Author: Allegra

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

Ain’t it the truth

Nerd party.

Been to parties like that.

Had a very pleasant conversation with a former coworker today.  Man, if there is anything funnier than taking a return authorization for a refurbished product when the person you’re giving the return authorization to DESIGNED the product, it doesn’t exist in the tech world.  AND we’re getting together for beers next week.  I love the guy, but as much as he likes me, it isn’t THAT way.  And I wish it was.  He’s the nicest, funniest, smartest, classiest, techiest, artiest and bestest cookingest guy evar.  Cute too, at least by my standards.  One time, he made country style French apple pie when he had me and Paul over for dinner, and Paul and I were still making “Wasn’t that a pie!?” comments six months later.  And he cooked us Pad Thai once, too.  Mmmmmm.

My kind of crazy.  From Fark.

It’s the strangest thing.  I could not get my new TV to play DVDs back in colour no matter how hard I tried.  It’s amazing what happens when you actually put the connectors in the right jacks.  All is good now.  You know what did it?  I couldn’t STAND the idea of watching House without seeing Hugh Laurie’s blue eyes.  He’s so incredibly yummy….

I now have the complete Asterix and Tin Tin comics.  Long live digital media.  I heart Obelix. I remember when the kids were little, and somebody said something supremely obvious, we’d all yell, “Does TinTin have a COWLICK??? Does Captain Haddock have a DRINKING PROBLEM???” and then we’d fall about laughing.

nautilus3’s radiation treatments have started.  She’s about a quarter of the way through.  Her continuing good humour is a great comfort to me.  Life is still good!

Cats in an exercise wheel.  I love Bengals.

Work work work

I used to have a picture of Kung Fu Mike, figleafed by a laptop but otherwise starkers, which had that title.  I suspect it’s on the old computer back at Planet Bachelor; I must recover it at some point.

I had a very productive day yesterday, having drawn some of my bile during my long conversation with Patricia, and then I had a very pleasant evening with one half of the Minions of Loki, since we ate at the Penny, which is more or less halfway between her place and mine on Hastings.  The Penny is the very model of a Chinese greasy spoon.  I had sufficiency of leftovers for another two meals, yay.

I need help from a Mac geek to figure out why I am having problems with making my RAR or avi files run.  I suspect a compression issue.

Saturday is the company Christmas party…. Katie K and I are going.  She is planning on wearing a dress and getting an updo, which is a lot like saying Eddie Izzard has given up on high heels.  I am trying to figure out how I’m supposed to acquire a second hand tux between now and then; I think it’s more likely I’ll just wear what I wore last year.  It makes me look immensely fat and I have to take the whole thing off to take a whiz, but it’s comfy and dressier than what I normally sport… as Catherine once remarked, “Oh, Allegra, you dress like a grad student” which, considering I was raised by grad students, seems no stretch.  As for the tux, I can picture the William Hamilton cartoon with a woman sporting a tux with no difficulty, which is probably why, besides the expense, I am resisting.  There are apparently going to be Engineers in Tuxes at the Christmas (oh hell, the Company Holiday Cheer) party.  The following Saturday we’ll be going to Katie K’s company holiday buntoss, the biggest difference being there are TWO free drink tokens, and people will be bringing dogs.  I am OBVIOUSLY working for the wrong company.

Daughter Katie’s 19th passed without incident; Dax gave her a handmade plaque with her name on it, so it sounds like he was doing something to improve the shining hour while she was gone.

It’s been quite frosty up here in the mornings; walking to work has been an adventure.

By copy to Chipper, on the subject of Christmas songs, have you ever heard Dominic the Donkey? I think you have to be Italian to be familiar with it; Gianna at work exposed me to it and now I can’t get the little beggar out of my head.  It’s all about how Santa has to deliver prezzies with a donkey because reindeer cannot climb ‘the hills of I-ta-ly!’.  It was a new one on me.

Saturday will be a busy busy day for me, because the Dunnettfolk will be Spitting over at Jan’s that day.  And Spits, as I must explain, are the names those events where Dunnett fans gather and eat and talk and drink and show slides of their trips to Dunnett places (like Iceland and the Orkneys and the west coast of Africa and Cairo and the Crimea and Russia and Bruges).  My father’s eyes glazed over at gather.

Tasteless captions and other stuff

Patricia was over last night.  I tried to feed her, but she resisted!  Garn!  Instead we drank plunty beerz.  And whined.  She has less to whine about than I do, at least in the boy department.  Tonight I see one of the Minions of Loki, and we’ll probably whine like the whiny whiners we are.

Herewith tasteless captions (link removed for security). Not all of them are funny, but there are some gems in there.

Feast your eyes on the pictures

Science and other pics.

Last night I had the privilege of introducing Mike McG to Katie K and it’s always a pleasure to introduce two smart funny nice people to each other…. then Mike had to split and Katie and I hung out.  As always, she inspires me to actually COOK so I made…. ta da!  Tortillas, with tex mex seasoned meat, cheddar cheese, red pepper, purple onion, romaine lettuce, tomato and cucumber.  I was under the impression that you had to have a cast iron pan to cook said tortillas, and was pleased that non stick pans work just as well.  I’ve only had that bad of corn flour for two months, it was about time I cracked it open.  Then, evil creature that I am, I said, and for the first time since I moved in – there’s chocolate ice cream in the fridge!  I sure know how to haves me some fun.

Except that I am now migraining.  I’ve popped two T3s and I’m about to get some coffee, but I learned in the DR that if I think happy thoughts and stand up straight, I can actually get rid of a migraine before it starts to hurt.  This morning’s visual sign – it’s different every time because I have (wtf else) ‘atypical’ migraines – was a question mark made of accordioning rainbows which occupied the right upper portion of my visual field before dancing ceilingward and vanishing.

Weird you want, weird you get….

The first thing I watched on my new used TV was Happy Feet from King of Jazz.

Polish taser victim

The more I hear and read about the international incident which ended in the death of a legal immigrant from Poland, the more disgusted and angry I am.  He’s being buried today in Kamloops.
Here’s the email address of the mother’s lawyer. waltk@te-law.com

And check this out the Chair of the Commission for Public Complaints Against the RCMP has initiated a complaint against the RCMP, and did so on November 8th.   So the watchdog is digging in as well.
I will be emailing the lawyer to ask if I can crosspost a link regarding where to send money to support her efforts to get redress from the RCMP and those incompetent louts at YVR. Man, would YOU like to not speak English and come through Vancouver Airport now???

RIP Robert Dziekanski.

Photos from Dominican Republic trip – part 1

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We woke up the first morning to this view.

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Our room

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Swords at the museum

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Katie in the water

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Katie took this lizard pic – only saw one other lizard that colour.

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More beach at the Barcelo Capella

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Beach at Saona Island. The water was an unbelievable colour. The whole day was like living in a dream.

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The cave at Tres Ojos

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A turtle which came and checked us out at Tres Ojos cave

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This woodpecker came out in the rain and had a meal next to our hotel room.

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Look, I’m having fun in the water at the Barcelo Capella.

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Exceedingly cool mural detail from the National Pantheon in la Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo

home again home again

I will mention with great brevity how the return trip was fourteen different shades of dark horrible in terms of discomfort (but not safety or efficacy) and then mention that in practical terms, I have to spend today with my feet up. I didn’t get swelling of the ankles like this during a summer pregnancy in Toronto; I can barely get into the most comfy shoes I have. Since nothing else has happened to me except my return, I’ll leave it at that. I’ll post pics once I crop the best ones.