2005-07-14
2005-07-13
2005-07-12
Boo
I didn't get the café job. :(
Of course, this means that I can pester Casco Bay Books again in the next few weeks since they said that they'd be hiring towards the end of July. And that's where I wanted to work to begin with.
Of course, this means that I can pester Casco Bay Books again in the next few weeks since they said that they'd be hiring towards the end of July. And that's where I wanted to work to begin with.
2005-07-11
Meth: not just for the homos
The link at the bottom of this post is to an overly depressing NY Times article from today about the effects of the rise in meth use and production on the social welfare systems of the areas that it has hit hardest in the US: the Western states and rural areas in particular. It focuses especially on what is happening to the poor kids whose parents are meth addicts/producers.
The National Association of Counties a week or two ago released a report saying that meth is number one drug problem across the nation right now, asking the Federal Government for increased funding across the board in order to combat it. A number of states are considering bans or have already put into place bans on over-the-counter sale of the common cold medicines from which meth can by synthesised (along with other ingredients).
The Bush Administration, however, maintains that the number one drug problem facing the country continues to be marijuana.
(Go read the article and tell me if that makes any sense.)
I'm posting this mostly because it's such a soft story. It doesn't ask any hard question, especially the one that was on my mind the whole time I was reading it: why? Not why are the welfare systems being overwhelmed but why are these parents turning to meth use/production? Certainly the current problem needs to be dealt with and these kids need to be provided with care. But the overall problem also has to be tackled and only by understanding why people are turning to meth can progress be made.
I'm very tempted to blame it on a number of things like the state of the economy, poor education generally in the US (not to mention what it's likely like in rural areas), a sense of being trapped in a horrible situation with no real way out, an easy way to make some extra money....
I could continue, but I won't.
Just food for thought.
The National Association of Counties a week or two ago released a report saying that meth is number one drug problem across the nation right now, asking the Federal Government for increased funding across the board in order to combat it. A number of states are considering bans or have already put into place bans on over-the-counter sale of the common cold medicines from which meth can by synthesised (along with other ingredients).
The Bush Administration, however, maintains that the number one drug problem facing the country continues to be marijuana.
(Go read the article and tell me if that makes any sense.)
I'm posting this mostly because it's such a soft story. It doesn't ask any hard question, especially the one that was on my mind the whole time I was reading it: why? Not why are the welfare systems being overwhelmed but why are these parents turning to meth use/production? Certainly the current problem needs to be dealt with and these kids need to be provided with care. But the overall problem also has to be tackled and only by understanding why people are turning to meth can progress be made.
I'm very tempted to blame it on a number of things like the state of the economy, poor education generally in the US (not to mention what it's likely like in rural areas), a sense of being trapped in a horrible situation with no real way out, an easy way to make some extra money....
I could continue, but I won't.
Just food for thought.
2005-07-07
Ugh
Washing dishes sucks ass. I'm way too much a social person for this job. It is money and the people are great, but I really hope that the café job comes through!
2005-07-05
Job interview update
Just got home from my interview at the café. It went really well, methinks. They're looking for a shift leader--oooh! something with *actual* responsibility. The girl who interviewed me was super nice and I have a very good feeling about this place and the company in general. She seemed very positive about how the interview went and said that she was going to phone my references and then get back to me in the next few days.
*fingers crossed*
*fingers crossed*
2005-07-03
Have they forgotten about the terror alert?
Tomorrow is Independence Day! I'm sure that must meen that the evil terrorists want to attack our land even more! Why haven't they raised the terror alert? Have they forgotten about it? Are they concerned about the mass panic it might provoke? What if an attack comes tomorrow and they haven't raised the alert, then what? People will be going about in their yellow-coded lives, and then *bam* nuclear holocaust. But if the terror alert were raised, people would be more vigilant and become more suspicious and maybe a potential attack might be stopped. Plus then the people would know that the government really was working to protect their best interests and that this wasn't all just a scam to generate mass fear and attempt to spur consumer spending. And then if an attack came and the alert level had been raised, the Dear Leader would be vindicated in all that he has struggled for in the past four years. And his approval ratings would soar like the eagle of American freedom and democracy out of the depths where they are now. And he would have no problems implimenting the rest of his crazy agenda over the next two years. And we would all link hands and sing his praise once we realised that he truly is the greatest president since Ronald Reagan.
Plus, I'd get to have an orange dancing banana on my blog!
Plus, I'd get to have an orange dancing banana on my blog!
2005-07-02
Jeopardy vindication
I always feel good when I get the final Jeopardy question but none of the contestants do.
Category: Actors and Historical Roles
Answer: In the 2002 film 'Frida', Geoffrey Rush played this European firebrand during his final days.'
I got it and I haven't even seen the movie. :-P
Category: Actors and Historical Roles
Answer: In the 2002 film 'Frida', Geoffrey Rush played this European firebrand during his final days.'
I got it and I haven't even seen the movie. :-P
2005-07-01
Happy Canada Day
Canada has virtually legalised gay marriage. The bill needs only to be approved by the Senate where no major problems are expected. Spain has legalised it. Yay Canada and Spain.
In far more depressing news, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her resignation from the US Supreme Court today. I think I wrote about this during the election last year: the one really big and really scary issue that would be directly impacted by the results of the election was that there was bound to be at least one--if not many--Supreme Court justices retiring during this presidential term. The Court is very finely balanced right now but Bush has no reason to keep it that way. It's true that the Republicans don't have a large enough majority in the Senate to be able to nominate whomever they want but that doesn't mean that they won't try. Bush has nothing to lose by nominating some far right judge to fill O'Connor's spot. He's already a lame duck as the lack of any bounce in the polls from Tuesday's speech shows. The problem, of course, is that we're at the beginning of an election cycle for Congress and this is bound to dominate the early part of that cycle. There's little doubt that the Democrats are going to get painted as obstructionist again for trying to stand up to any hard-line conservative nominee that Bush might through their way. The GOP might even try to take advantage of the goldfish memory of the American public and claim that they had promised not to use filibusters against judicial nominations back during the nuclear option fight. The Dems of course, promised only not to filibuster a small list of select compromise nominations and did not say anything about any future nominations.
Appointments are for a lifetime and while there will likely be more appointments during Bush's remaining years in office, if he manages to get one more hard-line conservative on the bench then we're screwed. Good-bye thirty years of progress. Good-bye abortion, environmental protection, minority (race, sexuality, gender, etc) rights. If they can swing the Supreme Court then the Republicans would have control of all three branches of government. One can only hope for a limited time only. But a conservative court can stick around for quite a long time (O'Connor herself sat on the bench for 24 years) whereas Congress and the President chance much more frequently in comparison.
Daily Kos has a list of things you can do right now to get ready to fight for a compromise, centrist nominee: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/1/111447/3656
And, to borrow the words of Rob over on AmericaBlog, Happy 4th - your independence is on the line.'
PS I have a job interview on Tuesday! With this place: Coffee By Design! They're happy and socially responsible and support the local community, etc. What a nice change it would be from my last coffee-slinging experience at Starbucks. One would assume, anyway.
In far more depressing news, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor has announced her resignation from the US Supreme Court today. I think I wrote about this during the election last year: the one really big and really scary issue that would be directly impacted by the results of the election was that there was bound to be at least one--if not many--Supreme Court justices retiring during this presidential term. The Court is very finely balanced right now but Bush has no reason to keep it that way. It's true that the Republicans don't have a large enough majority in the Senate to be able to nominate whomever they want but that doesn't mean that they won't try. Bush has nothing to lose by nominating some far right judge to fill O'Connor's spot. He's already a lame duck as the lack of any bounce in the polls from Tuesday's speech shows. The problem, of course, is that we're at the beginning of an election cycle for Congress and this is bound to dominate the early part of that cycle. There's little doubt that the Democrats are going to get painted as obstructionist again for trying to stand up to any hard-line conservative nominee that Bush might through their way. The GOP might even try to take advantage of the goldfish memory of the American public and claim that they had promised not to use filibusters against judicial nominations back during the nuclear option fight. The Dems of course, promised only not to filibuster a small list of select compromise nominations and did not say anything about any future nominations.
Appointments are for a lifetime and while there will likely be more appointments during Bush's remaining years in office, if he manages to get one more hard-line conservative on the bench then we're screwed. Good-bye thirty years of progress. Good-bye abortion, environmental protection, minority (race, sexuality, gender, etc) rights. If they can swing the Supreme Court then the Republicans would have control of all three branches of government. One can only hope for a limited time only. But a conservative court can stick around for quite a long time (O'Connor herself sat on the bench for 24 years) whereas Congress and the President chance much more frequently in comparison.
Daily Kos has a list of things you can do right now to get ready to fight for a compromise, centrist nominee: http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/7/1/111447/3656
And, to borrow the words of Rob over on AmericaBlog, Happy 4th - your independence is on the line.'
PS I have a job interview on Tuesday! With this place: Coffee By Design! They're happy and socially responsible and support the local community, etc. What a nice change it would be from my last coffee-slinging experience at Starbucks. One would assume, anyway.
2005-06-30
I still want Poutine.
| Very Canadian You scored 85 Canada speak and 91 Canadianess! |
| Nicely done! You could be one of us. You probably know someone who owns a Ski-Doo up at their cottage. |
 |
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The Ultimate Canadian Test written by echox2 on Ok Cupid |
2005-06-28
'One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.'*
*certain restrictions may apply
For the record, Staff Sargeant Piper leaves a wife and children. This same group has been protesting for the past few weeks in different Massachusetts towns and police have been protecting their freedom of speech.
That doesn't make it any less disgusting that they would protest at a soldier's funeral.
Staff Sgt. Christoper Piper, 43, served in both Afghanistan and Iraq and was awarded a bronze star for his combat service. The Green Beret died when his convoy was bombed June 3 in Afghanistan and a right-wing Protestant Christian church group from Topeka, Kansas is planning to demonstrate at Piper's funeral services at the Old North Church. They claim U.S. soldiers like Piper are dying because the country is being punished for its tolerance of what they see as immoral behavior, such as homosexuality.
For the record, Staff Sargeant Piper leaves a wife and children. This same group has been protesting for the past few weeks in different Massachusetts towns and police have been protecting their freedom of speech.
That doesn't make it any less disgusting that they would protest at a soldier's funeral.
Social legislation I could only dream about...
Paternity leave schemes in Denmark and Iceland are among the most generous in the world - and new statistics prove the benefits to society, experts say.
Last year, nearly all Icelandic fathers used their entitlement to three months off work on 80% of their salary.
The new paternity law came into effect in 2002. Iceland now has Europe's second highest birth rate after Turkey.
More Danish men are taking paternity leave now - 46,000 in 2004. New parents can share a year of paid leave there.
In 2004, Danish fathers spent an average of 3.6 weeks off work with their babies, compared with the mothers' average of 42.3 weeks.
Not only have divorce rates gone down, but it seems that when fathers take a more active role in raising the first child, the couple is more likely to be more stable in general and to have more children. Not that the world needs more babies, but family stability is a nice thing. As is the idea that fathers might take an active role in raising their children and be happy and proud to do it! And be recognised by society as doing a good thing!
I dream big. What can I say?
2005-06-27
A birthday gift!
From Cingular! My first bill! Oooh!
Okay, hardly exciting. It just seemed funny when I opened the mailbox and that's all that was in there.
I've already gotten a bunch of happy birthdays today, the first two from my roommate just after midnight and when she woke me up to say goodbye before heading off for the week. Getting woken up at 6am wasn't really necessary, but I just smiled and rolled over and went back to sleep.
Okay, hardly exciting. It just seemed funny when I opened the mailbox and that's all that was in there.
I've already gotten a bunch of happy birthdays today, the first two from my roommate just after midnight and when she woke me up to say goodbye before heading off for the week. Getting woken up at 6am wasn't really necessary, but I just smiled and rolled over and went back to sleep.
Stupid CNN
CNN's QuickVote Poll right now is asking about gas prices: 'Is your budget able to absorb higher gas prices? Yes, I can afford higher prices; No, I’ve cut other items to pay for gas'
What about a third option: 'I have chosen to use public transit more often, or to carpool, or to walk, or to find other ways to reduce my gas consumption.'
Just a thought.
What about a third option: 'I have chosen to use public transit more often, or to carpool, or to walk, or to find other ways to reduce my gas consumption.'
Just a thought.
2005-06-26
2005-06-25
Paul Rudd...
...totally hot.
I'm watching 'Object of My Affection' for the hundredth time right now and once again I am lusting after Paul Rudd's wardrobe.
And Paul Rudd himself, of course.
I'm watching 'Object of My Affection' for the hundredth time right now and once again I am lusting after Paul Rudd's wardrobe.
And Paul Rudd himself, of course.
Dumbass
Remind me not to decide to bake bread when it's going to be 36C out.
Also, it's amazing how much drama and entertainment $7.50 worth of drinks buys you in this city! And I've not even been here a month yet!
Also, it's amazing how much drama and entertainment $7.50 worth of drinks buys you in this city! And I've not even been here a month yet!
2005-06-24
2005-06-23
Strangest dream ever
The context for this dream is that my roommate is going to see our mutual ex-boyfriend, who was the guy that I dated in high school who had grown up on the South Shore and who was the reason that I first heard about McGill and then decided to apply. Actually, we had broken up by the time I applied, but, obviously, it worked out well anyway. We ran into each other a few times while I was in Montreal and I heard about him through the grapevine while I was there. He IM'ed me a bunch of times and I ignored him because I didn't feel that I had anything to say. And it was always awkward when we would run into each other at a club or something. I'm not really sure why. I honestly don't remember specifically why we broke up other than the fact that he was getting really frustrated about the whole situation (which was understandable, but a bit of a long story to get into here just to contextualise the dream). All the same, I think it was just one of those high school relationships that wasn't really destined to go anywhere. According to my roommate, he's finally gotten his shit together--which was definitely something that he really really needed to do.
And now he's down visiting old friends in Boston with his family. And she's going to see him tomorrow. When she first mentioned that she was going last week she said I could go if I wanted to and I just didn't respond, pretended that I didn't hear. I'm not really sure why. I thought about trying to get in touch with him before I left Montreal but didn't really make a concerted effort to do so. And now I have the chance to see him. I could just tell my roommate when she gets home--even tomorrow--that I wanted to come along. She wouldn't care and I'm sure he wouldn't either. I don't have any strong bad feelings towards him at this point. Yet I don't have any strong good feelings towards him either. Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself of something?
And now to the dream.
It involved roller blading which, if you know me, is strange enough to begin with, because roller blades scare the shit out of me. It gets stranger, though, because it involved roller blading down I-93 from the town I grew up in towards Boston with my best friend from high school and a few other people, including the ex, but not my now current roommate. As usual in dreams, the ex looked nothing like how he actually looks, but I knew it was he.
So, we're roller blading down the highway, along with cars, as if this were entirely normal. And I'm way out in front a lot of the time, which made me more of a target for the traffic, which was made up mostly of obnoxiously large pick-up trucks.
We weren't going to Boston, though, we were going to the Stone Zoo, which is the most ghetto zoo I've ever been to. Major the Polar Bear used to live there and it was really sad because his enclosure was all concrete and very 1950s. Architecturally kind of nice, but not somewhere I'd want to live as a polar bear. All day he would walk around the edge of his pool on the other side of which was a fifty foot drop in a sort of gentle slope. This is what separated the visitors from the animals in a lot of the exhibits. I was happy when old Major finally died because it meant that he was finally out of his misery.
Now, as if this dream wasn't strange enough to begin with roller blading down the interstate with a high school ex-boyfriend that I have only lukewarm feelings towards, but after we got off the interstate, everything changed and I was suddenly in an episode of Sex and the City--IN Stoneham (where the Stone Zoo is) although populated with spots that looked quite like Portland. From there it gets kind of fuzzy. I do remember that it was some strange thriller/mystery episode where someone was trying to kill of Carrie via a gorgeous new boyfriend. Or maybe it was something about getting her pregnant against her will or something. In any event, it was very odd and very confusing which is probably why I don't remember the specifics of it. I forget exactly how I fit in, but I remember finding out at the end that I was an unwitting accomplice to the whole thing and getting quite angry, especially because Miranda had been helping the bad guys do whatever it was that they were trying to do. Then I tried to commandeer a city bus to go after the little old lady (that my mind possibly based on Magdah, Miranda's nanny?) who was the head of the evilness afoot. I thought it was going to work, because I managed to flag down this empty bus that started following the other city bus that the little old lady had escaped on except that it turned out that the two bus routes just happened to follow each other for a while and then diverged and no matter what I tried, I couldn't manage to get the bus driver to follow the other bus.
And then I woke up.
Like I said, strangest dream ever.
And now he's down visiting old friends in Boston with his family. And she's going to see him tomorrow. When she first mentioned that she was going last week she said I could go if I wanted to and I just didn't respond, pretended that I didn't hear. I'm not really sure why. I thought about trying to get in touch with him before I left Montreal but didn't really make a concerted effort to do so. And now I have the chance to see him. I could just tell my roommate when she gets home--even tomorrow--that I wanted to come along. She wouldn't care and I'm sure he wouldn't either. I don't have any strong bad feelings towards him at this point. Yet I don't have any strong good feelings towards him either. Do I sound like I'm trying to convince myself of something?
And now to the dream.
It involved roller blading which, if you know me, is strange enough to begin with, because roller blades scare the shit out of me. It gets stranger, though, because it involved roller blading down I-93 from the town I grew up in towards Boston with my best friend from high school and a few other people, including the ex, but not my now current roommate. As usual in dreams, the ex looked nothing like how he actually looks, but I knew it was he.
So, we're roller blading down the highway, along with cars, as if this were entirely normal. And I'm way out in front a lot of the time, which made me more of a target for the traffic, which was made up mostly of obnoxiously large pick-up trucks.
We weren't going to Boston, though, we were going to the Stone Zoo, which is the most ghetto zoo I've ever been to. Major the Polar Bear used to live there and it was really sad because his enclosure was all concrete and very 1950s. Architecturally kind of nice, but not somewhere I'd want to live as a polar bear. All day he would walk around the edge of his pool on the other side of which was a fifty foot drop in a sort of gentle slope. This is what separated the visitors from the animals in a lot of the exhibits. I was happy when old Major finally died because it meant that he was finally out of his misery.
Now, as if this dream wasn't strange enough to begin with roller blading down the interstate with a high school ex-boyfriend that I have only lukewarm feelings towards, but after we got off the interstate, everything changed and I was suddenly in an episode of Sex and the City--IN Stoneham (where the Stone Zoo is) although populated with spots that looked quite like Portland. From there it gets kind of fuzzy. I do remember that it was some strange thriller/mystery episode where someone was trying to kill of Carrie via a gorgeous new boyfriend. Or maybe it was something about getting her pregnant against her will or something. In any event, it was very odd and very confusing which is probably why I don't remember the specifics of it. I forget exactly how I fit in, but I remember finding out at the end that I was an unwitting accomplice to the whole thing and getting quite angry, especially because Miranda had been helping the bad guys do whatever it was that they were trying to do. Then I tried to commandeer a city bus to go after the little old lady (that my mind possibly based on Magdah, Miranda's nanny?) who was the head of the evilness afoot. I thought it was going to work, because I managed to flag down this empty bus that started following the other city bus that the little old lady had escaped on except that it turned out that the two bus routes just happened to follow each other for a while and then diverged and no matter what I tried, I couldn't manage to get the bus driver to follow the other bus.
And then I woke up.
Like I said, strangest dream ever.
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