Saturday, February 28, 2009

Twenty twenty twenty twenty hours to goooo... or did go i guess

Well, I think I need to go get some shuteye. Freaking waking up at 4 in the morning. Hopefully I manage to sleep to a more reasonable hour tonight. But we shall see.
Had a pretty good day though. Just got back from having such Rockwelly wholesome evening. Was over at a friend's family's place playing board games and having like pork chops and baked potatoes and salad and whatnot. Such a classic dinner and activity combo. And tommorow I go to have dinner with my parents and extended family and possibly play more board games or watch a movie or something. I feel so picket fence-y.

I like board games...

Spooky

Music: (total silence - it's 5:30 in the morning)

So, I woke up at 5:00 today. I had been doing this almost every day about 2 weeks ago (not intentionally) and had kind of just assumed that it was because I had started drinking coffee regularly and that had screwed with my sleep patterns. Not so sure now. I haven't drunk any coffee in about a week, week and a half (except for a single espresso on monday), but lo and behold, here I am, totally awake at five in the morning on saturday.
What. The. Fuck.
Seriously, why am I so awake.
Options...
Well, I won't be able to get back to sleep at this point - at least not immediately. I actually woke up quite a bit before this (maybe like 4 - I didn't look at the clock) and went back to sleep until now. Won't be able to do that again. At least for now.
I could go for a walk, which is very tempting (I like walking around neighborhoods in the early morning when it's totally quiet and everything is just waking up for the day. Cons of this plan - it's cold, and I would have to get dressed (at least I probably should. Not strictly required).
Or I could have a bit to eat and watch some tv or a movie or something until I feel drowsy enough to sleep again. Well.. the walk plan is really tempting.. not sure if I can bring myself to do it though.
Not sure whether I am hoping that the whole waking up way early thing is cause by the drinking coffee or not. I kind of hope so, cause otherwise this means that I just wake up at 4-5 in the morning for no reason in particular.
And that means I am developing my mom's sleeping pattern (she does this like every day).
And I would not be looking forwards to that.
We shall see.

crap.. this could potentially suck...

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Like the gaze of Satan himself (if, y'know, he was a 70 year old woman)

Music: Garbage

Wow. I just got back from getting some groceries and there was this woman at the store. Old lady, prolly 60's to 70's somewhere, with the most horrible soul-withering glare. Hell, even her whole look and everything about her. There was just something. I swear, if we were to follow her, she eats babies.
Probably adults too.
Maybe unicorns. And puppies.
And unipuppies.
oookay..... enough of that.
But seriously, everything about her just looked so horrible and evil. And after seeing her and deciding all of this, I kept running into her all over the store. She was even waking very uncomfortably close behind me for about and aisle and a half - and grocery store aisles are big.
Fortunately I made it out unscathed, but I worry for the safety of our town and all those in it.

Especially the unipuppies.

Dammit

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Tumpety Tum

Hmm.. well, don't really have anything to talk about at the moment. I kind of just cane home from work today, had some dinner, watched some tv, read a bit, and now I am really tired and gonna go to sleep. I had intended to stop and think for a while about what to write about cause I couldn't think of a topic, but screw that noise - I'm going to bed.

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Critical Insight

Music: none (watching dollhouse ep 2)

So, just watching the second episode of this new Wheddon show Dollhouse. Not quite sure my opinion on the show yet, though. Concept is interesting but has many potential holes in it - although any new sci-fi concept has holes when it is first introduced that then get explained around later once they get to appropriate episodes. It seems pretty cool but I think a lot of it will come down to whether they just play it as an action sci-fi conspiracy show, or if they use the ripe controversial topic, core to the show, of memory/personality construction/manipulation to actually say something about nature of though and conciousness, free will, rights comparisons to slaves/indentured servants, etc. and spark some discourse. So far it seems like a cool action sci-fi show with some nice action sequences that seems mostly a vehicle for putting Elisa Dushku in as many sexy/revealing/not-actually-anything outfits as posible. Not that I would complain about this - she's hot - but this makes nice icing on a show, but is not sufficient to actually carry a show as a "concept".
At least the show has a pretty sweet cast. Fred from Angel, Helo from Battlestar, obnoxious captain guy from Matrix 2 and 3, awesome british lawyer from BSG/Badger from Firefly (having him appear was an awesome surprise - that guy rocks).

We shall see. Only two episodes so far. Hopefully it's not cancelled too quickly.

Monday, February 23, 2009

Mondays now = cool

Music: Our Lady Peace

So, just returned from having dinner with my parents over at their place. I had a good fun talk with my dad while we waited for my mom to get home (about rocks, crystals and the natural occurence of patterns and symmetry in nature - yeah, we're nerds, get over it). Then we had a nice meal of some lightly broiled salmon with a chutney-like mango-ginger sauce she made, and some rice, portebello's and a nice gvertzdeminer (oh god, no way did I spell that right).
Then we started to watch Firefly. Now, I love this show and have been meaning to show it to my mom for awhile now. I was almost certain she'd like it too, but was not so sure as to whether my dad'd like it too. Turns out he does (or at least like having me come by to watch movies and have dinner with hime more often. I think he sometimes feels left out by mine and my mom's movie nights). Either way, for the next few weeks until we finish the show, we now have a new regular minday thing - dinner and Firefly.

Good times were had by all. Huzzah!

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Mmmmmm... stew

Music: Penny Arcade podcast

I do sure love me some food. As I do most sunday evenings, I have just come from my grandmother's house a little bit across town where I hung out with a bunch of my extended family and had a delicious dinner. My family (my mom's side, the Potts side) has a long-standing tradition of sunday dinner. For a while, during my childhood, it was sunday brunch but it reverted to dinner at some point. Currently this is such a fantastically nice thing due to my whole not living at home. Every other sunday I go to my parent's place and have dinner with them, usually my sisters and grandmother, and occasionally some family friends. We hand out, eat, talk and usually after will watch some movie or play some game, like scrabble or whatnot.
On the alternating sundays, it takes place at my grandmother's house instead, and usually in attendance are some combination of my parent's and sisters and a small to large assortment of aunts, uncles and cousins. It is great to still get to see them all on a regular basis still even though all my cousins and I are growing up and moving here or there around the city.
And of course the food. My grandmother is a fantastic cook. And my mom and my uncle Rolf are also great and the dinners usually act as a sort of unnoficial pot-luck. Nana will make a meal and some number of other dishes will be brought by others. For example, today's dinner included such things as waldorf salad, spinach pies, roast potatoes and other vegetables, devilled egges with a cheese sauce, pasta and tomatoes, rolls, ice cream for dessert and the main course.. beef stew. Beef stew that I now have a container of in my fridge.
Left-overs might be one of the greatest concepts to ever have been come up with.
And now I must depart to go sleep off this meal.
See you when I finish hibernating.. in like 8 hours.

Stupid work.. I'll teach you to interrupt my hibernation.. razzle frazzle..

Saturday, February 21, 2009

Saturday? More like sucker-day.. or um yeah..

Music: Detektivbyran

I don't know why, but all of today has just totally sucked. Seriously, start-to-finish lame. My health has been all off, but I don't think I am sick (it feels like my blood sugars are screwy, but they don't seem to be if I test, so...), but it means I have felt tired and crappy and listless all goddam day. and I think that a lot of it is a mix of the not feeling good, the weather and the not leaving the house all day, but I was just feeling really mopy and kinda depressed for a large part of the afternoon. Just kind of thinking about the current state of my life, where I am, where I'm going, comparing myself to other people...
Just random shit like that brought on by my mind over thinking everything as it does a lot (and pisses me the hell off, cause I can't stop it).
Eh, enough whinning. I will feel much better tommorow. I'll go out and do stuff in the morning and even if I don't, I have dinner with the family at my grandmother's to look forwards to.
Yeah, much better. Let's think about all that instead.

Sunday ho!

Seriously, bro

Music: Cranberries

I love cartoons, they're so freaking awesome. The ones intended for adults and the ones meant for kids. They're just so just so much fun. Like right no the show I am currently watching through is Kim Possible. Yeah, it's a Disney channel show intended for kids, but it's totally wicked. The show has wicked characters and is really funny.
Let's see, other cartoons...
- Venture Brothers (not as well known as others, but c'mon - it's a parody rippin on adventure shows and superheroes, is full of mad scientists and makes fun of everything from Scooby doo to the Fantastic Four)
- Robot Chicken (this may be one of the funniest shows ever. It's very hit and miss, but when it hits.. good god y'all)
- South Park (I just recently watched through the whole series, start to finish, all 11 or whatever seasons)
- Simpsons (not great at the moment - I think they are getting tired - but during the seasons they are on, they are really on. I mean, just think of how many people quote from thewm on a regular basis)
- Family Guy (well, of course. This show just rocks - when it isn't being repetetive and predictable)
- Star Wars Clone Wars (I had my doubts that this show would be any good, but give it a chance. It's pretty decent)
- Drawn Together (I like this show sometimes - when it's funny, it's really funny, but when it's not it's just really stupid and offensive)
- Batman, Superman, Batman Beyond, Spiderman, X-Men (these are actually pretty good, especially Batman and Spiderman. It's really cool to see the catroon's take on everything. And the art direction in Batman Beyond is sweet)

And of course the classic old and really old cartoons like Bugs and Daffy and all them, Animaniacs, Pinky and the Brain, Popeye, Betty Boop and crazy way old cartoons, but I'll go into those another day cause this post is a long enough list already.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

Lame

This totally sucks. I don't know what the hel is going on, but all evening I have been feeling like total crap. Mostly I think it's that my blood sugars are being all haywire tonight for some reason, leading me to feel shitty and dehydrated and making me fall restlessly asleep at random intervals.
Screw this crap. I am having more insulin and going to bed.
This is all the blogging you get for now.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Shazam!

(not sure why the title is Shazam! really, just seemed like the thing to do)

Music: Santogold

Why won't this damned cold go away? I have avoided or just kicked the microscopic asses of all illnesses to come near me all winter and I always tell people that "I just don't get sick", which is basically true. I guess my body just fights off sickness really well, and I also take care of myself pretty well whenever I feel some sickness coming on. No medicine or any of that - I just get lots of rest, live off soup for a large part, drink buckets of fluids to drown the germs and just keep on with my normal life as usual. Oh.
There's your problem right there.
I felt something coming on friday evening, but instead of resting and taking it easy, I went off drinking and then waited in the cold for a bus for like 40 minutes. And then proceeded to go out and do stuff every day and night of the long weekend. Guess I know why I haven't kicked this cold yet.
Guess it's my fault.

.... screw that noise. Lets just blame someone else.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

The name is Tevlin... Arthur Tevlin... nah, not as impressive

Music: none (watching Quantum of Solace)

The Bond movies may be of of the greatest film franchises going. Seriously, I freaking love these movies. I am a fan of action movies. I like crime movies. I like conspiracy movies. I like movies filled with crazy gadgets. I like people making witty quips while fighting. I like movies set in Britain or focusing around brits. I love evil masterminds with huge elaborate take-over-and/or-destroy-the-world schemes (especially mad scientists).
Bond has all of these.
Sure, it has it's hits and misses and some of the guys playing Bond are not nearly as good as the others, but the thing as a whole is fantastic. Now, any time I would have a conversation with someone about who the best bond was, my answer would always be a very quick "Connery, of course. are you crazy? Who else could you pick." And I would usually vote Pierce Brosnan as second, followed possibly by Roger Moore.
With the most recent two, however, Daniel Craig has kicked the crap out of Brosnan and all the others, and with now having watched Quantum, I think that I have to reluctantly place him above Mr. Connery (sad though it may make me). I also totally love having Judy Dench as M. She is fantastic and Dench is amazind in everything.
Brosnan himself actually kind of bugs me in all of his movies, but everything else about them is so good that I place the Brosnan Bond movies so high despite not actually liking him much.

And especially above all, Sean Bean as Alec Trevalyan in GoldenEye is without a doubt the greatest Bond villain to date. I hope they do manage to surpass him someday, but I really doubt it.

He's just too much concentrated awesome.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Happy.. umm.. this needs a better name

Music: MF Doom

[the following takess place between the hours of 8 and 9, monday morning. Internet connection issues]

God bless newly created arbitrary holidays. This just seems like such a funny day. It was come up with what, last year? The year before? And I can't recall hearing if there was any reason given for coming up with it, other than just "we need a holidy in February, my good man" "well that's just a jolly splendid idea old chap" "quite. Let us go have some tea and biscuits now".
Aparently the Canadian government is still British. Not quite sure why that is, but can't really argue with the fevered rantings of my hands.
Still, not complaining - more holidays are always welcome. I am now of to go meet some of the guys for brunch downtown and a nice little family restaurant/diner called Daybreak. I thoroughly reccomend it. Especially the bagel with cream cheese and lox, or the old macdonalds farm omelet - piles and piles of bacon and sausage. I'm prolly going to get that. I feel in the mood for coffee and breakfast meats and some marmalade on toast, I believe.

om nom nom nom...

Sunday, February 15, 2009

You don't say... no, really

Music: Final Fantasy (the band, not the game)

So, I had this post planned that I was going to write here today (much earlier today, like yesterday almost), when a thought occured to me. Now, this doesn't happen very often, so I figured I should pay attention to it. It went thusly.
This blog is on the internet. Don't write this up here. any random people would see it.
Now this seemed quite a reasonable thought. Anything I write here is up on the interwebs and will stay here rolling around in the tubes out in plain view.
About two months ago, my wonderful Nana gave me and all the other Potts grandchildren (my mother's side of the family and the one I have the most contact with by far) each a nice daily agenda/diary/journal/what-have-you to write in. My Papa, her husband, used to keep one of these and wrote daily in them for several years. I have never been the journal keeping kind of person, but maybe I should be. For one thing, along with this blog, this gives me two seperate places to write in and give me at least a modicum of structure to hopefully keep me writting as much as possible. It also gives me a place to write rants or other more personal things that I would rather not have up her for all the internet crazies (no offense. well, maybe a little bit) to peruse.
Since I had recieved this book, I had not actually started to write in it. Until today when I had this thing that I had a need to write down and anchor it to a more concrete form, and the need to not place it here. So that goes into the book, and will I trust be joined in hopefully short order by other things. Writting will be split between here (which will remain daily) and the book which will daily have something, but as it is much more portable than a computer, will contain full-form writting, rough thoughts and ideas, and sketches (to hopefully help re-spark my drawing).
I posting that I wrote a rant, and then not posting it makes me tease, well then suck it up and quite whining. If you know me in person, the nask me and I might let you read the book, but for now it stays there.

And now we sleep for I have a brunch to go to at 10 tommorow. Latez.

Saturday, February 14, 2009

I just ate a reindeer

Music: Rilo Kiley

So, umm, yeah. Reindeer. The thought of it is kind of odd, mostly cause of the fact that we have such strong associations of childhood and santa connected to reindeer (eating santa would be weird - aside from the whole cannabalism angle, he'd prolly be really gristly). I mean, if you stop and think about it, it's really just another animal, but we have different attachments to different animals cause of previous events in life. I mean, if you grew up with a pet chicken I bet you probably wouldn't like eating chicken (or hell, maybe you'd like it more, who knows - people are messed up). And I have never even seen a reindeer, much less grown emotionally attached to one, but because of the saturation of santa storie in our culture aimed at children growing up, a love of reindeers is drilled into our minds.
But, hey, a finnish family who are friends of my dad's were visiting and we had brunch together and they had brought smoked reindeer with them among other things. And in Finland, noone thinks twice about eating reindeer. Other cultures, go figure. I bet they find many of out cultural quirks messed up. And good lord Canada is a strange place when looked at from the outside.
But we never notice it cause we live here. And so, I ate imported smoked reindeer for brunch.
And so, my Saturday got off to a strange start.

Friday, February 13, 2009

Dogs are stupid

Music: M.I.A. (yeah, I know, I am on an M.I.A. kick right now)

So, I just saw the funniest thing outside of my apartement coming home from work today. There was this woman walking a pair of little dogs. I don't think they were scotties, but whatever they were, it was a pair of shaggy little dogs on one of those leashes that is just one leash except for the last foor or two, so they are right next to each other. They're snuffling along doing doggy things when they come to a street pole and both walk past it.
On opposite sides of the pole.
They quickly reach they end of their awailiable leash and get yanked around the pole towards each other and then stop abruptly. And growl at each other. And then they just go at it.
So, I am standing there on the sidewalk, astounded at the sight of two shaggy little dogs just going crazy at each other, fighting and howling and, of course, tangling their leash up and wrapping it around the pole to the point that they are basically tied to the pole and each other, while this woman just stands there shocked.
She snaps out of it and pulls them apart and untangles the leash eventually, and the dogs calm down, but holy shit, it was funny to watch.

Well, I'm of to go drink my face off now.
Arthur out!

Oh. My God.

Music: M.I.A. (Paper Planes)

Okay, so this right here, this totally still counts as Thursday, right? Yeah, it does and the rest of you can all go get beaten with laser flowers if you don't like it. I can't believe I forgot to post last night (actually I definitely can), but I had been lying on my couch watching tv (well, computer, actually) and then fell asleep. And when I woke up at like 1 or so blogging was not even remotely on my mind - there was only sleep, food, pillows and for some reason tobogganing. Who knows.

So, anyways, what was I going to talk about yesterday... oh right, I couldn't think of anything to write about. That's why I was lying on the couch watching computer (and eating perogies). But I had just shortly before returned from getting concert tickets across town at rotate this (hmm.. prolly should have capitalized them.. oh well), so lets talk about concerts and by association, music.
I freaking love music, it's so fantastic. But live music (for most types, at least) is the best way to enjoy it. I love upbeat jump around music that you can dance to (as long as the crowd doesn't just stand around and not move *cough*mosttorontocrowds*cough*). I love really well played and melodic shows in seated theaters. I love crazy hyperactive moshing concerts (although mosh pits or the potential occurence of a mosh pit used to scare the ever-loving crap out of me. I used to be a really small guy and was afraid I'd get crushed). But mostly, I just plain love live music. It's the best way to see it - especially at outdoor shows - and you just feel not only more a part of the band and of the show and of the music, but there is an instant sense of comraderie with the crowd. Just the fact that you came here to this show cause you all love this music and have come to quietly enjoy the concert or to get crazy, jump around and fuck shit up - whatever the case may be.
Unless of course they are one of those lame crowds who go to rock shows and not only don't dance, but don't even move at all. Then everyone just feels awkward.

And as an apologie for being late with the post, have an awkward looking dinosaur.
Later Gators.



Wednesday, February 11, 2009

Curse you, fragile human biology!

Music: Rilo Kiley

Why, in the name of almighty Thor (or whoever the hell is in charge of the weather these days) is my apartement so gods damned hot? Seriously, I understand that it has become warmer (hence the rain), but it's not even mid February yet.
I get home from work today and the apartement is sweltering. So I go an turn my radiators off the remaining tiny fraction that I had them turned to during the cold snaps. It's still too hot. So, I open all of my windows up. Maybe this'll do something.
Hah, I can always dream I guess.
So I proceed to drink like 2 or 3 litres of cold water - not all at once, but over like an hour or two. No joy. This doesn't seem to do anything other than force me to go take a piss. Well, worth a try.
So, I am sitting here in my apartement, blogging in boxers (one of the primary reasons living alone rocks), and contemplating what the hell is causing this. Now either we are having a very unfeasibly hot heat wave (yeah, I know, possible, but unlikely), or else I think I just have a bit of a fever.
Well, given that everyone else at work has been sick a whole bunch (all winter, but especially right now), and that I was feeling all that great earlier today, I feel that this is probably just the form that my catching this flu is taking. All-in-all not too bad. Could be worse. Could be up-chucking right now.

Still, wish it wasn't so damned hot.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Graaaaghhrrrggg

Music: uuugghh, no music, why am I up?

Blah. So I do not get this. At all.
For thew past two days I have been waking up way earlier than I would like to, and then I go back to sleep for another bit and when I wake up it's still earlier than I'd like but there's no way I'd actually get any more rest at this point, so I should probably get up and start going about my day now.
.... I seem to have switched tense somewhere mid scentence over there. Well, screw you, grammar-nazis. I am tired tired.
Why did I just type that twice? Why did I write this scentence about a typo instead of just deleting it? And that one too. Gah! Stop doing this. No you stop. Shut up brain, I'll totally punch you, I control the hands. I am the hands!
POW!
Ow.

Dammit.

At least today I only woke up at 6:20, instead of like quarter to five like yesterday.

Monday, February 9, 2009

Walking

Music: Santogold

I discovered the other day that I am a fairly significant amount more overweight than I thought I was. I knew full well that I could stand to lose a few pounds (read: whole bunches). I love food and so eat a lot of it. And it is far easier (especially when cooking for one) to eat unhealthy food than to cook yourself a nice meal of stir fried tofu, veggies and whatever those crazy hippies are up to these days. And it is winter - ergo I do not have nearly as many simple ways to get daily exercise. So, due to all this I am overweight, out of shape and my cardio sucks big old monkey balls.
Just how it is.
I am not being all mopey and whiney and "oh I'm so fat and no one has ever really loved me in my whole... ooh, ice cream. nom nom nom nom...", I am just simply going through my current state of health and the basic reasons for it.
But as a start towards getting more regular exercise I planned to walk home from work instead of taking the bus from Broadview station, and as the weather and my fitness get better, to start walking larger and larger portions of it.
Now, as anyone who knows me can attest, I come up with ideas of "ooh, I should do this" or "I wish I could do that" or the ever popular "yeah, I've bee meaning to".
Lots of talk. Very little rock.
However in this case, there was some walk to go with the talk. So far I have done it 1 day out of one. Let's see how long I can keep this up before my mind wanders or I start making exceptions...
Latez.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

On the plus side, there's a pie in my fridge...

Music - Coconut Records

So, the other night I went out drinking with some friends. It was quite a splendid evening all round if I do say so myself. Well, I didn't so much "go out" as go to one of their apartements so that we could all drink our faces off.
And hang out.
And chat.
And listen to music.
And dance to said music.
It was quite a fun evening, but the problematic part didn't come until very shortly after I left.
Let's set the scene. It's about 3-something in the morning. I am walking to the bus-stop with one of the aforementioned friends. I am at least slightly drunk. And we are walking up a ramp which is covered in ice. I think you can guess where this is going. Or at least you think you can.
We get a fairway up okay, when I then completely bail. Well, I have quite a bit of experience with falling, and so I have become quite good at it, or at least at the whole falling but not hurting myself part. This usually involves throwing my arms out to break my fall, and this all went fine.
Except my hand was in my pocket.
..... yeah, that's your problem right there.
I managed to not hurt myself, but in the process, punched my fist right through side of my coat.
Riiiiiiiiiiiip
I sewed it up, but it still looks a little odd (I am not a very good sewer.... seamster.... needleguy?) and I will probably just end up buying a new coat.

Dammit.

At least I have pie.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

it's not even a big deal

So, good lord. I have made a blog. I have always avoided getting one, but largely due to Krista ( http://www.kristaskene.blogspot.com/) starting one to get a place to put things up and get some practice and structure for writing, I cracked and made this. Well, this is all not entirely true. I had a livejournal some years back that I would use to post things I had drawn. So this is not really the first one.
Anyways, this is here now and I at the moment have very little idea what I will actually put up here. We shall see, though.

Dammit.