Eucatastrophe

Quick update

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 03:40:00 +0000

Bought some dining room chairs on Craigslist - 6 for $120. They're hard-wood antiques, in pretty bad shape. The construction is solid - no nails - all dovetails, pegs and glue. The glue has pretty much broken down over time and everything is just barely holding together. At some point, I'll have to refinish/restore them, but that's some time in the future. Maybe I'll restore them one at a time at my parents' place.

Made my own lip balm.
2 parts beeswax
1 part petroleum jelly
1 part olive oil

It's not soft enough. I'll have to tweak the formula (- wax + oil). I'm not sure what function the petroleum jelly serves. I'll try 1:1 wax & oil next time.

-d

Gartered Expectations

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 04:15:00 +0000

Yikes. I caught the garter at KT's coworker's wedding reception on Saturday.

This would be the second time in a week that I've caught a garter at a wedding reception.

At Jeff's wedding, KT caught the bouquet, and shortly after that, I caught the garter.

-d

New links

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Added links to yum., JLoeats.com, and the Ashcan.

Enjoy,

-d

Hudson's Bay: In the business of selling heritage

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 22:40:00 +0000

In light of the HBC's recent bad press over the outsourcing of Cowichan sweaters for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, I felt the need to provide a different perspective in defence of our venerable trading company.

Despite what the media in general has made this out to be, the HBC didn't sell out Canada's Heritage. But yes, I won't pussyfoot around the fact that this was about making a quick buck off tourists in Vancouver who, in the spirit of the games, are overcome by an impulse to wear an ugly souvenir sweater. That tourist doesn't want a piece of Canadian heritage. That tourist wants a reasonably priced disposable souvenir. A Cowichan-like sweater made in China for $100 is just that. A $350 version made by a BC manufacturer? Maybe.

So, like any good business that smells a market full of suckers, the HBC sought to maximize profitability by outsourcing the manufacture of the low-end sweaters to China, and the high-end sweaters to a Canadian company. Not only is China capable of meeting the volume of demand, they're able to do it cheaply. Two key things that the Cowichans couldn't do - high volume, low cost. So, it's no wonder that the Cowichans didn't get the contract - they just can't deliver the goods.

Another thing, every apparel company out there is now pushing a Cowichan-like sweater. It's okay for American fucking Eagle to make a Cowichan-like sweater, but it's not okay for HBC? Let's stop hamstringing our own Canadian businesses, please - they've already got one foot in the proverbial economic grave.

The fact is, anyone who wants to spend the dollars to get a real Cowichan sweater can go ahead and buy one when they finally become available. There's no reason to deny the HBC access to the market full of people who want the sweater right now. Would we rather have the profits end up with another company? Because the profits wouldn't have gone to the Cowichans... they were unable to deliver the volume in the first place.

Fortunately, for HBC and the Cowichans, an outraged Canadian public has helped drive a market for genuine sweaters, in a classic case of fortuitous bad PR. Now, everyone wants a real Cowichan sweater, and is willing to shell out the cash for a piece of Canadian heritage.

Despite the fact that the sweaters are really ugly, I kinda want one now.

-d

Congratulations Jeff & Beth

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:09:00 +0000

Jeff's a pretty serious guy. I've known him for a really long time, since elementary school, when we were enemies. He had this jacket, see - it was bright blue and yellow, and being the bully that I am, I made fun of him and called him blueberry banana. Seems pretty benign, right? You'd think so, but I haven't seen him wear that jacket since.

He took it pretty seriously. Not unlike how he used to take video games seriously. He and I and the boys used to skip chemistry class to go play counterstrike at the local cyber cafe. Evidently, he didn't take chemistry seriously. Anyway, he really sucked. A lot. So, he studied and practiced playing counterstrike, and the next time we played, he was kicking ass. You’d think he’d be satisfied, but no. Jeff’s a pretty serious guy, and he took counterstrike seriously. He played and played and played until he became one of the best regional players. None of us could even come close. So, it’s no coincidence that at around that time, a few of us graduated from counterstrike and our interest shifted to girls.

As in his start in video games, Jeff was a bit slow in his uptake of our new interest. He’ll deny that, I’m sure, but just ask his mother. She can corroborate what I’m saying. But very much like his career in video games, he showed insight and wisdom far beyond his years. He found Beth.

It’s fitting then that Beth is also someone who has insight and wisdom beyond her years. She’s warm and caring, has a sense of humour and sharp wit to match. And bonus! She’s a red-head... When they’re together, they play off each other like a pair of talk-show hosts and if you’re lucky, you’ll be treated to a string of sarcastic tongue-in-cheek remarks. It’s great, by the way, that she appreciates his sarcasm, which I’m sure would have been lost on a dimmer bulb. It’s this aspect of their chemistry that really strikes me as uncommon, yet strong. It’s the kind of chemistry that yields a perfect match. It’s the kind of chemistry you learn from skipping chemistry class.

So, here’s to Jeff and Beth, who we shall from this day forward refer to as Eliza-jeffa-beth-ery. May you be blessed with logevity, prosperity and... fecundity.

Cheers!

Aaaaand, another for Her Majesty, the Queen.

The Queen!

- The Best Man's Speech, November 14th, 2009.

Now serving Rabbit Stew.

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 20:51:00 +0000

Hit up St Lawrence Mkt yesterday for some fresh rabbit.

I stewed it with red wine and the regular stewy ground roots and vegetables. It turned out quite good. Texture-wise, rabbit is like a cross between chicken and pork. It's tougher than chicken, but not as stringy as pork.

Keep-it-simple Rabbit Stew (serves 6)
1) coat rabbit chunks in flour, salt, pepper
2) melt butter in pot
3) brown rabbit chunks in pot and then take rabbit out
4) olive oil, garlic, onion, celery, sage
5) deglaze with a dry red wine
6) add chopped vegetables (I used what I had - potato, carrot, beet, mushroom)
7) add rabbit chunks back in
8) melt butter in a pan
9) fry rabbit liver to medium-rare and cut into slices
10) serve liver with cheese and crackers as appetizer
11) thicken stew with cornstarch or flour
12) serve stew when vegetables are tender

Snow

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 19:48:00 +0000

2:48 PM November 5th

It's snowing outside.

-d

Personal and professional development

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:17:00 +0000

For your reading enjoyment and personal development:

The 12 Steps to Entrepreneurial Success

The Science of Sport: Running Technique

-d

Merino Wool Base-layers

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 13:19:00 +0000

Hit the Ski & Snowboard show earlier this month. There were definitely some good deals for those looking to buy their own equipment. I didn't buy anything major - I just received a brand new board for my birthday (thanks KT!), and purchased matching bindings last month. So having the hardware boxes checked off, I really only went to check out the clothing. I bought an Icebreaker 150 g/sq m pure merino wool base-layer top for $65.

This year, I'm going to try a 100% natural fibre baselayer. Merino wool, to be specific. 3 reasons, really.

1) sustainability - I'm going green.

2) the main reason - warm, even when wet. I've never been completely satisfied with the synthetic baselayers for cold weather. They do a great job cooling me off in the summer, but they've continually failed to keep me warm (when wet) in the cold weather. Wool is a natural fibre that is supposed to be able to keep me warm, even when wet. We'll see how that compares during this upcoming ski season.

3) no stink. Synthetics have this magical smell after sweating in them. I test-wore my new merino base-layer for 3 days (2 x 16 hr days light activity + 1 x 8 hr day moderate activity), and there was no similar stink.

Unfortunately, most wool products are mixed with acrylic (like yarn) for lower costs. Anyway, because the acrylic fibres are stronger than the wool fibres, friction and wear will cause shearing of the wool fibres, leading to pilling. It's actually pretty hard to find quality wool products. Most of the stuff out there has acrylic in it.

Anyway, if you're interested in merino wool base-layers, the best value will probably be at MEC. However, MEC doesn't carry a base-layer as light as the Icebreaker 150. If you're looking for the thinnest possible (because you overheat quickly and sweat lots), I'd recommend trying the Icebreaker 150.

-d

New personal bests

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:38:00 +0000

Aced my annual physical fitness test last night.

4-mile (6.4km) run: 28:52 (personal best)
5km split: 21:55(personal best)

Chin-ups: 12 (personal best)

Push-ups / 2 min: 50 (personal best)

Sit-ups / 2 min: 45 (previous best - 55)

Funny that at my ripe old age, I've never been fitter in my life. Is it all downhill from here?

-d

Definition of suck.

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:25:00 +0000

If you wiki "suck" you'll see a youtube video of last night's Leafs game. Not really, actually.

I got tickets from a co-worker who couldn't make it, so KT & I hit the ACC for her first live Leafs game ever.

Now, I don't know much about hockey, but I do know suck when I see it... and hear it. Half way into the second period, the stands were about 25% empty and a big chunk of the 300's started cheering "Lets go Blue Jays, Lets go - ! - !" and as if that weren't bad enough, cheers (jeers?) for TFC, the Raptors, and the Argos followed throughout the rest of the night. In fact, the last minute of the game was one continuous resonating "boo."

The loudest cheers were reserved for Darcy during the first period, after a short video of his 'greatest hits' played on the big screens. The camera focused in on him, and the crowd exploded in the longest round of applause of the night, while he meekly waved from the bench.

You know your team is in sad standing with the fans when the loudest cheers of the night were reserved for a player on the other team.

-d

Surprisingly unoriginal

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 14:33:00 +0000

In the process of developing my new inventory of seasonings, spices and sauces, I thought long and hard about how to organize the various spices I would invariably pick up over the next few months.

I've seen all kinds of spice racks and containers, and there's a lot of very similar stuff out there. So, I decided that to be original, I would buy a set of test tubes and a test tube rack to serve as my original home-made spice rack. How cool would that be? Spices are part of that myseriously alchemical world of flavouring, and the parallel with the world of chemistry, I thought, would be clever.

I got to Science City in underground Yorkville, near Holt Renfrew, and asked about test tubes.
The Manager's reply, "Is this for chemistry, or for a spice rack?"
And my delusion of cleverness and originality falls away.
"Do a lot of people come in here for test tubes to make spice racks?" I ask a little while later.
"We've been selling test tubes here for 30 years, and that's all everyone ever buys them for."
Great.
Back to the drawing board.

Happy Birthday KT

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 01:10:00 +0000

Cooked 'white chopped chicken' yesterday - aka ginger chicken. It turned out quite well. In fact I would go as far as to say that I made it better than my mom makes it.

I bought the chicken at St. Lawrence Market, on the assumption that it would be fresher and tastier. Fresher, yes - there was no chicken stink that you sometimes get from grocery store chicken. Tastier, I don't know. More like, I can't tell.

Anyway, KT came over before dinner was ready, so to keep her occupied, I had pre-arranged a scavenger hunt for her birthday gift. I hid a succession of clues around the apartment, one by one leading her to the hidden gift:

Well, it wasn't exactly that bag - the colour I chose was a new release that isn't on the website. I got the one that's a darker brown with a tinge of blue-grey. It's definitely distinct from the others.

Speaking with the Roots sales-guy, I learned that Roots ran a whole ton of limited edition versions of their bags in as many premium Italian leathers that they could ge their hands on, for the duration of TIFF. They're almost sold out of all the special stuff, but they have some dregs left. Also learned that they do free repairs on all of their leather goods. That's handy to know.

I also noticed that they have the new Roots leather footwear on display too. While the shoes are nothing special, they've brought back that iconic Roots Boot that everyone wore back in middle school. They look way too dorky. There's an 80's or 90's fashion crime aura around it that overcomes the little bit of nostalgia you might feel when you look at them.

Roots also has mid-calf length boots. They look like wellies made of soft leather. They look great stuffed with paper, but I'm not sure how well they'd stand up with a real leg in there.

Back on topic. I took KT to Ovo after dinner, where I lost my Cirque virginity. It was a pretty good show (not that I have any point of reference). I'm especially impressed by the freaky facial expressions some of those clowns/acrobats can adopt. Nightmarish stuff.

-d

15 milliseconds of fame

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 15:09:00 +0000

http://www.blogto.com/city/2009/09/clear_sailing_ahead_for_distillery_district/

That dude in the white helmet on the left hand side of the picture looks vaguely familiar. My colleagues & I were also in a vignette on the Weather Network on TV.

Anyway, the segways were pretty damn fun to ride (despite the speed limiters). The guide told us about off-road segway tours at Horseshoe resort. Sounds like fun - tackling mountain bike-esque trails with a segway.

Gave Soma a shot. I was skeptical at first, but I was definitely impressed by their signature Mayan spicy chocolate drink (can't recall the name). I didn't try anything else in the store - I'm still very skeptical.

-d

Glass the way to go

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 17:18:00 +0000

Remember when the BPA scare hit and everybody started to buy those Sigg aluminum bottles? Remember how I called bullshit on that?

Told you so.

Sigg is now offering free replacement bottles for consumers who purchased theirs before August 2008. Why? BPA.

If you're a Sigg customer I don't know how you can go on using your bottle or even bother taking advantage of their free exchange program. Why support a company that demonstrates either gross incompetence or a lack of integrity?

Which brings us to today's topic. Glass bottles. Reuse your San Pellegrino glass bottle for holding drinking water.

Ohh, but Dust, what happens if you drop the bottle and it BREAKS?!

Well, the same thing that happens if you drop you cup and it breaks. Honestly, people, that's not a good reason to not use glass. Any other reason you can think of not to use glass? I thought so. Use glass.

-d

Barefoot running.

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:47:00 +0000

Ordered a pair of Vibram Fivefingers Classics. It's like a toughened sock for your feet to facilitate bombing around barefoot.

The idea is derived from the principles of barefoot running, which is really white people trying to explain how black people win all the track events. This is how it works: people from poor-ass countries can't afford shoes, nevermind a bike or a car, so they run around barefoot. As a result, they become really good at running marathons and the 400 m race.

So, someone thought "hey, why don't we run barefoot too?" Someone else replied "because you don't want to get HIV from that dirty needle that you might step on." You can see the niche market developing right? Vibram makes soles for shoes. It was a logical step for vibram to start making soles for your soles. And that, in a nutshell is what the Vibram Fivefinger shoes are. Soles for your Soles.

Now, I'm naturally wary of new-age bullshit - and this smells like some new-age hippie bullshit. Still, I like the idea of strengthening my feet - a part of my body that has been found weak and underperforming.

I haven't found any training regimens that satisfactorily address my foot issues, and my orthotics really dampen performance. There doesn't seem to be a lot of real research done in this area - just a whole lot of speculation and pseudo-science. I mean, if you mess up your knee, there are some pretty solid, proven rehab regimens that will help restore your range of movement, stability, and strength. When it comes to feet, "orthotics" is the most common answer. To me, that's akin to saying "crutch" for the aforementioned knee example.

Anyway, I'm easing into the barefoot thing. Starting with a lot of walking and some very short runs (no more than 400 m). My legs are pretty sore in some weird places, so I'll read that as a positive sign that the barefoot thing is working as planned.

-d

Cadbury ads

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Came across these three Cadbury ads from Argentina arguing that a man will never be as good as a whole Cadbury Dairy Milk bar.

You're Right

The Check

Shhhh

They're on youtube, so too bad for those of you who can't access it at work.

Enjoy,

-d

Big update

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 14:45:00 +0000

So, lots has happened over the last week.

My company sent me on a business trip to New Jersey. Flew Air Canada out of Pearson to Newark. Outbound, we were delayed, cancelled, booked onto another flight, delayed again before departure, and delayed again in the air before landing. I left home at 2:30 PM and checked into the hotel at 11:30 pm. Two of my less fortunate colleagues with checked baggage didn't make it.

Lesson learned: don't check baggage in if you don't have to.

In New Jersey, a lot of the service people seem devoid of personality - from the hotel concierge to the limo driver, they all wear this fake smile and have this glassy-eyed expression. It's like their souls have been sucked out of them and they're a carbon copy of the next guy.

Anyway, I came back to Toronto on the 28th and stayed a few days in Toronto before leaving for Newark again on the 31st - this time with KT, and onwards to Manhattan.

We flew out on Porter Airlines, and though our flight was cancelled, they loaded us onto an earlier flight that was delayed to our departure time. It's an overly complicated way of combining two flights into one. I found out later from some other colleagues that their flights to Newark via Air Canada were cancelled completely and they had to wait until Saturday afternoon to fly. Some other colleagues also made it to Newark that night on Continental flights. So, while AC customers got the shaft, Porter and Continental made it through. From what I've heard, AC was the only carrier that didn't make it into Newark that night.

Lesson learned: Don't fly Air Canada to Newark - not only is Porter cheaper, it actually does the job.

Anyway, we had 2 days of fair weather and 1 day of rain. Did the typical tourist stuff - Battery Park, Ground Zero, Wall St, Empire State Bldg, MOMA, Museum of Natural History, Central Park, 5th Ave., etc. Saw a broadway show - In the Heights. It was awesome - a lot of fun.

Shopping. Did a lot of shopping for myself. Got a new pair of cleats from Niketown. While we were there, Adrian Peterson showed up to check out his wall-sized photo of himself (I guess). Also checked out the Levi's store, which carries completely different clothing than the Canadian counterparts. Uniqlo - lots of really cheap graphic t's. Manolo Blahnik, just to say I've been there. Blue in Green, where I bought myself a big-ass belt. Build-a-bear, where I got some boxers and aviators for my bear. Sales were on in just about every store.

Eating. Checked out Katz's Deli, allegedly the best deli in New York. I don't see what's so special. The meat was okay, but it wasn't melt-in-your-mouth good that I would expect from 'the best deli in New York.' We also went to Anthos, a Greek restaurant which won some kind of award for 'best new restaurant in 2009.' We had a tasting menu paired with a wine tasting. This was unlike any Greek food I'd ever had. Think fine French dining with Greek/Mediteranean ingredients. The Greek wines that they paired with the menu were superb. I didn't think Greek wines were any good, but apparently, they export only their worst wines and keep the best for domestic consumption. Complete opposite of every other country - go figure.

Anyway, that's it for now. Pictures to come.

-d

The New Old Kenzo

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 17:54:00 +0000

On Friday afternoon, after work, I took Katie to the new Kenzo Ramen (owned & operated by the old Kenzo crew) on Dundas, just a little west of Bay St. I've been to the original Yonge/Steeles location on numerous occasions, but hadn't realized that the ownership changed last fall.

My colleague pointed out an article reviewing the new location in Thursday's edition of Now.

I wasn't that hungry, so I ordered a basic sho-yu ramen, and it was just as yummy as the uptown version. However, the highlight of the meal came after the meal proper.

I got to chatting with the owner, Daniel Park (yes, he's Korean) about his business and the economics of ramen. He explained that the reason there are so few ramen houses in Toronto is because it's horrendously expensive to make genuine ramen. Here's a summarized breakdown of some of the things he mentioned:

Ramen. Japanese Ramen, specifically Japanese Ramen as it is understood by Japanese people in Japan with respect to ingredients, manufacturing, taste and texture, is made in very few places in Canada - most establishments import it from Japan. There's actually only one place that makes ramen that Daniel knows of - his own kitchen. Five years ago, he invested in a ramen machine, so that he wouldn't have to import frozen ramen from Japan. This led to an 80% cost savings on ramen.

Soup base. Soup base is made from dried fish. Specifically, dried mackerel and/or 'flying fish.' Incidentally, won-ton soup is supposed to be made from the same stuff. In any case, dried fish also commands a premium price due to low availability and high demand. So, in an effort to keep bringing down that bottom line, he started making his own dried fish. He bought an industrial drying oven, buys the fish frozen, and dries it himself.

Lastly, he invited me on a tour of the kitchen and showed me the soup bases, ingredients, and ramen.

Pretty neat stuff. Check it out when you get a chance.

-d

The new 'do

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:44:00 +0000

My Dad's reaction: "ho-ho-ho-ho-ho..."

He took it as a challenge. He will now grow his sideburns out like mine.

-d

Roots Footwear

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:36:00 +0000

The Toronto Star last Saturday featured the return of Roots footwear in early August.

Since I wasn't alive during the glory days of Roots boots, I can't say I can associate with any strong feelings of nostalgia. Still, I am curious to see what Roots will have to offer. I regard Roots Leather highly for several reasons:

1) Style. The Canadian identity was born out of the frontier. Plaid flannel, touques, and muk-luks. Frugal simplicity and un-pretentiousness have been the key ideas of this country growing up, and are reflected in the designs at Roots. Tough raw textures combined with functionality resonate with our values and traditions as outdoorsmen and naturists. No wait, not naturists... those are something else. Pioneers, builders, hunters, and if need be, warriors.

2) Quality. Made by Canadian Unionized Labour in Toronto. Not to be confused with Chinese Socialist Labour in Guangdong. Built tough like Ford, but also actually reliable, like Toyota. Case in point - it's been about two years and My Roots Raiders bag has yet to fail me.

3) Price. In terms of bags, you won't find better value anywhere else. Any comparable leather bag is designer-branded and will cost you twice as much. Where jackets are concerned, they're double the price of what you can get at Danier, but almost twice as well made, and twice as tough.

4) Cowhide. It's all about the toughness and stiffness of cowhide. Soft lambskin is for ladies and soft skinned Italian men who switch to the winning side when the outcome of a war is becoming quite clear. If you've been watching the highlights of the Stampede, you'll know where cowhide comes from. It's all about the hyper-masculine Canadian cowboy image. Think Brokeback Mountain but with real men who don't show their emotions and rely on a sense of humour to deal with problems.

Now, if the new old Roots footwear sticks to the model they've painstakingly created over the last couple of years, I'll be really interested in what they have to offer.

-d

Frye vs Car

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:08:00 +0000

As some of you may recall, I have a pair of western boots - Frye Harness Boots, to be exact. Anyway, I've had these boots for about 2 years, and after almost daily wear, through winter, spring, summer, and fall; I wore out the soles and had them resoled this past spring.

On Saturday, my sister had her engagement party, and to save some space in the drivew, my brother-in-law-to-be parked in the garage. On top of my boots. So, after being run over and parked on for 8 hours, they looked pretty FUBAR'ed. There were tire tread marks embossed in the leather, and the hard square toe cap was crushed flat. Figured I'd take a shot at DIY repair. I jammed my car keys into the boot and popped the toes back out, hammered the flattened parts straight again, and stuck a shoe tree in overnight. All-in-all, other than looking a little scuffed up at the toes, they're no worse for wear.

The leather uppers are virtually unharmed apart for a few scuff marks and some extra wrinkles. The left toe is a bit more rounded than the right toe, but I think I can fix that with a piece of wood and a mallet.

Anyway, if you're looking for a solid boot that'll last a long time and a lot of wear, I'd definitely recommend Frye.

-d

You are the Sunshine in my Ass

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:48:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:17:00 +0000

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

noreply@blogger.com (Dust) — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:08:00 +0000

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