Sometimes I have things to say

Dream, but I can't remember

2010-11-19T06:04:00.000-08:00

I can't remember last night's dreams, but I do remember that the Virgin guy was in it (Richard Br...an...something).

So happy it's sunny for the zoo today. I love the zoo in the non-summer!

Dreams last night/this morning

2010-11-17T03:51:00.000-08:00

I dreamed that I set up my piano studio with 2 pianos in a different part of the house (a part that does not exist, but that I now wish did exist because the 2 pianos looked great there!)

I dreamed that I came out of a room and someone (I think it might have been Clark???) was spraying Raid all over the cottage we were at and the person sprayed Raid in my hair. I was extremely upset and was going to leave the cottage.

Fortunately, Meaghan H. gave me apple cider vinegar to wash my hair with. I did so in a bathroom sink. When I got out of the bathroom, I seemed to be somewhere with the kids and Jonathan. The kids both fell asleep on a ride, I think, and I had to carry both of them.

Oh, and I also remember Lilli asking me about what piano keyboard she should buy. Except that Lilli had very short hair and a bit of a mustache - seriously. Weird.

[AWAKE]

MJ

2009-08-24T19:16:00.000-07:00

Michael Jackson's death considered a homicide

Wow... Wonder if they'll charge all of his doctors for it...

Downtown musings

2009-06-15T18:46:00.001-07:00

CBC (down-down stairs) and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre have THE BEST wheelchair accessible washrooms. OK, maybe not the best, but they have really really big stalls. Nice.

I had some bizarre poutine today from a chip truck - it had curds (normal), gravy (normal), shredded cheddar (a bit odd) and cheese sauce ladled on top of the gravy (super odd to me!). It was, hmm, interesting.

I don't think Molson necessarily thought this through...

2009-06-10T05:33:00.001-07:00

It does sound like they are potentially losing a portion of free advertising...

Molson free beer allocation goes flat for N.L. retirees

A group of retirees protested outside of the Molson Brewery facility in St. John's after the company said it was cutting the amount of free beer they get as part of their pension plan.

Molson pensioners in St. John's used to receive six dozen beers per month as part of their benefits package. That has now been cut to one dozen per month according to a letter sent to employees across the country. The allocation will be dropped altogether in five years.

The letter says the changes have been made on account of competitive pressure and the current economy, which have forced the company to "monitor costs and look for innovative ways to control and reduce them."

The changes weren't going over well with pensioners in St. John's who accused the company of arbitrarily removing benefits they were promised when they retired.

"'There's been no consultation with the members, and they've taken beer from them, which is a taxable benefit" said Greg Pretty of the FFAW/CAW, which represents approximately 45 Molson retirees in St. John's.

"The people who brought this company to where it is today, with ... sales close to 70 per cent, [which is] Molson's market share, are now being discriminated against based on their age," he said.

Pretty said the pensioners wanted a meeting with the CEO of Molson Canada to ensure that not only the beer allocations would be preserved but the rest of the negotiated benefits as well.

"We deserve better. They're nickel and diming the retirees over, you know, they're using the economic downturn to take advantage of us, said retiree Bill Bavis.

Retiree Kevin Walsh, who worked for Molson for 41 years, said the beer wasn't a hand-out to employees; it was something they earned — and are still earning.

"Like, I'm in Butterpot [provincial park], and I take my rations with me and people come along and … [I say] 'How are you today? … have a beer, have a beer.' I'm still a salesman. I'm still promoting the Molson product," he said.

A Molson representative told CBC that Molson has 2,400 retirees across the country and supplying them all with free beer was costing the company over $1 million a year.

Cooking and freezing

2009-06-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

I referred to cooking and freezing in my previous post, which I have done a lot of the past couple of weeks.

I spent tonnes of money (OK, not really tonnes, but more than usual) on groceries this month, so earlier this week, I was surprised to realize that we needed more.

However, now I see that we have well stocked freezers full of food I made with those groceries and I realize that much of what I purchased is now frozen (post-cooking).

Yum!

Pancakes

2009-06-03T17:37:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine told me about this site, which I am absolutely loving. Tonight I made these pancakes and they were great. I added blueberries to the ones for all the boys in my house (excluding the cats) and next time I might add a mashed banana just to increase the "goodness" content.

In similar news, after all the cooking and freezing, my (small) deep freeze and my fridge freezer are both full! This means we can start eating :)

More things to say...

2009-05-09T18:30:00.000-07:00

...coming soon!

I find that I am once again having many thoughts of things to say these days, which I will share here at times of the day when my brain is at its best (i.e., mostly not in the early-to-mid evening [i.e., now]).

One thing to say that my use of parentheses in the previous paragraph reminded me of:

When one is writing the initialization or acronym of something, I do not think one should ever use "or", but that parentheses should instead be used. For example, use "...blah blah blah (author's note: my brain really does not work at this hour) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is common in young children..." not "...respiratory syncytial virus or RSV infection is common in young children..."

I saw the latter today in a magazine and it bugged me so much. It makes it sound like there are two infections being discussed instead of one.

Life with two

2008-08-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

For the first few months of Kieran's life, I often thought, "How can I ever leave the house on my own with two kids?" I knew many people who did this and thought them mighty super stars. At the time, one friend would talk about going out for meals (in REAL restaurants) on her own with her two kids. I thought she was insane.

Then I started doing crazy things, like going to the park without a stroller (with a huge diaper bag on my back and Kieran in my wrap on my front) and to the mall without a stroller (where both my boys proceeded to need numerous diaper changes), and more. These things were not easy, but maybe they were good ideas because at this very moment, getting out with my two is starting to feel quite easy.

Some of you might be thinking, "Easy, no, you must be insane," but it's true. I am absolutely LOVING getting out of the house with my two boys. We spent the day at the Science Centre today and had a great time. I didn't even want to leave the house this morning, but plans were plans and Malcolm wanted to go to the Science Centre, so there we were. And it was GREAT!

So, to any of you who can't imagine getting out of the house with one, let alone two, let me (Ms. Homebody) tell you that it gets easier and easier AND it feels great!

Rocks

2008-06-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

I don't care what anyone says, this rocks!

Soldiers march in Toronto Gay Pride parade
Set up booth in gay village for recruitment drive
Last Updated: Sunday, June 29, 2008 | 2:07 PM ET Comments119Recommend131
CBC News

For the first time, members of Canada's Armed Forces represented the military in Toronto's annual Gay Pride parade, held Sunday.

Lt. Steven Churm, one of 10 soldiers from across the country who marched in uniform, said their presence sends a message that the Canadian military is inclusive and an equal-opportunity employer.

PHOTO CAPTION: [Members of the Canadian Forces were permitted to march in uniform for the first time during Toronto's Gay Pride parade on Sunday. Members of the Canadian Forces were permitted to march in uniform for the first time during Toronto's Gay Pride parade on Sunday. (Robin Rowland/CBC)]

"The message to the public is that the Canadian Forces is an employer of choice. We have employment opportuntities that people can pursue, regardless of gender identity, sexual orientation," he told CBC News.

"For our own members, they can be proud of what they're doing and also be proud of who they are."

To mark its place in the festivities, the Canadian Forces set up an information booth in an area of the city where thousands of people gathered for the start of the parade.

The parade is the main event for Canada's largest gay pride celebration and marks the end of a week of festivities that organizers say attracted about one million people.
---

In other news, Tim Russert and George Carlin are dead. Sad, but true.

Now who will speak for the guns?

2008-04-06T05:57:00.000-07:00

Charleton Heston is dead.

Although I am very anti his stance on guns, I greatly appreciated his melodramatic flare.

"It's people"

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!"

lame, but...

2008-03-04T15:53:00.000-08:00

Even I find this lame:

Weis & Hickman

Amusingly, the song sounds just exactly how I imagined it would sound when I read only the lyrics:

Weis & Hickman mp3

Now for the but...

Even though it's lame and it sounds lame, I still appreciate the fact that someone else agrees that Weis and Hickman make a good writing team. OK. Now that's lame of me to say since OF COURSE someone else (in fact, lots of someone elses) agrees because this team has written so many books together for good reason.

As my 2nd born (a rat, BTW) gets more and more used to the baby wrap, I might actually get more time to type more here. Guess it all depends on how quickly my brain returns post-pregnancy.

Scary

2008-02-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

This is horrible and scary:

8,700 more biopsies to go back under the microscope in N.B.
Last Updated: Thursday, February 21, 2008 | 9:27 AM AT
CBC News

The search for incomplete and misdiagnosed biopsy results in New Brunswick has expanded by 8,700.

The Miramichi Regional Health Authority had originally projected that it would have to audit 15,000 biopsies conducted at the Miramichi hospital in eastern New Brunswick between 1995 and 2007.

But the number is now higher than expected and will likely include more than 23,700 patients, Miramichi Regional Hospital CEO Gary Foley said Wednesday.

The health authority is re-examining the work of a former pathologist after an independent review of 227 cases of prostate and breast cancer from 2004-2005 found that 18 per cent of the cases had incomplete results and three per cent were misdiagnosed.

The original estimate on the number of cases that would need to be reviewed was based on what was expected to be the average annual workload of the former pathologist, said Foley. But it was found that the pathologist had conducted several more tests from 1995 to 1997.

"There were many more cases completed in the earlier years than we had anticipated," Foley said. "We're working at this as quickly as possible so we can notify the patients, notify their physicians."

The results of patients who were tested most recently in the lab will be examined first, he said, because they have the most clinical significance.

The Health Department is trying to recruit pathology resources from around North American to complete the review.

The audit will also include about 100 cases the former pathologist reviewed while working for a brief period for Regional Health Authority 4 in Edmundston in 2002.

Health Minister Mike Murphy has asked the RCMP to investigate any possible criminal negligence.

The Health Department is reviewing the regional health authorities' mandates and processes and asking the College of Physicians and Surgeons of New Brunswick to review how it carries out disciplinary action.

Rats

2008-02-03T06:54:00.000-08:00

Coincidence?

There appears to be a rat theme in my life this weekend. On Friday night, PBS was playing the Basil the Rat episode of Fawlty Towers. Then my parents rented Ratatouille yesterday. And then today I watched the Buffy episode where Buffy is turned into a rat (the one where all the ladies love Xander because of Amy's spell).

February 7 starts the Year of the Rat. I am a Rat. Now I'm wondering if my baby will wait until Chinese New Year to be born so that he will be a Rat instead of a Pig (the current Chinese Year). Only time will tell...

Wireless inequality?

2008-01-18T19:33:00.000-08:00

Hooray for Fredericton:

http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2008/01/18/ezone-award.html

However, Fredericton's downtown isn't exactly huge, so I am wondering if the area they provide wireless to in their "Fred-eZone" is smaller, larger or the same size as the wireless access area in downtown Toronto. Of course, I have heard that Toronto's kind of sucks - especially when you're inside. Which brings up another point, though, since downtown Fredericton isn't exactly full of skyscrapers and new, "thick-walled" office buildings.

Something for me to investigate further at a later date if I remember to do so, I guess...

I think this is fair

2008-01-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

I think this makes a lot of sense. I do wonder how they will decide if an obese person is disabled before the obese person gets on the plane to try the "lower the armrest" test, but they've got 1 year to figure all that out for themselves.

Ruling lets severely disabled off hook for cost of extra seats
Last Updated: Thursday, January 10, 2008 | 4:03 PM CT
CBC News

Canadian airlines have a year to stop charging those with severe disabilities for extra seats they need after a landmark decision by the Canadian Transportation Agency on Thursday.

The agency ruled that the country's major air carriers must offer a single fare to those with disabilities, including the severely obese, who require two seats to accommodate them.

Also under the "one-person, one-fare" policy, they don't have to pay extra for medical attendants that must be seated with them on flights.

"The airlines failed to demonstrate to the agency that implementation of a one-person-one-fare policy will impose undue hardship on them," the agency wrote in its news release.

The agency estimates the new policy will cost Air Canada about $7 million a year and WestJet about $1.5 million a year. That's a fraction of the cost estimated by airlines in their submissions to the agency.

The transportation agency said the current practice effectively limits travel opportunities for the disabled.

During the one-year grace period, airlines will have to develop a way to determine which passengers are eligible.

As to how airlines should determine whether obesity warrants a disability, the agency pointed to Southwest Airlines, which bases the decision on whether a person can lower the seat's armrests.
'Canadians with disabilities are celebrating today'

The Council of Canadians with Disabilities, who lodged a formal complaint in 2002 along with two individuals, Joanne Neubauer and Eric Norman, applauded the decision.

"Canadians with disabilities are celebrating today," Pat Danforth, chairperson of the council's transportation committee, said in a news release.

"We hope that this decision sends a strong message to all transportation carriers," Neubauer agreed. "Access is the rule."

The agency specified that the ruling does not apply to those with disabilities who travel with a companion for non-medical reasons and those who are obese, but not disabled as a result of it.
Charter carriers not included

The ruling does not specifically apply to charter carriers, but the agency said it hopes the adoption of common rules by the major airlines will be implemented across the industry.

Currently, people with disabilities who travel by train, bus or ferry can bring an attendant with them at no extra cost — but to board a plane, they must pay extra for the attendant's seat.

"For mobility, I need somebody to assist me and with luggage, that kind of thing. These are services that are not provided by the transportation provider, so I would need that kind of assistance," said Council of Canadians with Disabilities spokesman Ron Ross, who uses a wheelchair.

"I actually live in Thunder Bay, so to travel from Thunder Bay to Toronto, I would pay two fares: one for myself, one for my attendant," he said. "You have to make that kind of decision, whether you can travel or not, because of income."

Air Canada offers some disabled travellers a 50 per cent discount for an attendant's seat — but that only applies if they buy a full-fare ticket, Ross said.

With files from the Canadian Press

People are strange

2008-01-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

For no particular reason, this story made me reminisce about stories of a guy in Glassville, New Brunswick, who used to break into the liquor store quite frequently. He often got caught, though, perhaps because he would break in and then call his buddies from the store to see what they wanted... This same guy always has a few computer monitors by the side of the road in front of his (rented) house. My uncle calls them Dave's security system... Ah, Glassville.

Man accused of stealing $20 from sleeping toddler's piggy bank
Published: Friday, January 4, 2008 | 4:08 PM ET
Canadian Press: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. - A Wisconsin man has been charged with sneaking into a toddler's bedroom and stealing $20 from a piggy bank while the two-year-old girl slept.

Authorities say DNA evidence linked Ryan Mueller, 30, of Sheboygan Falls to the crime that occurred Aug. 10.

Authorities say the girl's mother was in another room with another child when she saw a light turn on in her two-year-old daughter's room.

She walked into the girl's bedroom and saw a man shaking the piggy bank as the girl slept.

The man fled before police arrived, stealing the money but leaving the piggy bank.

Mueller was charged Thursday with felony burglary, which carries a penalty of up to nine 1/2 years in prison.

Wow

2008-01-01T14:08:00.001-08:00

Interesting:

The 2007 International Privacy Ranking

Royals on YouTube

2007-12-24T13:12:00.001-08:00

Not that I follow the Royals or anything, but I do find this interesting:

http://www.cbc.ca/arts/media/story/2007/12/23/queen-youtube-channel.html

So if you want to watch the Queen's message tomorrow (or any other Royal-related video), check out:
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=TheRoyalChannel

I don't plan on doing so.

WOW

2007-12-12T18:17:00.000-08:00

Cellphone user shocked by charges of $85K

Bell Mobility to adjust bill in 'measure of goodwill'

A Calgary man is disputing a cellphone bill of nearly $85,000, claiming the phone company failed to tell him using his phone to surf the internet would cost so much.

The Motorola Krzr model Piotr Staniaszek bought from Bell Mobility allows him to use the phone to connect with his computer; downloading data to the computer resulted in the shocking charges.

"I didn't know what to think. I thought there was probably a mistake," the 22-year-old oil-field worker said of the extraordinary total.

A spokesman for Bell said the company will adjust Staniaszek's bill in "a measure of goodwill." But he will still owe Bell more than $5,000.

A bill that large is extremely rare, spokesman Jacques Bouchard said.

"What happened is that the client used the cellphone as a modem linking it directly to the computer and downloading huge files, ... high-res movies for instance."

Staniaszek said he pays $10 a month for unlimited mobile browsing on his cellphone. "So I figured that was the same thing, but I guess not."

After speaking to Bell about November charges of $65,000, Staniaszek said he was informed his bill had increased to nearly $85,000 after more downloading in December.

Staniaszek said the company should have alerted him to the soaring tally. He normally pays about $150 a month for his phone.

"The thing is, they've cut my phone off for being like $100 over. Here, I'm $85,000 over and nobody bothered to give me a call and tell me what was going on.

"I told them I wasn't aware that I would be charged for hooking up my phone to the computer. I'm going to try and fight it, because I didn't know about the extra charges. Nobody explained any of this to me."

Bouchard said Bell cannot monitor the activities of every one of its customers.

Nooooooo

2007-12-12T03:36:00.000-08:00

Winner of Merriam-Webster's online Word of the Year poll: gamers' word ‘w00t'

This is my least favourite word in the online universe. In fact, I actually hate this word. How could the dictionary fail me like?

On another note, I notice that my posts here are sort of negative, which is interesting since I am feeling very positive in the real world. Maybe I just feel the need to vent sometimes... Maybe this is one reason why I have found the online persona of others to be incongruous with theirs in the real world. No wonder so many arguments occur online...

Appalling (to me)

2007-12-05T02:48:00.000-08:00

I just saw a commercial for this on TV (CBC, actually) and I find it appalling:
http://www.wtcproof.com/

Just stop it - ha!

2007-11-30T07:28:00.000-08:00

Telling a person with OCD to just stop doing x behaviour or to just stop worrying/obsessing or to just stop hoarding is like telling a person with depression to just buck up. I am surprised when people don't know/understand/appreciate this...

Absurdity

2007-11-30T04:16:00.000-08:00

This seems absurd:
http://www.cbc.ca/consumer/story/2007/11/29/pet-quench.html

In other news, last night I had a dream that I was swimming in some sort of small lake (perhaps man-made) and some woman lost her engagement ring at the sandy bottom of the shallow lake (engagement ring imagery was brought on by my watching of CSI last night). No one could find it, so they called in a team (and used those of us swimming there) to conduct a search and use a metal detector. I think the team used the metal detector first (or maybe it was a big magnet?) to bring all metal items on top of the sandy bottom. Then we all searched for the ring. For some reason, the ring was never found, but we did find a whole lot of sharp pairs of scissors! We were all appalled by this (but perhaps not appalled enough). The dream ended with a friend of mine being upset/angry with the fiancé of the woman who had lost the ring. I don't know why.

This dream appears to mean nothing, but I thought finding scissors at the bottom of a public lake was curious.

Number one

2007-11-21T20:49:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I have things to say, but nowhere to say them. I will say these things here.