Monday, February 28, 2005

Play the Peace Doves Game...

Kinda fun, and you'll learn a little, too.

Check out the nobelprize.org site. Lots of interesting stuff to read and the games are pretty neato.

Sunday, February 27, 2005

I'm cukoo for shirley temples...

It's true...I've been sucking Shirley T's back like there's a grenadine shortage.

So, these days, after two Strongbow I start pontificating like...well...the pope.

Sans the trach tube.

This is why I no longer go out drinking with work people. Luckily, my drinking was limited to two ciders and it was mostly bumf that heard me...no harm done. But if it were 5 and I was talking to others....well...

Anyway...

I'm moving.

Totally excited, too.

I finally got up the courage to tell my mother I was shackin' up with my super duper loverboy and after a 2 hour experience that was the conversational equivalent of a pap smear, I feel like I'm all set. I'm an only child..my parents have a HUGE influence on my life. Quit buggin' me.

Actually, for the first time in a situation like this, I feel like I handled things like a mature and healthy adult.

Good girl, Himbly.

So...in a couple of days I'll be giving my notice here and packin' to move to his apartment. And not a minute too soon, I might add. I've had trouble with asshole neighbours and their parking and just last night there was another 'domestic dispute' next door and the cops had to come at 4am. This happened to the last people who lived there.

Must be all the Oz we've been watching. Maybe they can hear it through the walls.

Wednesday, February 23, 2005

Global Blogger Action Day

Free Mojtaba and Arash Day

Please check out the Committee to Protect Bloggers site. There but for the grace of god go any of us.

Monday, February 21, 2005

rethinking


rethinking
Originally uploaded by himbly.
We rented the 4th season of Oz...

...and I've realized how much I overlooked while pontificating about the goodness vs badness of mankind.

My first mistake is to define anything like that at all. But, I think it's part of the human condition to try to make sense of all...

*waving hands around*

...this.

The point I was overextending earlier was this. We look at how people act in different cultures and situations and tend to judge them with the tools our own experiences have given us. We, as middle class Canadians, are largely not equiped to judge actions taken by people in such different conditions than the ones we live in.

But...there is simply evil acts performed by evil people. Here, there, all over the dang place. Why? Who knows...

I'll think about it.

Hunter, we barely knew ye...

Death of another cultural icon.

Hitchens' words here.

Saturday, February 19, 2005

close call

I just missed this by twelve years.

Whew.

Thursday, February 17, 2005

Stag O'Lee was a bad man


bad man
Originally uploaded by himbly.
I've been thinking lately about good and evil.

I've especially been pondering, over my chocolate milk, whether human beings are innately good and learn to do evil things or are innately evil and learn to do good things.

Of course...like all things...it's both and it's neither. Damn enigmatic universe.

But...how to squish it into my hard little skull in a way I can understand?

From what I've seen of this world (which, frankly, 32 years is not that long to have looked around and come up with any real answer) there really isn't as many ~evil~ people out there as there is regular people backed into a corner. Desperation brings the average Joe to commit the most evil acts. So does insanity, but that's a whole other kettle of fish. Terrorists, often, are people who feel they have no alternative...that they have no other choice but to fight the only way they can against someone who's far stronger than they are. Insurgents are doing what they can to keep fighting for what ~they~ believe is right. In the case of Iraq, it just happens we (in the western world) don't agree with them. That doesn't make them evil...it makes them scared. Think about the change their country is undertaking. Change, as we all know, is frightening when, say, we're changing careers or our clothing style. Imagine what this change feels like to someone who's life has been determined by a man in the US deciding it was time...and sends in troops to prove it. The acts of the insurgents have been evil but the people performing them are terrified (and seen violence brought to them) and feel there is no other course. We all know they'd get creamed if they even stopped for a second to ~think~ about 'playing fair'.

(...while writing this, I'm considering the questions, "Is Bush and evil man? Is Bin Ladan? Is Hussain? Was Hitler?" and the answer is 'I don't know'. Well, I mean, of course I don't. All have made evil decisions...but I it's far beyond me to declare if an individual were to be evil or not. Yup...I think the wisest thing here is to leave individuals out of it, no matter how tempting it would be...)

Even so, there plainly are evil people out there. It's often the job of evil people to reign in the confused ones, so they can be found sometimes in positions of power. And really, I'm sure we've all met someone who's just plain mean to the core. Not 'rebels'...not the typical brawlers and hooligans you see at the bar...but the ones you've met that you know haven't had one thought as to the wellbeing of anyone else ever. I'm thinking of a girl I used to know in high school who's life's work revolved around making others miserable. If that girl is the same person now...she is f-ing evil.

However, I'm the same person that marvels over the average person's behaviour during different stages of anonymity. Have you noticed how the internet can really bring the a-hole out in someone? It is more comfortable to be meaner in an email than it is the phone....and more the phone than in person. In person you have to really be angry to be mean to them...as mean as you would be behind your computer. And even then, you can be meaner to a stranger than to someone you know.

(Of course, we all know that we can all be super mean to the people we love the most, but that's not anonymity, that's just knowing they will accept you for who you are.)

So..what's that all about? I've had people give me the finger in cars that I ~know~ would't do it if they had to talk to me face to face about the same incident. And I'm not particularly scary. Why, then? The more anonymous, the less chance you'll have to suffer repercussions...so we go ahead and do it.

Where does that all sit in the humans = good vs humans = evil debate? Because even though most people will mouth the words 'fuck you' to the guy in the car in front of them or type furiously that someone 'can't get laid' in an internet chatroom, I would be hard pressed to call it all 'evil'.

Perhaps we're all innately selfish?

Perhaps we're all caught up in our own heads and we really have to work to understand other people.

That would make sense. As babies all we do is think about ourselves. We wake our parents at all hours to get what we want and when we want it. Our mothers could be suffering a nervous breakdown while we want a cookie and unless we're ~taught~ to give a crap, we won't.

So..maybe that's it. We're just all born selfish.

That would explain why my neighbour is an asshole when he parks.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005

An open letter to Heavy Metal...

I was reading the most recent issue of Rolling Stone magazine yesterday.

They had a short interview with Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue fame.

Eff off!

I am SO tired of ancient ex-partier rockers in their leathers STILL on about how damn hardcore they are.

Nikki was lamenting the situation popular music is in. He asked where the Johnny Rottens were? The Joey Ramones? The Ozzys? He wondered who was going to get out there and 'wave their dicks'.

(I'm paraphrasing here because the article isn't in front of me. I remember he said Johnny Rotten, but I think I can fill in the rest even if he didn't use ~those~ particular names.)

Anyway...last I checked they (the ~same guys~) were ~still~ waving their crusty and old dicks during their last 'reunion' tour. Or they died trying.

If you want a new breed of rock and roller to explode onto the scene and take their place in the rock and roll legacy...move over! And while you're at it, here's some eye lotion and baby powder for the chaffing those leather pants are bound to have caused after all these years. You've grown up now...or at least you should have. And stop trying to sound super hard by relating over and over how many drugs you ~used~ to do! Yes, I'm talking to you Velvet Revolver. If you're going to play music, then play music. But -for the love of Christ- shut up or at least say ~something~ new while you're doing it. Anything that doesn't start with, 'oh fuck, I fucking can't believe I'm still fucking alive, maaaan....'.

And...as a personal favour...please don't tell me about your ex-porn star wife and her 'abilities'. 'Cause Tommy wrecked it for you and now it all sounds like, 'awww..fuck, Pam...you're so fucking hot'.

But if you're not going to do that, please don't whine and moan that there just simply is no one out there to replace you. Why would they want to? Why would they try? You're still here! You're still here pleading with your audience to remember you the way you ~were~ so you don't feel so ridiculous up there while you're sober. Ahh...you don't look as good as you thought you did under the influence, hey? Well, don't feel too bad. It worked for you in the 80s.

And another hint for aging rock stars: It's hard to take you seriously after we've seen you strutting (or stuttering, in some cases) your stuff on a reality TV show. Try to grow older with a bit of dignity.

Monday, February 14, 2005

In response to Bumf's Book Blog challenge...

Excerpt from Bumf's book blog post:

1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
5. Don’t search around and look for the “coolest” book you can find. Do what’s actually next to you.


HAHAHAHA...okay, this is my bf's book but it's the closest to me:

From the World of Warcraft Official strategy guide:

*ahem*

"Consecrates your weapon, inflicting 80 to 112 additional damage on your next attack. All damage caused is considered holy damage"

Geeky enough for y'all??

Friday, February 11, 2005

and other gay penguins....


and other gay penguins....
Originally uploaded by himbly.
Effing YEAH!

check this:

slippery

I heard about it on As It Happens coming back from Safeway this evening and simply ~had~ to tell you about it.

I ~love~ these moments because you can take THAT 'it's-an-abomination-ists'! Plus, I think the thought of 6 male penguins humping each other is really cute.

I think I'll go hang outside my apartment and kiss a girl if one walks by (and if you've seen the people walking by my apartment at 10:40 on a Friday, ~that~ would be a funny joke).

Thursday, February 10, 2005

Scandal

I am in the midst of this article on the Vatican and it's financial dealings. It's very interesting and I'll try to comment on it when I'm finished but as it is it reads like the book of Genesis...so many names and their connections to other names.

Who knows when I'll finish...thought I'd post the link now.

Haunted? What's haunted?


ghost
Originally uploaded by himbly.
Firstly, disclaimer:

I will never see Ghost in my lifetime. The only possible way I would watch that movie is if I enter some after-death mental-torture punishment facility in which I am bound to a pointy chair and continually shown Patrick Swayze movies. Honestly, I don't think I'm capable of doing anything so evil -so diabolical- as to deserve it.

Ghosts, though.

I'm smart enough not to believe in them.

I'm also smart enough to know I don't know what the eff I'm talking about half the time.

So...ghosts.

I have two jobs. One excruciating day job, one fun weekend/night job. The fun takes place in an old theatre. It was originally built as a garage in the 1920s but became a theatre some time in the early 1930s. Living in a city that most North Americans consider 'new', the building that houses the theatre is considered by most of us to be ancient. A European would look at it as something that sprouted overnight, but we're not in Europe and there it is.

Since my little theater is roughly 80 years old, of course there's gonna be stories...creepy stories. I mean, truthfully, it's a creepy building. Having had the marrow chilling and sphincter gripping pleasure of prowling around the basement with my coworkers...and dude, there's like, extra rooms we found down there hidden by secret doors...I can understand why people would want to tell 'em.

But I'm starting to wonder what rumours matches with what.

There's two entries. One entry goes up to a group of offices. One set of offices used to be an apartment and I've had patrons tell me that they used to live there. Another entry takes you up to the projection booth and a small, frankly disgusting, little bathroom that I share with 3 men. Believe me, it's no picnic in the park when I have to powder my nose.

There's talk among the staff these days of a suicide that apparently occured in said bathroom many many years ago. The rumour's source is a woman that I ~deeply~ respect (as she was the mentor to ~my~ mentor) so I'm not about to be pointing fingers, growling "LIAR" any time soon. However, I'm not entirely convinced this wasn't a prank designed to freak the shit out of a certain young lady we used to have the pleasure of working alongside. 'Cause I know ~I've~ tried but started laughing halfway through.

I do miss her. She was a great little girl who's now gone on to UBC.

But that's not the point of my post...the girl or the suicide.

I've been scouring the internet lately on any story of a ghost at the Plaza Theatre. I have read, heard, or had discussions about a benign female 'presence' in the theatre for years now. Not regularly, but occassionally...and from very different sources. It's always the same story, too. Nothing special...no one was rushed by shrieking harpies...just that she's ~there~.

Again...I don't believe in this stuff. But I challenge any of you to be there alone at midnight with the lights off and not have the slightest paranormal thought. Or even during the day...it's bloody dark. 'Cause I have and you can freak yourself out veeerrryyy easily. So, don't judge me. Dang.

But I can't find anything about it anywhere. Someone's got to have said something to someone who has access to the web, doncha think?

Anyway...that's my story. Oh, and as an interesting side note, in researching my little theatre, I ended up finding out that the building that houses my day job is actually built right on top of the original site of the Prince House. The Prince House has now been moved to Heritage park but is considered itself to be haunted. Interesting, I thought.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Ow


shinsplints
Originally uploaded by himbly.
sucks

Moral Matrix

as soon as I can figure out how to post the results for this properly, my cut/paste job will have to do.

Your Score

Your scored -2 on the Moral Order axis and 1 on the Moral Rules axis.

Matches

The following items best match your score:
System: Socialism
Variation: Moderate Socialism
Ideologies: Social Democratism
US Parties: Democratic Party
Presidents: Jimmy Carter (90.12%)
2004 Election Candidates: John Kerry (86.02%), Ralph Nader (82.32%), George W. Bush (59.25%)

Statistics

Of the 29876 people who took the test:
1.1% had the same score as you.
22.7% were above you on the chart.
70.5% were below you on the chart.
48.1% were to your right on the chart.
27% were to your left on the chart.

"Jimmy Carter?? That's history's biggest monster!"

Actually, I prefer a smaller government than this makes me seem. At least I ~think~ I do...maybe not.

And thanks Bumf for the quiz.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Can someone buy this guy a KitKat?

Viktor Yushchenko's mother died yesterday. He just ~cannot~ get a break.
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