The F Word

Those who know me well know that I'm not often inclined to say the F word. Lately, however, it's been on the tip of my tongue, and vocalized, much more often. Let me tell you why...

It all started on the evening of Monday October 3rd. Biscotti and I arranged a date, hired a sub, and enjoyed a very pleasant dinner at the Boathouse at English Bay. We had late reservations, so the view from our top-floor, window-side table was somewhat hampered by the indoor reflection since the sun had already departed. Once we finished our meal we exited onto Denman Street, where we decided to take a bit of a stroll, window shopping and whatnot. As we neared the West End Community Centre, both of us were well aware that Denman was mostly empty except for this one guy who had been walking behind us for a block or two. It was quite late, we were very overdressed for laid-back Denman on a Monday night, and, as already stated, there were very few others around. We stopped at the next intersection, pressed the pedestrian button, and as we waited for the light to turn we watched the guy walk by. We crossed the street and walked back towards the beach.

Later that same night, I went down on one knee and asked Biscotti to marry me. I have a fiancée. I've been calling her, and refering to her as, my fiancée. That is why I've been saying fiancée more than usual during this past week.

Free iPod - no joke

So there's this cool deal going around right now where you can get a free iPod. By clicking here, or on the link at the end of this post, you will be taken to a page where you will sign up for one of the marketing offers. There is a free trial month, during which they'll send you some gift certificates or something-or-other. After that one free month they will start charging you per month. It is up to you to call and cancel during that free trial month, thereby avoiding any charges. As my friend Tias explained to me, with much more clarity than I could ever get across here, they count on people either forgetting to cancel, or thinking that if they cancel they won't receive their free iPod. Also, as my friend Brad says, 'the essence of their offer is that there's a lot of money in referral marketing'.

The free iPod I have chosen is the 20GB Color iPod (as pictured above). Here are the details of this little beauty:

2 inch, 65,536 color LCD screen

Displays up to 25 full-color thumbnails at a time

Holds up to 5,000 songs

15 hours of music playback

5 hours of slideshows with music
Approx. dimensions: 4.1 inches x 2.4 inches x 0.63 inches
Podcast ready
Sync iPod-viewable photos from several different image file formats

Earbud headphones, AC adapter and USB 2.0 cable included

I have signed up and completed an offer, which means that Tias is one step closer to five completed referrals. In order for me to receive my free iPod in the mail, I must refer five new people. And that, my close personal friends, is where you come in. Simply click on the following link, follow the easy-to-follow steps, and complete an offer! After that, all you have to do is refer five new people and you yourself will receive a free iPod in the mail. It's definitely not a case of too-good-to-be-true. If you want details don't hesitate to contact me, either through 'comments' or through other means if you have them. Just don't forget to cancel before the free month is over.

Free iPod link: http://ipods.freepay.com/?r=23417771

Number Two

Since June Biscotti and I have been working a job that has us caring for children in our own home. We haven't had a high number of children that wear diapers, and the ones that have, Biscotti has dealt with as necessary. Well, earlier this week I changed my first dirty diaper. Dirty is bold and italicized for a reason. As it turns out, the first dirty diaper I changed was also the last dirty diaper I will change. Ever. I just figured, why not get it all done in one go? First and last, all fini.

When Tildy was an outdoor cat, things were different. We had a catdoor, she would come and go as she pleased. She would often bring in some presents for us, nonwished for presents that we did not keep inside for long, alive or not. Although we had a kitty litter, the presence of a catdoor meant that Tildy had no need for it. As Tildy I'm sure would say, "what are neighbor's gardens for?" So I not once had to upkeep kitty's litter. Now she's an indoor cat, and I cannot believe how often she must've once used the neighbor's garden. Each time I upkeep, one word comes to mind: prolific.

Biking in Vancouver

In the most recent edition of the Westender, which I read every week, is the following Rant, found in the section Rant 'n' Rave! I post it here in a gesture of agreement and solidarity. Yes, I know it's not much in the way of solidarity, but I'm very busy right now:

In response to N. Smith's rant, "You selfish cyclists" [Sept. 22-22 issue]: Cyclists ride on the sidealk not because they have a "lack of consideration for others," but because they fear for their lives. I know of many people who have been seriously injured or killed from riding in traffic, but not one by a bike on the sidewalk. Instead of ranting about the inconsideration of sidewalk cyclers, you should be ranting that the city of Vancouver does not have a safe place to ride a fucking bike. Other cities in Canada and all over Europe have actual bike lanes where cars CANNOT DRIVE. Vancouver puts a picture of a bicycle on the pavement of a random street and calls it a "bike route." You should be ranting at the city for not providing cyclists with a safe lane to ride a bicycle in. We live in an age where people are dying in the desert so that North Americans can drive to work and back. This city needs to do its part in reducing our oil dependency, not painting pictures of bicycles on the street and hoping for the best.
- Megan Rose

I've Been Meme'd!

Thanks Jason, I owe you one. No wait, you owe me five.

# of Books I Own:

You will not get an exact number. Or any number. I have a couple of boxes full of books as I'm currently in the process of moving (and have been in this process since June), and the total number rises and falls as I find and buy good and/or cheap books to read, and as I release finished books into the wild.

Last Book I Bought:

Aw jeez.. Ummmm.. Hmmmm.. Oh yeah. I bought two at the same time. The Boomer by no one of consequence, and The Salmon of Doubt by Douglas Adams of hitchhiking the galaxy fame. Haven't yet read the latter, and do not recommend the former.

5 Books That Mean(t) A Lot To Me:

Here's a list that I compiled rather quickly. It may or may not be accurate.

I quite enjoyed Einstein's Dreams by Alan Lightman. Many many short stories that play with the concept of time. Is it linear? Is it circular? Is it like a merry-go-round where the speed at which time passes varies based on where you are standing? Perhaps it doesn't exist at all, things just happen when they happen. I highly recommend this book. I might even lend it to you if you ask nicely. It will not be wild released, only loaned to those I know.

Polaroids from the Dead was the first book I read by Douglas Coupland. It is perhaps for that reason that it is the one book of his that stands out. A mix of fiction and non-fiction, with some stories based in and around the Vancouver area, I was drawn in by his writing style and insight into various cultural events.

Ball Four was an excellent read. If you are a baseball player or fan then I highly recommend this book, and if you are neither a baseball player nor fan then I recommend this book highly. RHP Jim Bouton recorded his thoughts, and the events of his team behind closed doors, over the course of a season or two. Probably the funniest book I have ever read. I'd like to give a quote from the book, but that wouldn't do the book justice. Better to just read it and all its glory.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: A Trilogy in Four Parts. What a writer Douglas Adams is. This is a long saga that has drama, romance, humor, devastation, and lots and lots of wit. I will keep it and read it again soon. Actually not too soon. It's been six years since I read it and it will be another few years. This one is also available for loans. All the books on this list are available for loans. The movie came out recently and I saw it and thought, 'enh'. Wasn't terrible, but wasn't great. Then I thought, well how could they possibly get all the greatness of the book into a two hour movie. They did the best they could.

Pavel Bure: The Riddle Of The Russian Rocket. I became a hockey fan in the early nineties mostly because of him. This is a look at how he came to play in Vancouver and at the many suspicions that people had of his personal life, which can be summed up in one word: shady. I miss you Pavel and your full-speed end-to-end rushes.

Five People I Now Name As 'Tagged':

I think the people I tag are supposed to have blogs with which to continue the meme tradition. As you can see by looking to the right, I know not many people with blogs. Therefore, I give one name. If he reads this, he must consider himself tagged. The name: Brad (surprise!)

Wild Animals

I don't get it. Humans have been demolishing forests, which serve as habitats for many species, in order to make housing. There are lots of places to build housing in the world without destroying someone's lifelong home, but hey, let's build a little further up the mountains of the north shore. And hey, since we live here now, let's shoot and kill any being that dares to come close to us. You're attracted to our garbage can, well then, you must die. And it's not 'putting them to sleep' or 'laying them to rest' or 'sending them off to aunt Maggie's farm', it's 'having them destroyed'. It's as if these living breathing animals are asteroids coming towards earth. 'The bear has since been destroyed'. Nice. Recently a man near Prince George was driving alone on a logging road when his car broke down. Rather than walk to town on the road, he attempted to shortcut through the woods. He was ultimately found dead, killed by a bear. Authorities say that he came upon a bear and two cubs. If it's found that the man startled the bears and was killed in self-defensive, the bears will get to live. That's nice of us. BUT, if the bears killed him in a predatory manner, then they will have to be 'destroyed'. Why? WTF? This guy walks through their home, gets killed by a wild frickin' bear, and so now we must go and kill the bears. I don't agree.

While I'm on this topic, coyotes have been visible in Vancouver parks, and on the streets, for a little while. There have been a few incidents of coyote/human conflict. One such case was a coyote 'nipping' at a little girl in, if memory serves me correct, Vanier Park. I believe the coyote only got clothing, no skin. However, if the guilty coyote could be figured out, the guilty coyote would be destroyed. So a human being could do much worse, so much worse, to this little girl and have very little happen to him, but this coyote, with natural instincts, nips her clothing and must die. I believe the girl was about 6 years young. Where were her parents/guardians?

In related news, Biscotti's Morgan was the second person destroyed on Survivor. She has since jumped onto the Judd bandwagon.

Survivor & Amazing Race Pools

Survivor

Biscotti and I joined a survivor pool. I got Judd, a 35-year-old hotel doorman from New York City. He scared me during the premiere when he was first out of the canoe and ended up flopping around like a beached whale in a pool of mud. He then did nothing but lie around camp feeling quite sick, so, when our tribe Nakum (yes, our tribe) lost the immunity challenge, I wasn't feeling too confident. Luckily, all the males on his tribe also lay around feeling sick, so he was spared. Turns out the oldest male on Nakum not only felt sick, but had disfigured his arm during the challenge. We live to see another day. Click here for more on Judd Sergeant. His favorite movie? The Jerk.

Biscotti got Morgan, who happens to be on the other tribe, Yaxha. Morgan is a 21-year-old model/entertainer. She flew under the radar during the premiere, and was on the team that one immunity so not much drama there. So every episode will have either my life, I mean five bucks, or Biscotti's life, I mean five bucks, on the line. Wish us luck. Click here for more on Morgan McDevitt (take note, "Occupation: model" is a link..). Her favorite board game? Chess.

Amazing Race

Biscotti and I started an Amazing Race pool. Two actually. In the first pool we've been paired up with The Bransen Family, made up of a father and his three twenty-something daughters who, get this, once appeared together in a Pert shampoo commercial several years ago.

In the second pool we got The Aiello Family, a 57-year-old and his three son-in-laws. Nothing titillating there. This is, CBS says, their first official trip without their wives by their sides. Official? They've taken unofficial trips? Now it's official because it's a race? Good luck boys.

Word Verification

After all the spam following my Clijsters post, I decided to refresh my blog right after the Bush post, and waddaya know, two spam comments immediately posted. Therefore, I have enabled word verification.

Word verification? What's that? I'll let blogger explain..

What this does is to prevent automated systems from adding comments to your blog, since it takes a human being to read the word and pass this step. If you've ever received a comment that looked like an advertisement or a random link to an unrelated site, then you've encountered comment spam. A lot of this is done automatically by software which can't pass the word verification, so enabling this option is a good way to prevent many such unwanted comments.

So, the luck key readers, it will take one small additional step to post a comment on my blog, but we (primarily I) will be forever free of spam. I look forward to reading your many wanted comments..

Bush

I just came across this quote while randomly browsing the internet in a bored stupor.

Electing Bush was seen by the world as a mistake. Re-electing will be seen as a hostile act.
- Graydon Carter, What We've Lost

10is ne1

I've been watching a lot of the US Open and there have been a remarkable number of compelling matches, most notably Sanguinetti vs Srichaphan and Clijsters vs Venus.

However, last night's incredible Agassi vs Blake showdown takes the cake. During Agassi's comeback from two sets down, one of the commentators was talking about the fans not knowing who to cheer for. Then said that Agassi was aware that the fans were pulling for Blake because of all he's been through the past two years. How to get the fans on Agassi's side? Drop the first two sets of course! Go Agassi!

I hope Clijsters wins her first slam this weekend.