Garrett and I were watching the Saturday night movie on Teletoon tonight before bed and a Burger King commercial came on. They've got some cool Indiana Jones toys with their kids meals and I mentioned that those were cool toys.
Garrett looked at me and said, "Maybe next time we can get those toys."
"Sorry pal. There aren't any Burger Kings near us."
A thoughtful look crossed his face and a moment later he comes up with this gem.
"Maybe next time we can turn invisible and go inside the TV and then we can get those toys."
I couldn't stop laughing.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
A Member Of The Playstation Underground (Literally, Once Julie Gets Through With Me)
So...
I picked up a PS2 today that can play PS3 games and Blu-Ray discs.
I now can say that I have EVERY system. EVERY SYSTEM.
The local indie game shop, Geekdom, had a used 60 GB PS3 in the store when I stopped in there yesterday with a guy from work. It was going for $360 (which is a little lower than the usual price on Ebay) and given that it's the only model of PS3 available that has the PS2 hardware onboard for backwards compatibility (and the fact that they don't make the 60 GB model any more), I had a very hard time NOT picking it up right then and there.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I came home to mull it over. This morning, I gathered up a LOT of my older games that have been gathering dust and $300 in trade-ins later (and $100 out of my pocket), I was on my way home with a pretty snazzy new movie player.
Now I need to rent a Blu-Ray movie to convince Julie that the thing is actually a good value. Concidering that I was going to drop $150-200 on a new screen for that busted laptop (which isn't happening), $100 for a Blu-Ray player that also happens to play some PS3 and PS2 games isn't a bad value! REALLY!
I don't have any PS3 games right now but Metal Gear Solid 4 is out in about 2 weeks and I shall christen the system with it, if I don't get some PS3 titles from GetGames in the meantime.
Funny little postscript to this story: After my first visit to Geekdom yesterday, I then stopped off at EB. While I was there, I chatted with the clerk about seeing this rare 60 PS3 at Geekdom. He mentioned that there had been a guy in at EB earlier in the week trying to trade in a 60 GB PS3 but when he couldn't get cash, he left. Shortly after the guy's visit, the cops called to say that there had been a break-in recently and that one of the items stolen was a 60 GB PS3 and to be on the look out for anyone trying to offload one.
So I was concerned that the PS3 might be hot and called Geekdom to fill them in. Thankfully, they got the serial numbers off of the guy at EB and they're not the same, so I'm not worried about the cops busting my door down once I go online with the thing. Still...
The other downside is that I've been reformatting the drive for the past 4 hours. I think it's almost ready to go though, so I'm going to fire up Shadow Of The Colossus or something to see how they look upscaled.
Oh, did I mention you can also cook on the thing?
I picked up a PS2 today that can play PS3 games and Blu-Ray discs.
I now can say that I have EVERY system. EVERY SYSTEM.
The local indie game shop, Geekdom, had a used 60 GB PS3 in the store when I stopped in there yesterday with a guy from work. It was going for $360 (which is a little lower than the usual price on Ebay) and given that it's the only model of PS3 available that has the PS2 hardware onboard for backwards compatibility (and the fact that they don't make the 60 GB model any more), I had a very hard time NOT picking it up right then and there.
Thankfully, cooler heads prevailed and I came home to mull it over. This morning, I gathered up a LOT of my older games that have been gathering dust and $300 in trade-ins later (and $100 out of my pocket), I was on my way home with a pretty snazzy new movie player.
Now I need to rent a Blu-Ray movie to convince Julie that the thing is actually a good value. Concidering that I was going to drop $150-200 on a new screen for that busted laptop (which isn't happening), $100 for a Blu-Ray player that also happens to play some PS3 and PS2 games isn't a bad value! REALLY!
I don't have any PS3 games right now but Metal Gear Solid 4 is out in about 2 weeks and I shall christen the system with it, if I don't get some PS3 titles from GetGames in the meantime.
Funny little postscript to this story: After my first visit to Geekdom yesterday, I then stopped off at EB. While I was there, I chatted with the clerk about seeing this rare 60 PS3 at Geekdom. He mentioned that there had been a guy in at EB earlier in the week trying to trade in a 60 GB PS3 but when he couldn't get cash, he left. Shortly after the guy's visit, the cops called to say that there had been a break-in recently and that one of the items stolen was a 60 GB PS3 and to be on the look out for anyone trying to offload one.
So I was concerned that the PS3 might be hot and called Geekdom to fill them in. Thankfully, they got the serial numbers off of the guy at EB and they're not the same, so I'm not worried about the cops busting my door down once I go online with the thing. Still...
The other downside is that I've been reformatting the drive for the past 4 hours. I think it's almost ready to go though, so I'm going to fire up Shadow Of The Colossus or something to see how they look upscaled.
Oh, did I mention you can also cook on the thing?
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Begone Foul Washer!
As it was written (on the manifest), Zellers FINALLY picked up the dishwasher today. It's frightening how much room we have in our kitchen now that the dishwasher is finally gone.
The sad thing is that tomorrow (the 29th) is 2 months from the day we bought the stupid thing. Sigh.
On a sidenote, I took the broken laptop into the local computer store to see how much it would cost to repair it. It seems as though that particular laptop can only support one particular screen and it's almost $400 to replace it, plus tax.
Bah. I'll just save up for a true lappy.
The sad thing is that tomorrow (the 29th) is 2 months from the day we bought the stupid thing. Sigh.
On a sidenote, I took the broken laptop into the local computer store to see how much it would cost to repair it. It seems as though that particular laptop can only support one particular screen and it's almost $400 to replace it, plus tax.
Bah. I'll just save up for a true lappy.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Bells Of Steel
You've got to give the telemarketers a bit of credit for being so persistent. I got a call from Primus/Aeroplan today offering me a gazillion points if I switched. I just hung up on the guy.
Not 5 minutes later and the phone rang and it was Primus/Aeroplan trying to sell me on the same deal. I told the lady that I had just hung up on them a couple minutes earlier and that usually signifies that I AM NOT INTERESTED!
Gotta give them points for trying though.
Not 5 minutes later and the phone rang and it was Primus/Aeroplan trying to sell me on the same deal. I told the lady that I had just hung up on them a couple minutes earlier and that usually signifies that I AM NOT INTERESTED!
Gotta give them points for trying though.
Ballooning 101
So...
Did you hear about the French guy who was trying to set a skydiving record by jumping out of a balloon (which cost about 200,000 Euros) and forgot to attach the balloon to his gondola?
Whoops.
The best line from the botched launch: "There was this horrible deflating moment."
Did you hear about the French guy who was trying to set a skydiving record by jumping out of a balloon (which cost about 200,000 Euros) and forgot to attach the balloon to his gondola?
Whoops.
The best line from the botched launch: "There was this horrible deflating moment."
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Frightening Stuff
I double dog dare you to watch this video. I'm truly frightened by its subject matter, moreso than the actual content. Well, aside from the dancing. That's pretty scary too.
Friday, May 23, 2008
I Think The Penguin Thought It Was In Darvaz...
Bill over at Dubious Quality always has great links on Friday that run the gamut from games to science to strange sociology happenings and this week has been a great one.
There were two links that I had to put on here.
The first is a link about Darvaz - THE DOOR TO HELL!
It really reminds me of the cool pictures from Centralia (the town in Pennsylvania that was the inspiration for Silent Hill).
The second link... well... let me just put an excerpt from the news story.
Poor Pingu.
There were two links that I had to put on here.
The first is a link about Darvaz - THE DOOR TO HELL!
It really reminds me of the cool pictures from Centralia (the town in Pennsylvania that was the inspiration for Silent Hill).
The second link... well... let me just put an excerpt from the news story.
One summer morning, scientists observing elephant seals on a beach on Marion Island near the Antarctic spotted a young male Antarctic fur seal subduing a king penguin.
"At first we thought it was hunting the penguin, but then it became clear that his intentions were rather more amorous," de Bruyn recalled today via email.
The roughly 240-pound seal subdued the 30-pound adult penguin by lying on it. The hapless bird of unknown sex struggled, rapidly flapping its flippers and attempting to stand and flee, without luck.
Poor Pingu.
Good Things Happen To Bad People 2: The Enrichening
I called Zellers today and after spending about 20 minutes on the phone browbeating the guy on the other end of the phone (and threatening to retell the whole dishwasher saga for the third time) I was able to secure a $50 gift card from Zellers for all of the hassles we have had to go through!
Woo!
It wasn't a free PS3 like I'd hoped, but it's better than a kick in the shin. They tried to use the whole, "Well, you returned the dishwasher and we only give compensation to people who keep the product," routine, but I didn't let him get away with that!
No sirree bob!
Woo!
It wasn't a free PS3 like I'd hoped, but it's better than a kick in the shin. They tried to use the whole, "Well, you returned the dishwasher and we only give compensation to people who keep the product," routine, but I didn't let him get away with that!
No sirree bob!
Thursday, May 22, 2008
KHAAAAAN!
Kara went to see the doctor at the walk-in clinic tonight because her eye has been kind of goopy for the last couple days and she's been waking up every two hours at night for far longer than I can remember (probably for a week now).
Turns out that she's got an ear infection. I knew I shouldn't have shown Garrett that scene from Star Trek 2...
The nice thing is that the meds she's on seem to have helped her settle down tonight. We'll see if I'm jumping the gun or not but it's nice to know that there's a reason she's been so cranky for the past while (and why we've been getting so little sleep).
Turns out that she's got an ear infection. I knew I shouldn't have shown Garrett that scene from Star Trek 2...
The nice thing is that the meds she's on seem to have helped her settle down tonight. We'll see if I'm jumping the gun or not but it's nice to know that there's a reason she's been so cranky for the past while (and why we've been getting so little sleep).
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
I Have Offended The Ghost Of William Howard Livens
I am so livid right now.
I sat around all day today waiting for these idiots to show up and take my broken dishwasher away. They were supposed to come between noon and 6pm. I even called before the 6pm time to make sure they were coming.
"Yes sir, they have you on the list. You'll have to wait until after 6pm before I can call the driver."
I wait until 6:01pm. After spending 15 minutes on hold waiting for them to track down the driver, they hang up on me.
So I call back, get a nice lady who only has me on hold for about 5 minutes... only to inform me that I wasn't on the list for pick-ups today.
Oh, and did I mention that they called last night night to confirm that they were coming... TWICE!
GRRR...
Oh, and they only do pick-ups on Wednesday, which means that now I have to wait until NEXT Wednesday for this bloody dishwasher to be removed from our sight. I moaned, I kvetched, I grumbled, I even asked if there was someone else for me to yell at and it all came down to the same thing.
"They only do pick-ups and deliveries on Wednesdays. You'll have to reschedule."
Even my (admittedly hollow) threats of hauling it out to the curb for garbage day tomorrow were met with unusually serious replies of, "You can't do that sir. It's scheduled to go back to the warehouse."
To which I said, "BUT THEY DIDN'T COME TO TAKE IT BACK THERE, NOW, DID THEY?!"
*deep breaths Brock... deep breaths*
To make matters worse, I tried to call the store to see if I could at least yell at the slugs in the appliance section who have been the only humans I've been able to deal with in this whole process and, of course, both of the appliance people that we've dealt with aren't in until tomorrow, by which time my rage will likely have subsided.
I seriously want to just lug this stupid dishwasher out to the curb for garbage pick-up tomorrow. Or say, "Fine, you don't want it? I'm keeping it for free."
I'm usually pretty calm, cool and collected, but I just want to start putting my fist through a few walls right now. Or that dishwasher...
Hmm...
It IS already pretty dented... :)
The people at the call center did offer me compensation so I'm going to mention that tomorrow when I call and yell at the people at Zellers.
Lesson learned: Never buy an appliance at Zellers.
The sad thing is that if the dishwasher hadn't arrived all destroyed and such, I'd have been more than happy to recommend them. This whole scenario since we found the dents has been an exercise in near zen-like patience on our part, and I've finally had it.
I sat around all day today waiting for these idiots to show up and take my broken dishwasher away. They were supposed to come between noon and 6pm. I even called before the 6pm time to make sure they were coming.
"Yes sir, they have you on the list. You'll have to wait until after 6pm before I can call the driver."
I wait until 6:01pm. After spending 15 minutes on hold waiting for them to track down the driver, they hang up on me.
So I call back, get a nice lady who only has me on hold for about 5 minutes... only to inform me that I wasn't on the list for pick-ups today.
Oh, and did I mention that they called last night night to confirm that they were coming... TWICE!
GRRR...
Oh, and they only do pick-ups on Wednesday, which means that now I have to wait until NEXT Wednesday for this bloody dishwasher to be removed from our sight. I moaned, I kvetched, I grumbled, I even asked if there was someone else for me to yell at and it all came down to the same thing.
"They only do pick-ups and deliveries on Wednesdays. You'll have to reschedule."
Even my (admittedly hollow) threats of hauling it out to the curb for garbage day tomorrow were met with unusually serious replies of, "You can't do that sir. It's scheduled to go back to the warehouse."
To which I said, "BUT THEY DIDN'T COME TO TAKE IT BACK THERE, NOW, DID THEY?!"
*deep breaths Brock... deep breaths*
To make matters worse, I tried to call the store to see if I could at least yell at the slugs in the appliance section who have been the only humans I've been able to deal with in this whole process and, of course, both of the appliance people that we've dealt with aren't in until tomorrow, by which time my rage will likely have subsided.
I seriously want to just lug this stupid dishwasher out to the curb for garbage pick-up tomorrow. Or say, "Fine, you don't want it? I'm keeping it for free."
I'm usually pretty calm, cool and collected, but I just want to start putting my fist through a few walls right now. Or that dishwasher...
Hmm...
It IS already pretty dented... :)
The people at the call center did offer me compensation so I'm going to mention that tomorrow when I call and yell at the people at Zellers.
Lesson learned: Never buy an appliance at Zellers.
The sad thing is that if the dishwasher hadn't arrived all destroyed and such, I'd have been more than happy to recommend them. This whole scenario since we found the dents has been an exercise in near zen-like patience on our part, and I've finally had it.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Would You Kindly Read This Post?
This is kind of neat. A guy is basically trying to bring the premise of Bioshock to life with a series of water-borne cities. I just hope things turn out better for him than they did for Andrew Ryan.
My Poor Retinas!
So I took Garrett out to be tested to see if he's susceptible to photo-sensitive epileptic seizures... by which I mean I took him to see Speed Racer. I'm happy to say that he made it through the movie with nary a twitch.
This is one of the quieter, more subdued scenes in the movie...
It was a fun movie but it's by no means perfect. Almost the whole first hour is take up by people talking... and talking... and talking some more. We invited one of Garrett's friends (and his dad) to come with us and they ended up leaving the movie after about 45 minutes to an hour of the blather... which is a shame, given that almost right after they left, the driving started in earnest.
The latter half of the movie was an exercise in mind-numbing, over-the-top driving coupled with absolutely insane stunts and a monkey driving a car. Seriously. I honestly think that most of the racing sequences are what Garrett must see in his head whenever he plays with his cars. It's like the most mind-bendingly elaborate Hot Wheels play set brought to life with a background of colours lifted from a fever dream on acid. I think they actually invented colours for this movie.
All in all, Garrett seemed to really like it (he was seen playing in some laundry hampers tonight and being Speed Racer, plus he was chasing Kara around the play set tonight for his 'race') and that's what matters. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have kids (and skip the first hour of the movie) or are a HUGE Speed Racer fan though.
My head has been hurting for the past few hours... I think it wasn't until about an hour after the movie that my eyes could properly register the images that were imprinted on them and the slow process of sending all of that visual stimulation to my brain has done a number on my head.
This is one of the quieter, more subdued scenes in the movie...
It was a fun movie but it's by no means perfect. Almost the whole first hour is take up by people talking... and talking... and talking some more. We invited one of Garrett's friends (and his dad) to come with us and they ended up leaving the movie after about 45 minutes to an hour of the blather... which is a shame, given that almost right after they left, the driving started in earnest.
The latter half of the movie was an exercise in mind-numbing, over-the-top driving coupled with absolutely insane stunts and a monkey driving a car. Seriously. I honestly think that most of the racing sequences are what Garrett must see in his head whenever he plays with his cars. It's like the most mind-bendingly elaborate Hot Wheels play set brought to life with a background of colours lifted from a fever dream on acid. I think they actually invented colours for this movie.
All in all, Garrett seemed to really like it (he was seen playing in some laundry hampers tonight and being Speed Racer, plus he was chasing Kara around the play set tonight for his 'race') and that's what matters. I wouldn't recommend it unless you have kids (and skip the first hour of the movie) or are a HUGE Speed Racer fan though.
My head has been hurting for the past few hours... I think it wasn't until about an hour after the movie that my eyes could properly register the images that were imprinted on them and the slow process of sending all of that visual stimulation to my brain has done a number on my head.
Friday, May 16, 2008
The Manliest Post Ever
Alright guys. Esquire has a list of the 75 skills all men should have.
How'd you score?
Also, Michael Chabon has a great article in The New Yorker about superheroes. I really need to start reading "The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay".
Also, how can a manly post end without linking to this story, which has the best headline in the history of headlines :)
How'd you score?
Also, Michael Chabon has a great article in The New Yorker about superheroes. I really need to start reading "The Amazing Adventures Of Kavalier & Clay".
Also, how can a manly post end without linking to this story, which has the best headline in the history of headlines :)
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Good Things Do Happen To Bad People!
I was at Tim's today grabbing a bagel & coffee for lunch (I'm making a huge thing of Pad Thai at work for supper, so I'm eating light until then).
Anyway, the person in front of me ordered something, waited, then drove off before they got to the pay window.
I arrived and the lady asked me if the person in front had left. I said that they had. I noticed that she then put a box of TimBits off to the side.
When she handed me my coffee, I said, "Hey, I'll take their TimBits if you don't want them."
And she handed me the box of TimBits! For free!
I guess that they would have had to throw them out as they'd been handled when being put in the box. Better me than the garbage, I always say. Suffice it to say, the people at work will be happy with free TimBits.
Anyway, the person in front of me ordered something, waited, then drove off before they got to the pay window.
I arrived and the lady asked me if the person in front had left. I said that they had. I noticed that she then put a box of TimBits off to the side.
When she handed me my coffee, I said, "Hey, I'll take their TimBits if you don't want them."
And she handed me the box of TimBits! For free!
I guess that they would have had to throw them out as they'd been handled when being put in the box. Better me than the garbage, I always say. Suffice it to say, the people at work will be happy with free TimBits.
Almost As Dangerous As A Drive To Brampton...
Ralph sent me this video of a segment of the Camino del Rey in Spain. From the site:
It actually reminds me a lot of the new footage for Mirror's Edge, now that I think about it... only with a lot less shooting and cops :)
Some parts of the walkway have completely collapsed and have been replaced by a beam and a metallic wire on the wall. Many people have lost their lives on the walkway in recent years. After four people died in two accidents in 1999 and 2000, the local government closed the entrances. However, adventurous tourists still find their way into the walkway.
It actually reminds me a lot of the new footage for Mirror's Edge, now that I think about it... only with a lot less shooting and cops :)
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Resistance Is Therapeutic...
FYI, my dad made it through his surgery on Monday in one piece. Unfortunately, I believe that he is now forced to wear something like this for the next 6 weeks.
At least, that's what I picture when my mom described the healing process to me.
The upside is that he can't wander too far from the house because of those pneumatic tubes in the back. Get 5 feet from the compressor and you'll fall right on your face!
At least, that's what I picture when my mom described the healing process to me.
The upside is that he can't wander too far from the house because of those pneumatic tubes in the back. Get 5 feet from the compressor and you'll fall right on your face!
Liberty City Or New York?
This is a pretty neat flikr set that compares scenes from GTA IV and photos of New York. There are a few of them where it's hard to tell which is the game and which is real life!
Exhibit A
Which side is Times Square and which is Star Junction?
Exhibit B
Which is the Manhattan Bridge and which is the Algonquin Bridge?
Exhibit A
Which side is Times Square and which is Star Junction?
Exhibit B
Which is the Manhattan Bridge and which is the Algonquin Bridge?
Sunday, May 11, 2008
The $600 Dad
My dad's going in for shoulder surgery tomorrow. His rotator cuffs have been pretty much shot for a good year now so tomorrow is the beginning of a new day in heavy lifting and wrench turning!
I wonder if he'll be getting one of these... I doubt it though...
I wonder if he'll be getting one of these... I doubt it though...
Don't Leave The House For Mother's Day!
First off, I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day today.
I've noticed that today seems to be the strangest Mother's Day I've experienced. It seems like if things can go wrong today, they will. Maybe Murphy didn't get his mom a card :)
We were on our way to church this morning and were about a block and a half away when Garrett blew chunks all over the backseat... 2-3 times in a row.
We got him cleaned up, stopped off at church long enough for me to make sure that the multimedia stuff was up and running and then headed home to clean him and the car up properly.
Garrett has been running a fever since last night (ranging between 99-101F). You can tell he's sick because he has actually slept at times during the last few days and isn't bouncing around nearly as much as usual. Hopefully he'll kick this bug soon!
While I was at church, I talked briefly to the worship leader and he was telling me that he hit a deer on the way down to church first thing this morning. Thankfully there was just some cosmetic damage to his car (though it sounds like the deer will be feeding the vultures soon) as it could have been much worse for him.
I was also talking to my mom this afternoon and she was telling me about a whole confluence of events at their church that threatened to derail the service. Their organist got hurt and couldn't make it in, the choir couldn't sing because they didn't know what they were singing, the sound system didn't work... CRAZY!
Things seem to be calming down now though. Hopefully everyone who was hurt or sick today will get over it and be a-ok soon!
I've noticed that today seems to be the strangest Mother's Day I've experienced. It seems like if things can go wrong today, they will. Maybe Murphy didn't get his mom a card :)
We were on our way to church this morning and were about a block and a half away when Garrett blew chunks all over the backseat... 2-3 times in a row.
We got him cleaned up, stopped off at church long enough for me to make sure that the multimedia stuff was up and running and then headed home to clean him and the car up properly.
Garrett has been running a fever since last night (ranging between 99-101F). You can tell he's sick because he has actually slept at times during the last few days and isn't bouncing around nearly as much as usual. Hopefully he'll kick this bug soon!
While I was at church, I talked briefly to the worship leader and he was telling me that he hit a deer on the way down to church first thing this morning. Thankfully there was just some cosmetic damage to his car (though it sounds like the deer will be feeding the vultures soon) as it could have been much worse for him.
I was also talking to my mom this afternoon and she was telling me about a whole confluence of events at their church that threatened to derail the service. Their organist got hurt and couldn't make it in, the choir couldn't sing because they didn't know what they were singing, the sound system didn't work... CRAZY!
Things seem to be calming down now though. Hopefully everyone who was hurt or sick today will get over it and be a-ok soon!
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Super Hero Squad, UNITE!
This is sort of an addendum to the previous post.
Ah, I'll just let the news release say it all.
I'm not sure who would be more excited about the comic/game/cartoon... Garrett or me.
Ah, I'll just let the news release say it all.
"Officials from THQ and Marvel Entertainment have announced that the two companies have entered into an exclusive licensing agreement to create games based on the child focused Marvel Super Hero Squad franchise.
The multi-year agreement grants THQ the exclusive worldwide rights to publish content for all current and next-generation consoles, handheld systems, and the PC. The first game resulting from the agreement is scheduled to appear in autumn 2009.
The franchise began as an action figure line of two-inch-high toys created by Hasbro, featuring stylized versions of various Marvel Comic superheroes and villains. The designs are similar to the Japanese concept of 'super deformed' caricatures, with an animated series and accompanying comic book also planned for 2009."
I'm not sure who would be more excited about the comic/game/cartoon... Garrett or me.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
This Post Is Off The Nerd Charts...
I was out with the kids today and Garrett found some of the new Marvel Superhero Squad figurines. I've been getting them for him every few weeks because, well, they're really cool. They're also very sturdy (they take a beating and barely get scuffed, let alone scratched) and are pretty cheap (~$7-8 for two figures).
They're also great as Garrett has been having all sorts of adventures with them in the house. I got him a Symbiote Spider-Man and Doc Ock figure today and he was having Doc Ock sing a song and Spidey was getting mad because he didn't like the song.
Yeah, Garrett's got a good imagination :)
Anyway, I almost didn't get Garrett the figurines today because I've been trying to cut back on them except that he found the one figure I've been trying to find for my own collection.
Behold: Tiny Deadpool!
I wish it had come with Cable but I'm just happy to have finally found the Deadpool figure. He's now hanging out on top of my monitor with my Elebit and Cthulhu plushie.
Edit: Eek. I just found that there is a checklist online. Oh lordy...
They're also great as Garrett has been having all sorts of adventures with them in the house. I got him a Symbiote Spider-Man and Doc Ock figure today and he was having Doc Ock sing a song and Spidey was getting mad because he didn't like the song.
Yeah, Garrett's got a good imagination :)
Anyway, I almost didn't get Garrett the figurines today because I've been trying to cut back on them except that he found the one figure I've been trying to find for my own collection.
Behold: Tiny Deadpool!
I wish it had come with Cable but I'm just happy to have finally found the Deadpool figure. He's now hanging out on top of my monitor with my Elebit and Cthulhu plushie.
Edit: Eek. I just found that there is a checklist online. Oh lordy...
Monday, May 05, 2008
It's Like Watching A Young Rowan Atkinson
A little birdy pointed me in the direction of Karaoke For The Deaf yesterday. Well, that has (re)introduced me to the wonderful world of interpretive mime.
First off, we have the regular version of Torn.
Next, feast upon the extravaganza that is the ULTIMATE version of Torn.
And last, but not least, watch David Armand, er, Johann Lippovitz, do his interpretation of Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis.
Funny, funny stuff.
First off, we have the regular version of Torn.
Next, feast upon the extravaganza that is the ULTIMATE version of Torn.
And last, but not least, watch David Armand, er, Johann Lippovitz, do his interpretation of Don't Look Back In Anger by Oasis.
Funny, funny stuff.
Hooray For Spring!
When we got home from church yesterday, I got the bug to go out and slay some dandelions. I dug out the +1 Vorpal Prong of Weeding from the bowels of the shed (no small feat) and got a surprising amount of dandelions extracted from our front and back lawns.
Well, I don't know if I should call our front yard a lawn. There is some grass there, but 3-4 tufts of grass don't really constitute a lawn. What we do have is an overabundance of moss. I mean it. If you step on our front yard, it's almost springy, that's how much moss there is out there. What infuriates me is that I wanted to have moss in the cracks in the paving stones in the back yard and all that grows there is grass. If I could somehow convince the moss in the front yard to trade places with the grass in the back, I'd be a happy guy.
While I was digging for the weeding prong, I ended up pulling out the trampoline and the climbing fort so that got set up yesterday too. The nice thing is that there's actually somewhere for the kids to play in the backyard now and they spent most of today (when we weren't at the early year's center) out back exploring and fiddling with the toys.
It's funny to watch Kara try to do what Garrett does. When he was bouncing on the trampoline, she'd stand on the patio stones and bend her knees like she was bouncing :)
Well, I don't know if I should call our front yard a lawn. There is some grass there, but 3-4 tufts of grass don't really constitute a lawn. What we do have is an overabundance of moss. I mean it. If you step on our front yard, it's almost springy, that's how much moss there is out there. What infuriates me is that I wanted to have moss in the cracks in the paving stones in the back yard and all that grows there is grass. If I could somehow convince the moss in the front yard to trade places with the grass in the back, I'd be a happy guy.
While I was digging for the weeding prong, I ended up pulling out the trampoline and the climbing fort so that got set up yesterday too. The nice thing is that there's actually somewhere for the kids to play in the backyard now and they spent most of today (when we weren't at the early year's center) out back exploring and fiddling with the toys.
It's funny to watch Kara try to do what Garrett does. When he was bouncing on the trampoline, she'd stand on the patio stones and bend her knees like she was bouncing :)
Friday, May 02, 2008
Smashy Smashy
'Tis the summer of awesome superhero movies.
We've got Iron Man, The Dark Knight and now a new trailer for the new Hulk movie (which, thankfully, doesn't have anything to do with the Ang Lee version).
We've got Iron Man, The Dark Knight and now a new trailer for the new Hulk movie (which, thankfully, doesn't have anything to do with the Ang Lee version).
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Stark Raving AWESOME!
I love my job sometimes.
I got to take one of the guys out to see Iron Man tonight at a preview screening and it was AWESOME!
I'm on the cusp about saying it was better than Spider-Man. It is different in tone and content, of course, and it's a lot more grounded in reality than Spidey, but all of that aside it was fantastic.
It was a good thing I saw it before I took Garrett though. It's not that it's overwhelmingly violent or gory or anything. It's just that there is a lot of character development that, while really good for us grown-ups, would put Garrett to sleep.
I'll have to wait until the DVD comes out and just skip to the robot fights, which rock.
I got to take one of the guys out to see Iron Man tonight at a preview screening and it was AWESOME!
I'm on the cusp about saying it was better than Spider-Man. It is different in tone and content, of course, and it's a lot more grounded in reality than Spidey, but all of that aside it was fantastic.
It was a good thing I saw it before I took Garrett though. It's not that it's overwhelmingly violent or gory or anything. It's just that there is a lot of character development that, while really good for us grown-ups, would put Garrett to sleep.
I'll have to wait until the DVD comes out and just skip to the robot fights, which rock.
Speaking Of Grand Theft Auto
You have to check out this story and the video that goes with it. It is too funny.
Some 7-year old stole his grandmother's SUV and went on a joy-ride through Tampa. Nobody got hurt but he sure did smash a lot of property.
The grandmother is priceless.
"If I thought they wouldn't take me to jail, I'd whip his behind."
And at least the kid has his priorities straight...
Cop: "Do you think you should be punished?"
Kid: "A little bit, maybe no video games for a whole weekend."
THIS is what happens when you take your kids to the midnight launch of GTAIV!
Some 7-year old stole his grandmother's SUV and went on a joy-ride through Tampa. Nobody got hurt but he sure did smash a lot of property.
The grandmother is priceless.
"If I thought they wouldn't take me to jail, I'd whip his behind."
And at least the kid has his priorities straight...
Cop: "Do you think you should be punished?"
Kid: "A little bit, maybe no video games for a whole weekend."
THIS is what happens when you take your kids to the midnight launch of GTAIV!
Emergent Gameplay FTW!
I've put a bit of time into GTA IV now and while there is some very good stuff in there, it's the stuff that happens on its own that is the neatest to watch.
My favourite thing that has happened so far was something that wasn't scripted. I was walking my character down the street and decided to steal this guy's car. I walked up to his door and pulled him out. I didn't get in the car right away though so he started to punch me. The cops showed up and instead of arresting me, they arrested him instead. I just sauntered away and faded into the shadows while they took him away in the cop car :)
It was just so totally unexpected that I couldn't help but laugh at the poor guy's plight.
My favourite thing that has happened so far was something that wasn't scripted. I was walking my character down the street and decided to steal this guy's car. I walked up to his door and pulled him out. I didn't get in the car right away though so he started to punch me. The cops showed up and instead of arresting me, they arrested him instead. I just sauntered away and faded into the shadows while they took him away in the cop car :)
It was just so totally unexpected that I couldn't help but laugh at the poor guy's plight.
Why I Don't Use Facebook
Yes, I'm one of the few and the proud who has resisted the siren's call of Facebook. My philosophy is that if I haven't at least attempted to talk to you since High School, I probably don't want to, or at least don't care to.
Thankfully, there's a video that sums up my feelings on the subject quite well.
Of course, I got this from Julie who got it from Greg via HIS facebook page. Go figure.
Thankfully, there's a video that sums up my feelings on the subject quite well.
Of course, I got this from Julie who got it from Greg via HIS facebook page. Go figure.
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
That's Wakkie Nu Nu!
Don't ask me why, but this video reminds me of Dan and/or Dave for some reason.
Oh, and check out this guy's tattoo, esp. the arms. It's alternately awesome and really, really sad.
Oh, and check out this guy's tattoo, esp. the arms. It's alternately awesome and really, really sad.
Now What?
I was driving to work today and noticed that my Service Engine Soon light was on.
When I left work, it was on again too.
That said, the car seems to be driving fine, there are no weird noises and no odd smells or leaks. I don't want to take it into the shop and waste money if there's nothing wrong but I also don't want anything to go wrong with it.
Stupid car...
When I left work, it was on again too.
That said, the car seems to be driving fine, there are no weird noises and no odd smells or leaks. I don't want to take it into the shop and waste money if there's nothing wrong but I also don't want anything to go wrong with it.
Stupid car...
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Niko For Your Thoughts
So after 20 very freezing minutes spent standing in line last night before midnight, I was the proud owner of Grand Theft Auto IV. Woo! I didn't play a lot of it last night but what I have played was very, very good. The funny thing is that I spent almost all of the time last night (this morning?) watching the hilarious TV shows in Niko's apartment.
Let me get up on my soapbox for a second...
< soapbox >
I was floored at the number of kids at the midnight launch last night having their parents buying them copies of GTA IV.
I'm not talking about high school students. I'm talking about Grade 6-7 kids.
While I'm loving the game, it really got under my skin that these parents would buy this game for their kids. The best comparison I could think of was:
If you have no problem letting your kids watch Reservoir Dogs, then you'll probably have no problem with them playing GTA IV. If they're too young for Dogs, they're definately too young for GTA.
This is a game that will never, EVER be played when Garrett is around. It irks me that other parents don't seem to have a problem with exposing their kids to the level of very mature dialogue in the game. I'm not even talking about the violence... it's the dialogue that should get parents locking the game up and keeping it away from their kids.
< /soapbox >
All of that said, the dialogue, though vulgar at times, is hilarious and very well written. I'll be posting some impressions of the game once I've done more than, well, going bowling and watching TV, but it is a very good game so far.
Just keep it away from the kids!
Let me get up on my soapbox for a second...
< soapbox >
I was floored at the number of kids at the midnight launch last night having their parents buying them copies of GTA IV.
I'm not talking about high school students. I'm talking about Grade 6-7 kids.
While I'm loving the game, it really got under my skin that these parents would buy this game for their kids. The best comparison I could think of was:
If you have no problem letting your kids watch Reservoir Dogs, then you'll probably have no problem with them playing GTA IV. If they're too young for Dogs, they're definately too young for GTA.
This is a game that will never, EVER be played when Garrett is around. It irks me that other parents don't seem to have a problem with exposing their kids to the level of very mature dialogue in the game. I'm not even talking about the violence... it's the dialogue that should get parents locking the game up and keeping it away from their kids.
< /soapbox >
All of that said, the dialogue, though vulgar at times, is hilarious and very well written. I'll be posting some impressions of the game once I've done more than, well, going bowling and watching TV, but it is a very good game so far.
Just keep it away from the kids!
Happy Birthday Grant!
It's my baby brother's birthday today. It's still technically the 29th, so I'm good!
I can't believe he's 28... That's crazy! I still remember him filling my Walkman's battery case with Crazy Glue back in the day... Now he knows how to blow up a bridge and put it back together again.
NOW FIX MY WALKMAN!
I can't believe he's 28... That's crazy! I still remember him filling my Walkman's battery case with Crazy Glue back in the day... Now he knows how to blow up a bridge and put it back together again.
NOW FIX MY WALKMAN!
Monday, April 28, 2008
GTA in the GTA
I've been doing my best to avoid getting SUPER excited about tonight's launch of Grand Theft Auto 4, but I just can't resist watching this commercial a few times in a row.
5 3/4 hours to go!
5 3/4 hours to go!
Sunday, April 27, 2008
That's Tight!
We've got a relatively new staff at work that I seem to spend most of my shifts with these days. He's a pretty cool guy and one of the few who is at least within a few years of my age.
That said, he's making me feel really old. He uses a bunch of slang when he talks to me that I just don't understand. I mean, I feel like I'm pretty up on the lingo of the kids these days, but when he talks to me, half of the time I have to run whatever he's saying through an internal buffer to decypher whether he's saying something is good or bad.
Why can't people just stick with 'cool' and 'awesome'? Does everything have to be 'off the chain' or 'on fire'? Does that mean it's cool? Does that mean it sucks? I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!!!
That said, he's making me feel really old. He uses a bunch of slang when he talks to me that I just don't understand. I mean, I feel like I'm pretty up on the lingo of the kids these days, but when he talks to me, half of the time I have to run whatever he's saying through an internal buffer to decypher whether he's saying something is good or bad.
Why can't people just stick with 'cool' and 'awesome'? Does everything have to be 'off the chain' or 'on fire'? Does that mean it's cool? Does that mean it sucks? I DON'T KNOW ANYMORE!!!
Saturday, April 26, 2008
That Would Explain The Interest In Probing...
Last weekend, while on a trip to Brantford to see my grandparents, Garrett came up with this gem.
"Maybe the aliens put poop in my butt."
THAT'S MY BOY!
"Maybe the aliens put poop in my butt."
THAT'S MY BOY!
It's WAR Machine, Not WARM Machine... Sigh...
Soo....
I'm really excited about seeing Iron Man. REALLY excited. What's even more exciting is that at least two of the guys at work are calling dibs on taking me to see it :)
Ug... that sounds so much more romantic than it should...
Anyway, I'm definately seeing it with the guys at work at some point over the next couple of weeks. The thing is, Garrett really wants to see it too. He's got a pile of Iron Man toys, loves playing the demo of the game I have on the 360 and almost goes into some kind of fit whenever the commercial for the movie comes on, he's that excited.
Now keep in mind that he already loves watching the Spider-Man movies and that Iron Man is all about guys in giant robot suits blowing each other up, so on that front, I think he'd love it.
On the other front, Julie keeps scowling at me whenever I broach the subject.
Ah well. I think I'll definately take him to see Speed Racer as that looks fun, but in a goofy, Spy Kids-esque kind of way. I might wait until I've seen Iron Man with the guys at work first. At least that way I can vet it and it would give me an excuse to see it for a third time to see if it meets the Spider-Man movie test, by which I mean it's as good as the second Spider-Man movie.
I'm really excited about seeing Iron Man. REALLY excited. What's even more exciting is that at least two of the guys at work are calling dibs on taking me to see it :)
Ug... that sounds so much more romantic than it should...
Anyway, I'm definately seeing it with the guys at work at some point over the next couple of weeks. The thing is, Garrett really wants to see it too. He's got a pile of Iron Man toys, loves playing the demo of the game I have on the 360 and almost goes into some kind of fit whenever the commercial for the movie comes on, he's that excited.
Now keep in mind that he already loves watching the Spider-Man movies and that Iron Man is all about guys in giant robot suits blowing each other up, so on that front, I think he'd love it.
On the other front, Julie keeps scowling at me whenever I broach the subject.
Ah well. I think I'll definately take him to see Speed Racer as that looks fun, but in a goofy, Spy Kids-esque kind of way. I might wait until I've seen Iron Man with the guys at work first. At least that way I can vet it and it would give me an excuse to see it for a third time to see if it meets the Spider-Man movie test, by which I mean it's as good as the second Spider-Man movie.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
The Nightly Grind
Guess who is the proud new owner of a hunk of plastic that goes in his mouth at night!
Yeah, me.
I finally picked up my nightguard thing to keep me from grinding my teeth down to the stubs during the night. I'm interested to see how it goes. Granted, I think I need this little (and expensive) hunk of plastic with the shenanigans going on here.
Not only do I have that stupid dishwasher thing to deal with (they're currently trying to find another dishwasher of the same make and model to replace this hunk of junk) but this morning I woke up to find that for some strange reason, my Tim's card was declining my credit card to do the auto-reload thing.
Grr...
I even called the credit card company, who said that there were some charges on the credit card from last night and this morning when I tried loading the Tim's card via the website... which, according to the credit card company, meant that the problem was on Tim's side.
I call Tim's and was essentially told that from what they could see, no money was added onto my Tim's card so obviously the problem was with the credit card.
ARG!
I'm going to wait until tomorrow and see what's going on. If a charge ends up on my credit card but doesn't show up on my Tim's card, I'll be even MORE livid!
Granted, I should be happy that these little annoyances are about as rough as my life gets. That said, THEY'RE REALLY ANNOYING!
Yeah, me.
I finally picked up my nightguard thing to keep me from grinding my teeth down to the stubs during the night. I'm interested to see how it goes. Granted, I think I need this little (and expensive) hunk of plastic with the shenanigans going on here.
Not only do I have that stupid dishwasher thing to deal with (they're currently trying to find another dishwasher of the same make and model to replace this hunk of junk) but this morning I woke up to find that for some strange reason, my Tim's card was declining my credit card to do the auto-reload thing.
Grr...
I even called the credit card company, who said that there were some charges on the credit card from last night and this morning when I tried loading the Tim's card via the website... which, according to the credit card company, meant that the problem was on Tim's side.
I call Tim's and was essentially told that from what they could see, no money was added onto my Tim's card so obviously the problem was with the credit card.
ARG!
I'm going to wait until tomorrow and see what's going on. If a charge ends up on my credit card but doesn't show up on my Tim's card, I'll be even MORE livid!
Granted, I should be happy that these little annoyances are about as rough as my life gets. That said, THEY'RE REALLY ANNOYING!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
It Served Five Tours Of Duty In Kosovo Before Ending Up In My Kitchen
So I called the plumber today to see if/when he'd come by to put a new faucet in so we could finally use our shiny new dishwasher. Unfortunately, he wasn't around so I had to leave a message. I decided that the dishwasher had been sitting in our kitchen, still in the cardboard and plastic wrapping that it was delivered in, so I might as well unpack it and figure out where to put it.
Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear but... well, you take a look and see if you can spot the problem:
That was the first thing I saw. I couldn't believe it. So I went to move it and noticed that there was a bit of a wobble to the dishwasher. So I take another look and lo and behold, THIS:
And in realizing that there are now TWO major issues with my 'new' dishwasher, I see THIS while checking out the (ex)wheel:
Now, while the dishwasher was a floor model, it definately didn't look like that in the store when we bought it. Suffice it to say, I was a little livid, which, when coupled with my still not 100% wellness rate, didn't make for a fun call to Zellers to yell at people.
Actually, the lady there was pretty pleasant and understanding of our plight, but she has to wait until she talks to the lady at the store who sold it to us. Sigh. At least I didn't wait until the plumber showed up to unwrap it.
I'm sure the actual dishwasher mechanism works fine. It's just the metal sides (and the missing/broken caster) that need repairs. Unfortunately, it seems that it is beyond the means of the fine people at Zellers to actually repair the thing. Grr...
Well, what to my wondering eyes should appear but... well, you take a look and see if you can spot the problem:
That was the first thing I saw. I couldn't believe it. So I went to move it and noticed that there was a bit of a wobble to the dishwasher. So I take another look and lo and behold, THIS:
And in realizing that there are now TWO major issues with my 'new' dishwasher, I see THIS while checking out the (ex)wheel:
Now, while the dishwasher was a floor model, it definately didn't look like that in the store when we bought it. Suffice it to say, I was a little livid, which, when coupled with my still not 100% wellness rate, didn't make for a fun call to Zellers to yell at people.
Actually, the lady there was pretty pleasant and understanding of our plight, but she has to wait until she talks to the lady at the store who sold it to us. Sigh. At least I didn't wait until the plumber showed up to unwrap it.
I'm sure the actual dishwasher mechanism works fine. It's just the metal sides (and the missing/broken caster) that need repairs. Unfortunately, it seems that it is beyond the means of the fine people at Zellers to actually repair the thing. Grr...
Don't Use The Google Moon Tool!
I accidentally clicked on one of the buttons on my Google Toolbar today and it gave me a list of other buttons I could add to the bar. I saw one that said, "Google Moon Tool", which purported to give me new and exciting pictures of the moon every day.
I thought it sounded cool (who doesn't like a neat moon photo?) and so I added it.
I click on the button (when I finally figured out which tiny icon it was) and where does it take me? Some CellPhoneStyle.net page. No moons to be found, but there was a grumpy sick person staring befuddled at the screen for some time.
Very, very strange, esp. for something that seems to be on the up and up from Google.
I thought it sounded cool (who doesn't like a neat moon photo?) and so I added it.
I click on the button (when I finally figured out which tiny icon it was) and where does it take me? Some CellPhoneStyle.net page. No moons to be found, but there was a grumpy sick person staring befuddled at the screen for some time.
Very, very strange, esp. for something that seems to be on the up and up from Google.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Son Of Death-Cold
It's spring, so that means it's time for me to come down with some kind of funky viral infection.
It hit me mid-afternoon on Sunday. I was home sick on Monday and I knew I had to be really sick because I slept for about 4 hours in the afternoon.
I never sleep during the day (heck, I rarely seem to sleep at night)!
I was already scheduled off today but I probably would have called in anyway. The worst thing about this year's death cold is that it's not really making me cough up gunk or run a 110 degree fever. Instead, I feel like I'm drunk, only I haven't been drinking anything. Just ask Julie how incoherent I've been over the last day and a half.
I had a really strange dream that I witnessed a person getting decapitated by a car last night. I was sure that it was real (I even dreamed I watched the news reports) but nope. Doesn't seem to be something that I've been privy to.
Anyway, I'm going to bed as soon as I finish watching Cloverfield. The best part about having it on DVD is that I can skip the first 20 minutes and get right to the monster parts.
It hit me mid-afternoon on Sunday. I was home sick on Monday and I knew I had to be really sick because I slept for about 4 hours in the afternoon.
I never sleep during the day (heck, I rarely seem to sleep at night)!
I was already scheduled off today but I probably would have called in anyway. The worst thing about this year's death cold is that it's not really making me cough up gunk or run a 110 degree fever. Instead, I feel like I'm drunk, only I haven't been drinking anything. Just ask Julie how incoherent I've been over the last day and a half.
I had a really strange dream that I witnessed a person getting decapitated by a car last night. I was sure that it was real (I even dreamed I watched the news reports) but nope. Doesn't seem to be something that I've been privy to.
Anyway, I'm going to bed as soon as I finish watching Cloverfield. The best part about having it on DVD is that I can skip the first 20 minutes and get right to the monster parts.
Monday, April 21, 2008
Happy Birthday Kara!
Kara's the big 1.0 today. We had a little 'party' yesterday (Julie's parents and grandparents stopped by on the way through to Coburg) and we continued the tradition of letting our kids thoroughly demolish a chocolate cupcake on their first birthday.
I think this is my favourite shot from the event.
It's also my Grandpa's birthday today too, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA! Unfortunately, I don't have a similar picture of him demolishing a cupcake...
I think this is my favourite shot from the event.
It's also my Grandpa's birthday today too, so HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRANDPA! Unfortunately, I don't have a similar picture of him demolishing a cupcake...
Friday, April 18, 2008
Tweet Tweet
I knew that the app I was looking for existed. A little birdy sent me over to Desktoptopia and it is exactly what the doctor ordered. The wallpapers I've been having delivered to my computer dynamically have been pretty slick so far and it took about 3 seconds to download and install. Pretty sweet stuff.
Oh, while I'm at it, check out the Soul Calibur IV trailer for some pretty cool appearances by a few unexpected (if you haven't been following gaming news) guests.
Oh, while I'm at it, check out the Soul Calibur IV trailer for some pretty cool appearances by a few unexpected (if you haven't been following gaming news) guests.
A Lean, Green Jedi Machine
This should bring a smile to anyone's face. It's a 60 second version of Empire Strikes Back... very cute, esp. given that everything was built from scratch.
Happy Birthday Mom!
It's my mom's birthday today and to celebrate, she is on a train RIGHT NOW on the way to Quebec City. She just loves the poutine...
So happy birthday, Mom! The card is en route.
So happy birthday, Mom! The card is en route.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Stumbling Into The 20th Century
After over 2 weeks of waiting, we finally got our dishwasher here at Casa Del Wageros.
The annoying thing is that we still won't be able to use it until next week when the plumber, who is currently experiencing a mild outbreak of Ebola or Hanta Virus, will hopefully be able to reconstitute his liquifying internal organs and stumble over here to put a new faucet in so that we can hook this baby up.
Goooo Portable Dishwashers!
The annoying thing is that we still won't be able to use it until next week when the plumber, who is currently experiencing a mild outbreak of Ebola or Hanta Virus, will hopefully be able to reconstitute his liquifying internal organs and stumble over here to put a new faucet in so that we can hook this baby up.
Goooo Portable Dishwashers!
Do The Mario!
I saw this over at Buttonmashing.com and thought it was pretty cool.
Ah, the fun people get into with RC cars and empty beer bottles.
http://view.break.com/487616 - Watch more free videos
Ah, the fun people get into with RC cars and empty beer bottles.
http://view.break.com/487616 - Watch more free videos
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Changing The Wallpaper
I was wondering if anyone out there knows of a program that I can use that would automatically change my desktop wallpaper on a daily/hourly/whateverly basis. If I could jack that into a photo feed or one of my photo directories on my computer, all the better.
I know you can get screensavers that dynamically update the images... there has to be something for desktops.
I know you can get screensavers that dynamically update the images... there has to be something for desktops.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
The Quotable Garrett
"My favourite pet is a chicken. A pink chicken."
"Cooper told me at church that pink is for girls but I like pink and I'm a BOY!"
Garrett's going through a pink phase. First it was Princess Peach all the time in Smash Brothers, now he's talking about everything being pink.
Sigh.
"Cooper told me at church that pink is for girls but I like pink and I'm a BOY!"
Garrett's going through a pink phase. First it was Princess Peach all the time in Smash Brothers, now he's talking about everything being pink.
Sigh.
Zoomp!!! Phump!!!
The Clone Wars movie trailer was leaked sometime this weekend (and taken down pretty fast by Youtube) but you can still see it here.
The scary thing is that this looks like it might be better than all three of the prequel movies. The fact that it's mirroring the Gendy Tartovsky animated Clone Wars series helps immensely.
Garrett might be a little too young for the sheer mind-blowing awesomeness of Iron Man this summer but he and I are definately seeing this and Wall-E.
Speaking of Star Wars, this image that I found on Extralife was too funny.
The scary thing is that this looks like it might be better than all three of the prequel movies. The fact that it's mirroring the Gendy Tartovsky animated Clone Wars series helps immensely.
Garrett might be a little too young for the sheer mind-blowing awesomeness of Iron Man this summer but he and I are definately seeing this and Wall-E.
Speaking of Star Wars, this image that I found on Extralife was too funny.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Friday, April 11, 2008
If A Tree Lands On A Violinist, Does It Make Radio 2 Listeners Cry?
This is an awesome story about one of the world's best violinists busking in a busy Washington D.C. metro stop. The story is about how art is appreciated and whether the average person will recognize great music out of the usual context of a concert hall.
It's a very interesting read and, once again, something I found over at the incomparable Dubious Quality.
It's a very interesting read and, once again, something I found over at the incomparable Dubious Quality.
At least notL33T isn't dirty...
I know this isn't new, but it's too funny not to pass along. It's a list of inadvertently bad domain names.
There are even worse ones over here.
1. A site called “Who Represents” where you can find the name of the agent that represents a celebrity. Their domain name… wait for it… is:
www.whorepresents.com
2. Experts Exchange, a knowledge base where programmers can exchange advice and views at:
www.expertsexchange.com
3. Looking for a pen? Look no further than Pen Island at:
www.penisland.net
4. Need a therapist? Try Therapist Finder at:
www.therapistfinder.com
5. Then of course, there’s the Italian Power Generator company:
www.powergenitalia.com
6. And now, we have the Mole Station Native Nursery, based in New South Wales:
www.molestationnursery.com
7. If you’re looking for computer software, there’s always:
www.ipanywhere.com
8. Welcome to the First Cumming Methodist Church. Their website is:
www.cummingfirst.com
9. Then, of course, there’s these brainless art designers, and their whacky website:
www.speedofart.com
10. Want to holiday in Lake Tahoe? Try their brochure website at:
www.gotahoe.com
There are even worse ones over here.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
SBCG4AP
Have you noticed something around the internet lately? An increased smell of burnination? The cries of millions of Lappy486's suddenly going silent?
Well, have I got news for you.
Strong Bad, star of Homestarrunner.com, my once weekly, now every so oftenly visited favourite website on the whole internet, has a game coming out on the Wii! It's called Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People (or SBCG4AP).
In talking about the game today, I've realized that I haven't really visited the site since about the time I was on leave with Garrett. The really odd thing is that most of the people I've talked to about it also stopped visiting the site around late 2004, early 2005. Strange...
I need to go catch up on all of the Strongbad E-mails and other nuttiness on that site.
Well, have I got news for you.
Strong Bad, star of Homestarrunner.com, my once weekly, now every so oftenly visited favourite website on the whole internet, has a game coming out on the Wii! It's called Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People (or SBCG4AP).
In talking about the game today, I've realized that I haven't really visited the site since about the time I was on leave with Garrett. The really odd thing is that most of the people I've talked to about it also stopped visiting the site around late 2004, early 2005. Strange...
I need to go catch up on all of the Strongbad E-mails and other nuttiness on that site.
Halva Nice Day
The deli at one of the local grocery stores had samples of halva the other day and I had to pick a slab of the stuff up because it was so good.
Halva is one of my guilty pleasures that I have every so often as a special treat. As delicious as it is, I can't eat too much of it or it goes from being a yummy treat to being just disgustingly sweet. It's definately a treat one should eat in tiny slivers.
This find got me thinking about another treat from my childhood that I can't seem to find anywhere. Does anyone know where on earth I can find a bag of pfeffernüsse (go umlaut!)?
There was a store that my mom used to buy them from when I was younger but I don't think I've seen them outside of that store in Sarnia. You'd think I could find these yummy cookies around the GTA but noooo...
Halva is one of my guilty pleasures that I have every so often as a special treat. As delicious as it is, I can't eat too much of it or it goes from being a yummy treat to being just disgustingly sweet. It's definately a treat one should eat in tiny slivers.
This find got me thinking about another treat from my childhood that I can't seem to find anywhere. Does anyone know where on earth I can find a bag of pfeffernüsse (go umlaut!)?
There was a store that my mom used to buy them from when I was younger but I don't think I've seen them outside of that store in Sarnia. You'd think I could find these yummy cookies around the GTA but noooo...
Holy Pain, Batman!
This must have hurt... a lot...
Thanks to Extralife for the linky. Click on the picture for the full size shot (to the face).
Thanks to Extralife for the linky. Click on the picture for the full size shot (to the face).
Exorcise Your Pot Rights
I had a very odd day yesterday at work.
To start off, unbeknownst to me, one of the workers from another house got it into his head that I was evil incarnate and decided to have a prayer vigil for me so that my taint wouldn't spread throughout the house. I've never met the guy and don't even know what his name is, but I'm honoured that I somehow inspired such revulsion that he'd try to cleanse my filthy spirit from a distance. I think I was working on the May schedule at the time.
When I found out about this spiritual intervention later in the afternoon, I couldn't stop laughing. It didn't help when one of my co-workers told the guy that I used to play Dungeons & Dragons and videogames. I think they were just trying to rile him up at that point though :)
The other strange thing was that I got into a very impassioned arguement about the proper way to scrub pots and pans. It was a soak or no-soak, steel wool vs. elbow grease kind of debate that went nowhere fast and boggled my mind the entire time I was in the middle of it.
I swear that there are days when things are just so surreal that you can't help but laugh.
To start off, unbeknownst to me, one of the workers from another house got it into his head that I was evil incarnate and decided to have a prayer vigil for me so that my taint wouldn't spread throughout the house. I've never met the guy and don't even know what his name is, but I'm honoured that I somehow inspired such revulsion that he'd try to cleanse my filthy spirit from a distance. I think I was working on the May schedule at the time.
When I found out about this spiritual intervention later in the afternoon, I couldn't stop laughing. It didn't help when one of my co-workers told the guy that I used to play Dungeons & Dragons and videogames. I think they were just trying to rile him up at that point though :)
The other strange thing was that I got into a very impassioned arguement about the proper way to scrub pots and pans. It was a soak or no-soak, steel wool vs. elbow grease kind of debate that went nowhere fast and boggled my mind the entire time I was in the middle of it.
I swear that there are days when things are just so surreal that you can't help but laugh.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
One Small Step
Yay! Youtube is working again, so behold! Kara walks!
(Don't forget to turn up the volume for even more inspiration!)
(Don't forget to turn up the volume for even more inspiration!)
Video Footage!
I actually have some footage of Kara walking and I cobbled together a little video for it tonight but, go figure, YouTube is down. I did send it to a couple of people and will hopefully have it up on the net shortly.
Saturday, April 05, 2008
It's Like The Bellagio But With More Bile
How does something this cute:
produce more vomit in one day than Linda Blair in The Exorcist?
Every time either Julie or I come near Kara today, she ends up drenching us and any furniture near us in puke. It hasn't been fun...
The annoying part is that she's otherwise in fine form and good spirits. She'll be walking around or crawling somewhere or slapping Garrett on the head and then she'll cough and the floodgates open.
Sigh.
I'm hoping she gets whatever is in her out of her and doesn't spread it to the rest of us!
produce more vomit in one day than Linda Blair in The Exorcist?
Every time either Julie or I come near Kara today, she ends up drenching us and any furniture near us in puke. It hasn't been fun...
The annoying part is that she's otherwise in fine form and good spirits. She'll be walking around or crawling somewhere or slapping Garrett on the head and then she'll cough and the floodgates open.
Sigh.
I'm hoping she gets whatever is in her out of her and doesn't spread it to the rest of us!
What The Frak?
Last night saw the glorious return of the best show on TV, Battlestar Galactica. I quite enjoyed the first episode of the season and while it kind of sucks that this is the last season, I'll be happy if they wrap the show up properly instead of having it drag on too long (like X-Files) or end before it should (like Firefly).
For a recap of the first three seasons in 8 minutes, check out the video below.
For a recap of the first three seasons in 8 minutes, check out the video below.
Friday, April 04, 2008
Upgrade In Progress
Go figure. Just like with Garrett, my return to work has sparked the upgrade process in Kara to migrate from her old software (Cruising v.1.5) to a new and exciting OS (Walking v.0.5). She was taking a few steps on Wednesday night (when I was at work, of course) and yesterday and today has seen her moving even further before landing on her butt.
I've tried filming her walking but, as usual, the second I get the camera out she reverts to her old crawling ways. Sigh. Hopefully I'll get something on the weekend.
I apologize for the severe lack of updates this week. I've been working evenings every day and I have to go in for a 12 hour shift today (blarg). I'll try to post a bunch of pictures and stuff tomorrow.
I've tried filming her walking but, as usual, the second I get the camera out she reverts to her old crawling ways. Sigh. Hopefully I'll get something on the weekend.
I apologize for the severe lack of updates this week. I've been working evenings every day and I have to go in for a 12 hour shift today (blarg). I'll try to post a bunch of pictures and stuff tomorrow.
I Shall Call It... GHIBLAR!
This is a pretty sweet little movie (not sure if it's pre-rendered CGI or a tech demo) that I just stumbled upon today. It's like Pixar had a baby with Studio Ghibli.
Wednesday, April 02, 2008
The Triforce Of Awesome
I can't believe I hadn't heard anything about the Legend Of Zelda movie that's coming out next year. Man, it looks awesome.
The cool thing is that Garrett was able to identify pretty much every character in the trailer without the sound on. Who says you don't learn anything from videogames (specifically Super Smash Brothers)?
The cool thing is that Garrett was able to identify pretty much every character in the trailer without the sound on. Who says you don't learn anything from videogames (specifically Super Smash Brothers)?
Monday, March 31, 2008
Save Me From The Workday!
The rumours are true. My vacation starts today.
What's that? You hear that I'm going back to work today? Well, that's true. I meant that my vacation from the kids starts today :)
I've had lots of fun with the kids over the past three months but the frightening thing is that I kind of miss going to work and being involved in the zaniness that pervades the group home (and adult conversation... I miss adult conversation that doesn't involve babies or baby related topics).
I'm interested to see what has gone on while I've been away (probably a lot) and what has changed (probably not very much).
Today should be an interesting day as it will be Kara's first day at the babysitter's with no Mommy or Daddy around. But Garrett will be there, so I'm sure she'll adjust.
About the only thing that I wish I'd been able to do before going back to work was to read a few more books and finish Lost Odyssey. I was hoping to wrap up Lost Odyssey last night but I was too busy trying to wrap up a bunch of the sidequests over the past two nights. The upside is that I'm going to end up finishing this JRPG with almost 100% completion, which is a rarity for me when I play JRPGs. If you've got a 360 and liked games like Final Fantasy, you should do yourself a favour and play Lost Odyssey!
I also hoped to finish Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but while I didn't, I came pretty close. I'll probably wrap it up over the next evening or two.
But I digress.
I'll probably end up spending my whole first shift just reading 3 months worth of communication book entries :P
What's that? You hear that I'm going back to work today? Well, that's true. I meant that my vacation from the kids starts today :)
I've had lots of fun with the kids over the past three months but the frightening thing is that I kind of miss going to work and being involved in the zaniness that pervades the group home (and adult conversation... I miss adult conversation that doesn't involve babies or baby related topics).
I'm interested to see what has gone on while I've been away (probably a lot) and what has changed (probably not very much).
Today should be an interesting day as it will be Kara's first day at the babysitter's with no Mommy or Daddy around. But Garrett will be there, so I'm sure she'll adjust.
About the only thing that I wish I'd been able to do before going back to work was to read a few more books and finish Lost Odyssey. I was hoping to wrap up Lost Odyssey last night but I was too busy trying to wrap up a bunch of the sidequests over the past two nights. The upside is that I'm going to end up finishing this JRPG with almost 100% completion, which is a rarity for me when I play JRPGs. If you've got a 360 and liked games like Final Fantasy, you should do yourself a favour and play Lost Odyssey!
I also hoped to finish Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, but while I didn't, I came pretty close. I'll probably wrap it up over the next evening or two.
But I digress.
I'll probably end up spending my whole first shift just reading 3 months worth of communication book entries :P
Saturday, March 29, 2008
I Hope This Bandwagon Is A Hybrid
So, today is Earth Hour Day.
There's a new poll up to see if you're going to be turning your lights off from 8-9pm tonight.
We decided to commemorate Earth Hour early by turning all of our lights off from 2-6am this morning. Frankly, I'm thinking of going the Greenco way (the second video in the top row) tonight...
There's a new poll up to see if you're going to be turning your lights off from 8-9pm tonight.
We decided to commemorate Earth Hour early by turning all of our lights off from 2-6am this morning. Frankly, I'm thinking of going the Greenco way (the second video in the top row) tonight...
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Happy Birthday James
It's James' birthday today! According to ancient Mayan calendars (which were carved to commemorate his tricentennial back in the mists of prehistory) James is slated for a day off of work to celebrate!
Unfortunately, that day isn't today. Oh well. I'll think of you while I'm enjoying (ha) my final official day of parental leave tomorrow. Sigh.
Unfortunately, that day isn't today. Oh well. I'll think of you while I'm enjoying (ha) my final official day of parental leave tomorrow. Sigh.
It's Not Too Late For A Birthday Present!
You know you want me to have this chair...
The scary thing is that this thing is real. I saw it on a few TV shows last week.
The scary thing is that this thing is real. I saw it on a few TV shows last week.
They May Be Evil, But HOW Evil?
Tim put a link to a story about Bell 'shaping' the download speeds for users on ISPs that lease Bell's DSL network access. While I'm not going to argue about Bell being evil (though compared to many other telecoms, they're downright saints in my book), I'm of mixed feelings about the throttling. Most of it happens during peak times and it's bittorrents that are affected for the most part. Now, there are some stories about stuff like the new CBC bittorrent service being really borked over Bell and Rogers and if that's happening in off-hour times, that's just wrong.
Most of the end-user experience won't be changed though. I kind of feel for the independant ISP who can't fulfill some of their promises to their customers but it's kind of like complaining that the fountain in the hotel lobby isn't working during the middle of a drought. Bell provides the water, so to speak, and if they need to stem the flow so that everyone can have optimal surfing/generic usage vs. several bittorrent users draining the available resource, I'm down with that.
And frankly, I'd rather deal with something like throttling, which is a little annoying some of the time than hard bandwidth caps, which are annoying ALL of the time.
I'm still surprised that independant ISPs are around these days as they seem to be going the way of the dodo... while this move won't make life easier for them, I'm sure that most of the people doing bittorrent and P2P sharing on the ISP linked in that article aren't sharing opensource/creative commons things, so they should stop their whining and be thankful that we haven't adopted the proposed Canadian DCMA that has been bandied about for a few months... yet.
Most of the end-user experience won't be changed though. I kind of feel for the independant ISP who can't fulfill some of their promises to their customers but it's kind of like complaining that the fountain in the hotel lobby isn't working during the middle of a drought. Bell provides the water, so to speak, and if they need to stem the flow so that everyone can have optimal surfing/generic usage vs. several bittorrent users draining the available resource, I'm down with that.
And frankly, I'd rather deal with something like throttling, which is a little annoying some of the time than hard bandwidth caps, which are annoying ALL of the time.
I'm still surprised that independant ISPs are around these days as they seem to be going the way of the dodo... while this move won't make life easier for them, I'm sure that most of the people doing bittorrent and P2P sharing on the ISP linked in that article aren't sharing opensource/creative commons things, so they should stop their whining and be thankful that we haven't adopted the proposed Canadian DCMA that has been bandied about for a few months... yet.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Dead Fantasy 2
Remember that Dead Or Alive vs. Final Fantasy movie that was out a little while ago? Well, the second part is up now! Check it out!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Pssst... Today's The Day
Yes, you can start the party now. I've survived another trip around the sun (barely).
To commemorate this occasion, Garrett showed me his new trick... he taught himself how to pee standing up. Unfortunately, he didn't read the part in the manual that mentioned that he should aim for the toilet bowl and not my pile of Maclean's magazines. Sigh.
To commemorate this occasion, Garrett showed me his new trick... he taught himself how to pee standing up. Unfortunately, he didn't read the part in the manual that mentioned that he should aim for the toilet bowl and not my pile of Maclean's magazines. Sigh.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Speaking Of The Hulk...
The HD trailer for the new Hulk movie is up.
Bonus points if you can name the street that the showdown between The Hulk and The Abomination takes place on.
Bonus points if you can name the street that the showdown between The Hulk and The Abomination takes place on.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Bell Good? Hulk No Smash? Oh Well...
Just a little update on my stupid Bell situation. It turned out that we were getting the long distance plan for the $9.95 that was quoted to us. It's just that due to the rather byzantine way that the Bell is laid out and the fact that some of the info, like the fact we get $5 off of the bill due to bundling, is not shown on the e-bill, it looked like we were paying more than we should when in reality everything was fine.
That little tidbit out of the way, I went on to talk to someone in the Internet department about the $20 activation fee on our bill. I was all ready to get my CSR stomping boots on and dance an Irish jig on some poor sap when they came onto the phone and said, "Oh, that activation fee shouldn't be on there. You've been credited the amount on your next bill."
I was kind of disappointed that everything went so smoothly. Ah well. It was nice to not have to play mind games with the reps, even if they did try to upsell me on call display while I was talking to them.
That little tidbit out of the way, I went on to talk to someone in the Internet department about the $20 activation fee on our bill. I was all ready to get my CSR stomping boots on and dance an Irish jig on some poor sap when they came onto the phone and said, "Oh, that activation fee shouldn't be on there. You've been credited the amount on your next bill."
I was kind of disappointed that everything went so smoothly. Ah well. It was nice to not have to play mind games with the reps, even if they did try to upsell me on call display while I was talking to them.
It's Still Two Days Away!
An open letter to the world:
Dear World,
Thank you for once again throwing me a big party for my birthday. I just wanted to point out a few tiny mistakes with the current plan:
1) My birthday is not on March 17th. It's March 19th. This happens EVERY year.
2) My favourite colour is not green. I'm a little more partial to red, purple and blue, though I do love a cool phosphorescent green.
3) Why do I never get invited to any of these big parties? I keep seeing people out and about every March 17th, but my invitation has never arrived. What's up? You can't have an early birthday party for me if I'm not there!
4) I like to consider myself a nice guy and all that, but I think calling me a saint is going a bit far. There are also a few issues with the myth that has been started about me and my alleged sainthood that I would like to address:
(a) Error 1: I like snakes.
(b) Error 2: I am not dead, which I think is prerequisite for sainthood.
(c) Error 3: My name is not Patrick.
I think that's about it. Hopefully this will make its way up the chain of command to whomever is in charge of these things and next year we'll see my birthday celebrations happening on the right day.
That said, whoever thought it was a good idea to serve lots of Guinness today deserves a medal. Mmm... Guinness.
Dear World,
Thank you for once again throwing me a big party for my birthday. I just wanted to point out a few tiny mistakes with the current plan:
1) My birthday is not on March 17th. It's March 19th. This happens EVERY year.
2) My favourite colour is not green. I'm a little more partial to red, purple and blue, though I do love a cool phosphorescent green.
3) Why do I never get invited to any of these big parties? I keep seeing people out and about every March 17th, but my invitation has never arrived. What's up? You can't have an early birthday party for me if I'm not there!
4) I like to consider myself a nice guy and all that, but I think calling me a saint is going a bit far. There are also a few issues with the myth that has been started about me and my alleged sainthood that I would like to address:
(a) Error 1: I like snakes.
(b) Error 2: I am not dead, which I think is prerequisite for sainthood.
(c) Error 3: My name is not Patrick.
I think that's about it. Hopefully this will make its way up the chain of command to whomever is in charge of these things and next year we'll see my birthday celebrations happening on the right day.
That said, whoever thought it was a good idea to serve lots of Guinness today deserves a medal. Mmm... Guinness.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
It's Still Worth The Drive To Acton
After swimming today, Garrett & I stopped in at that most venerable of Acton institutions, Tim Horton's.
But before we did that, we stopped at The Olde Hide House... or The Hide House... or The "We Used To Sell Leather Before We Went Bankrupt" House. I picked up a new pair of leather gloves for next winter and had a look at some of the furniture. It's sad that a leather chair, even with the cheaper price and 40% discount, will still cost upwards of $800-1200. Yeesh.
I asked about what the status of the store is and the word is that they are definately closing the Toronto and Vaughn stores and depending on how the sales go over the next 6 weeks, they'll hopefully reopen the Acton store with a smaller selection. Oh well. If you're looking for a new leather coat, they're on sale for 40-60% off, but they're still pretty pricey.
But before we did that, we stopped at The Olde Hide House... or The Hide House... or The "We Used To Sell Leather Before We Went Bankrupt" House. I picked up a new pair of leather gloves for next winter and had a look at some of the furniture. It's sad that a leather chair, even with the cheaper price and 40% discount, will still cost upwards of $800-1200. Yeesh.
I asked about what the status of the store is and the word is that they are definately closing the Toronto and Vaughn stores and depending on how the sales go over the next 6 weeks, they'll hopefully reopen the Acton store with a smaller selection. Oh well. If you're looking for a new leather coat, they're on sale for 40-60% off, but they're still pretty pricey.
Saturday, March 15, 2008
BELL!!!!
If anyone from Bell ever calls to change your various plans around, for the love of all that is good and holy, document EVERYTHING.
We got a call early February and both upgraded our Sympatico and changed our long-distance plan so that we'd be on a new plan that cost us $9.95/month for unlimited anytime calling in Ontario instead of the hobbled $7.95 first-rate plan that we could only use in the evenings and weekends.
I get the bill today and they've charged us $14.95 for that plan! GRR!! They also charged us a $20 activation fee for the upgrade to our internet service that wasn't mentioned at all during our conversation with the agent.
What irks me is that I asked for a follow-up e-mail or letter from Bell about these changes and to this date they still haven't sent me anything. I kind of wish that someone had been in the billing center today because I've been in such a foul mood about everything that I was hoping I could vent on some poor sap in their office. Oh well. I'll have to wait for Monday to resolve but heaven help me if they try to stonewall me.
I had a problem with Bell a loooong time ago due to someone on the phone telling me one thing and the billing department charging me for something else and there is no way I am letting them slide this time around.
We got a call early February and both upgraded our Sympatico and changed our long-distance plan so that we'd be on a new plan that cost us $9.95/month for unlimited anytime calling in Ontario instead of the hobbled $7.95 first-rate plan that we could only use in the evenings and weekends.
I get the bill today and they've charged us $14.95 for that plan! GRR!! They also charged us a $20 activation fee for the upgrade to our internet service that wasn't mentioned at all during our conversation with the agent.
What irks me is that I asked for a follow-up e-mail or letter from Bell about these changes and to this date they still haven't sent me anything. I kind of wish that someone had been in the billing center today because I've been in such a foul mood about everything that I was hoping I could vent on some poor sap in their office. Oh well. I'll have to wait for Monday to resolve but heaven help me if they try to stonewall me.
I had a problem with Bell a loooong time ago due to someone on the phone telling me one thing and the billing department charging me for something else and there is no way I am letting them slide this time around.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Thursday, March 13, 2008
How To Rationalize
The frightening thing is that I was THIS close to grabbing one of the 360 HD-DVD drives at Wal-Mart on Tuesday as it's only $50. Unfortunately, the free movie deal is done, otherwise it'd be more than worth getting.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
GIANT BUNNIES FROM MARS!
I took the kids down to Georgetown Mall to see Max & Ruby. I didn't expect it to be quite as insane, crowd-wise, and should have probably aimed to arrive earlier than 10 minutes before those big creepy bunnies took the stage.
As it was, I ended up putting Garrett up on my shoulders and held Kara in my arms while trying to take pictures with the camera from behind a wall of adults who didn't seem to understand that it was a show for LITTLE KIDS. I was telling some of the other parents (who were telling their kids that they'd have to just listen to the music) to just send the kids up to the front and elbow the adults out of the way. Thankfully one mom did just that and her brood opened up an area that had enough room for Garrett to watch the show. I saw this grandmother sitting right at the edge of the stage area with a shopping cart taking up spots that could have fit about 5 kids, easy, just so her granddaughter could sit in the little seat at the top. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the fact that the shopping cart was there until after the show when people were clearing out. Sigh.
It was a fun little show and Kara loved it. Garrett seemed to like it but he kept complaining about the fact that Max and Ruby didn't talk to him.
One thing I did learn was that there is no way I'm going back to the mall for the other events that are going on this week. There's a science show and display tomorrow that I'd love to go to but it was just too chaotic. I'll just take the kids down to Mountsberg for the annual trip to the sugar bush. Mmm... Maple syrup!
As it was, I ended up putting Garrett up on my shoulders and held Kara in my arms while trying to take pictures with the camera from behind a wall of adults who didn't seem to understand that it was a show for LITTLE KIDS. I was telling some of the other parents (who were telling their kids that they'd have to just listen to the music) to just send the kids up to the front and elbow the adults out of the way. Thankfully one mom did just that and her brood opened up an area that had enough room for Garrett to watch the show. I saw this grandmother sitting right at the edge of the stage area with a shopping cart taking up spots that could have fit about 5 kids, easy, just so her granddaughter could sit in the little seat at the top. Unfortunately, I didn't notice the fact that the shopping cart was there until after the show when people were clearing out. Sigh.
It was a fun little show and Kara loved it. Garrett seemed to like it but he kept complaining about the fact that Max and Ruby didn't talk to him.
One thing I did learn was that there is no way I'm going back to the mall for the other events that are going on this week. There's a science show and display tomorrow that I'd love to go to but it was just too chaotic. I'll just take the kids down to Mountsberg for the annual trip to the sugar bush. Mmm... Maple syrup!
One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others
A fabulous No-Prize for the person who can identify the item that doesn't belong in this picture.
An even fancier No-Prize for the person who comes up with the funniest caption to explain why it's there.
An even fancier No-Prize for the person who comes up with the funniest caption to explain why it's there.
PicLens
I found this cool plug-in via Buttonmashing and I have to say, I'm very impressed.
Piclens is a plug-in for your browser (it autodetects which browser you are using... it was seamless on Firefox) and basically turns photo sites into 3D-image walls. It's pretty sweet.
Piclens is a plug-in for your browser (it autodetects which browser you are using... it was seamless on Firefox) and basically turns photo sites into 3D-image walls. It's pretty sweet.
The US Election: Pokémon Style
Saw this on one of the boards I visit and thought it was pretty cool. Enjoy!
Monday, March 10, 2008
Garrett: Snow Ninja
Garrett got all bundled up yesterday to allegedly help me shovel out the cars but in reality, he just wanted to have fun in the snow. Kids these days.
How deep was the snow? That deep. You can see that the snow basically filled our front yard to the top of the fences which are a good 3 1/2 - 4 feet tall. The backyard isn't much better. I think the snow is up to the top of our BBQ.
Here's a little video of Garrett trying to make his way around the yard. And no, he doesn't have a cheese fetish. He hasn't quite figured out that our camera does video.
Princess PEACH... Or How Garrett Became A Gamer
Garrett has fiddled with my old Gameboy Advance SP off and on for a little while now but sometime over the last couple weeks he seemed to adopt it as his new best friend.
Sadly, Garrett asked me to take a picture of him and his gameboy. Sigh.
All he liked to do at first was get Mario up on Yoshi and then run them both into a pit and laugh at them. Then, one day about a week ago, my boy done made me proud. I was sitting at the computer, likely working on yet another blog post, when I hear a familiar sound in the background. It was the Level Complete song from Super Mario World!
Garrett had finished a level all by himself! WOO!
Ever since then, it has been a rare day when Garrett hasn't spent a bit of time playing HIS Mario game. This is the kid who used to tell me to turn off the video games.
So yesterday, after digging ourselves out of the giant pile of snow in our driveway, Garrett and I drove down to EB to pick up Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. We had a blast playing it when we got home but I noticed a trend. When we fired up the game, Garrett was playing as Yoshi, which was fine as he loves that little green dude.
Then something started to happen. Garrett played a match as Princess Peach and then she became his go-to character for the rest of the afternoon. What made this particularly funny was the fact that I had a couple of friends over yesterday afternoon (who shall remain nameless) and Garrett kicked their butts TWICE IN A ROW... WITH PRINCESS PEACH! A 3 3/4 year old beat two 30-somethings WITH PRINCESS PEACH!
(That's why they're remaining nameless.)
What's really sad is that Garrett was trying to say he was feeling sick today so he didn't have to go to the babysitter (he goes every Monday). Why was he sick? He wanted to stay home to play more Smash Brothers with me. He's 3 3/4 years old and he's already trying to fake being sick to stay home to play videogames!
THAT'S MY BOY!
Sadly, Garrett asked me to take a picture of him and his gameboy. Sigh.
All he liked to do at first was get Mario up on Yoshi and then run them both into a pit and laugh at them. Then, one day about a week ago, my boy done made me proud. I was sitting at the computer, likely working on yet another blog post, when I hear a familiar sound in the background. It was the Level Complete song from Super Mario World!
Garrett had finished a level all by himself! WOO!
Ever since then, it has been a rare day when Garrett hasn't spent a bit of time playing HIS Mario game. This is the kid who used to tell me to turn off the video games.
So yesterday, after digging ourselves out of the giant pile of snow in our driveway, Garrett and I drove down to EB to pick up Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Wii. We had a blast playing it when we got home but I noticed a trend. When we fired up the game, Garrett was playing as Yoshi, which was fine as he loves that little green dude.
Then something started to happen. Garrett played a match as Princess Peach and then she became his go-to character for the rest of the afternoon. What made this particularly funny was the fact that I had a couple of friends over yesterday afternoon (who shall remain nameless) and Garrett kicked their butts TWICE IN A ROW... WITH PRINCESS PEACH! A 3 3/4 year old beat two 30-somethings WITH PRINCESS PEACH!
(That's why they're remaining nameless.)
What's really sad is that Garrett was trying to say he was feeling sick today so he didn't have to go to the babysitter (he goes every Monday). Why was he sick? He wanted to stay home to play more Smash Brothers with me. He's 3 3/4 years old and he's already trying to fake being sick to stay home to play videogames!
THAT'S MY BOY!
Saturday, March 08, 2008
It's A-Me!
Scott over at ExtraLife is doing a series of geeks.
I thought this one was rather fitting.
I thought this one was rather fitting.
Pictures From The Timeshare
We went up to the timeshare in Thornbury last weekend (Sun-Tues) and while the weather was less than spectacular, we still had a great time swimming in the pool and relaxing. Plus there is a great little coffee place in town. They import coffee from their plantation in Zimbabwe and roast it in Thornbury and man, is it ever good.
Anyway... On with the pictures!
Sadly, this is probably the best picture of Julie & Kara that I took. Sigh.
Ok, this one wasn't taken at the timeshare, but it does show how well Kara is standing these days. I'm sure she'll be walking before I head back to work.
Garrett & Kara liked to look out at Georgian Bay. There were a few army helicopters that flew back and forth during the day on Monday and it was always a game to try to see if we could find them before they zipped past.
Anyway... On with the pictures!
Sadly, this is probably the best picture of Julie & Kara that I took. Sigh.
Ok, this one wasn't taken at the timeshare, but it does show how well Kara is standing these days. I'm sure she'll be walking before I head back to work.
Garrett & Kara liked to look out at Georgian Bay. There were a few army helicopters that flew back and forth during the day on Monday and it was always a game to try to see if we could find them before they zipped past.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
A Step Towards Madness And Fame
I found a site a few days ago that lets you make comics without having to have a lick of artistic talent.
Here's my first creation!
Here's my first creation!
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
We've Got Gas
When we got home from the timeshare this afternoon, we noticed a guy walking from house to house doing the Direct Energy thing. Thankfully he didn't bug us as we were busy unloading the car and hauling the kids in and we figured that was that.
So about 2-3 minutes ago, the doorbell rings. Who is it?
A DIFFERENT guy from Direct Energy. At 8:45pm.
I didn't even give him a chance to do his spiel. I just said that we'd already seen a guy in the parking lot and told him we were ok.
"Oh, that was John. He didn't cross you off the list."
"That's ok. We're already on a plan."
"Oh... Who with?"
"I don't know. I just know we're on a plan."
"What's your rate?"
"I. DON'T. KNOW. We're ok though. Thanks."
"But I have been helping out your neighbours and..."
"We're on a plan. We're ok. Thanks."
He just sort of gave me this funny look and his eye got kind of twitchy. I thought he was going to try to punch me or stab me with his pen or something, but he finally seemed to get the hint and say, "Ok then," and walk away into the inky blackness...
Sigh.
I felt bad for the guy this afternoon as most of the people were at work. This guy tonight though...
So about 2-3 minutes ago, the doorbell rings. Who is it?
A DIFFERENT guy from Direct Energy. At 8:45pm.
I didn't even give him a chance to do his spiel. I just said that we'd already seen a guy in the parking lot and told him we were ok.
"Oh, that was John. He didn't cross you off the list."
"That's ok. We're already on a plan."
"Oh... Who with?"
"I don't know. I just know we're on a plan."
"What's your rate?"
"I. DON'T. KNOW. We're ok though. Thanks."
"But I have been helping out your neighbours and..."
"We're on a plan. We're ok. Thanks."
He just sort of gave me this funny look and his eye got kind of twitchy. I thought he was going to try to punch me or stab me with his pen or something, but he finally seemed to get the hint and say, "Ok then," and walk away into the inky blackness...
Sigh.
I felt bad for the guy this afternoon as most of the people were at work. This guy tonight though...
This Is Your Brain On Patapon
I am very glad that I have headphones or else I think this could be my fate.
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Taxonomic Trouble
I was talking with someone from church last week and they were telling me about someone they knew who was a vegetarian.
Here's the catch:
They don't eat vegetables.
What do you call a vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables? I think they only eat fruit and potatoes.
It's like a super vegan or something...
Here's the catch:
They don't eat vegetables.
What do you call a vegetarian who doesn't eat vegetables? I think they only eat fruit and potatoes.
It's like a super vegan or something...
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