9/09/2004
Rainy Day
I like a good rainy day every once in a while. Thunder is welcome and lightening is fine. I especially like a good rolling storm while a sleep. A rumble and the rain patter. It's been raining since sometime in the night and it's going to keep going until evening according to the weather news. Fine. Just no floods please. At least I live on a hill. I have some incense burning for the woody ambience and edith piaf is singing on the radio, low lights, quite romantic except I'm working. At least I was. Okay back to the other machine.
Belated Birthday
I saw at Gnatterings that it is T's birthday which reminded me that I had meant to post this birthday pic for my sister Becky who was born Sept. 07 1967.
9/08/2004
Long Day - Poor Little Tree With Your Broken Spine
Oh what a long day. Solved some work problems though which is great. I attended the general assembly meeting this evening for the local Amnesty International group. What hadn't occurred to me was that being both the national headquarters of AI and the national capital means some very intensive activities take place. I felt a bit overwhelmed listening to them discuss working with the National Gallery approaching MPs and NGO's I think this is going to be a very stimulating group. One of the founding members of group 56 told me that the heyday for general interst in AI had peaked in the 1980's with South Africa and Eastern Europe concerns as well as the wars in Central America. Not that there aren't concerned people she said but that the focus seemed to be with the anti-globalization movement now. I'm comfortable with this group and there were quite a few new people joining tonight. In other news some poor sod broke the sapling out front. Likely some drunken frosh, they are everywhere this week. That's what I get for living so close to the University I guess. I'd like to lie down and read but the reading lamp is *u*k*d.
9/07/2004
The Latest Searches
Every once and I while (like tonight when I'm bored silly) I take a peek at what searches brought people to the Glob and Wail. An interesting bunch lately:
| 01 Sep, Wed, 12:31:46 | Google: the glob and wail |
| 01 Sep, Wed, 15:21:02 | Google: glob |
| 02 Sep, Thu, 12:01:50 | Yahoo: maureen o'dowd |
| 02 Sep, Thu, 14:05:16 | Google: the glob |
| 03 Sep, Fri, 10:41:37 | Google: glob |
| 03 Sep, Fri, 11:54:30 | Yahoo: old lumberjack tools |
| 03 Sep, Fri, 21:56:54 | Google: legosland |
| 04 Sep, Sat, 14:55:04 | Google: "beautiful montreal women" |
| 05 Sep, Sun, 03:02:35 | Yahoo: "mountain sanitorium" |
| 05 Sep, Sun, 15:48:39 | Google: essex county sanitorium torture |
| 05 Sep, Sun, 22:02:56 | Google: what is a glob |
| 06 Sep, Mon, 19:27:26 | Google: essex county sanitorium torture |
| 06 Sep, Mon, 19:43:51 | Google: King Leopold + modern humanitarianism |
| 07 Sep, Tue, 02:56:12 | MSN Search: i love james macdougall |
| 07 Sep, Tue, 04:07:34 | Google: "mike's amazing world of dc comics" |
| 07 Sep, Tue, 12:00:49 | Google: "Closing the Cottage" |
| 07 Sep, Tue, 21:17:30 | Google: Paul Harvey Riddle |
| 07 Sep, Tue, 22:19:28 | Google: "Letterman" AND "Yawning boy" |
Poisoning Peoples Pets
Word in the park is that somebody has been poisoning dogs. Two this week had to go to the vet and they extracted bread with anti-freeze in it. There was a similar case in Toronto last year and this year in Goderich, Could it be the Greek Olympic Commitee at work? In all seriousness it's cowardly and dangerous. One of the dog group that meets daily talked to the police who have been monitoring the park and they gave us a number to call if we see anyone "suspicious" although that's a tough call to make.
I haven't touched on too many political/social issues here for a while. In part this because there isn't much point in flogging a dead horse. However I was surprised to discover that in the last year or so 1.3 million Americans joined the ranks of the nouveau poor. Yes over one million people slid into poverty under my dear friend G W's watch. That creates a grand total of around 35.9 million or aproximately the population of Canada. Maybe the Democrats should be flogging this horse to death (no offence to horses) or perhaps they have been but whose listening. After all it's much more important to know that John Kerry plans to arm America's forces with spit balls. Ands what this I hear about purple heart band-aids at the Republican COnvention in New York, and this from the party that claims exclusive support for US troops?
9/06/2004
Name Games
This Rum and Monkey site has got it all. I'm missing valueable sleep, but how can I resist the Pirate name Generator
or the Celtic and Gaelic Name Generator (uh wait a minute my last name already is MacDougall, oh well).
My pirate name is Capt'n Jack Daniels the Small.
Take Ahoy! The Pirate Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.
or the Celtic and Gaelic Name Generator (uh wait a minute my last name already is MacDougall, oh well).
My Gaelic name is Ainmire Dougall.
Take Celtic and Gaelic Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.
Montreal Trip
Sophie's eye surgery went well but she waited until Sunday to go back to Boston which means I didn't have time to go. It was fun in Montreal (as always) but I'm tired. It was great on Thursday night to be back in my old bar and to have everyone come out. It felt pretty sweet. Annick has a new job and will be moving into a new apartment in two weeks so she was really feeling up. Alefia and Norbert got married in a civil ceremony and will have the religious ceremony in Toronto. Norbert is converting to Islam for the occassion and is required to grow a beard. Seriously. It's all for Alefia's parents.
Andy and Jocelyne are getting married this month as well but will be eloping so no party, no family, just a couple of friends.
One thing noticed in Montreal is how bad the roads are, how dirty it is and how polluted the air can be. I never really felt that was the case living there. I guess it's relative to what your used to. In any case I'm not dumping on the city. I love it dearly and will be going back often.
Andy and Jocelyne are getting married this month as well but will be eloping so no party, no family, just a couple of friends.
One thing noticed in Montreal is how bad the roads are, how dirty it is and how polluted the air can be. I never really felt that was the case living there. I guess it's relative to what your used to. In any case I'm not dumping on the city. I love it dearly and will be going back often.
Meteor
On Saturday night we were sitting on the balcony and I saw a meteor race across the sky it was an incredibly bright yellow streak with orange around the edge of the head. It seemed to split into two but it was so sudden it's hard to say. Anyway I took it as a good omen. A few summer's ago I saw an even more spectacular one at the cottage it burned green and stretched from one end of the sky to the other. My brother-in-law saw it as well otherwise I might have doubted what I saw. Neither of these were little shooting star blips which you see alot in August, but big bright streaks.
9/05/2004
Me Bad
Which Evil Criminal are You?
A Rum and Monkey crime.
Which Horrible Affliction are you?
A Rum and Monkey disease.
Thanks to Leslie for pointing these out
9/02/2004
Beginning to See the Light
Sophie came out of surgery a while ago and is now have a check-up to see that it all went well. They sliced her cornea while she was conscious and then replaced it with the new shape to correct her vision. She has to wear Terminator sun-glasses for five days and has four different kind of drops. She's doing fine. They gave her a sedative that I would really like to try. Seems very relaxing. No TV, reading etc for a few days.
New Vision
Right now I'm in the waiting room of Lasik MD while Sophie is undergoing laser surgery to correct her vision. She has been quite stressed about the entire thing but feels that it will be worth it in the long run. I am actually allowed to watch the surgery but opted not to for her sake.
It's amazing how many people are here today. I'd say at least 50 people are in this lounge/waiting room with internet, TV an aquarium, cookies... It's pretty relaxing for me. Ishouldn't hog this terminal. Tonight's the big gathering at Verres Boutailles. I am so excited to see everyone. Ciao.
It's amazing how many people are here today. I'd say at least 50 people are in this lounge/waiting room with internet, TV an aquarium, cookies... It's pretty relaxing for me. Ishouldn't hog this terminal. Tonight's the big gathering at Verres Boutailles. I am so excited to see everyone. Ciao.
8/31/2004
Orbits
an encouraging sign that planets are plentiful and varied in the galaxy
I'm going back to Montreal to see Annick, Estelle, Francois, Alefia, Norbert, Pierre-Yves, Isabelle, Andy, Jocelyn Krish and Sophie. I'm meeting fondly familiar faces at the Verres Boutailles at 7:00pm onward. I do miss that neighbourhood sometimes but as I pack I'm realizing that it's just down the road and I like where I've moved to. I'm really looking forward to going back to Boston too. It's a fun city. So I finished my sideburn today but won't mail it until I get back.
I'm going back to Montreal to see Annick, Estelle, Francois, Alefia, Norbert, Pierre-Yves, Isabelle, Andy, Jocelyn Krish and Sophie. I'm meeting fondly familiar faces at the Verres Boutailles at 7:00pm onward. I do miss that neighbourhood sometimes but as I pack I'm realizing that it's just down the road and I like where I've moved to. I'm really looking forward to going back to Boston too. It's a fun city. So I finished my sideburn today but won't mail it until I get back.
Blocks
I've been trying to put together a new template for rocket-booster but I'm having graphic block. What I don't have is writer's block. I'm going to start back into the novel tonight. Can I be disciplined and write one hour each morning and revise for one hour each evening. Yes of course I can, I wrote a 200 page thesis after all and this is much more engaging. Will I? When I started the novel I wrote every morning for two hours for a period from May through November. The next spring I wrote sporadically and then the summer of 2002 I started this blog. That's about the same time the writing slowed down. Coincidence?
Little Lu
It's been a late night. I've been juggling catching up on various projects while playing with photoshop. Luna said goodbye to her first dog friend today, Puppy. Puppy is a greyhound/german shepherd. We met him and Marita in the park about a month ago, but they leave tomorrow to start a new life in St. Catherines. Actually Luna kind of hated Puppy. She would chase him and whine for his toy which he never let go of. Still she always seemed to smile when she saw him and they walked home together happily enough.There were about twenty dogs playing in the park today. I think Luna had a blast.
