Author: Allegra

Born when atmospheric carbon was 316 PPM. Settled on MST country since 1997. Parent, grandparent.

Singing and playing

Off to Tom and Peggy’s yestreen for Roast Beast and Many, Many Vegetables, and then singing.  We started with the Tapioca Song, and blessedly, got better from there.  We even sang Barrett’s Privateers, also Frobisher Bay, Columbus Stockade Blues, I sang “Junk Drawer” a capella, and of course I’ll Fly Away.  Peggy has TWO standup basses right now while Patrick is in Europe touring. Don’t you find that a beautiful kind of excess?

Bjork and Moomins.  Great combo; crazy spooky wildly creative elf-inflected northerners.

I’m 51 today.  Mike and a bunch of the gang from the old Statpower days are taking me out for drinkypoos at the Mountain Shadow.  I am so looking forward to seeing the folks.  Jeff greeted me on my 16th birthday by playing 16 Candles from the American Graffitti soundtrack first thing in the morning…. I have a distinct recollection of being blasted out of bed by it, but then again my distinct recollections turn to sand the second I try to build something on them.  I also recollected it was snowing that morning.

Unbelievable wind and rain right now.  It’s November in Vancouver, all right.

I really wish I’d started taking Vitamin D earlier.  It’s virtually impossible for me to feel depressed or anxious when I’m taking it on a regular basis.

Chipper, your gift of that stripey orange shirt is being appreciated by new people every week.

Tammy is in Venice and elsewhere in Europa.  She sounds like she’s having a wonderful time.

Saturday Science Roundup

Visual of the spiral of Earth’s geology.

Be careful how much selenium you supplement with. Here, here and here.

AAAS October science roundup. Some fascinating stuff in there about what may prove to be a pathogen link to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, water on the moon, and various modes of wealth transmission.

Not exactly science, but funny.

This one is pretty funny too, and it definitely references science.

The technology of pranks improves every year.

Math to help you get laid???? Where do I sign up?  (25 minute documentary, which I’m posting a link to after watching half of it).

Wallabies on drugs make… crop circles.

Wretched weather

According to Vancouverite, there has been a surge in the deaths due to swine flu in Ontario.  Stay well, all my Ontario kith and kin.

The weather is horrid. The wind was rattling the plastic siding last night; it sounded like a large and uncomfortable animal scrabbling around in the wall right next to my ear.

Katie is supposed to be back from her business trip today.  Two weeks ago she wasn’t working and now she’s travelling on business. Bizarre.  I hope for a full report soon.

Yesterday I did a lot of laundry and shifted things around and took up the curtain in the entertainment room and played with Miss Margot (she really likes the thunder tube).  Jeff brought the cat furniture upstairs earlier this week and the cats are very happy to have their perch back in the window.  Now we have to figure out how to re-cover it.

The crossover CSI-NY-Miami-Vegas episode we watched was so gruesome, and so disturbing, that I’m not surprised folks we know are reporting that it’s giving them trouble sleeping.  The episode was about human trafficking.  There are more slaves alive today than ever in human history.  It’s a horrible thing to think about; worse is knowing that there are very likely sex slaves walking distance from my house.  Here’s a link to information about human trafficking in  BC.

I have Keith/Jeff’s cold.  I thought it was going away but it’s hanging about.  Given that I have a dinner to go to tomorrow (the place the church is now located is holding a fundraiser to pay for the roof, and we kinda sorta have to show our flag (at $50 a pop, which I will get refunded)) I am really hoping it just goes away.