You are the Sunshine in my Ass

For those of you who don't know, the Canadian Organic Regulations came into force last week. This is the logo they picked for Organic foods in Canada:

It looks like the sun rising behind a set of buttocks. Maybe the implication is that if I eat Canadian Organic, I'll shit sunshine.

On a more serious note, these regulations mean that there's actually a framework and legitimacy behind the word 'organic' w.r.t. foods in Canada. When you walk into Loblaws now, you can be a little more confident that the produce labelled 'organic' actually meets the legal definition of 'organic.'

That said, I'll try not to make as much fun of organic food as much as I used to. Actually, belay that; I'll wait until I see some enforcement action before I check my skepticism.

Rebel update: My tomato plant has contracted bugs from my mint plant. I might need to euthanize the plants.

-d

Beer League

Played ultimate frisbee last night with beer. It was crazy fun. The objective of the game was to catch and throw one-handed without spilling the beer. It was challenging at first, but the more you drink, the easier it gets.

It's amazing how fast you get drunk when you add cardio and alcohol together. I got pretty buzzed after two beers and was mildly drunk after 4. The effect lasted a good 2 hours, but I crashed after the effect wore off.

Finished the night off at Joon's for some tabletop cooking. Every table in the restaurant ordered the tabletop cooking. I rarely see people in there who eat anything else. Our extras for the night: rice cake, cheese, noodles.

I really needed some sleep last night but it was so uncomfortably hot and muggy, I couldn't stop sweating. So, I had to keep drinking water because I felt so dehydrated. I left the door to my room open to promote ventilation, but it didn't help much. It just seems like my room is cursed with being the warmest in the house.

-d

Office ecology

Rebel update:

My coworkers and I have started our very own departmental vegetable garden, in defiance of company policy prohibiting personal plants and animals.

We just potted our first tomato plant, alongside some basil (apparently the basil will make the tomatos taste better).

We also have some mint growing in a separate pot.

Now, we'll actually be able to use the compost that I make under my desk (also in defiance of company policy).

In other news, I opened a ticket with IT to have OLG.ca unblocked so that we can check our departmental lottery numbers.

-d

No Poo

So the no-poo campaign has started to hit the mainstream fan. Or at least, the Toronto Star.

No poo, short for 'no shampoo' takes a few forms:
1) washing hair less frequently; ie. less than every day (no wash, no poo).
2) washing hair with a dry shampoo (wash with dry poo).
3) not using shampoo when washing hair (wash with no poo).

Okay, so #1 I heard about from a podcast, and #2 I read about in The Star. #3 is my own practice.

I haven't used shampoo for the last... 8 years at least (exception - coming home from camping or an army exercise, I've used baby shampoo to get that dirt and grime out). First reactions when people find out are generally incredulity followed by disgust. To this I say:
1) my hair is short (up here and down there).
2) my hair is rarely greasy (here, touch it).
3) I have less bug bites than you (they don't even notice me).

I understand why people apply fragrant heavy-duty detergents to their hair on a daily basis, I just don't buy into it. That's all.

-d

Chips are good for you

I'm eating this bag of PC Kettle Cooked Potato Chips, Sea Salt & Vinegar Flavour, and when I look on the back of the bag, there's a Blue Menu box that's telling me this is "Good For You" - excuse me?

Potato Chips are Good For ME? You gotta be kidding, right? This stuff is almost 20% pure fat, and just becuase they have less fat than the other PC chips, they're good for me?

On another note, I took my shoes off and started walking around the office in socks. So far, nobody has noticed.

-d

INCPLA disowned

My blog has been banned by China. "so turns out china has now banned your blog too. i used to read it from my home, but now it's gonzo." I find that equal parts funny and disturbing.

Did some Chinese government worker read my blog and determine that it was unsuitable for the Chinese population? On what basis, I wonder? I don't think my blog is particularly critical of the Chinese government.

Let's hope that China doesn't become the next world superpower.

Anyway, starting to pave the gazebo site now. Will probably use the same interlock as the patio, because we have a surplus of it and because it's cheap.

I originally wanted to use stone slabs - natural limestone as can be found in the riverbeds that cross the bruce trail. Expensive stuff, unless you pull it out of the ravine yourself. I envisioned slabs of limestone with a mixture of sand and clay to fill the gaps - substrate ideal for moss. Still haven't decided on furniture. Go with patio set - round table & 4 chairs, or benches and side tables?

As for secondary projects, the trees we planted seem to be doing well. We'll have a few cherries this summer, and hopefully more next year. Need to start thinking about how to construct the swing. Probably will use bench seat and back (no legs) suspended on rope.

-d