dog, Goldielocks, died yesterday. We knew she didn't have long, but we've known that for the past three years. She was sixteen and a half years old and life was getting hard.
I barely have any memories from the time before the summer when my uncle called us to say that he had found a dog and wanted to know if we could take her in. I was only five at the time. He lived out in the country and one morning went to go to work and sitting in the front seat of his car was a young puppy with curly blond hair. Obviously, she had found a bed that was "juuuuuust right". So she was Goldielocks and my brother, sister and I were the three bears. When we took her to the vets, we found out that she had been in the woods for at least a few weeks. We later figured she must have survived on eating flies because she had developed an amazing talent for catching them. She also had a terrible fear of the woods and was very reluctant to join us on camping trips and nature trails. We assumed she was afraid of being abandoned again.
As we grew up together, Goldie and I became very close. She figured that because I was the skinniest and quietest in the family and because we slept together, that I was way down at the bottom of the pack with her. I got to eat at the table, so I was still her superior. She used to always sit with me which was the cause of great jealousy on behalf of my sister and as a sister, I enjoyed every moment of it and there was much teasing to be had. Goldie liked me better.
It's been hard adapting to life without a dog since I moved away for university. And every visit home, the first one I would rush to give a hug to was Goldie. I don't even hug my siblings. But since she'd been getting worse, it was getting harder to see her and having to say goodbye knowing that it might really be goodbye. But maybe it's easier for me than the rest of my family because the Goldie I remember is the one three years ago who was slowing down but still loved to pounce in the snow and slide across the kitchen as she made the mad dash for the door when someone was coming and lay her head on my lap while I was eating at the table with the puppy face and would always stand at the front door when I was going out to say 'Goodbye, come back soon...
I'll miss you.
My mom just called to pass on the bad news that my dog, Goldielocks, died yesterday. We knew she didn't have long, but we've known that for the past three years. She was sixteen and a half years old and life was getting hard.
I barely have any memories from the time before the summer when my uncle called us to say that he had found a dog and wanted to know if we could take her in. I was only five at the time. He lived out in the country and one morning went to go to work and sitting in the front seat of his car was a young puppy with curly blond hair. Obviously, she had found a bed that was "juuuuuust right". So she was Goldielocks and my brother, sister and I were the three bears. When we took her to the vets, we found out that she had been in the woods for at least a few weeks. We later figured she must have survived on eating flies because she had developed an amazing talent for catching them. She also had a terrible fear of the woods and was very reluctant to join us on camping trips and nature trails. We assumed she was afraid of being abandoned again.
As we grew up together, Goldie and I became very close. She figured that because I was the skinniest and quietest in the family and because we slept together, that I was way down at the bottom of the pack with her. I got to eat at the table, so I was still her superior. She used to always sit with me which was the cause of great jealousy on behalf of my sister and as a sister, I enjoyed every moment of it and there was much teasing to be had. Goldie liked me better.
It's been hard adapting to life without a dog since I moved away for university. And every visit home, the first one I would rush to give a hug to was Goldie. I don't even hug my siblings. But since she'd been getting worse, it was getting harder to see her and having to say goodbye knowing that it might really be goodbye. But maybe it's easier for me than the rest of my family because the Goldie I remember is the one three years ago who was slowing down but still loved to pounce in the snow and slide across the kitchen as she made the mad dash for the door when someone was coming and lay her head on my lap while I was eating at the table with the puppy face and would always stand at the front door when I was going out to say 'Goodbye, come back soon...
I'll miss you.
Monday, July 26, 2004
Response from Primus
Got a response back from Primus. It's a form apology but at least it is a
response which is more than a lot of companies will offer.
------------------------
Dear Sarah,
Thank you for taking the time to express your views as it is through the
comments of concerned individuals that we gain the clearest sense of how to
best serve all consumers as well as improve the processes we have in place
today.
We can assure you, we are committed to quality and processes. Unfortunately,
some situations arise where these standards are not met. In this case, we
failed to achieve our goal and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience
this situation may have caused you.
Please, rest assured that your comments have been forwarded to the proper
department for feedback.
Best regards,
Saturday, July 24, 2004
Friday, July 23, 2004
Another Annoyance Today
Known issues with Blogger
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In recent versions of Mozilla browsers, the image upload and spell-check windows may be blocked as popups. You can fix this by changing your preferences to allow popups from www.blogger.com.
-----------------------
Blog*Spot blogs occasionally render a massive amount of gibberish in Mozilla (due to a complex bug involving gzip). The current workaround is to force-reload the page.
-----------------------
On top of that,
I can't right click to paste text.
When you do paste text, it seems to default to Times and not the style font.
In Firefox and Mozilla, publishing may appear to be stuck on "0%" when in reality your blog has published successfully.
-----------------------
In recent versions of Mozilla browsers, the image upload and spell-check windows may be blocked as popups. You can fix this by changing your preferences to allow popups from www.blogger.com.
-----------------------
Blog*Spot blogs occasionally render a massive amount of gibberish in Mozilla (due to a complex bug involving gzip). The current workaround is to force-reload the page.
-----------------------
On top of that,
I can't right click to paste text.
When you do paste text, it seems to default to Times and not the style font.
The interface keeps changing and things that look like they are there to make life easier, seem to be complicating it instead. But, to be fair, the blogger team seems to be working out the kinks relatively well, have a decent list of problems and suggestion, and this recent annoyance has been fixed ...
Telephone Service $1, I wish
Everyone has this story, and everyone has to tell everyone else when it happens to them. Telemarketing Incompetence.
Primus Tel. just called asking if I was interested in switching to their phone service. Now, I've had many friends who have worked the dreaded phone lines, so I always try to be polite and hear them out. And who knows, they might actually be selling something you want. I don't spend much on phone bills. Just the /basic/ phone service and one or two dollars in long distance calls home. This lady was insistent that switching to Primus would mean a monthly bill of $1 plus $0.05/min long distance. Way too good to be true. So I attempted to clarify.
"You mean $1/month for the long distance plan fee. What is the monthly service fee?"
"Like I told you mam, your monthly bill will be only $1/month and 5 cents per minute for all in Canada long distance calls."
I proceeded to tell her that that indeed sounds like a good deal but that I am not comfortable agreeing to such things over the phone without being able to look over the full terms of the agreement first. So I asked if I could look for the details online and have her call me back. She insisted that all the details she was giving me were the same as on the webpage and that if I signed up now, I would save the activation fee. And, furthermore...
"Like I told you mam, your monthly bill will be only $1/month and 5 cents per minute for all in Canada long distance calls."
I spent fifteen minutes on the phone trying to clarify.
Obviously, the woman spoke little English, did not understand the service she was selling nor the questions I was asking. How can companies make legal contracts with clients by phone when this seems to be all too common an issue? Would they actually honour what I was told the terms of the agreement were, since that would have been what I was agreeing to?
Anyways, I sent Primus an email which will likely go ignored. But that and ranting on my blog is about all I can think to do.
-----------------------------
Good day,
I just received a call from one of your solicitors to inform me about your services. We discussed the long distance plan and I was informed that switching over to Primus would mean a $1 monthly fee plus 5 cents/min for in Canada calls. I asked how much the monthly service would be and was repeatedly told only $1. I attempted to clarify that I was not referring to the long distance plan fee but the base phone service fee. She repeated, only $1. Obviously, she did not speak English well enough to understand my questions and just repeated parts of a script that matched key words.
I then asked if I could look the information up online to verify the terms before agreeing to sign up for any service. She insisted that all the information she was telling me is what I would find online and that signing up today by phone would save me the activation fee. Obviously, my bills would not have been for $1 + $0.05/min long distance. From your webpage, I see that the monthly rate is $19.95/mths for the first three months ($29.95/mth thereafter) plus that $1 + $0.05/min long distance.**
I also enquired as to whether the service would be switched over by phone agreement or if I could receive a package in the mail with the terms of the agreement first. She was unable to answer.
When making agreements like this by phone, you should ensure that your representatives understand the terms of the service, can explain them and speak English well enough to answer the customer's questions.
-------------------------------
** for those of you who are curious, my monthly rate with Bell is $22.14 and $0.05/min long distance with YAK (no fee)
Primus Tel. just called asking if I was interested in switching to their phone service. Now, I've had many friends who have worked the dreaded phone lines, so I always try to be polite and hear them out. And who knows, they might actually be selling something you want. I don't spend much on phone bills. Just the /basic/ phone service and one or two dollars in long distance calls home. This lady was insistent that switching to Primus would mean a monthly bill of $1 plus $0.05/min long distance. Way too good to be true. So I attempted to clarify.
"You mean $1/month for the long distance plan fee. What is the monthly service fee?"
"Like I told you mam, your monthly bill will be only $1/month and 5 cents per minute for all in Canada long distance calls."
I proceeded to tell her that that indeed sounds like a good deal but that I am not comfortable agreeing to such things over the phone without being able to look over the full terms of the agreement first. So I asked if I could look for the details online and have her call me back. She insisted that all the details she was giving me were the same as on the webpage and that if I signed up now, I would save the activation fee. And, furthermore...
"Like I told you mam, your monthly bill will be only $1/month and 5 cents per minute for all in Canada long distance calls."
I spent fifteen minutes on the phone trying to clarify.
Obviously, the woman spoke little English, did not understand the service she was selling nor the questions I was asking. How can companies make legal contracts with clients by phone when this seems to be all too common an issue? Would they actually honour what I was told the terms of the agreement were, since that would have been what I was agreeing to?
Anyways, I sent Primus an email which will likely go ignored. But that and ranting on my blog is about all I can think to do.
-----------------------------
Good day,
I just received a call from one of your solicitors to inform me about your services. We discussed the long distance plan and I was informed that switching over to Primus would mean a $1 monthly fee plus 5 cents/min for in Canada calls. I asked how much the monthly service would be and was repeatedly told only $1. I attempted to clarify that I was not referring to the long distance plan fee but the base phone service fee. She repeated, only $1. Obviously, she did not speak English well enough to understand my questions and just repeated parts of a script that matched key words.
I then asked if I could look the information up online to verify the terms before agreeing to sign up for any service. She insisted that all the information she was telling me is what I would find online and that signing up today by phone would save me the activation fee. Obviously, my bills would not have been for $1 + $0.05/min long distance. From your webpage, I see that the monthly rate is $19.95/mths for the first three months ($29.95/mth thereafter) plus that $1 + $0.05/min long distance.**
I also enquired as to whether the service would be switched over by phone agreement or if I could receive a package in the mail with the terms of the agreement first. She was unable to answer.
When making agreements like this by phone, you should ensure that your representatives understand the terms of the service, can explain them and speak English well enough to answer the customer's questions.
-------------------------------
** for those of you who are curious, my monthly rate with Bell is $22.14 and $0.05/min long distance with YAK (no fee)
Thursday, July 22, 2004
Getting Back In Touch
It's fun. Every now and again out of the blue, someone will post a note to the often-neglected South2k1 mailing list and gets the ball rolling. It's nice to hear from the old high school group and find out what everyone is up to. And maybe a bit of well deserved bragging all around.
A few days ago Wayne started the recent rolling of the ball with follow-ups by myself, Mike, Amie and Lara. It made me wonder if my circle of friends from the London days isn’t so far away as it seems. I'm curious if Rob and the Waterloo crowd here know Mike and Wayne (both at Waterloo in the computer field somewhere) though they are a year or two yonger. I know Lara met Jen McGaw back in her first year at UofTM.
(yay, new person to add to list of friends' blogs)
From getting to re-know old friends to getting to know some of the people I've been hanging around with a lot recently... I had a really amusing evening with Jen and Andrea (and Eric who was feeling out of the loop, unfortunately) when we broke with tradition and went down to the Market for some cake after Pho.
Chocolate cake.
I've been somewhat out of the girl loop for a while and I really enjoyed it. I forgot how different girl social atmosphere is to guy or mixed social atmosphere. Not that I prefer one or the other but the change was nice. I should put more effort into getting together with my girlfriends. It's good for the soul and reminds you that you are not completely off in thinking or feeling certain ways. You know, girly ways.
I feel good today.
A few days ago Wayne started the recent rolling of the ball with follow-ups by myself, Mike, Amie and Lara. It made me wonder if my circle of friends from the London days isn’t so far away as it seems. I'm curious if Rob and the Waterloo crowd here know Mike and Wayne (both at Waterloo in the computer field somewhere) though they are a year or two yonger. I know Lara met Jen McGaw back in her first year at UofTM.
(yay, new person to add to list of friends' blogs)
From getting to re-know old friends to getting to know some of the people I've been hanging around with a lot recently... I had a really amusing evening with Jen and Andrea (and Eric who was feeling out of the loop, unfortunately) when we broke with tradition and went down to the Market for some cake after Pho.
Chocolate cake.
I've been somewhat out of the girl loop for a while and I really enjoyed it. I forgot how different girl social atmosphere is to guy or mixed social atmosphere. Not that I prefer one or the other but the change was nice. I should put more effort into getting together with my girlfriends. It's good for the soul and reminds you that you are not completely off in thinking or feeling certain ways. You know, girly ways.
I feel good today.
Monday, July 19, 2004
My First LAN Party
An interesting weekend and, for the most part, fun. I still have some issues with continuous gaming. I can only really go at it for an hour or two. The repetition, especially of the noise and light, get to me after that. At least I've managed to outgrow the not wanting to do something unless I get to be the best. Which was a BIG step for me. Of course I still get to blame a lot of my sucking on being a girl.
I enjoyed a lot of the non gaming moments quite a lot. It's interesting being trapped in a house with a dozen people for a weekend. Ben et al's mac and cheese dinner was amazing and the conversations, amusing. Then, Tara's grapes made for an excellent digestive for both the meal and conversation before we all made our way back down into the basement to our seats and computers. Later Saturday night, or was it Sunday morning, I had an interesting string of conversations with Ben and Scott about computers, architecture, language and the design process.
As far as gaming is concerned, over the weekend I tried my hand at Counter Strike, StarCraft, Unreal Tournament but sat out on Serious Sam because I was enjoying the conversation at the time. I didn't care much for StarCraft but I enjoyed the other two and was starting to get to the point where I didn't die instantaneously. I also got a bit of DSL in and had the usual shocked reaction from other players when they found out I was /actually/ a new player. Doesn't happen too often I gather, new characters but not new players.
I made some advancement in the Manticore but it was a bit hard to concentrate on reading.
All in all, I enjoyed myself and am very tired. I slept well enough but forgot my meds which did not help and caffeine is not a wise substitute.
I enjoyed a lot of the non gaming moments quite a lot. It's interesting being trapped in a house with a dozen people for a weekend. Ben et al's mac and cheese dinner was amazing and the conversations, amusing. Then, Tara's grapes made for an excellent digestive for both the meal and conversation before we all made our way back down into the basement to our seats and computers. Later Saturday night, or was it Sunday morning, I had an interesting string of conversations with Ben and Scott about computers, architecture, language and the design process.
As far as gaming is concerned, over the weekend I tried my hand at Counter Strike, StarCraft, Unreal Tournament but sat out on Serious Sam because I was enjoying the conversation at the time. I didn't care much for StarCraft but I enjoyed the other two and was starting to get to the point where I didn't die instantaneously. I also got a bit of DSL in and had the usual shocked reaction from other players when they found out I was /actually/ a new player. Doesn't happen too often I gather, new characters but not new players.
I made some advancement in the Manticore but it was a bit hard to concentrate on reading.
All in all, I enjoyed myself and am very tired. I slept well enough but forgot my meds which did not help and caffeine is not a wise substitute.
Friday, July 16, 2004
So, When I Die
Poor Mekki.
I'm so mean. I called him yesterday and started the conversation with "So, when I die, do I just have to go back and get my corpse." I guess I should have mentioned that I was asking for help with DSL (Dark and Shattered Lands, mud). But the shock was somewhat intentional.
About a week or two ago I decided to give DSL a second shot. It has been almost two years since I last attempted it and am a bit better oriented as far as gaming and computers are concerned. It is partly an attempt to understand why Mekki is so involved with the game, part trying to find something to occupy myself because I'm not accustomed to doing nothing, and part wanting to use my male elf to flirt with his female elf.
I created a male elf named Ha'bren. Curious choice for a name. Well, Mekki's character is named Sabrinaela. Etymology of Sabrina: 'From the name of the Severn, a river in Wales, which was originally named Habren. In Celtic legend Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river.'
So far, I'm not doing too bad and am enjoying it well enough. It helps having friends in high places, of course. I've been leveling, collecting equipment, joined a kingdom, roleplayed, bettering my typing skills, learning the mechanics of the game....
I don't know if this is going to be one of those things that I just pick up til I figure it out and then drop it or if I'll continue on but it is interesting. I understand a bit better what Mekki does and it gives him the chance to play teacher again which we both enjoy.
I'm so mean. I called him yesterday and started the conversation with "So, when I die, do I just have to go back and get my corpse." I guess I should have mentioned that I was asking for help with DSL (Dark and Shattered Lands, mud). But the shock was somewhat intentional.
About a week or two ago I decided to give DSL a second shot. It has been almost two years since I last attempted it and am a bit better oriented as far as gaming and computers are concerned. It is partly an attempt to understand why Mekki is so involved with the game, part trying to find something to occupy myself because I'm not accustomed to doing nothing, and part wanting to use my male elf to flirt with his female elf.
I created a male elf named Ha'bren. Curious choice for a name. Well, Mekki's character is named Sabrinaela. Etymology of Sabrina: 'From the name of the Severn, a river in Wales, which was originally named Habren. In Celtic legend Sabrina was the name of a princess who was drowned in the Severn. Supposedly the river was named for her, but it is more likely that her name was actually derived from that of the river.'
So far, I'm not doing too bad and am enjoying it well enough. It helps having friends in high places, of course. I've been leveling, collecting equipment, joined a kingdom, roleplayed, bettering my typing skills, learning the mechanics of the game....
I don't know if this is going to be one of those things that I just pick up til I figure it out and then drop it or if I'll continue on but it is interesting. I understand a bit better what Mekki does and it gives him the chance to play teacher again which we both enjoy.
Sunday, July 11, 2004
Triplets of Belleville
Last night I watched the Triplets of Belleville /finally/ and was very impressed. I've been complaining that I need to see a good movie and for those of you who didn't know what I meant by that... this is what I meant.
I'm proud that this is a Canadian movie and think it was an excellent usage of "taxpayers' dollars". I'm always somewhat disappointed to hear someone imply that the arts funding in Canada is ridiculous and frivolous. Well, if you're interested, we owe that, like much of modern society, to the Medici and the Renaissance. (No, I'm not biased because I am a descendent or because they loved Brunelleschi)
The Medici were among the first in Western culture to transition art from religious expression to cultural expression and to elevate it above the common trades. Art became a sign of wealth and an appropriate usage of one's money when it bettered the community and not selfish extravagance and flaunting. This was a big deal when the merchant class boomed and individuals, of non-royal blood, had money and lots of it. The Medici recognized that their wealth was because of the community and should therefore benefit the community (we won't go into the religious reasoning here).
At that point in history, Italy was in a cultural battle and each of the city states was out to prove that they were the best. Architecture had long played a role in this feud but mostly in a religious context. The citystate with the biggest cathedral won. (Look into the disaster of the Sienna cathedral sometime, it's sad, but amusing) When power started to shift away from the Church and towards the merchant class, the Medici appropriated this idea and created the concept of "cultural coin". They had already established their position financially, agriculturally, politically, etc. and the final blow to put Florence on the top for a long time was art. Venice did a good job of it too but in a Republican manner.
Because of the Medici, Florence is still seen as one of the world centres for the arts. A fine legacy, one worth trying to attain for ourselves in my opinion.
Art is not typically an industry that produces revenue but is as important to society as the doctors, politicians, bankers, lawyers, etc. And you know what, we pay for them too. Art is a collective investment because it is an expression of the collective. If you want your portrait done, sure pay for that yourself because it is a personal expression.
Mekki and I discussed this on our way home and brought up the problem we always have in Canada; we're a big country. Yes, a lot of what we see as sponsored by the National Arts Commission, Film Board, etc. represents Quebec and Native culture but they are the ones with the most defined "cultures" but that is why these commissions are there to fund such artistic works. Art is one of the best ways to discover what our culture is because that is typically what it is trying to express. Don't worry, there are government funded psychological research grants and so on out there to try and define it in scientific term too.
I was just double checking because there was some debate about the original language (which is French) and I came across an interesting post on the IMDb message boards about "strange little quirks"
-----------------------------
On the opening sequence there is a mathematical equation encrypted at the bottom of the stage.
The equation is indeed Einstein's Field Equation. What it tells us
is how mass curves the spacetime around it. There are several forms that
this equation can be written in. The form used in the movie uses the Ricci (R_ab) tensor, the metric (g_ab), and the Ricci scalar (R) on the left side and the stress-energy tensor, (T_ab), on the right. The quantities on the left side express the curvature that is caused by the mass and energy parametrized by the
stress-energy tensor on the right. Here, recall that mass *is* energy.
Maybe this is more that you wanted to know...but as to why it was there...I don't know...but it is one of the more beautiful equations in physics....
-----------------------------
It has everything to do with the movie and is a clever, subtle statement of the artist's intentions. I love it. The whole messing with time, space and mass is very apparent in the movie. Mekki even mentioned how interesting the play with physics was and how much that messed with your perception of reality. It's all very Dali, surreal. Because it doesn't pretend to be believable or real, it created its own reality and believability.
I think it was an excellently crafted film.
I'm proud that this is a Canadian movie and think it was an excellent usage of "taxpayers' dollars". I'm always somewhat disappointed to hear someone imply that the arts funding in Canada is ridiculous and frivolous. Well, if you're interested, we owe that, like much of modern society, to the Medici and the Renaissance. (No, I'm not biased because I am a descendent or because they loved Brunelleschi)
The Medici were among the first in Western culture to transition art from religious expression to cultural expression and to elevate it above the common trades. Art became a sign of wealth and an appropriate usage of one's money when it bettered the community and not selfish extravagance and flaunting. This was a big deal when the merchant class boomed and individuals, of non-royal blood, had money and lots of it. The Medici recognized that their wealth was because of the community and should therefore benefit the community (we won't go into the religious reasoning here).
At that point in history, Italy was in a cultural battle and each of the city states was out to prove that they were the best. Architecture had long played a role in this feud but mostly in a religious context. The citystate with the biggest cathedral won. (Look into the disaster of the Sienna cathedral sometime, it's sad, but amusing) When power started to shift away from the Church and towards the merchant class, the Medici appropriated this idea and created the concept of "cultural coin". They had already established their position financially, agriculturally, politically, etc. and the final blow to put Florence on the top for a long time was art. Venice did a good job of it too but in a Republican manner.
Because of the Medici, Florence is still seen as one of the world centres for the arts. A fine legacy, one worth trying to attain for ourselves in my opinion.
Art is not typically an industry that produces revenue but is as important to society as the doctors, politicians, bankers, lawyers, etc. And you know what, we pay for them too. Art is a collective investment because it is an expression of the collective. If you want your portrait done, sure pay for that yourself because it is a personal expression.
Mekki and I discussed this on our way home and brought up the problem we always have in Canada; we're a big country. Yes, a lot of what we see as sponsored by the National Arts Commission, Film Board, etc. represents Quebec and Native culture but they are the ones with the most defined "cultures" but that is why these commissions are there to fund such artistic works. Art is one of the best ways to discover what our culture is because that is typically what it is trying to express. Don't worry, there are government funded psychological research grants and so on out there to try and define it in scientific term too.
I was just double checking because there was some debate about the original language (which is French) and I came across an interesting post on the IMDb message boards about "strange little quirks"
-----------------------------
On the opening sequence there is a mathematical equation encrypted at the bottom of the stage.
The equation is indeed Einstein's Field Equation. What it tells us
is how mass curves the spacetime around it. There are several forms that
this equation can be written in. The form used in the movie uses the Ricci (R_ab) tensor, the metric (g_ab), and the Ricci scalar (R) on the left side and the stress-energy tensor, (T_ab), on the right. The quantities on the left side express the curvature that is caused by the mass and energy parametrized by the
stress-energy tensor on the right. Here, recall that mass *is* energy.
Maybe this is more that you wanted to know...but as to why it was there...I don't know...but it is one of the more beautiful equations in physics....
-----------------------------
It has everything to do with the movie and is a clever, subtle statement of the artist's intentions. I love it. The whole messing with time, space and mass is very apparent in the movie. Mekki even mentioned how interesting the play with physics was and how much that messed with your perception of reality. It's all very Dali, surreal. Because it doesn't pretend to be believable or real, it created its own reality and believability.
I think it was an excellently crafted film.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Fielding logo
Well, I'm happy to report that Mandar is thrilled with my logo design for the Fielding Music dept. I'm quite happy with it myself.
Now the fun of painting it on the massive wall of the music room. I like painting big and don't get to do it often, actually, almost never. Hopefully he will follow through with the plans for the more artistic murals over the next year.
Images should be up on my website next time I update it.
And... if anyone needs a logo designed for something... Mandar will give me the thumbs up.
Now the fun of painting it on the massive wall of the music room. I like painting big and don't get to do it often, actually, almost never. Hopefully he will follow through with the plans for the more artistic murals over the next year.
Images should be up on my website next time I update it.
And... if anyone needs a logo designed for something... Mandar will give me the thumbs up.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Web Portfolio up but still under development
Finally, my web portfolio should be up at www.mektek.ca/graphyx.
I'm still working on it. It's not especially "liquid" and is a bit stuck at 1024x768 and only tested in a few browsers. It's a bit slow, especially the background to the main body. But, I wanted to get it up so I can start getting feedback and let people see what I've been up to.
I'm still working on it. It's not especially "liquid" and is a bit stuck at 1024x768 and only tested in a few browsers. It's a bit slow, especially the background to the main body. But, I wanted to get it up so I can start getting feedback and let people see what I've been up to.
Monday, July 05, 2004
Stupid Grammatical Obsessions
Whilst writing... I was unsure as to the appropriate usage of whilst vs. while. So I started the search with www.dictionary.com which doesn't even recognize "whilst" as an English word. So, onto my /usually/ favourite grammar resource Common Errors in English only to find a disappointing explanation of the while/whilst enigma
"Although 'whilst' is a perfectly good traditional synonym of 'while' in American usage it is considered pretentious and old-fashioned."
I'm quite sure I remember a grade 9 English grammar lesson that pointed out the slight but distinct differences.
So the search continued.
First discovery. Officially, Americans do not use "whilst" or "amongst" because they are archaic pretentious and "no one will be impressed". Hrmm... This seems to be my big problem in the search. American grammar sites only point out that they don't use it but backwards Canadians and British refuse to let it die. Since they use "while" for both occasionsions, if any explanation is given, it is that the two are synonyms and used interchangeably. This also makes it hard to figure out which one sounds right because we are so accustomed to hearing the American way.
British websites that appeared under the google search for "while whilst grammar" did not address the matter but at least gave me some idea of how each is used. I noticed "while" was often followed by the auxiliary "to be" and "whilst" seemed to skip right to the action. Of course this wasn't consistent enough to base any conclusion.
The search continued.
The only decent explanation I found was at One Stop English which states:
While, whilst, burned, burnt
In American English whilst is not normally used.
In British English while and whilst are more or less interchangeable when the meaning is although or whereas.
Whilst many people agree that boxing is dangerous, little has been done so far to ban it.
It will remain cold in the west, eastern areas should be noticeably milder.
In the meaning of when, whilst is significantly more formal and may appear archaic.
Compare:
I first met her while I was working for a company in the Midlands.
I first met her whilst working for a company in the Midlands.
I don't like the ambiguous "more or less" but after two hours of obsessing, it is good enough to let me sleep "more or less" peacefully.
P.S. At least the blogger spell check didn't oppose to "whilst"
"Although 'whilst' is a perfectly good traditional synonym of 'while' in American usage it is considered pretentious and old-fashioned."
I'm quite sure I remember a grade 9 English grammar lesson that pointed out the slight but distinct differences.
So the search continued.
First discovery. Officially, Americans do not use "whilst" or "amongst" because they are archaic pretentious and "no one will be impressed". Hrmm... This seems to be my big problem in the search. American grammar sites only point out that they don't use it but backwards Canadians and British refuse to let it die. Since they use "while" for both occasionsions, if any explanation is given, it is that the two are synonyms and used interchangeably. This also makes it hard to figure out which one sounds right because we are so accustomed to hearing the American way.
British websites that appeared under the google search for "while whilst grammar" did not address the matter but at least gave me some idea of how each is used. I noticed "while" was often followed by the auxiliary "to be" and "whilst" seemed to skip right to the action. Of course this wasn't consistent enough to base any conclusion.
The search continued.
The only decent explanation I found was at One Stop English which states:
While, whilst, burned, burnt
In American English whilst is not normally used.
In British English while and whilst are more or less interchangeable when the meaning is although or whereas.
Whilst many people agree that boxing is dangerous, little has been done so far to ban it.
It will remain cold in the west, eastern areas should be noticeably milder.
In the meaning of when, whilst is significantly more formal and may appear archaic.
Compare:
I first met her while I was working for a company in the Midlands.
I first met her whilst working for a company in the Midlands.
I don't like the ambiguous "more or less" but after two hours of obsessing, it is good enough to let me sleep "more or less" peacefully.
P.S. At least the blogger spell check didn't oppose to "whilst"
Friday, July 02, 2004
Reading List
Always productive when sick... Here is the list of suggested readings from my Foundations of Modernism course. These are the details that a bit of googling turned up.
The Order of Things, Michel Foucault, Pantheon Books, 1970
ASIN: 0-394-43952-X
The First Moderns: Profiles in the Origins of Twentieth-Century Thought. Everdell, William R. The University of Chicago Press, 1997
ISBN: 0-226-22481-3
The Origin of Perspective, Hubert Damisch , John Goodman, The MIT Press, 1995
ISBN: 0-262-54077-0
An Autobiography, Frank Lloyd Wright, Quartet Books Ltd
ASIN: 0704321963
The Quattro Cento and Stones of Rimini, Adrian Stokes, Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2002
ISBN: 0-271-02217-5
Michelangelo Architect, Bruno Contardi, Carlo Giulio Argan, Marion L. Grayson (Translator), Publisher: Harry N Abrams,1993
ISBN: 0-810-93638-0
The Eiffel Tower and Other Mythologies, Roland Barthes, Translated by Richard Howard, University of California Press, 1997.
ISBN: 0-520-20982-6
Book of Tea, K. Okakura, Dover Publications, 1966
ISBN: 0-486-20070-1
Speech and Phenomena OP and Other Essays on Husserl's Theory of Signs, Jacques Derrida, Northwestern, 1979
ISBN: 0-8101-0397-4
Thirteen Ways: Theoretical Investigations in Architecture, Robert Harbison, MIT Press, 1997
ASIN: 0-262-08256-X
Painting as Model, Yves-Alain Bois, M.I.T. Press, 1990.
ISBN: 0262521806
Pictorial Nominalism:On Marcel Duchamp's Passage from Painting to the Readymade, Vol. 51, Thierry De Duve, University of Minnesota Press, 1991
ISBN: 0-8166-1565-9 / 0816615659
There are a few others that I wasn't able to decipher or didn't have enough info.
Deep Structures, Chomsky
Christello
Rosalind Kraus
Political comedy, Jean Baudrillard
Banquetteer, R. Shatters
Arturo Schwarz
The Order of Things, Michel Foucault, Pantheon Books, 1970
ASIN: 0-394-43952-X
The First Moderns: Profiles in the Origins of Twentieth-Century Thought. Everdell, William R. The University of Chicago Press, 1997
ISBN: 0-226-22481-3
The Origin of Perspective, Hubert Damisch , John Goodman, The MIT Press, 1995
ISBN: 0-262-54077-0
An Autobiography, Frank Lloyd Wright, Quartet Books Ltd
ASIN: 0704321963
The Quattro Cento and Stones of Rimini, Adrian Stokes, Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2002
ISBN: 0-271-02217-5
Michelangelo Architect, Bruno Contardi, Carlo Giulio Argan, Marion L. Grayson (Translator), Publisher: Harry N Abrams,1993
ISBN: 0-810-93638-0
The Eiffel Tower and Other Mythologies, Roland Barthes, Translated by Richard Howard, University of California Press, 1997.
ISBN: 0-520-20982-6
Book of Tea, K. Okakura, Dover Publications, 1966
ISBN: 0-486-20070-1
Speech and Phenomena OP and Other Essays on Husserl's Theory of Signs, Jacques Derrida, Northwestern, 1979
ISBN: 0-8101-0397-4
Thirteen Ways: Theoretical Investigations in Architecture, Robert Harbison, MIT Press, 1997
ASIN: 0-262-08256-X
Painting as Model, Yves-Alain Bois, M.I.T. Press, 1990.
ISBN: 0262521806
Pictorial Nominalism:On Marcel Duchamp's Passage from Painting to the Readymade, Vol. 51, Thierry De Duve, University of Minnesota Press, 1991
ISBN: 0-8166-1565-9 / 0816615659
There are a few others that I wasn't able to decipher or didn't have enough info.
Deep Structures, Chomsky
Christello
Rosalind Kraus
Political comedy, Jean Baudrillard
Banquetteer, R. Shatters
Arturo Schwarz
Fifth Business makes way for the Manticore
I finished Fifth Business yesterday and I think I enjoyed it even more this time around. It's a clever novel in the way that seemingly irrelevant stories are interwoven with the seemingly relevant and make the obvious plot relevant. Otherwise, the book would be about nothing. At least nothing interesting. I can see why it is an English class classic. It has everything a good novel should, literarily speaking. Foils, foreshadowing, and what I am discovering with the first chapter of the Manticore, the role of perspective. The Manticore begins by recounting the ending of Fifth Business from the point of view of another character. Where one story appears to end is the beginning of another. I'm interested in seeing where this leads.
Revisiting the P.S. of my first blog post
I appear to have hit another bout of on-off sick again. Unfortunately, I'm even more sick of doctors so I am going for the traditional route... chicken soup. Not just any chicken soup mind you, kosher chicken soup. It's somewhat unorthodox since my mother is 700 kilometres away so I have to make it myself but what can you do when you live in a shoe? (My mom says that all the time so I am channeling her to make the soup by proxy)
I'm odd when I'm sick.
For those of you that are asking what is so special about kosher chicken soup... once you've tried it you'll never go back and definitely never back to Campbell's. If you haven't had the pleasure, I suggest going to Loblaws in College Square and buying one of the roasted kosher chickens, devour most of the meat, which you will, take the carcass and put it in a pot with water and some veggies and let it boil until you can't resist the smell any longer and serve. For a slightly better version, add rosemary, thyme, chicken necks and matzoh balls.
Alternatively, like I said the other day, if you bring the ingredients, I'd love to cook for you, at least during the summer when I have nothing to do.
I'm odd when I'm sick.
For those of you that are asking what is so special about kosher chicken soup... once you've tried it you'll never go back and definitely never back to Campbell's. If you haven't had the pleasure, I suggest going to Loblaws in College Square and buying one of the roasted kosher chickens, devour most of the meat, which you will, take the carcass and put it in a pot with water and some veggies and let it boil until you can't resist the smell any longer and serve. For a slightly better version, add rosemary, thyme, chicken necks and matzoh balls.
Alternatively, like I said the other day, if you bring the ingredients, I'd love to cook for you, at least during the summer when I have nothing to do.
